View Full Version : Planning Roadtrip for June in Middle/Western USA
Tentatively I've confirmed taking the whole month of June off for a large-scale roadtrip I've been envisioning for a couple of years. This will be a solo trip both for enjoyment and with the intention of making a variety of photographs - probably taking 120, 4x5, and 12x20.
I've planned this time period around two conferences in Arizona that I will be attending the first full week of June (Covid not withstanding). At the start of June I'll be heading west and hitting Big Bend NP before getting to Phoenix for one conference and then Las Vegas for the second.
From there the places I've planned to hit as I travel west are:
- Death Valley NP
- Mono Lake
- Yosemite NP
- Layover near San Francisco with family
- Travel up US 1
- Redwood NP
- Layover in Portland with friends, hopefully
- Hoh Rainforest / Olympic NP
- Seattle layover to see the city
- Glacier NP
- Yellowstone NP
- Grand Teton NP
- something something something
- Go east towards home
I've started a spreadsheet with timeline and estimated distances and etc. to plan how long this will take me. In total, leaving June 1 and getting back around July 4, I've plotted this out and come up with 6-7 extra days, which means I could stay a bit more at any of these locations or perhaps add more on the end as I haven't really planned anything between Colorado and coming home to north GA. Total distance about 8000 miles.
As many folks on the forums here live out west or have much more extensive experience out there, my questions are these:
1. Are there any must-see NPs or other parks/locations that would be somewhat near this loop? Or even if it was a little out-of-the-way, but worth it. I know I'm not even scratching the surface of what's out there - this list was just starting to get things going on a basic route.
2. At these locations - what suggestions might you have for hiking/photographing that will be easy to medium difficulty - by which I mean, 3-5 miles roundtrip with cameras max, or even side-of-the-road lookouts like the Yosemite Valley viewpoint. While I am capable of much more, after thousands of miles driving and many days of physical exertion, I won't be able to keep that kind of pace up for long. I also struggled with altitude sickness before so I don't want to kill myself here! I'm envisioning 12x20 being for mostly roadside or nearly so views, 4x5 for most subjects, and 120 (Hasselblad) for the more difficult hikes or more snapshot-esque images, and for city travel.
3. Anything to be aware of for June travel? I notice road closures on the map right now but will most things be open in June? I am fairly ignorant on this - we don't have winter road closures here, generally :).
4. Anything else I should be thinking about that I've forgotten?
My plan for this is to do a lot of car camping - or more specifically, sleeping in my car, which I've done lots when travelling over on this side of the country. I've not had any issues when doing so at Rest Areas or 24-hour store parking lots. I'm hoping I might can sneak a night or two at some of these NPs the same way as my itinerary is not quite detailed enough for booking a campsite head of time. But if they have an opening day-of that would be fine too, and I was going to bring my tent as well.
Overall I want to get a taste of the big important NPs and landscapes of the west. Later I can focus on just one place, bring my wife, and know a bit more about the location when exploring it more fully. I always find it nice to go to a place and get the basic feel, then focus with more detailed insight on the next trip.
Thoughts?
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Drew Wiley
23-Feb-2022, 16:04
The coastal portion can be especially lovely in June; expect a certain amount of fog. Mountain passes in the Cascades and northern Rockies should be checked in advance for snow conditions at the time. The eastern Sierra will be inviting. But some of your places are pretty crowded in summer. Yosemite now requires advance reservation to enter during Summer; and Yellowstone can be outright traffic hell, though there are many lovely things to see to and from it. Portions of the Northwest also require permits to camp or hike; those can be bought locally, but are easier to do in advance. That's additional to an annual or lifetime NP permit. Most National Forests and desert areas have plenty of open casual camping opportunities, unless you're in a crowded official Recreation Area. Roadside Rest Areas are generally considered quite unsafe for overnight camping - and don't take that remark lightly, despite your previous experience. Once you see drifters and meth types hanging around, you'll get the picture.
I understand your master plan to gets a birds-eye view of a large area, and then come back later to certain sections which interest you. I've used that strategy myself many times. But you are looking at a huge area, much of which involves winding slow roads stuck behind endless trailers and motorhomes. Also realize the Southwestern portion is going to be miserably hot, even dangerously hot, that time of year - Death Valley unthinkably so! Do you really want to be standing under a darkcloth while the soles of your shoes are literally melting on the pavement?
Logistically, I think your gear kit is overcomplicated. I'd leave behind the 12X20. A certain amount of thief-prone spots are inevitable. I suspect that your plan to taste all 31 flavors of Baskin Robbins ice cream during a single visit will prove counterproductive. If it were me, I'd lop off the entire southern section and save that for another trip at a more realistic time of year. And don't forget how easy is it to get stuck somewhere in the northern portion in a blizzard even in June. Having extra food, water, and fuel, and above all, a good sleeping bag, can spell the difference between a fun time, and the end of time. And don't trust navigation devices heading off onto side roads. Always ask locally first.
Day hiking, even a few miles - have all the necessities. Plenty of water, a good sweater and rain/snow parka in mountainous areas. Decent hiking boots. The weather can change drastically fast. Don't take it for granted. Beware of exposed areas in lightning storms.
Mark Sawyer
23-Feb-2022, 16:40
Phoenix in June? You're going to love it... :rolleyes:
There's a good-sized contingent of large format photographers in Tucson if you'd care to visit. Around a dozen of us gather for coffee each Monday morning...
:) Last time I was in Phoenix was in July of 2017, when they were having issues with plane tires melting on the tarmac. I gravitate towards a biphasic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biphasic_and_polyphasic_sleep)sleep schedule, which worked well for getting up at 4-5am to go to a location, hike till 10-11am, then rest until it was cool enough to go back out at 4-5pm for sunset.
Mark, I'll definitely hit you up closer to the date. Looks like Monday June 6th would be the day. Like I said, I have 2 conferences to catch, so not sure exactly if it'll work out but hopefully.
