[seth1974]

:mrgreen: I everyone and especially U S users , this post it's for you.
In June , i will spent my honeymoon in the USA with fly and drive trip.
I will arrive in San Francisco , Ca , the day 8 of june and i will depart from Los Angeles the day 26.
The itinery i will drove it's : SS Francisco , Yosemite Park , Death Valley , Las Vegas , Monument Valley , Brice Canyon , Grand Canyon , Las Vegas , San Diego , Los Angeles.
And now 'im in trouble , the car i've rented , a Mustang V6 Cabrio , has not Satellite Navigator .
I have found some sites on the net that drows itineraries but i have problems with this part of my journey.
Las Vegas - Monument Valley ( Goulding Lodge )
Monument Valley - Brice Canyon ( yavapai lodge )
Brice Canyon - Grand Canyon ( south rim )
Some one could help me please ?
Someone knows the driving directions to take ?
And , excuse me for the questions , someone knows the mustang cabrio ? she consume a lot ? how many miles she can run befor filling ?
Thank all guys , from a confused Italian Prius owner.
Nice drive !

 

[moocatdog]

:mrgreen: I everyone and especially U S users , this post it's for you.
In June , i will spent my honeymoon in the USA with fly and drive trip.
I will arrive in San Francisco , Ca , the day 8 of june and i will depart from Los Angeles the day 26.
The itinery i will drove it's : SS Francisco , Yosemite Park , Death Valley , Las Vegas , Monument Valley , Brice Canyon , Grand Canyon , Las Vegas , San Diego , Los Angeles.
And now 'im in trouble , the car i've rented , a Mustang V6 Cabrio , has not Satellite Navigator .
I have found some sites on the net that drows itineraries but i have problems with this part of my journey.
Las Vegas - Monument Valley ( Goulding Lodge )
Monument Valley - Brice Canyon ( yavapai lodge )
Brice Canyon - Grand Canyon ( south rim )
Some one could help me please ?
Someone knows the driving directions to take ?
And , excuse me for the questions , someone knows the mustang cabrio ? she consume a lot ? how many miles she can run befor filling ?
Thank all guys , from a confused Italian Prius owner.
Nice drive !

mrgreen,
Sounds like a great trip! I'm not familiar enough with the route you are driving to give you directions off the top of my head, but below I've listed a few links to driving information to some of your destinations.

Las Vegas to lots of places:
http://www.usatourist.com/english/place ... gtour.html

Monument Valley:
http://www.byways.org/browse/byways/2017/travel.html

Bryce Canyon:
http://www.travelwest.net/parks/brycecanyon/maps.html

Grand Canyon:
http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/static/5.htm

This link, which may be the only one you'll need, is to Rand McNally. I've driven all over the U.S. using their basic road atlas and have never been lost for more than a few beers. Get yourself one of these and you're good to go:

http://www.randmcnally.com/

And don't worry, like people everywhere, most American's are quite friendly and eager to help foreign travelers. Have a great time!

Ciao!

Moo

 

[seth1974]

tahks a lot Moo !

 

[Phoenix]

Vacation Planning in Western USA

Seth1974,

It sounds like have a great (and long) driving trip planned. Here are a few suggestions from travelling in the West:

San Francisco -- Great city, good food, lots to do.

Yosemite -- One of our best National Parks. Since you will be visiting several of them, be sure to purchase the Annual Pass. It costs $50 and is good for admission to most National Parks, Monuments and I think National Forest areas. Camping is extra, but this pass will save you some money if you driving through so many parks, which are usually about $10-20 each. For more information on National Parks and on this pass, check out "www.nps.gov".

Yosemite is hard to pass up, but you might want to consider driving down Pacific Coast Highway 1. There is a lot to do in Monterey -- a big aquarium complex - take a whole day for this. Also, take the scenic drive (toll road) to Carmel; it's really beautiful. There is a famous golf course there -- Pebble Beach. Clint Eastwood (Dirty Harry) lives there. He used to be the Mayor, but I am unsure if he still is.

