The_Bouncer

Great! Thanks Jono.
And a huge thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread. I really didn't expect people to put so much time and effort into this on my behalf. You guys rock!

Tanic

If you take CA route 120 over Tioga pass out of Yosemite, it is the shortest and most scenic way to get to Death Valley, and it does close annually for snow. So it's a good idea to check closing dates for this road. Otherwise, it's a really long drive around the Sierra.

The_Bouncer

Thanks for this Tanic. I will be there around the middle of November. Looking at the historical data it would seem to be about 50/50. If it is closed I might have to change the order of the stops a bit. I am willing to be flexible and hopefully won't have to make too many inflexible booking too far in advance.

VickiSoCal

It sounds like you are not booking hotels too far in advance in order to allow for flexibility. As you forsee, that's probably fine except for Thanksgiving and except for Yosemite. I would lock those in.

aztimm

Where do you think you would be around that time?

The Phoenix area will definitely be very busy around Thanksgiving. The road through Sedona becomes a parking lot, unless the weather is very cold/rainy/snowy. To a lesser extent the Grand Canyon will also be busy.
If in either Grand Canyon or Phoenix around that time, you would want to have a reservation for the night, from the day before through Sunday after.

Generally most stores are closed on Thanksgiving itself. Some supermarkets will be open limited hours early in the day. Some stores open as early as 6pm for their Black Friday sales. Restaurants are a mixed bag, many will be closed.

Not sure how the holiday will impact other places along your route.

The_Bouncer

It's clear I'm going to have to think about Thanksgiving. Based on my planned route I am likely to be somewhere around the Grand Canyon area.
One option would be to reverse the route, but that would likely put me in Yosemite over the holiday. From what I hear that would be just as problematic, if not more so.
Clearly I need to put some thought into this. One option would be to book something cancelable/refundable (IHG reward nights?) so I can change plans if I decide to.

The_Bouncer

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I am now on day 17 of my trip, and I want to say thanks to everyone who has had input on this trip, and give you a bit of an update.

I am broadly sticking with the route I outlined in post #28.

I spent 4 enjoyable days in San Francisco, visiting Alcatraz, Muir Woods and Sausalito.

I then picked up the rental car, spent a very relaxing couple of days in Yosemite, before crossing the Tioga Pass and driving via Mammoth Lakes and Death Valley to Las Vegas, where I spent 3 nights.

I then continued to Springdale, Utah and took in Zion, before taking a look at Bryce Canyon.

After a relaxing day I Page, I am now in Tusayan having spent two days strolling the Rim Trail of the Grand Canyon.

The trip has been absolutely fantastic so far, and has undoubtedly been massively improved by all the advice I have received here.

I'm off tomorrow down to the Winslow/Flagstaff/Sedona area for a few nights, before spending Thanksgiving and the weekend in Phoenix.

This will leave me with 4 nights in Tucson to explore the Coronado National Forest and Tombstone, before catching the Amtrak Sunset Limited across to Houston for my flight to Johannesburg.

Thanks again for the advice.

DenverBrian

If you're in Tucson, try to make it to the Titan Missile Museum a little south of town. A complete underground complex to explore. Very sobering.

http://www.titanmissilemuseum.org/

cblaisd

This trip along the southern Arizona border is stunning and the tiny hamlet of Lochiel with its now-closed border crossing eerie:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coron...5472&actid=105 (Note I drove this in reverse, starting in Nogales)

Another good read on the route: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/tr...1american.html
(start 2/3 down the first page at the paragraph that starts with "Just off Highway 82 lies another less traveled but very drivable dirt road. Forest Service Road 61...."

The_Bouncer

Both of these suggestions sound fascinating! I should be able to fit both in, as I'm running slightly ahead of schedule, and I'll have some time to kill in Tucson.