The best roadtrip of your life?

My husband and I are planning on taking a roadtrip soon. We have been debating the best routes to go. Of co**** we have thought of the typical Route 66 drive, but for all you other driving enthusiasts out there, I want to know, the best back roads in the good ole U.S. What's the greatest drive you could ever recommend? Scenic drive, or best roads to haul *** on. The best drive in theaters that still exist, the legendary landmarks of hotrod history, or just some good ole 50's diners. We are making our way from Ventura, CA to who knows where. You guys know about anything like that ;-)

 

It is really hard to beat I-40 / Route 66 for breathtaking scenery, consistent good weather, and a lot of fun things to do and places to stay.

My stepdad travels around the country, and he has told me there are two places I MUST see before I go. The Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina, and The Loneliest Road, Hwy 50 in Utah.

Here are a couple of links:

http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2033/

 

check out the Lincoln Highway , America's first transcontinental highway built in 1913....from California to New York.

PBS had a special on it a while back and it looks like it could be a very interesting drive

http://www.lincolnhighway***oc.org/


http://lincolnhighway.jameslin.name/

 

US 50 through northern Nevada: proudly advertises itself as the Loneliest Road in America. "Next Gas - 110 miles"

Cheers -- Gary

 

highway 395 north, up to the tahoe area. depending on what month you go, There places to stay, camp, fish, hike, whatever you want all the way up. the scenery is amazing and the history of the area is also amazing.

Places like convict lake, the town of bishop...incredible, mammoth area.....town of independence......and theres alot of little old abandoned motels/gas stations along the way to check out....old time diners and what not still operating.......ive been up and down that road so many times....starting when i was 6.....and it still amazes me.......ironically my wife, 2 year old and myself will be doing that road trip in the summer....up to mammoth

 

Check out anything in the Central Texas Hill Country...
Austin, Driftwood, Gruene, San Marcos, Fredricksburg, Blanco, Boerne, Bandera, Tarpley, Con-Can, Luckenback etc...
on the Pedernales, Frio, Guadalupe, or Medina (rivers)
the Garner State Park or Sabinal Canyon areas

the I290 / I281/ 150 area is great. Plenty of great Bar B.Q. / Music / Gorgeous Scenery & Overlooks / Camping / Winding Roads ....

sea levels range from 600 ft in Austin to 2500 ft in Tarpley/Bandera. There are many Dramatic changes as you go west from Austin.

 

We went up to Oregon last year and the return trip was on Route 33 from Northern California all the way back to Ventura County. It wasn't a long road trip but it was fun and interesting. There are quite a few sections you can really "wail" on and little towns along the way as well with some great (???) little diners and restaurants. The traffic was non-existant.

 

and here I thought Texas was all just flat nothingness. Sounds good, I'm a ****er for some good bbq too... mmmmmm cow....

 

I forgot about The Loneliest Highway In America... I've been on that one. Drove from Denver to the CA border through all the original towns and film locations from the original Vanishing Point movie (in a white '70 Challenger).

I just drove Rt. 66 from LA thru Texas this summer (bought a '73 Duster and drove it back to Georgia). Nice road... great scenery. I can't recommend running out of gas in the Mojave though--kinda ****s. As do blown head gaskets.

You could do like my son and I did a couple years ago when I bought my '62 Suburban. We flew into Joplin, MO, bought the truck and headed back to Atlanta with the Atlas, staying on the back roads. You'll ALWAYS see lost America and great diners in small towns that way. Get up in the morning and decide which way you're going to go.

Driving through the Northern Plains would be great... Mt. Rushmore, Yosemite, Yellowstone and Wall Drug (and American icon).

If you're doing it this summer, time it to hit Bonneville, then the Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

-Brad

 

This past summer I went out to colorado to pick up a car. We went up the 15, past Vegas to Utah then over through Zion and Bryce canyon. We drove all over Colorado then down through Monument valley, Navajo country and The grand Canyon. We picked up the 40 and came back home. Some beautiful country. A part of our country everyone should visit.

 

Stay on US 50 all the way to Kansas and beyond going east. The best of the Rocky Mountains, High p***es, speed limit around some of the curves in Monarch P*** area are 15 mph. One of the Gormet Cooks on Food Network followed 50, from the East going to Cali on motorcycles. US 50 goes through a couple hundred small towns, some of them with only one traffic light in the middle of town. Down to earth cafe's galore.

 

Looks like they have a map for the lincoln highway on that site. I would get it if you plan on following the "actual" highway. I know in these parts that the Lincoln Highway has been "byp***ed" past all of the major cities and even smaller towns. As you probably know, these old highways always went through the middle of town and through the business district where all the good small town diners are. It's not always well marked.

 

I think any roadtrip is more fun when you start out looking for the unusual. Take your time, stop at goofy places for no good reason and enjoy the trip. I think the single most important thing is to take your favorite car. Driving an old car does so much to enhance the trip. You meet lots of nice people, you hear a lifetime worth of, "I used to have a..." stories at gas stations and somehow pictures taken through a vintage windshield look better. Here's a short (for me) thread hijack: last summer we took my '67 GT350 to a small town show about 120 miles away. Gas was about $5 a gallon, and since my car has two-fours,it gets ****py mileage, but the whole trip was put in perspective on the way home. I was cruising along about 65mph and came upon a Prius. I hate those friggin' things, they're generic ****boxes sold to yuppies who think driving one makes them a pseudo-Al Gore. Anyway, it was full of 20-something girls with a young guy at the wheel, it had several "Save the Planet" stickers on the bumper and windows and was going about 5 mph slower than I was. As I pulled out to p***, he sped up. The p***ing lane was coming to an end, so I sped up a touch. Then he gave it whatever electrons he had left under the hood and sped up to about 80mph. I glanced over to see him gripping the wheel like he was choking a snake, and the three chicklets laughing, evidently knowing what was coming next, as did my wife. I looked over, squeezed the pedal a bit and shot up to about 85, then motioned a "come on" sign with my hand and sent about $15 worth of premium through the carbs of my car just as the "No P***ing" sign signalled the end of the two-lane. My wife thinks I'm an idiot, but fun is where you find it on any road trip when you're in an older car.

