Finals Plans for PA to CA

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ghdarnell
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p.1 #1 · Finals Plans for PA to CA

I appreciate all the help and support everyone has given me as I finalize this journey! We leave March 17th at 12AM. I have given our semi final itinerary for everyone to see. I know I haven't left even close to enough time for each place, but I can't change that. I have a wedding to photography March 16th and need to be starting school on March 25th. If you spot any problem areas, or anything that might be closed in this season, let me know! So here goes!

3/17 Leave PA at 12 AM
Arrive in Kansas City, MO at 6PM

3/18 Leave Kansas City 7AM
Arrive in Alamosa at 7PM

3/19 Leave Alamosa at 6AM
Arrive Great Sand Dunes 7AM
Leave Great Sand Dunes 8AM
Arrive Monument Valley at 4PM
Leave Monument Valley at 8PM
Arrive Moab 11PM

3/20 Leave Moab 5AM
Arrive Mesa Arch (Canyonlands) 6AM
Leave Canyonlands 9AM
Arrive Arches 10AM
Leave Arches 11AM
Drive through Capital Reef
Arrive Bryce Canyon 5PM

3/21 Leave Bryce 9AM
Arrive Zion 11AM
Leave Zion 8PM
Arrive Las Vegas 11PM

3/22 Leave Las Vegas 1PM
Arrive Death Valley 3PM
Leave Death Valley 8PM
Arrive Las Vegas 10PM
Would like to do sunrise/explore at Red Rock Canyon one of these days

3/23 Leave Las Vegas 10AM
Arrive Santa Monica 3PM

3/24 Drop friends off at LAX for a flight at 9AM and drive 4 hours to school in Fresno, CA

Feb 27, 2013 at 02:57 AM

maljo
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p.1 #2 · Finals Plans for PA to CA

An hour in Arches?
Well, drive out to the Windows Section and run up into Double Arch for a good feel of the place.

Oh, and welcome to California.

maljo

Feb 27, 2013 at 03:54 AM

ghdarnell
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p.1 #3 · Finals Plans for PA to CA

maljo wrote:
An hour in Arches?
Well, drive out to the Windows Section and run up into Double Arch for a good feel of the place.

Oh, and welcome to California.

maljo

I know. It's a bummer. I had orginally planned more but when we leave Moab for Canyonlands it will be dark, and when we come back from Monument Valley it will be dark, so there doesn't seem much point going then, although we rented an astrotrac so I may want to do some night photography. We will just drive through arches with a few stops on the way.

Feb 27, 2013 at 03:57 AM

Camperjim
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p.1 #4 · Finals Plans for PA to CA

Oh, to be young and foolish. Good luck with your gruelling trip.

Feb 27, 2013 at 04:17 AM

ghdarnell
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p.1 #5 · Finals Plans for PA to CA

Camperjim wrote:
Oh, to be young and foolish. Good luck with your gruelling trip.

I will take that as positively as possible. Like I said, the main point is to get me to school. Being able to stop at some of these spots is just a bonus.

Feb 27, 2013 at 04:19 AM

ckcarr
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p.1 #6 · Finals Plans for PA to CA

It's a theoretical. Gumball Rally.
Doesn't really matter once your out west. Once you start figuring out how far everything is, the plans will change. A common underestimation, particularly by those from the east.
Be wary of deer tho.

If you make it to Mesa Arch, be sure and spend the 5 minutes it takes to drive to the Green River Overlook also. It's right there, would be foolish not to do that.

Edited on Feb 27, 2013 at 10:16 PM · View previous versions

Feb 27, 2013 at 04:39 AM

Greg Campbell
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p.1 #7 · Finals Plans for PA to CA

Ya know...

If you'd skip a few places, you could save up enough time to make the remaining stops worthwhile.

Feb 27, 2013 at 04:57 AM

JimFox
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p.1 #8 · Finals Plans for PA to CA

Hey Grace,

I don't think you are young and foolish. I think you have made a very well laid out plan. You have to drive from the east coast out to the west coast, and you are routing this so that you can see some cool sights along the way. Obviously your trip isn't meant to be a trip where you are planning on getting to know each stop intimately. You have planned it very intelligently to be in some good places at sunrise and at sunset. In each location, you will have the time to see one or two majory icons and photograph them.

I think you have a fun trip planned. I did the same thing a couple of years ago, and I certainly wasn't young or foolish. I had to help my brother move from N. Carolina back out to California. So I made a similar route and made sure to make stops for sunset and sunrise. I swung through Arkansas and shot some cypress groves with Barry Hamilton, plotted my course to arrive in Petrified forest in the afternoon and shot the sunset there, etc... It was fun. Not every trip has to be the end all to end all trips...

So thanks for posting your route, myself, I think it will be great and you will have a really fun time with your friends.

Jim

Feb 27, 2013 at 05:28 AM

ghdarnell
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p.1 #9 · Finals Plans for PA to CA

JimFox wrote:
Hey Grace,

I don't think you are young and foolish. I think you have made a very well laid out plan. You have to drive from the east coast out to the west coast, and you are routing this so that you can see some cool sights along the way. Obviously your trip isn't meant to be a trip where you are planning on getting to know each stop intimately. You have planned it very intelligently to be in some good places at sunrise and at sunset. In each location, you will have the time to see one or two majory icons and photograph them.