Drew - as a flatlander, I certainly was not expecting the possibility of a blizzard in June. I do usually travel with a fairly robust sleeping bag, as well as a space blanket and such for extra warmth. As I have to be in Phoenix / Las Vegas, I'm inclined to keep the southern route at the minimum. I will have to look up Yosemite reservations. I've done the Cade's Cove Loop in the Smoky Mountains, which is the most visited park in the nation, during peak season, so I certainly understand the possibility of traffic.
I like the idea of the 12x20 but that's certainly not set in stone. A 3-lens Hassie set and probably 4-lens 4x5 kit is the minimum for sure. Also depends on my final space constraints. RAV4 SUV is not huge, but comfortably fits a lot of stuff. I have done a few smaller roadtrips, like a solo trip up to New Jersey some years ago in winter and several marathon drives through the entirety of Florida, so I'm not stranger to these lengths of drives (just hit 40k miles in my car after 2 years, even with Covid making it so I traveled much less than usual). I just bought new 3-season tires for the car and will be keeping the best of the current 4 as a full-size spare for this trip.
Drew Wiley
23-Feb-2022, 17:43
Per Yosemite - if you have your permit, Tioga Pass over the top will probably open on schedule by Memorial Day, and is the more scenic less crowded way in from the east side of the Sierra, directly above Mono Lake. Yosemite Valley itself can be crowded and smokey in summer, but is not as bad in June as later. As far as gear security, try to look understated, like an ordinary tourist rather than a photographer. The NP's and State Parks aren't so bad in that respect. But generally, don't load and unload your gear from your vehicle in plain sight of others when camping. Above all, don't leave anything of value in your vehicle unattended in cities like SF or Seattle, where smash and grab types home in on out of state vehicles like bears to honey.
Also remember there are many many spectacular locations besides the "must see" National Parks; and even within those, many enjoyable private areas that aren't on postcards. Also, alternate routes besides the large interstates are often more interesting and less crowded. My habit is to take boring Interstates at night, if I have to get somewhere fast, and leave the more interesting routes for daytime.
Hope you have a wonderful trip! You still have plenty of time to research various route options.
Leszek Vogt
23-Feb-2022, 18:15
The West is full of wonderful and iconic places/gems. I do like some and steer far away from others. Bryan, whatever you do try not to overplan, since you'll introduce plenty of stress that way. DV is a great NP, but between Nov-March....most people that live here are aware of this....except the German marathoners :>). Outside of that you should be fine. Certain places like Tuolumne Meadows or Cedar Breaks/Bryce tend to reach 7-10K elevations and you'll need warm gear....tho I've never felt sick there, your body may react differently. Oregon Coast and No. Calif can be special....and in the right weather (right for your images) it may require longer stays at some spots. Olympic NP takes way longer than anyone thinks. I've camped near La Push and few other spots, and it took me over 3 weeks to really check out and enjoy the park....I had no idea, that it would take this long....nor am I saying that you should take this long.
Here are few places that I'd look at as alternatives:
Pinnacles NP
Sequoia NP
Kings Canyon NP
Lassen NP
Oh, as Drew mentioned, there are some really cool places or state parks along that route. You might even enjoy Bodie SP, since it's not far from Mono Lake. Also, you might want to veer towards Mon Valley/Antelope Cyn....tho that part might be heating up.
Check the weather & temps ahead and you can make your own determinations. Yos and more popular spots will require camping reservations....months ahead of the travel. Enjoy.
Les
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Mark Sampson
23-Feb-2022, 18:22
I'll suggest that it's best to spend more time at a place than traveling to/from. Most of those locations you mention deserve more than a drive-by... you might consider fewer spots and more time at each. That said, you're always welcome in Tucson (and it's not quite as hot as Phoenix). We'll be happy to see you!
Hope you like hot weather.
On the way back why not Devils Tower in Eastern Wyoming. Then Black Hills in South Dakota and down to Badlands National Park?
You are making a big swing and really just hitting highlights. Many you will hope to get back to at some future date. A LOT of driving with many great spots between your highlight stops.
Many smaller highways and roads will get you through quiet places where you can stop and look if you want. InterState highways won't let you do it.
Good luck.
Drew - yes I'd like to do Tioga Pass from what I've seen. And I definitely like taking more leisurely routes when possible. As a bonus, my hybrid gets better mileage out on those roads compared to interstate travel (44mpg if I'm careful!).
Thanks Les. I forgot to put Sequoia on my list, and I'll also research the others.
I need to research weather at each place I want to go. Of course our highest peak here is just under 4800', so I have very little relevant experience about what to expect weather-wise. When I was in AZ in 2016 and 2017 I hiked the Chiricahua National Monument, which is at about 10,000', and the first time it gave me bad altitude sickness. Second time, I was perfectly fine. I'm hoping I remain unfazed at the elevation, but I will pack layers and appropriate gear.
Regarding Death Valley - I was under the assumption I could drive from Vegas down to Shoshone early (4am) and drive through Badwater Basin up to 190 and then west around Telescope Peak to get a tour of the area, stopping to make photographs or do a small amount of hiking and be okay at dawn and/or dusk. Maybe I'm showing my ignorance there, but I'm just looking at Google Maps at the moment. I need to rustle up all the relevant maps of the NP's once I dive deeper. I'm starting this research to push myself to be meticulous, rather than my more typical "figure it out on the road" way! :)
I'm definitely interested in the lesser-known places that you all may be knowledgeable about, outside of the big and obvious NP's. Just like I could tell you all about cool backcountry stuff here in GA, where to avoid during the busy season, etc., so I definitely appreciate that kind of thing.
Speaking of camping - I don't know if this would be a big no-no, but I've slept in my car for a few hours at NP's and state parks that are 24 hours. No camp reservation required? I did that at the Grand Canyon once as well.