 

Best road trip for me is going from So Cal to Wendover for Speed Week every August. Going up we take the 15 to 93 and then split off to the 318. Coming back we take the 93 the whole way back to the 15 and go through Pioche and Caliente. Fun trip.

 

You Californians are so cute with your "the 15" and "the 40" routine.

 

Thats what we did. Also took in Canyon de Che' & Mesa Verde.

 

If you go to Austin - hit the Oasis for dinner at sunset... really nice.

http://www.oasis-austin.com/

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=277054

Check out this thread I started called brag on your hometown, there are so many great places in this great country of ours, there is tons of great bragging going on in that thread as far as things to see and places to go. Happy reading, you'll be at it awhile.

 

The sunset is one of the nicest in Austin from that spot, but there is much better food than the oasis.

You def. have to go to the Salt Lick for bar bq if you go to Austin. (it's in Driftwood) The Broken Spoke to see Dale Watson play. The Continental Club for a swingin' show and some good S.Congress atmosphere and a shot of the Capitol.

 

If Austin is part of the trip, try Rudy's barbeque, or head down to Shady Grove for some great food and fun atmosphere.

The Oasis food ****s but it is worth seeing. Be sure you're there for the sunset; everyone stands and applauds when the sun goes down!

 

Utah is about the most breath taking views.

laughlin is more layed back than vegas.

South Dakota is amazing the right time of the year. sturgis rally in august. Very cool day long road trips right there, old west history,

Colorado, lots to see there, in Colorado Springs,Drive to top of pikes peak. Norad is there if you schedule a tour in advance. gargen of the gods. cool mountain p***es if you got good breaks and some grunt under the hood. Run the Vail p*** and have a really expencive lunch. Then you can get on 94 heading east towards kansas. I've been over 100 for a long time on that road. There are a few junk yards along the way on 94 that are a treasure chest of HAMB stuff.

Lincon nebraska has a big show or several.

caddilac ranch in texas, Lots of open Roads to haull *** on.

Montana has some places they dont enforce the speed limit, and Glacier Park.

New olreans is on its way back, used to be cool place to see and stop.

St. lois Arch is cool, used to be able to ride up on the inside??

ohio has some really cool back roads, amish country, rock and roll haul of fame.

 

operating drive in in Ohio ,north ridgeville /elyria area on lorain rd

 

Cut it out fellas.........I just got back a few months back and I feel like selling the house,kids,wife everything over here and coming back just to ride the highways and grow old doing so...only kiddin, I could bring everyone though, I must admit, I only did the cruise between LA and Las Vegas but it was cool being on the wrong side of the car and road, freaked me out a bit heading into hoover dam with that feeling, going around a blind bend waiting for the "head on" impact.....great country guys, I will be back ...........................Bert

 

The ride to bonneville has been one of my favorites, I'm usually the one up chugging coffee, shrugging everyone else off telling them "don't worry I can drive!!!" or yelling "MOVE RABBIT! MOVE!" at 3am. I'm digging alot of these ideas on here so far, this is totally helping me plan. I will probably go this next month for my husbands and I's 1 year anniversary. Hows the weather in TX this time of year? or Kansas? a little weather might make this trip REALLY interesting.

 

My stepdad travels around the country, and he has told me there are two places I MUST see before I go. The Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina, and The Loneliest Road, Hwy 50 in Utah.

Here are a couple of links:

http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2033/[/quote]

I did both of these in '08.
I drove Route 50 from east to west. Dropped down to Four Corners and up to Bonneville.

 

One of my favorite drives is from Denver-Las Vegas on Interstates 70&15...there are plenty of very interesting stops along the way with some of the U.S.'s most beautiful topography along the way from the Rockies to Green River, to Utah's Red Rocks to the Desert around Vegas...and you can take side trips all along the way too filled with beautiful sites....Just a thought.

http://protophoto.com/subject.html?subject_id=314

http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2013/photos.html

 

you should take the 1 up the coast towards oregon.

 

The drive along the highway that runs between Oregon And Washington along the river is fantastic. Wish I could think of the Highway number. If you stay in Portland be sure to eat at Who Song and Larry's on the river(doubt that I spelled the restaurant name right ). Fantastic food. The drive from Wendover to Salt Lake City is neat , seeing the rocks laid out along the highway with people's names spelled out with them.
The drive along Highway 50 through Nevada and Utah is excellent. Be sure to stop and look at the shoe tree. And 50 gets even better through Colorado.
The great Smokie mountains are Beautiful.
The list just goes on and on.
My wife and I drove over 100000 miles in our old 55 Chevy custom just doing what you guys are talking about. jump in your car and go for it.
Also one of the most beautiful and historic places we went was Ottawa Canada. Anyway,
Later,
****

 

A couple years ago we wound around from Santa Maria, Ca. thru Vegas and up to Utah and picked up I-70 all the way back to Blaine, Ohio. Man O Man that was a killer roadtrip.

 

Don,t forget MOAB.