I think you have a fun trip planned. I did the same thing a couple of years ago, and I certainly wasn't young or foolish. I had to help my brother move from N. Carolina back out to California. So I made a similar route and made sure to make stops for sunset and sunrise. I swung through Arkansas and shot some cypress groves with Barry Hamilton, plotted my course to arrive in Petrified forest in the afternoon and shot the sunset there, etc... It was fun. Not every trip has to be the end all to end all trips...

So thanks for posting your route, myself, I think it will be great and you will have a really fun time with your friends.

Jim

Thanks for the encouragement Jim! I am planning on taking a month to drive home, hike Mount Rainier, check out Yellowstone, etc. I am hoping to get my National Parks passport stamped as many times as possible, which is really the first purpose of this trip.

I just feel blessed for the opportunity to be driving through these amazing places!

Feb 27, 2013 at 05:34 AM

JimFox
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p.1 #10 · Finals Plans for PA to CA

ghdarnell wrote:
JimFox wrote:
Hey Grace,

I don't think you are young and foolish. I think you have made a very well laid out plan. You have to drive from the east coast out to the west coast, and you are routing this so that you can see some cool sights along the way. Obviously your trip isn't meant to be a trip where you are planning on getting to know each stop intimately. You have planned it very intelligently to be in some good places at sunrise and at sunset. In each location, you will have the time to see one or two majory icons and photograph them.

I think you have a fun trip planned. I did the same thing a couple of years ago, and I certainly wasn't young or foolish. I had to help my brother move from N. Carolina back out to California. So I made a similar route and made sure to make stops for sunset and sunrise. I swung through Arkansas and shot some cypress groves with Barry Hamilton, plotted my course to arrive in Petrified forest in the afternoon and shot the sunset there, etc... It was fun. Not every trip has to be the end all to end all trips...

So thanks for posting your route, myself, I think it will be great and you will have a really fun time with your friends.

Jim

Thanks for the encouragement Jim! I am planning on taking a month to drive home, hike Mount Rainier, check out Yellowstone, etc. I am hoping to get my National Parks passport stamped as many times as possible, which is really the first purpose of this trip.

I just feel blessed for the opportunity to be driving through these amazing places!

You are blessed to be able to make a trip like this. And your trip is a fun way to get your feet wet in a bunch of different locations. Then as you say, later on a trip or other future trips can be made by you to these locations then based on some first hand knowledge. There is nothing wrong with a scouting trip. And the fact that you have timed it so that you can be in some grand locations for sunset and sunrise is really great. I know I will look forward to seeing the shots you do get from this trip, I am sure there will be some very memorable ones taken.

Jim

Feb 27, 2013 at 05:41 AM

Camperjim
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p.1 #11 · Finals Plans for PA to CA

I probably should have said young and energetic.

Even so I think you are grossly overextending. I would try to cut back. For example, your hour will allow you to get your stamp at Arches but even flat out, nonstop you cannot drive the scenic roads in an hour. Also I suggest you pay attention to Craig's warning about deer. Out West try to avoid night driving except on well traveled interstates. It seems you plan to drive from Monument to Moab and will arrive much after dark. Last year I saw 6 deer roadkill carcasses within 2 weeks between Blanding and Monticello.

Feb 27, 2013 at 05:37 PM

bridgesmd
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p.1 #12 · Finals Plans for PA to CA

Be sure and pack some winter gear. March is our (Colorado's) biggest snow fall month.

Feb 27, 2013 at 10:11 PM

ghdarnell
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p.1 #13 · Finals Plans for PA to CA

Hmm definately things to think about. Thanks everyone!

Feb 27, 2013 at 10:37 PM

moonpeep
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p.1 #14 · Finals Plans for PA to CA

Camperjim wrote:
I probably should have said young and energetic.

Even so I think you are grossly overextending. I would try to cut back. For example, your hour will allow you to get your stamp at Arches but even flat out, nonstop you cannot drive the scenic roads in an hour. Also I suggest you pay attention to Craig's warning about deer. Out West try to avoid night driving except on well traveled interstates. It seems you plan to drive from Monument to Moab and will arrive much after dark. Last year I saw 6 deer roadkill carcasses within 2 weeks between Blanding and Monticello.

Not sure the west is any worse than midwest/plains for deer.

In fact, I've always been more worried driving through Neb or KS or IA at night where deer are concerned.

That said... leaving Zion going south towards Page there are a crap ton of deer -- just encountered them my last trip out. So watch for them.

Feb 28, 2013 at 02:37 AM

moonpeep
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p.1 #15 · Finals Plans for PA to CA

Awesome grueling trip. I've done stuff like that. It's always a blast, never regret it. Just leave yourself enough time to meet your obligations in Cali.

Route wise...

Seems you loose quite a bit of time -- 5hrs -- going to Alamosa and the dunes. You could fly across 70 and have more time in Utah as you matriculate south out of Moab.

That said, Dunes are frigging awesome. And there is the risk that 70 won't be in good condition through the rockies. (that said, I've made that drive a number of times in Feb and have only once encountered a real delay... and hour or two this past trip on Loveland pass)

Feb 28, 2013 at 02:43 AM

NCAndy
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p.1 #16 · Finals Plans for PA to CA

Looks like a great trip. Be careful on the drive up from Monument Valley to Moab. That section of road can be hazardous at night.

Feb 28, 2013 at 02:56 AM

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