Thanks Mark! I will probably be staying a day or two down near Sonoita (family) so maybe I can ping you on my way through Tucson. I definitely get not just passing by things - I want to spend a bit of time at the big places, while also driving through scenic byways.
PS: speaking of LF photographers, if possible I certainly would be down to meet some of the folks from here. Maybe even bum a couch if you're feeling generous ;).
Bernice Loui
23-Feb-2022, 19:23
Might consider this previous discussion on visiting San Francisco to Monterey..
https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?153376-San-Francisco-Monterey-10-Days
Bernice
Eric Woodbury
23-Feb-2022, 19:31
Add a temperature column to your spreadsheet. As noted, the SW is really hot and temperatures are in the shade, of which there is none in DV.
Anything with NP after it will be busy. And personally, every NP has been photo'd to death. It is hard to make an original image in NP. Harder yet to find a camping spot.
It looks like you will spend a significant amount of your 4 weeks driving.
When I travel at that time of year, I shoot the first 3 hours and the last 3 hours. I drive a little in the middle, eat, take care of daytime functions. At night I find camp, reorganize the gear, load film holders, eat again, and sleep. Nights are short and mosquitos thick, especially in Washington, Idaho, Montana. Any place on social media is overwhelmed.
Have a grand time.
djdister
23-Feb-2022, 19:50
That's an extensive itinerary, but here are a few spots that you might consider if your route changes:
Shiprock, NM
Joshua Tree NP, CA
Bandon Beach, OR
Crater Lake, OR
Cannon Beach, OR
In the end, you might consider a shorter trip with more time allocated to a region, (your trip has distinct "Northwest" and "Southwest" aspects) and then planning a separate trip for the part of your trip that you did not get to. And if you do find yourself up on some mountains, like Mt. Hood, OR, you can find yourself in a blizzard in June and July.
Alan Klein
23-Feb-2022, 19:59
In Las Vegas is Red Rock Canyon, and a 15 miles or so road with hiking trails off the main road. See some of my pictures here all taken from the main path, unfortunately during the day and not during magic hour.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanklein2000/albums/72157717671668191
I looked at your map and it seems like a lot of miles for 30 days, especially if you plan on taking time to hike. You'll be worn out by Arizona. (How many miles is the trip?)
Drew Wiley
23-Feb-2022, 20:09
Ahh... Death Valley in summer. If your vehicle overheats or breaks down, or your AC quits, and you're stuck somewhere with darn few other visitors that time of year, you could be in BIG trouble! Distances within Death Valley itself are significant. The end of the road leading to the Telescope peak trail at the old beehive-shaped charcoal kilns is a distance, but at least gets up to cooler air; and the view from Aguerebery Point at dawn is interesting, at the end of a dirt road. Bad news if you break a fan belt or something like that. Hard to say about cell phone coverage in many of these places, but unlikely there. Badwater at night? Maybe a cool 105 degrees; at least the scorpions will be cool enough to be out and about. Depends.
Even Owens Valley right below the eastern front of the Sierras is hot in the afternoon. But there are some wonderful side roads leading uphill from 395, several of them paved between Lone Pine and the Tioga grade itself above Lee Vining. Superb burgers at the Mobil Station right at the bottom, at the junction of 120 and 395. The Mono Lake shoreline is best visited early AM or evening. It gets pretty warm there too.
You're not likely to sneak a night roadside at some trailhead turnout in Yosemite NP. Even with everything covered up, Rangers come along and bounce on your bumper, trying to wake up any offender inside. I tend to car camp outside the Park in the Virginia Lakes area. Sequoia is friendlier and less crowded, but will be in a massive cleanup phase after the catastrophic fires of last year. The drive down to Kings Canyon takes quite awhile, but gives you an idea of the sheer scale of things; and there are campgrounds down there. Just realize the vehicle accessible portion is only 5% of the actual NP. But at one particular spot during the drive down, you can see the greatest canyon drop in elevation on the continent, twice as deep as the Grand Canyon.
Alan Klein
23-Feb-2022, 20:15
I just estimated your mileage. It's got to be 8,000 miles or 13,000 KM. You're driving cross-county more than twice. Probably closer to 3x, 9,000 or 10,000 miles by the time you get done. That's 300+ miles a day. When are you going to have time to hike, photograph, sleep, and eat? You'll be driving all day. I'd cut it into a third and focus up north where's it's cooler. It might be cheaper to fly and rent a car. You'd also save time driving the "commute" both ways getting to where you want to get.
Drew Wiley
23-Feb-2022, 20:18
djusteer and Alan, are you trying to roast the poor fellow to death? Summer is NOT a time to go hiking in Red Rock Canyon or Joshua Tree. He's traveling via an SUV, not a camel caravan! Some of these places are actually hotter than the Sahara!
300 miles in a day is actually not much, to me. I drove from Washington DC all the way to South GA in one day before. All the way from GA line to Ft. Lauderdale and back once too, 900 miles. 6-8 hours driving on long days, 6 hours sleeping, that gives at least 10 hours to photograph ;).
I think you're badly underestimating how much time you're going to spend driving. To give an idea, in South Dakota the fast food restaurants are an hour apart.
Kent in SD
Not near enough time, either cut your list in half or add another month. Plus add several thousand dollars to the budget, gas is and will be even more expensive throughout the mountain states. Consider the weather also, you may not have photo worthy weather when you get to your destination, do you wait several days for it to clear or move on? Even in June you will have forest fire smoke, sometimes hundreds of miles from the actual fires. Good luck, have fun, stay safe.
