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Travel in Western US

=xentrik
06/18/05 3:27 PM GMT
A friend of mine is moving from Albany, NY to Los Angeles. I've agreed to help him with the move/driving, and in return, I get to see some of the most incredible places in the world. The move itself is going to be more like a 3-week road trip, about two of which will take us through many of the national parks in the west. Now, I didn't write this to brag, I'm actually looking for help and advice about what we want to be certain to see or skip.

The current plan is:
Badlands (a couple days)
Mt. Rushmore & Devil's Tower (quick stops)
Yellowstone & Grand Tetons (several days)
Dinosaur National Monument (stop/day)
and a day in each of:
Bryce Canyon
Grand Canyon North Rim
Zion NP
and finally a couple nights in Vegas before the final leg to Pasadena.

I know it's naive to think we can see anywhere close to all the best places, but that's why I'm hoping to get some help from you all. I know (from all the ridiculously good photos) many of you have been through these areas, and I'm hoping for a "best of" and any other hints you can suggest. If you can think of anything to add or remove from the itinerary, I'd appreciate hearing about that too. An early thank you to anyone with some advice, and I'll be sure to come back and share whatever good photos I can get.
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rustectrum03
06/19/05 4:06 AM GMT
--A few added places might be...
~Mesa Verde Nat'l Park - site of the Anasazi Indian cliff dwellings that you come across sometimes...It was one of the highlights of a pretty good trip to the southwest. There are guided tours through the actual ruins and it was pretty good.
~Arches Nat'l Park, home of the oft photographed Delicate Arch is a pretty good stop in eastern Utah although you have quite a few desert/cliff parks on your itinerary. I couldn't tell if Arches is better or worse than the ones you plan on.
~There are also a ton of places in Colorado (Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park, the 'Aspen' area) that are quite nice if you're going to be in that area.
~I know that California esp Yosemite are good places, never really been there but it may be worth your while if you have the time
--Minuses and Tips(perhaps) :)
~Devil's Tower seemed to be a bit out of the way and we got lost trying to find it. It may have been a good place to go, but it seemed off the beaten path..especially if you're using it as something to do between the badlands and yellowstone.
~DO NOT approach Dinosaur National Monument from the Colorado side. if you want to go to it approach from the Utah side. The stuff on the Colorado side wasn't worth going to IMO.
~Mount Rushmore is off the beaten path and it is quite scenic around that area, you may want to plan a bit more time there.

