Tour de "west"

[sirryan]

Hey All,

We are taking off on a tour from MN to Denver, and then to and up the west coast, and then back to MN through the northern states. I'm familiar with many roads until we exit Colorado and then I could use some suggestions. We have vague travel plans and are going to keep it that way so that we can make decisions on the road (timing, weather, freedom, etc.) but would like to have info. on the roads before we go. What can you tell me about:

Hwy 50 through Nevada?

Hwy 80 through Nevada?

Other routes through Nevada?!??!? (considering heat and boredom)

California: Out of Reno, headed for Eureka, 395 to 70 to 89 to 44 and then 299 to coast.

101 to somewhere in Washington or Oregon (any good ideas here?) depending on time frame, and then we'll make our way to Montana and back(not worried about routes for this part, lots of good roads).

Main question is how to get across Nevada (yeah, I know blisteringly fast............). Our trip will include some slab and some scenic because of the distance that we want to travel and the time that we have to do it. Our pre-planned main stops will be Denver, Redwoods, Spokane or Ellensburg WA, Missoula, Big Sky as we have places to stay and people to see there. We'll mostly be moteling and will try the KOA kamping kabins since, traveling 2up, we don't think we have room for camping gear.

Thanks in advance for any ideas. Getting stoked for the trip!!

SR

 

[Hit the Road Jack]

There's a golden opportunity to swing slightly south and see: Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Zion NP, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Yosemite NP, San Fran and resume your itinerary.

My 2 cents!

 

[2006FJR]

Check out this great new feature on Google Maps. This is really some pretty cool new software. This will help you route and re-route your map in real time. There is also a traffic button once you get into more populated area. Good luck and it sounds like a great trip. I just started planning my trip 1200 miles to get my seat made at Russell.

 

[ponyfool]

Don't miss locations along your trip:

Colorado:

Estes Park

Leadville (highest elevation city in US)

Breckenridge

Telluride

Utah:

Moab

Check out WFO section for other areas

Nevada

Hoover Dam / Lake Mead

VEGAS BABY! Most places have A/C!

Oregon

Hwy 101 from Cali up to Seaside

Hwy 224 east of Estacada

Mt HoodColumbia River Hwy

Washington

Mt Saint Helens (Windy Ridge)

You could spend a long time in/around St Helens

Others will come along and add to the list.

Enjoy!

Check out this great new feature on Google Maps. This is really some pretty cool new software.

That is AWESOME software from Google Maps! They sure as hell aren't slowing down to allow anyone to catch up with them, are they?

 

[Rev Ed]

Depending on how much time you have....

If you don't do the Mt. Saint Helens route:

The Old scenic hwy east of Portland along the Columbia Gorge is great. Must see stop at Multnomah Falls. Can cross over to Hwy 14 on the Washington side at Hood River, The Dalles, or Biggs Junction. (Or if you don't want to do the old Oregon Hwy. cross the Columbia at Portland and catch Hwy. 14 there.)

Take Hwy 14 to Hwy 97 and go over Satus Pass and that will take you to the Yakima Valley. After going through Yakima, take the Ellensburg Canyon Hwy instead of the interstate (both will drop you into Ellensburg.

If you do Saint Helens, take Hwy 12 east into Yakima to get to Ellensburg. Note that Hwy 123 (Cayuse Pass) which connects Hwy 12 and Hwy 410 is closed.

I live in Yakima so give me a holler if you have time.

 

[huchieglide]

If you don't plan to go to San Francisco, take hwy 36 out of Red Bluff over to Fortuna. This will land you just south of Eureka. If you go to San Fran. then hwy 1 up the coast will be cool and cooler.

Ahhhhhhhhhh, so many roads, with limited time. Pick a few favorites and do the others next time. Be safe and enjoy!

 

[DaveT]

Check out my suggested rides in Colorado and southern Utah if you wish. Pretty nice riding. US-50 across NV is interesting, but VERY hot in the summer. Much better in late Sept or early october. Even better IMHO is NV-375 and US-6 a little further south. In WA highly recommend WA-20 all the way across the top, plus the Columbia River Gorge, particlarly on the Washington side is awesome.

 

[TruWrecks]

I'm drolling already! There are a few of us in the PNW that can certainly give you great info. I can personally recommend WA HWY 530 up to Mt. Baker, then up into Canada, or backtrack south to HWY 20. Both ways are outstanding. There are miles and miles of great roads in Oregon and Washington. John Day sits right in the middle of enough winding roads to keep someone busy for a few days. Most of the back roads are pretty good as long as you avoid the big cities.

 

[sirryan]

:yahoo: This is AWESOME :yahoo:

Thanks guys for the ideas. And keep 'em coming. I'm going to print this thread and go hang out by a map for a while before putting on those buttery new tires that fed ex dropped off yesterday in prep for the tour!!

Man, life is tough when this is what you have to look forward to. (yeah, I know.....never end a sentence with a preposition, blah blah blah)

SR

 

[ponyfool]

Dude, if you have the time to tour now, why the hell ain't you coming to WFO????

 

[sirryan]

Dude, if you have the time to tour now, why the hell ain't you coming to WFO????

If only it were a week later!! I can't get out of here until the 25th if everything goes perfectly, so that means prolly the 26th. And, I must spend a few days in Denver for some quality family time with.....uh.....the family........

Anyhow, I know, excuses, excuses. I hope to see alot of you guys on the road surrounding WFO. I hope it's a BLAST!!