Event Coverage Going on a BIG cross country trip to LA Roadster show, need YOUR input!

Wait, you're doing this in a roadster? Give yourselves at least one more day to enjoy the journey-I think it'll be hard to get there in 4 1/2 days even on the interstate. And the sun, wind and noise will beat you up a little, so you might not want to spend 12 hours a day driving.

You might consider getting sound-canceling headphones to cut down the noise. And a Costco-sized bottle of Advil and a back pillow too. Good sunglasses. Oh and towels to soak up rainwater leaks from the inevitable Biblical deluge you'll be driving through somewhere.

I made my first cross-country trip in an clapped-out Alfa Spider. Highlight of the trip was driving on the course at Bonneville a week before Speed Week '89. Lowlights? Fanblade through the upper radiator hose outside of Chicago. Losing the alternator in Cheyenne. Finding myself on US 101 26 miles from the nearest gas station with enough gas to get me 18 miles. I coasted, engine off, down an 8 mile grade and into a gas station at the bottom of the hill. I can laugh now.

Oh and don't leave Salt Lake City without a full tank of gas.

 

I rode my old Goldwing M/C to CA and back from FL a couple of years ago and I left out of Tahoe on US 50 across NV and it was the neatest part of my trip. It's touted as the "Loneliness road in America" and I believe it. Only 5 towns from Carson City to the eastern border. A cool place was the Coldwater pony express station east of Fallon. Best damned blueberry pie I ever had. I spent the night in Ely NV. A little town with a cool old hotel casino. I had to gas at each one of those 5 towns. I stayed on US 50 to just west of Gunnison CO where I turned down 149 to Lake City CO. I'd do US 50 again in a heart beat. Good luck on your trip. May the good travel Gods be with you ...


Cold Springs Pony Express Station


Loneliest Road In America

Here's proof

About 40 or 50 miles then a mountain of sorts several times

 

See ya at the fathers day show...good luck and safe driving....
brian

 

if you go down rt. 66 or 40 stop by for a tour of the junk yard in wellington!

 

In 65 I drove from Astorea Or. west to east on US 30 the Lincon High way I don't know how much of it is left but it was a great trip, be carefull around North Plat and Kerney Nebraska, they threw me in Jail twice there for speeding. once in 65 and again in 83.

 

Have made the trip a couple times, once in 79 & 06.

Dont know much about the northern leg of the trip but suggest the following:

Cadillac Ranch in Texas (all the Caddies stuck on their nose as art work), be sure to take a can of spray paint with you.

Elk City Oklahoma - They have a touristy museum but the park just East of it is really neat.... kinda like "The Music Man" with a carousel, little train and tractor rides

Holbrook AZ, gotta stay in a wigwam... just stayed there on my trip from Barrett Jackson in Scottsdale on the way to the Grand National Roadster Show.... Somewhere around 50 bucks for the night and still run by the children of the original owner.

Williams AZ - last section of Route 66 that got finished (little history), they have a good restaurant in town Pine Country Restaurant that has a selection of pies to die for.

Hackberry General Store (on Route 66 in AZ in Hackberry) - Gearhead heaven, they have some really neat stuff.

My suggestions.

BTW.... I have to agree you need to add a day onto the trip, that "roaster" is going to beat you more than you know.

Dallas

 

Yes, US 40 closed through part of St. Louis (big deal here locally) but not INTERSTATE 40 which does not even go through Missouri.

Envious of your trip, it sounds like a great experience. Good luck and have a good time!

Marty McF.

 

Sounds like fun Megan. It's not the journey it's the adventure. You know you have my respect. Have a great time. Gary

 

Thanks so much for all of the good advice, keep it coming! Tomorrow I am riding to Detroit (about 3.5 hr ride) and plan to spend the whole time checking out your suggestions on the map!

The roadster

 

What he said!


Enjoy the trip, keep safe and have fun!
If ya make it down to Tucson, lemme know!

 

WOW, what a difference with the doors painted and the top. You're going to be traveling in style baby! Don't forget to remove the back of the rumble seat from the trunk lid. That should give you a couple more square feet of storage.

 

No way that's where I'm sittin!

 

I can't remember if you & Denise stopped at the Speedway Museum in Lincoln on your trip to Bonneville last year. If not, try to catch it on the way back, since it looks like you're going the southern route on the way west.

I guess I'll have to find another back-up wench for Bowling Green! I guess I always knew your would be headed west that weekend. Have a ball kiddo.

 

Great advice regarding adding an extra day, if possible. Short wheelbase like that will just beat you up, unless you stop every couple of hours. Even if you do take the interstate you can jump off now and then, and find cool old towns just a couple miles away, and neat roads usually running parallel to the interstate. Have fun!

 

If you happen to go I40, get off on 95 and go to Lake Havasu. You can see the London bridge. Lots of hot rods in Lake Havasu City. When you leave Lake Havasu stay on 95 south to highway 62. 62 is a two lane road you can take all of the way to I10. Nice drive. Bring a squirt bottle to spray yourself when you go through the desert. LEAVE THE TOP ON or risk heat stroke.