Roger Thoms
23-Feb-2022, 23:18
Let hope you don’t break down in Death Valley, been there done that. I had a problem with the primer pump on the fuel filter housing on my Duramax diesel. The fuel system would lose prime and the truck wouldn’t start, hop out pop the hood prime the fuel system and the truck would start right up. Only happened occasionally and took a while for me to diagnose the problem. Dealer wanted $500 dollars for a new fuel filter housing/primer pump assembly, The Duramax Store in Placervile Ca. wanted $20 for a rebuild kit which consisted of all the proper o-rings to rebuild the pump. Mind you it just a little plunger you press with your thumb. Was going to Flagstaff so perfect, I'll take rather scenic route, swing through Placerville, buy the kit and do the rebuild in Flagstaff. Stopped in Death Valley in the middle of no where and had a nice lunch, hopped back in the truck and it wouldn’t start. No problem, jump out and pop the hood, start to pumping the primer and diesel comes gushing out each time I press the pump. No cell signal, but hey I have the rebuild kit and my tools. But damn it’s hot, ok first thing change my clothes, what I'm wearing is way to dark. Ok now get to work, pull the pump, nice thing is it’s a pickup so I have the tailgate to work on. I get the pump rebuild and just about reinstalled and I drop a hose clamp. The clamp drops down and either disappears into the engine compartment or into the gravel on the shoulder of the road. I really wanted that hose clamp and spent a good amount of time searching for it but finally gave up. I search through my tool kit thinking heck I must have another hose clamp, no luck, but I do find a zip tie, ok maybe that will work. So I zipped the fuel line and to my surprise I actually get the truck started. There was a lot of traffic and the cars the did pass by acted like they had blinders on, looking straight ahead as they passed by. At one point I did try and flag a couple car down to no avail. Once I had got the truck started, but still had the hood up checking for fuel leaks, a truck drive actually stopped asked if everything was ok. With the truck running I was able to drive into Beatty and buy a new hose clamp and continue on to Flagstaff. Anyway, that’s my Death Valley story.
Brian, sounds like a great trip and I sure you’ll come home with some awesome photographs. One thing for sure bring plenty of water because you just never know. Also and I’m sure you will, take care of any issues with your vehicle before you leave. :)
Roger
Tin Can
24-Feb-2022, 05:49
23 years ago I drove Winnemucca to Chicago in one go, 1750 miles and hit middle of nowhere road construction
I was on a 'Radar Love' Run to meet my lady
"Radar Love
Lyrics
I've been drivin' all night, my hands wet on the wheel
There's a voice in my head that drives my heel
It's my baby callin', sayin', "I need you here"
And it's a half past four and I'm shiftin' gear
When she is lonely and the longing gets too much
She sends a cable, coming in from above
Don't need no phone at all
We've got a thing that's called radar love
We've got a wave in the air
Radar love
The radio's playin' some forgotten song
Brenda Lee's "Coming On Strong"
The road has got me hypnotized
And I'm speedin' into a nude sunrise
When I get lonely and I'm sure I've had enough
She sends her comfort coming in from above
We don't need no letter at all
We've got a thing tthat's called a radar love
We've got a line in the sky
Radar love
No more speed, I'm almost there
Gotta keep cool, now gotta take care
Last car to pass, here I go
And the line of cars go down real slow, woah
And the radio played that forgotten song
Brenda Lee's "Coming On Strong"
And the newsman sang his same song
Oh, one more radar lover gone
When I get lonely and I'm sure I've had enough
She sends her comfort coming in from above
We don't need no letter at all
We've got a thing that's called radar love
We've got a line in the sky
We've got a thing that's called radar love
We've got a thing that's called
Radar love
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: B. Hay / G. Kooymans"
I do appreciate the concern, regarding things like car breakdowns, but that's one of the things that got me thinking about doing this. With a 2-year-old car and 40k mileage, I felt like this would be the best time to take a trip of this magnitude. And Toyotas are rock-solid. Especially with the full-size spare as that would be the most likely cause of issue.
Regarding mileage - the trip really starts at Las Vegas and ends at Denver or thereabouts, depending on when I start heading east. I just calculated that to be about 4000 miles in roughly 3 weeks, which is ~200 miles a day. That's not much, especially if I average a bit more on interstates sometimes when doing bigger jumps to the next place. That will be bookended with large drives west and east at 400-500 miles a day which won't include much if any sight-seeing, which I think is doable, but I'll keep thinking about it. It's true that I need to research the more technical parts of the drive not on interstates to confirm mileage per day ability.
As for weather - no, I'm not going to stick it out at a location if the weather is poor. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't. I will have to accept that. Last year when I was in Idaho for 2 weeks I went to Craters of the Moon NP and the weather was bright, cloudless, and blah. Oh well, I only had one day there and that was that. There's always next time. No way I can get a banger photo at every location! If I get a handful of good images that's a great start (my trip to Idaho, I think I got 2-3).
Alan Klein
24-Feb-2022, 08:48
djusteer and Alan, are you trying to roast the poor fellow to death? Summer is NOT a time to go hiking in Red Rock Canyon or Joshua Tree. He's traveling via an SUV, not a camel caravan! Some of these places are actually hotter than the Sahara!
Well, we didn't hike. Just drove in an airconditioned car getting out only to take the pictures. But you're right. That's why I suggested the northern route only.
Alan Klein
24-Feb-2022, 09:02
I do appreciate the concern, regarding things like car breakdowns, but that's one of the things that got me thinking about doing this. With a 2-year-old car and 40k mileage, I felt like this would be the best time to take a trip of this magnitude. And Toyotas are rock-solid. Especially with the full-size spare as that would be the most likely cause of issue.
Regarding mileage - the trip really starts at Las Vegas and ends at Denver or thereabouts, depending on when I start heading east. I just calculated that to be about 4000 miles in roughly 3 weeks, which is ~200 miles a day. That's not much, especially if I average a bit more on interstates sometimes when doing bigger jumps to the next place. That will be bookended with large drives west and east at 400-500 miles a day which won't include much if any sight-seeing, which I think is doable, but I'll keep thinking about it. It's true that I need to research the more technical parts of the drive not on interstates to confirm mileage per day ability.