hope this helps a bit and have a good time.
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~~"If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere. -Vincent Van Gogh
prismmagic
06/20/05 5:25 AM GMT
If your going be near the grand canyon be sure to go through flag and to Sadona and if you can the Painted desert and the vally of the Gods.
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=xentrik
06/20/05 2:50 PM GMT
Thanks for those suggestions for extra places, guys. I'll look into the routing for them, but most seem to be far enough to be difficult. They all sound like awesome places, but we'll likely be spending very little time in Arizona or Colorado. But that's what I asked for, I'll just have to be disappointed to hear about all these great places I can't *quite* fit in.
Brett, those tips are exactly what I was looking for. What you said about Dino was what I thought I was reading on the Parks Service site, but it wasn't totally clear. I'm glad to know that's the way to go in. Also, original thought when looking at an overview map was driving straight from Badlands to Yellowstone with quick stops, but that's on the order of 10 hours of driving alone, and doesn't include the stops you've mentioned that are very out of the way. So we'll have to figure something new out there.
Thanks again for your help, guys. We've got a lot more planning to do, and I'll definitely look into what you mentioned.
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=xentrik
07/26/05 3:06 PM GMT
I'm giving my notice that I'll be gone from August 3rd - 21st. As I'll take the stereotypical view that there's nothing between New York and Los Angeles but awesome scenery and tumbleweed, I'll only be online if a freak lightning storm charges the atmosphere enough to carry a WiFi signal out to wherever I am. So you won't have to deal with my sarcastic replies for at least a couple weeks.
I'll also take this as a last-ditch effort to ask anything you all might know about particular spots within the parks and areas mentioned, which was my intent with this post in the first place. Thanks to Brett and Clayton for their advice already, and thanks to anyone who may have something to add.
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*caedes
07/26/05 3:13 PM GMT
Hmm, I might have to nominate an "interim xentrik" during that time. Thanks for the heads up.
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-caedes
=xentrik
07/26/05 3:26 PM GMT
Make sure it's someone even less competent than me so I'll have a job to come back to. ;-D
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::Morwyn
07/26/05 3:52 PM GMT
Have a great trip, and take lots of photos..
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One bead at a time..
mum42
07/27/05 10:05 AM GMT
You should pass over the Hoover Dam - that is an awesome structure to behold.
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Never give up. Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. ~~ Michael Jordan
+mayne
07/28/05 5:58 AM GMT
=Piner ;-) Oh, and Mike have a great time...might throw on the telephoto and watch from Canada as you roll across the great plains:-)
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Darryl
=xentrik
07/29/05 3:52 AM GMT
Thanks for the well-wishes, everyone. :) We're certain to go to the Hoover Dam, Mum, as the guy I'm travelling with is a Civil Engineer taking up a position in the LA DPW. The dam is practically a holy site in his eyes, and he's got to make the pilgrimage. :-p
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mum42
07/29/05 4:20 AM GMT
Excellent - You will need to take wide angle or panorama shots - all mine are taped together snapshots. It is certainly an incredible size and design. We couldn't stop for long, but the small buildings at the side of the dam (LA side) have the most incredible Art-Deco reliefs and design. I missed getting a shot of them as I was in a bus. If you should happent to get a photo of these, I would love to see it. Have a wonderful adventure.
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Never give up. Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. ~~ Michael Jordan
=xentrik
08/07/05 12:08 AM GMT
Well we've made it to Minneapolis/St. Paul and are chilling with Tox for a couple days before heading out for the rest of the trip. My camera has been acting up (randomly shutting itself off) but I think I've figured out what the problem is and will be back in business. Despite it's issues, I got a few reasonably nice photos and a lot of touristy shots in Niagara Falls. 1200 miles down, ~2800 to go. I'll check in again assuming I find some more wifi, otherwise, have a great couple weeks, everyone!
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DixieNormus
08/07/05 1:51 PM GMT
I'm glad to hear you're enjoying your vacation Mike. Looking forward to the Snake River photos. The Grand Tetons are beautiful. Be good, and behave.
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mimi5947
08/23/05 5:08 AM GMT
Welcome back Mike! So how was the "moving" trip? Better than you expected? Not as good? Regale us with some of the funny stories and the most touching moments while visiting these historic places. Glad you are home safe. :~)
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~ Mimi~
=xentrik
08/24/05 5:06 AM GMT
Thanks Mimi, it was absolutely incredible. I read the message yesterday and all I could think was that I was way too jet-lagged to think about anything other than sleep. My flight left LAX at 1AM (4AM home) and got in at around noon, so I didn't get to sleep much before, or during. Sixteen days to get there, 6 hours (actual flight time) to get back. Amazing. Stories, boy, I don't know. Well, we saw two cars on fire between Minneapolis and Rapid City, got within 10 miles of Sturgis, where the Biker rally of about 500-600,000 bikers was occurring, dealt with a high temp of 104F in the Badlands and a lows around 34F in Yellowstone two days later, hiked to around 8500', and lost and won money in Vegas (I lost in lots of things, Dyer won about $250 in poker, though at least I beat him 2 out of 3 in scrabble), and made the mistake of eating an entire enormous 12" calzone just before catching my flight.
So, perhaps a few mistakes, but nothing disastrous. The weather even cooperated! It rained a bit here and there, but nothing was a washout. My only complaint is that it was overcast when we went through the Tetons, one of the things I was most looking forward to seeing/photographing. Oh, and the problem with the camera turned out to be a safety switch that shuts it off when the battery door opens. Apparently it wasn't making good contact, so it randomly would shut itself off when I was trying to use it and completely infuriate me. Once I figured out the problem, I jammed some folded up cardboard in there, and it cleared right up. Now that I'm at home, I'll take it apart and short-circuit the safety switch so it'll just shut up and leave me alone. :-)
We got to see everything on the itinerary I first posted, with the exception of the planned drive through Flaming Gorge and Dinosaur NP. We decided we were tired and felt more like driving on the Interstates and getting a hotel in Salt Lake City. By the way, if anyone knows of firms hiring Electrical Engineers around Salt Lake, I think I'm interested in a move. :-D Oh, we also didn't really stop at Mt. Rushmore, the traffic was overwhelming (mainly from the nearby bike rally) but we felt we got a "good enough" view from the road and some of the surrounding overlooks. Other than that, things went pretty much according to plan. We wanted to spend more time in Yellowstone, but sadly couldn't do it. It's certainly someplace I'll be going back to. Yellowstone was definitely the favorite. Bryce was probably second, but only if you take the time to hike down into the canyon to see the formations (called 'hoodoos') from the bottom. Otherwise, you're just along the rim, and you won't have nearly the same feeling. Zion looked incredible from all over, as the roads track the base of the canyon, and you have to hike up. The Badlands are awesome as well, very craggy and snarly, and quite impressive from all angles. Unfortunately, we didn't go into the Grand Canyon, and can't see the river from the north side, so it just didn't feel as impressive as it could have. I mean, it's still great, well, grand, and terribly expansive, but you just don't get a feel for it from the rim. And we didn't have time to explore there more. Vegas isn't really my kind of place, but it was cool to experience anyway. I'm already missing California a little bit, the weather was beautiful, if not a bit too hot, and there were beautiful women everywhere you turned. ;)
All in all, it was absolutely awesome. I'll be posting some photos as I have time and motivation, but I took over 3,000 in this two-and-a-half weeks, so it's a lot to go through. It was great to travel, but very busy with a fairly rigid itinerary, and after about 2 weeks I was looking forward to getting home to relax at my desk and sit on the internet. It's good to be home, and I'm glad to be back on caedes.
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+camerahound
08/24/05 6:05 AM GMT
I am shocked, nay, SHOCKED, that you didn't visit Colorado. I don't think the Rockies will ever recover from such a slight.
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A day without sunshine is like, well, night.
=xentrik
08/24/05 4:49 PM GMT
Oh man, believe me, I wanted to go to Colorado. I have cousins living near Boulder who I would have loved to visit, but time just didn't permit. Once I have a small stockpile of savings again, I'll give them a call and see if they have room in one of their houses for a little visit, preferrably in the wintertime, with skis over my shoulder. They'll get their due attention, someday...
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::philcUK
08/24/05 5:21 PM GMT
3000+ photos huh? thats four years of twenty four seven submissions :-) welcome back anyways...
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"Some mornings, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps"

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