 

Wow Megan, trip of a lifetime! So happy for you! Can't wait for the pictures.

 

Megan...........see ya when you get here,be safe,have fun!

 

sounds like a great trip allready hope ya have a great time

 

Remember to take some bottled water with you, it gets hot in the desert, speed limits are 75 and the big rigs will do that and then some.

Made the trip twice in my sedan delivery from the east, long ride but great show on the other end.

 

Myself and BigO have been talking about doing the same thing.Have fun and take lots of pictures.Maybe next year we will meet your caravan for the memory of a life time.We are only here for a short time, make your mark.

 

Hope you will stop by, what day will you be heading North? Ventura is one hour North of LA.

 

thats cool i did a road trip to minn. a few years a go and had a blast

 

We (my wife Jan and I) have done the trip to the LAR in 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007 from South Dakota and it is the ultimate road trip and the best hot rodding experience I've ever had. I'd concentrate on getting out west as fast as I can because the two lane roads in the midwest slow you down a lot with lower speed limits and lots of small towns. They are a great drive but you need more time to do them. You are going to have to cover over 2000 miles in four days which is tough taking the back roads. An alternative would be to buzz out there fast and take some more time on the way back. An extra week would sure be nice! Without a doubt the drive from LA up the Pacific Coast Highway (US-1) is the best road in the country and a "must do" experience. The must stops are the Hearst Castle http://www.hearstcastle.org/ in San Simeon, the Bixby Bridge (see my avatar) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bixby_Creek_Arch_Bridge at Big Sur (the best section of all) http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2301/ and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. There is much more to see north of San Fran like the redwoods and more of the coast but you will need 3-4 days to get all the way to the Oregon border from LA. I think I'd save that for the next trip. If you are short of time I'd think I'd head east to Sacramento to pick up US-50 all the way to Lake Tahoe, and then stay on it all across Nevada into Utah. If you have the time I'd head south on US-89 at Salina so you could take in the Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. Then back on US-89 south to Page, AZ where you'll hit AZ-89 east to go north on US-160, where you'll pick up US-163 to Monument Valley back into Utah. Then north on US-191 to Moab where if you have time you can see the Arches and Canyonlands National Parks for a quick drive thru but definitely worth seeing. If not, turn east off US-191 at La Sal Junction (your gas tank must be FULL-nothing out here) on Utah-46 for what I think is one of the most remote and beautiful roads in the country which will take you into Colorado and back in time to old outlaw country. A must stop is at Bedrock, CO http://veloquent.blogspot.com/2008/03/bedrock-store.html established in 1881. You'll take CO-90, 97 and 145 where you can continue on CO-62 into Telluride http://www.telluride.com/ for a visit or go to US-550 (The Million Dollar Highway) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_550 . Flip a coin, go north to catch US-50 back east across Colorado to Canon City with a must stop at the Royal Gorge http://www.royalgorgebridge.com/, then east to I-25; or go south on US-550 through beautiful Ouray http://www.ouraycolorado.com/ (fantastic drive) and Silverton to Durango where you'll pick up US-160 east through the San Juan mountains out to I-25 again. By then you are back out in the plains, totally out of time and overdue back home. I'd dial up the speedo to 75 and cruise home from there. This is the best of many great routes back that I have taken and it makes me feel like going out and jumping in the roadster right now and going!!!

Check out this website for other great roads that are "Roadster Approved"! http://www.byways.org/

This year Jan can't get off work so I'll be driving with my friend Jack back down to his place in Prescott, and then over to the LAR in his roadster.

Megan, have a great trip and I'll see you in Pomona!

Jerry

 

if you guys are in the joplin area, you"ve got a place to stay, and or if a shop is needed.
have a good time and safe travels

 

I agree ...

The trip above LA is one of the best roads the wife and I have ever travelled. It is weird because jerry and his wife were on it the same time my wife and I were on it. We were at the Bixby Bridge about 1 hour apart.

 

Randy, we were living in a "parallel universe" and didn't even know it until the HAMB put us together!!

Where was the first pic taken (you in front of the old garage/shed)?

 

Steve Ray was right on all counts, expecially the part about taking at least one more day...and preferably 2 or possibly 3 more to really have a relaxing drive...4 days isn't enough for me to have a good time on that trip.
Hiway 50 rocks!

 

If you are going over the Royal Gorge Bridge...
stop on one side or the other, and walk on it
while another car goes over it...

Unless things have changed in the past 5 years since we were on it,
this alone will scare the crap out of you,
as this gigantic thing sways to and fro when driven on...
very eerie...

But spectacular at the same time.

 

^^Yes, thats the real fun of it!^^

I stopped in the middle of it, and took a pic of the wife and the roadster from the railing.

When you look down to the valley floor, look for the train tracks. There happened to be a long freight coming through that day and it looked like a HO scale model train way down there! It barely shows up in the pic I took of it.

 

ok now i feel beter i thought you were takeing the A roadster. i didnt think four days in a stockish A would be enough