As for weather - no, I'm not going to stick it out at a location if the weather is poor. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't. I will have to accept that. Last year when I was in Idaho for 2 weeks I went to Craters of the Moon NP and the weather was bright, cloudless, and blah. Oh well, I only had one day there and that was that. There's always next time. No way I can get a banger photo at every location! If I get a handful of good images that's a great start (my trip to Idaho, I think I got 2-3).
If the money works, maybe you can fly to Las Vegas rent a car and fly home from let's say Albuquerque. You'll save half the driving. My wife and I did that a couple of times. First, we flew from NJ to Santa FE and drove through all the national parks in Utah and Arizona and then flew home from Pheonix. Another time we flew into San Diego, drove to LA and LAs Vegas and flew home from there.
Rental cars have been an issue during the pandemic, for whatever reason. Out of curiosity I checked prices for a mid-size SUV from Vegas for about 3 weeks and it was over $1250 to rent. Only a couple hundred cheaper for a compact car. Those would also be worse on gas mileage than my hybrid SUV.
I'm budgeting $800-1000 on gas (8000 miles at ~38-42mpg and $4-$5/gallon). It sucks about the current gas prices. On the plus side, my work should be paying for about half the gas bill for travel to the conference I'm going to in Vegas. Related, if this all falls apart due to whatever, I would probably fly to Vegas on their dime and rent a car for a week or two and just stay between Vegas and San Francisco. Temperatures be damned ;).
Michael R
24-Feb-2022, 10:14
I don't have anything of value to offer beyond some mild jealousy. :) I'd love to do something similar one day.
I once drove from Montreal to Miami one-shot but there was obviously no photography. I could barely see straight by the end! :eek:
tomwilliams
24-Feb-2022, 10:22
Tentatively I've confirmed taking the whole month of June off for a large-scale roadtrip I've been envisioning for a couple of years. This will be a solo trip both for enjoyment and with the intention of making a variety of photographs - probably taking 120, 4x5, and 12x20.
Corran, what a trip! You'll be passing tons of great spots along your route, but I think you're wise to focus on quality time at some of those great spots, rather than rushing through many. For camping purposes, June is obviously a bad month for campgrounds, but the national forests are almost always open, there are usually few camping restrictions (aside from open fires). Historically the national forests have been reliably open, but in recent drought times closures are not uncommon. More often than not, camping is permitted on BLM land. You can check the closure status of particular forests or BLM sites via the forest service (https://www.fs.usda.gov/) or BLM web sites (broken down by state, https://www.blm.gov/about/what-we-manage/arizona for instance). Big Bend NP is very hot in June, and there are few public lands in Texas. Getting reservations at the Chisos Basin campground would be a great way to go, and there is also a hotel in the Chisos, and motels in nearby Marathon or Terlingua.
Good luck!
cheers
Tom
Drew Wiley
24-Feb-2022, 10:27
Rental cars pricing has gone way up due to overall vehicle shortages. But gas is likely going to go still quite a bit higher due to the current European crisis. The President is supposed to give a speech about that today, I think. A major quantity of the world oil supply came from Russia, and now that's being severed; and much of our own natural gas might need to be shipped to Western Europe. And
this state of affairs is here to stay quite awhile no doubt. The lowest gas price I saw on my trip here in CA this week, the most expensive state, was $4.09 per gal along major truck routes. But in many urban areas its more like $4.75 gal.
But still, even if your need to trim back your total mileage some for budgetary reasons, you might as well see what you can while you still can. The effects of accelerated climate change are kicking in fast; and within a decade or two, Glacier National Park might have exactly zero actual glaciers left. That will end the turquoise color of the water in the glacial lakes too. Pine forest continue to die everywhere in the West. And the risk of having a trip ruined by widespread forest fire smoke is less in June than later in Summer.
Going from Vegas to Yosemite is perfectly feasible just heading north in Nevada itself, then cutting across West toward Mono Lake. Lonely Hwy 50 is quite scenic, with interesting old towns like Austin.
There are all kinds of paved secondary highway options to get you somewhat higher in elevation than the worst of the heat. Another beautiful pass over the top, besides Tioga, is Sonora Pass. There are plenty of lovely unofficial car camping sites up there. Even if you still want to go over Tioga, it's only about a 20 min drive off of Hwy 395 to the top of Sonora Pass to camp somewhere; then back down the next morning through Bridgeport toward Virginia Lakes and Mono Lake south on 395.
Gas prices, climate change, etc. are some of the reasons I want to do this now. I've been talking with my wife about this rough outline for years. And at 36 I'm still young enough to do it without a ton of physical constraints.
I got gas yesterday at $3.19 here, which I realize is low. I looked at an article today about $5/gal prices in CA due to the conflicts in eastern Europe...but ultimately the difference in cost between $3 and $5 is not much long-term, compared to the experience. I'm not one to ever want a massive RV but lately I've been seeing some large panel vans that I hope in the future may become viable as full-electric, car-camping mini-RVs.
I'll check out BLM and FS sites for ideas on places to stop over w/o full-on camping. As an aside, I am also certainly up for the occasional motel or AirBnB on the route. I haven't tried it, but I've seen some "instant booking" AirBnB rentals that seem easy, safe, and cheap (we almost exclusively use AirBnB for overnight stays these days).
Drew Wiley
24-Feb-2022, 11:37
There are almost an unlimited number of casual camping sites on BLM and FS land. That's one of the advantages of alternate non-Freeway routes in particular. There's nothing quite like pulling a little off a quiet long Hwy across Nevada and waking up in the middle of the night to witness wild mustang stallions in moonlight combat just yards away. That happened to me once. Once had a coyote sneak up and steal a venison steak right off the hot frying pan of my Coleman stove itself. Lots of memories. It's only in and around highly popular NP's that you might have a problem finding a place to camp. Last year, when my backpack trip fell through due to severe forest fire smoke, I not only found relief from the smoke near the Bristlecone area of the White Mountains, on the opposite side of Owens Valley from the Sierra east front, but abundant and free private camping sites, unlike above the Hwy on the other side.
