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Zipping Round The West Coast In A Toyota CHR

therock

By therock,
in Travel & Road Trips

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therock

therock

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2 minutes ago, Matoonia said:

Wah so jialat ah.. worse than Brunei is 😨. lucky i only did Brunei once before, but really shaq. lost 3 kg after came back...

yes my elder girl 12yo can manage on her own, but the younger one always want to be carried. Seriously may want to skip this then, and just go Yosemite

 

You can go bro, it's amazing, just don't go down. Hire a chopper for a flight over the canyon, it's very nice. 

I once stayed in a tent, and a moose poked it's head in to wake me up.. very unforgettable.. 

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Matoonia

Matoonia

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13 hours ago, Voodooman said:

If you are not traveling in late December, you can consider SF > Monterey > Yosemite -> LV via Tioga Pass > GC > LA.

The mountain drive from Yosemite to LV is 7-8 hours but it is a really scenic mountain drive. 

Yes I did consider that, but it will mean I will miss the coastal drive to LA.. are there any places worth dropping by between Yosemite and LV? Most prob will stay 1 night enroute if I'm gg this way.. something like this SF>Monterey>Yosemite> Some place between > LV > LA. this could work too..

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Voodooman

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29 minutes ago, Matoonia said:

Yes I did consider that, but it will mean I will miss the coastal drive to LA.. are there any places worth dropping by between Yosemite and LV? Most prob will stay 1 night enroute if I'm gg this way.. something like this SF>Monterey>Yosemite> Some place between > LV > LA. this could work too..

Bishop can be a mid point.  The other option is Death Valley.

To me, some might disagree, the best coastal drive from SF to LA is the stretch from SF to Big Sur.  Do not miss the 17-mile drive in Pacific Grove/ Monterey.

Based on your itinerary, the toughest drive is going to be LV > GC.  Assuming you are visiting Southern GC.   The Yosemite to LV drive via Tioga Pass is a lot more enjoyable. 

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therock

therock

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I think the Tioga pass won’t be open so close to winter.. do check on conditions 

follow the Merced river in

and pump a full tank first 

gas is costly if at all available 

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Wildfaye29

Wildfaye29

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20 hours ago, Wildfaye29 said:

@therock

maybe u can share the basic trip info like

1) how long is the trip

2) some basic map

3) main checkpoints along the way?

[drivingcar]I love road trips!

@therock i meant in the very first post of the thread

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therock

therock

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2 hours ago, Wildfaye29 said:

@therock i meant in the very first post of the thread

I cannot edit the first post as you know...

The info about duration is in the thread - 2 weeks...

I'll post some info when I am feet dry again... I'm off again on another flight...  work this time..

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Wildfaye29

Wildfaye29

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21 hours ago, therock said:

I cannot edit the first post as you know...

The info about duration is in the thread - 2 weeks...

I'll post some info when I am feet dry again... I'm off again on another flight...  work this time..

[drivingcar]ok great! looking fwd! :a-popcorn:

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Vegas

Vegas

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On 10/17/2019 at 9:35 PM, Wildfaye29 said:

@therock

maybe u can share the basic trip info like

1) how long is the trip

2) some basic map

3) main checkpoints along the way?

[drivingcar]I love road trips!

personally i feel one of the key to a great road trip is planning..

other pples checkpoint may not be what you like.

 

i have been on 4 different road trips in between LA SF and LV... best place to visit for me is Tahoe.. but almost no one from SG goes there 😜

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Mkl22

Mkl22

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20 hours ago, Vegas said:

personally i feel one of the key to a great road trip is planning..

other pples checkpoint may not be what you like.

 

i have been on 4 different road trips in between LA SF and LV... best place to visit for me is Tahoe.. but almost no one from SG goes there 😜

Me me. I like Tahoe too. Went there skiing twice. 

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therock

therock

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Ok, I've managed to sit down and I'll post a bit more about the planning:

@Tohto - let me know if it's enough?

Firstly, you have to decide what the trip is about - shopping / sights / exercise (hikes)

The West is filled with options, and it's important to figure out what you and whoever else is going wants. 

Second decide on the number of days you want to spend, and add 3 days for the flights and days lost. DO NOT land and drive long distances immediately !!! You are liable to become another death statistics. I don't care if you just kill yourself, but you may kill your family, and embarrass Singapore as a whole as the type of tourist who doesn't know about car safety and also how to control your car. Esp since you are a member on this forum. A car forum no less...

Distances are far, so budget time for pee, eating, and just gawking at the wonderful scenery around you.

Third, plan your petrol stops (don't wait for the warning signal to come on) - you could be stuck or end up paying a lot for petrol / gas.

Fourth, know your weather conditions, it's not home, and there are four seasons. If you drive in Winter, you MUST have snow chains, it's the law. Don't scrimp, and if you don't know how to put them on, pay for someone to do it or don't go. 

Check which roads are open and when does it get dark. Driving in the dark when you aren't familiar is not easy if you aren't familiar. Your kids might get whiny and restless. 

Fifth, as a rule of thumb, avoid driving more than 5-6 hours a day, it's tiring esp if you are the only driver.

Six, try to avoid the refugee style, spend more than one night at each place. Packing and unpacking is tiring. Take time to relax, take in the airs..

Seven, do note the tax differs in different places, eg it's cheaper to shop in Oregon where it's tax free. No GST..

Eight, hotels - see what suits your budget.... I stayed a bit further out, so I could get nicer hotels at a lower cost. It's ok when you drive. Check if they offer breakfast, some places even allow you to cook.. 

Nine, get an annual pass if you intend to go to more than one National Park (NP)

image.png.c2d15eb044247d053903f47e1cb1d819.png

10 days on the ground

Land in Tacoma Seattle (there's a direct flight from SG)

Drove to Port Angeles - visited the Olympic NP

Then Fork

Then Portland - Woodburn - there's a nice Premium Outlet Mall, tax free

Then Crater Lake NP

Then Trinidad, where I visited the Redwood NP

Then it was straight down to SF, past Mendocino, where they filmed Murder She Wrote...

image.thumb.png.87c8c3afb383f87a92f5c544c326105f.png

 

In SFO, you can rely on Lyft, which is like Uber / Grab.

There are plenty of options on where to go, eg the Golden Gate, the Piers etc, see what you like and go for it!

 

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therock

therock

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I did but they are different places. 

You must always be prepared for rain, even snow along hurricane ridge. 

In Yosemite most folks just hike in the valley floor and seldom go out or up. 

Olympic NP has many parts and you can approach from a few entrances and each has their own climates. Both are nice and worth staying for a few days. 

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Voodooman

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(edited)
16 hours ago, therock said:

I did but they are different places. 

You must always be prepared for rain, even snow along hurricane ridge. 

In Yosemite most folks just hike in the valley floor and seldom go out or up. 

Olympic NP has many parts and you can approach from a few entrances and each has their own climates. Both are nice and worth staying for a few days. 

Thanks for sharing.  Did a few moderate hikes in Yosemite many years ago too. Yes, need to sweat a bit to better appreciate the terrain and majesty of Yosemite NP. 

Will KIV Olympic NP for my next US trip. 

We like to throw in 1 or 2 day hikes in every trip we take, time permitting, care to share some of your favourite day hikes?

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therock

therock

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There aware many walks of different intensities, just head to the visitor centre

I will have my hiking boots but I no longer do multi day hikes nor backpack everything 

hurricane ridge is nice but be prepared for bad weather

Fork has many beach walks and there are a few salmon creeks too to explore. Sol Duc is another place that’s very pretty.   

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