If you take this drive, you continue down the coast and can go past Hearst Castle (William Randolph Hearst's mansion and museaum) and cut over through Bakersfield and continue on towards Las Vegas.

Death Valley -- It's fun to say you drove through it; but there is not much to do, and it's REALLY HOT! If it's on your way, then enjoy... Otherwise, I wouldn't make a special side trip to see it.

Las Vegas -- Lots of good shows. I've seen Blue Man Group at the Luxor and Mama Mia at Mandalay Bay and both are great. It might pay to make reservations as they are booked up in advance.

Bryce Canyon -- If you go here, you should also stop in Zion National Park; it's along the way. Both are in the National Park system and the NPS Pass will get you in for free. If you drive north out of Las Vegas, you come to Zion first and then drive on to Bryce. Check these out at the NPS website, too.

Grand Canyon -- You have to back-track south from Bryce to get to the Grand Canyon. The north rim is beautiful, but you have to detour off the main road to get there. Then the only way out is to back-track back north, back to the main highway. I suggest that you drive towards Page, Arizona and see Lake Powell (also NPS), then go to the south rim. It is more touristy, but it has a great view, and you don't have to back-track. There is a hotel at the south rim, but it is expensive and reservations are made months in advance.

Then, drive south to Flagstaff where you have to decide whether to continue south to Phoenix, then over to LA, or drive west back towards Bakersfield (which goes very close to Las Vegas, where you have already been).

If you want to see the Grand Canyon by train, you can go from Page, south to Flagstaff. Then, drive about 10 or 15 miles west to Williams, Arizona. The Grand Canyon Railway goes from there to the south rim every morning and then comes back at night. The San Marcos Hotel is there at the train station and you can stay there the night before and catch the train the next morning. They have cowboy shootouts and there is a train robbery on the trip back. Also, cowboy singers and Smokey the Bear provide entertainment on the train ride. Reservations required. Hotel and train tickets can be purchased in a package. Their website is "www.grandcanyonrailway.com".

Oops, lunch is over. -- Hope you have a great trip!

 

[Phoenix]

Vacation Planning in Western USA

Seth1974,

Also, you might check with some of the Toyota dealers here in the USA. Some of them have Prius rental cars.

 

[Phoenix]

Vacation Planning in the Southwest US

Seth,

Check these web sites for info:

http://www.mapquest.com (for maps to street addresses and cities)
http://www.gouldings.com

Note: A lot of hotels have internet connections, so you might want to consider bringing a laptop PC. If you don't have one, public libraries and some hotels have one you can use. Also, I think I saw one in the National Park Service Visitors Center at Zion.

Las Vegas - Monument Valley ( Goulding Lodge ) -- Monument Valley is in the southeast corner of Utah, but you have to drive south through the northern part of Arizona to get there. It is several hundred miles. Suggest you go to Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyon first, then drive to Monument Valley. The route will be really obvious when you get here, as there are very few roads in these areas, which are mostly Indian reservations.

Monument Valley - Brice Canyon ( yavapai lodge ) -- Yavapai Lodge is at the south rim of the Grand Canyon, not at Bryce Canyon. If you drive to Bryce first, you can take US-89 south to the Grand Canyon. These are all improved two lane highways, and are well marked as these are major tourist areas.

You will be near Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon, when you get to Flagstaff, Arizona. These are really big tourist stops with European and Japanese tourists, though you will see much prettier country at the canyons you will be driving through.

As far as the Ford Mustang, it is a mid size car. The V6 is 193 hp and it probably gets about 20 mph, maybe a little more on the highway. I have never owned one, but most American cars this size have a 16-18 gallon fuel tank. By the way, gas is about $2.15/gallon in Phoenix, and will probably be higher in the rural areas where you will be driving.

Indian silver jewelry is really cheap at the road side stands in northern Arizona. If this interests you, buy it on the Indian reservations, not in the big cities, which really mark up the price. Also, don't pay their asking price. The Indians expect you to ask for a discount. What is originally priced at $10 can be had for as little as 3 for $15 if you haggle a little. The same jewelry will be $25-50 in town.

Hope you have a great vacation.