Erik Larsen
24-Feb-2022, 12:07
You only live once, go for it! I would suggest a more scenic route coming out of the Tetons if it were me. Rather than head toward Denver go south through Pinedale, visit the Wind River range if you like then south toward Flaming Gorge and then on toward Moab with the Canyon country and Arches and Canyonlands. You can continue south on the west slope of the Rockies toward Shiprock and Chaco Canyon, monument valley etc. So much to see it’s impossible to list. Or if you want a mountainous route instead you could head through grand Junction toward Ouray and out of mountains near Durango then south to Sante Fe, Albuquerque and continue on your southerly route home. If you are in the area of Grand Junction CO you’re welcome to crash at my little shack I call home. Sounds like a fun trip!
Drew Wiley
24-Feb-2022, 13:24
Ditto. Denver a big sprawling city. Up past the Winds, with a little diversion uphill from Pinedale to the overlook, or perhaps to Green River Lakes, then to the Tetons from there, quite refreshing. I spent a couple weeks in the headwaters of the Green River in the Winds the summer before the pandemic; saw more moose than people, but that was backpacking. Still, even a drive to the Green River trailhead can be memorable. And as far as the Tetons go, the farmed backside is generally overlooked, but lovely too. And there's also a well known scenic route toward east entrance to Yellowstone called Beartooth Highway.
Overall, I've found Glacier NP a lot more inviting than Yellowstone in summer. My favorite visit to Yellowstone was in May the very week the road through was plowed, yet none of the facilities were open yet. Almost had the whole Park to myself, with all the wildlife and its viewing opportunities still acting normal and calm before the crowds arrived. The last thing I'd want to endure a traffic jam for sake of would be "wild wolves" wearing radio collars, or some annoyed bison bull goring yet another "selfie" fool.
Erik's route through the San Juans can also be quite memorable, much more so than the Denver side. Mesa Verde and Black Canyon of the Gunnison are nearby too. But you need to check current snow conditions. There is widespread drought, so snow might be less this year; but exceptionally storms can occur any month of the year.
Great suggestions! I hadn't really looked too much in that area but that all seems pretty doable. I feel like Albuquerque is about as south as I'll go and then due east to Oklahoma City, Memphis, and then meander southeasterly to Chattanooga / home.
Never been to the heartland so I'm interested to just see some of it on the way, even if I'm not stopping/shooting much, if at all, on that final leg.
If you are very lucky you will be going through the Glacier/Montana during the time when the Flathead Cherries are ripe and being sold in roadside fruit stands. Be sure to get some - they may well be the highlight of your trip.
In the end, you might consider a shorter trip with more time allocated to a region, (your trip has distinct "Northwest" and "Southwest" aspects) and then planning a separate trip for the part of your trip that you did not get to. And if you do find yourself up on some mountains, like Mt. Hood, OR, you can find yourself in a blizzard in June and July.
I could not agree more. In some places, like Yellowstone, you can get stuck in an endless traffic jam for several hours as cars stop to take pictures or break down from over-heating. In Glacier, you'll run into herds of back-to-back 40-foot rented mobile homes driven by incompetent 80-year-old guys towing yachts driving at 2MPH to take pictures. Unfortunately, the better known "sites" are more like Disney World. You stand in line for three hours to see a five minute display. Large format gear? You're asking for all sorts of problems that you never thought of.
Plan a much longer trip to all those places -- or go in the off-season -- or just go to a few of those on your list -- or visit the areas that are out of the way (takes a lot of research -- that is, finding places because THEY ARE NOT IN THE GUIDE BOOKS.
If you do make it up to Olympic National Park, don't miss Hurricane Ridge and if you want a quick hike do the Hurricane Hill trail just beyond it. The mountain views there in June/July there are stunning and there will be quite a bit of snow left most likely- but if it's cloudy/rainy better to skip it (less likely in July than June).
or visit the areas that are out of the way (takes a lot of research -- that is, finding places because THEY ARE NOT IN THE GUIDE BOOKS.
That's why I decided to make the thread. If you have any suggestions, feel free to add them.
Unfortunately the time I am planning is not negotiable due to the conference attached to my travel, and also this kind of trip works best for me in the summer months due to the work I do.
tomwilliams
24-Feb-2022, 18:02
My plan for this is to do a lot of car camping - or more specifically, sleeping in my car, which I've done lots when travelling over on this side of the country. I've not had any issues when doing so at Rest Areas or 24-hour store parking lots. I'm hoping I might can sneak a night or two at some of these NPs the same way as my itinerary is not quite detailed enough for booking a campsite head of time. But if they have an opening day-of that would be fine too, and I was going to bring my tent as well.
There are good reasons not to camp in NPs outside of designated camping areas. No doubt you can work out why you, and the zillion other folks who think that it's fine if they do it, should not do it. Not booking your campsite ahead of time doesn't amount to a free pass to camp anywhere you like.
That might seem a little rude. My apologies for that. Sometimes all the 'special' folks just piss me off.
I was talking about sleeping in a parking lot for a few hours, not full-on camping with a firepit and whatever.
Alan Klein
24-Feb-2022, 19:19
There's a lifetime pass available for all the National Parks. You only need one for yourself and all the people in your car. The pass also gives discounts sometimes at the visitor stops in case you want to pick up some souvenirs.
I get the yearly NP pass. I'm many decades away from qualifying for the senior lifetime pass, but I actually have a disability that may qualify me for that type of pass. I just haven't applied for it.
John Kasaian
24-Feb-2022, 19:55
Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs is worth a day, and of course there's Pike's Peak.
Most Walmarts will let travelers overnight in their parking lot if you get desperate.
Yosemite rangers don't like---I mean really don't like---out of bounds campers, so beware.
Several lighthouses on the Pacific Coast have been converted into hostels---cheap accommodations maybe worth checking out.
Have a great trip!
Those hostels sound interesting! I've slept in Wal-Mart lots before. Pretty easy.
To be extra clear: I was not planning on camping out in a non-designated area, with a tent and all of that. I was merely thinking about situations like what I did at the Grand Canyon last time I was there - I arrived late, and saw the sunset. Then I setup a night shot, tripped the shutter, and went to sleep in the car I was borrowing from family. I woke early, closed the shutter, and stayed up for sunrise.
I agree with the others on many of the points they've made, so I won't go there. I'll give a few recommendations in the area closest to where I live.
When you get to Crescent City, CA, find and drive the Howland Hill Road. (It is a one-lane dirt road with pullouts for passing. Don't do it right after a rain, but any other time it is fine, in any vehicle other than a huge RV.) It will take you from the south end of town through some redwoods, coming out at the Smith River. From there you can find something called the North Back Road, to put you back on your route. If you were to drive all that straight, it would cost you and extra hour to hour and a half. But you'll probably want to stop and hike the loop in the Stout Grove, which is maybe a mile long?
My favorite parts of the Oregon Coast are between Brookings and Gold Beach, mostly because they are less crowded than the northern portion, which I can see you are skipping - good choice! In Boardman State Park you can access Harris Beach, Whaleshead Beach and Lone Ranch Beach quite easily. Near where the Pistol River enters the ocean is a long stretch with several pullouts right above the beach - this area is called Myers beach. I have a few photos from these places in the "Coast" gallery at my web page.
OK, at the risk of disagreeing with some of the others, I have to add a bit more. I grew up in Wyoming, and spent quite a bit of time in the Wind River Mountains. I don't think there is much you can see there without backpacking. Yes, I know, Square Top Mountain from the Lower Green River Lake, and there are a few other spots that aren't too bad that you can drive to, but those generally involve a fair bit of dirt road driving.
For easy to access mountain terrain, consider the Beartooth Highway, and the previously mentioned Ouray to Silverton to Durango route. For either of those you will need to do a bit of research as to when the highways open.
Have fun!
I ran into a young woman last fall who was traveling in her car. In addition to Walmarts, she was using Planet Fitness. Apparently, if you have a membership they let you park overnight in their lot, since they are open 24/7. You could then get a shower...
Thanks Gregg, I'll take a look at those locations!
Also just earlier today I was told about that Planet Fitness thing. They have a map of locations on their website. I may get a membership - may be perfect for some of the longer stretches on the way west and back east, and on the Pacific coast.
tomwilliams
24-Feb-2022, 20:59
I was talking about sleeping in a parking lot for a few hours, not full-on camping with a firepit and whatever.
Got it. Sorry for over-reacting. Even so, it's not hard to appreciate that the parks have solid reasons to ask that you not overnight outside campgrounds while you're in the park.
cheers
Tom
Alan Klein
25-Feb-2022, 06:15
An hour south of Yosemite Village is Mariposa Grove Giant Sequoia Park and Old Grizzly. The trees are huge and the park is amazing. Easy walking around
https://goo.gl/maps/j88d6xRj6CpB4zEL6
John Kasaian
25-Feb-2022, 07:38
In the Tioga Pass stretch of 120 there are several developed campgrounds, some are crowded others not so much, at least early on weekdays when someone leaves
Saddlebag Lake, the highest elevation lake in CA that you can drive to, is a favorite of ours.
Virginia Lakes has some fine undeveloped camping areas and excellent homemade pie at the little lodge!
There's a lifetime pass available for all the National Parks. You only need one for yourself and all the people in your car. The pass also gives discounts sometimes at the visitor stops in case you want to pick up some souvenirs.
Only if you're a senior. (https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm) But this works if you have one senior in your party for sure.
tgtaylor
25-Feb-2022, 12:04
Up until the pandemic, I had a 24-hour fitness "all club" membership ($29/mo). They have numerous clubs in the western states and all have showers and many with indoor pools. They even have a club in Athens, Greece but when I was there I had a hotel room and didn't need the shower or exercise facilities. Besides rest areas, there are numerous truck stops like Flying J and Luckey's. Besides cheap pump prices, they have 24-hour restaurant/coffee shop, showers ($5 is what I paid at the time), and you can camp-out in the car - just find a reasonably quite spot. The best time for photographing in the west IMO is during the winter months - after Christmas when all the campgrounds are closed so you have your choice of spots, and the motels are cheap.
The best time for photographing in the west IMO is during the winter months - after Christmas when all the campgrounds are closed so you have your choice of spots, and the motels are cheap.
Best of all, you get to take pictures that no one else ever has -- instead of the guzzillianth picture of "Rainbow Falls" or "Hanging Lake" or "Delicate Arch".
Drew Wiley
25-Feb-2022, 15:52
Oregon State parks along the coastal highway generally have showers in the campgrounds, albeit not hot water!
Per Virginia Lakes camping, like John mentioned. There is a particular official FS campground along the creek which is free, first come, first serve; but the entrance road is easy to miss. It's different from the paid one further up the road with official signage. If you plan to stop there, let us know in advance and we try to describe the exact location. But Virginia Lakes offer nice day hiking opportunities themselves, and are rather close to Mono Lake down below, and the nearby beginning of the Tioga Grade back uphill to the eastern entrance of Yosemite, that is, the greater Park, not the Valley itself, which takes about another hour to reach. But snow conditions up high in June vary, as do mosquitoes! Saddlebag Lakes tend to be an overcrowded zoo; but again, hard to say that early in the season.
Alan Klein
26-Feb-2022, 07:21
Only if you're a senior. (https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm) But this works if you have one senior in your party for sure.
Gee, I just noticed from that link that as a military veteran, I could have gotten a free annual pass. Well, considering all the debt the US has, maybe they needed my $80 bucks.
Alan Klein
26-Feb-2022, 07:26
Speaking of being a vet, I have that imprinted on my NJ driver's license by the State. You send them a copy of your DD-214 or Honorable Discharge certificate. It often gets me discounts in restaurants and other places including NAtional Parks, something I didn't know till just now. The town where I live provides free parking for vets too and special spots for vets at restaurants and stores. Something to keep in mind if you're a vet. I wish I had that imprinted the last time I got stopped for speeding. It may have helped. ;)
Alan Klein
26-Feb-2022, 07:35
Best of all, you get to take pictures that no one else ever has -- instead of the guzzillianth picture of "Rainbow Falls" or "Hanging Lake" or "Delicate Arch".
Speaking of Delicate Arch, I decided the park did a good enough job for me and I didn't feel like walking all the way over there and back.
Tin Can
26-Feb-2022, 07:55
Exactly
Buy postcards and send them to friends on the spot
Wish you were here
NOT
I vastly prefer to travel ALONE
Speaking of Delicate Arch, I decided the park did a good enough job for me and I didn't feel like walking all the way over there and back.
Alan Klein
26-Feb-2022, 08:41
Exactly
Buy postcards and send them to friends on the spot
Wish you were here
NOT
I vastly prefer to travel ALONE
Better than buying postcards, just draw your own. This little girl with her parents came by with a little travel book for children showing all the sites. There was a spot in it for her to draw the Delicate Arch. I should have waited for her to finish it and taken a shot of it. Now that would be different!
225060
Drew Wiley
26-Feb-2022, 09:18
Collecting postcards in advance is a great idea. That way you learn all the places NOT to go. You'd be amazed by what you can discover taking a walk on a desert wash on the opposite side the road from the direction the herd is heading to that "must see" / "must selfie" scenic spot. Just don't get lost on the way back.
Halfway down the road to the Delicate Arch trailhead, I pulled over and did just that. It wasn't long till I found a clay hill absolutely covered with bits of shimmering shattered agate of various colors. Then a little ways further away, a deep reddish clay field dotted with bright blue gopher mounds! They were tunneling an underlying
layer of blue clay. And I guarantee no one has ever ever published a postcard or taken a selfie of that. And probably no one other than me and some resident geologists and dinosaur bone hunters has even taken notice of it. I am a huge advocate of what someone else labeled, "micro-exploration". Find your own special spot where no one else is looking. Who needs another damn stereotypical postcard shot?
I was talking about sleeping in a parking lot for a few hours, not full-on camping with a firepit and whatever.
be advised some rest areas aren't fans of people resting. so far I've witnessed people snoozing and being told by police who were patrolling the rest areas "hey, no resting here"..
it was pretty strange.
Drew Wiley
26-Feb-2022, 10:50
Never seen that happen here in the West, John. In fact, the scarcity of policing in formal rest areas is one of the problems. Long-haul semi-truckers sometimes spend the night in such places; but it's considered a risk to the general public in ordinary cars. Maybe at really congested Freeway rest areas with limited parking area there might logically be an objection to staying there for long. But if they didn't want anyone to take actual breaks, why are most them equipped with picnic tables? The whole point, besides providing restrooms, is to keep overly fatigued drivers off the road a little while.
John Kasaian
26-Feb-2022, 11:30
Caution Rattlesnake signs are common at highway rest areas on I-5 in Central California.
Kind of makes you wonder about visiting a lavatory in the middle of the night!
John Layton
26-Feb-2022, 14:11
Would highly recommend that you consider a swing through southern Utah. Looking at your proposed route...you could head north from Albuquerque and aim for Chaco Canyon, Monument Valley, then west towards Page, Ariz. (Antelope Canyon just east of Page), then further west then north up through either Cottonwood or Johnson canyons to Kodachrome Basin State Park (great campground there!), then up to Rt. 12 and either take a short side trip to Bryce Canyon...then double back up rt. 12 up and over to Torrey and Capitol Reef NP (either camp there or stay in Torrey), then on to Hanksville and head north to Goblin Valley State Park (another interesting campground there), then north to I-70, east then down through Arches/Moab, Canyonlands. Hmmm - then you'd need to get back on your route west.
So, alternately, you could head north from Albuquerque, then either go up to Chaco then head back east through Cuba then onto Santa Fe (or skip Chaco), then from Santa Fe head N.W. through Abiquiu and up and over to Canyonlands by way of Mesa Verde, then to Moab and do the above mentioned route in reverse, except now you will, after coming through Capitol Reef and over and down then west towards Bryce, you will hit up Zion and go through St. George and on to Las Vegas.
Oh...don't forget, on the way either to or from Bryce on Rt. 12, to check out (possibly camp at) kodachrome Basin as mentioned above, and just east of the Rt. 12 junction above Kodachrome is Hole In The Rock Rd - which I highly recommend for a great collection of hoodoos about 15 miles down this track. A high(ish) clearance vehicle is recommended here also.
The section of switchbacks on Rt. 12 north of Boulder (Utah) are not to be missed...but do try to watch the road through this section, which is also a completely bizarre experience (especially when approached from the north) if driven after dark!
Jeesh...so much to see - and with LF you will want to spend some time at these places. Good luck!
Never seen that happen here in the West, John. In fact, the scarcity of policing in formal rest areas is one of the problems. Long-haul semi-truckers sometimes spend the night in such places; but it's considered a risk to the general public in ordinary cars. Maybe at really congested Freeway rest areas with limited parking area there might logically be an objection to staying there for long. But if they didn't want anyone to take actual breaks, why are most them equipped with picnic tables? The whole point, besides providing restrooms, is to keep overly fatigued drivers off the road a little while.
Drew
I know, it's a rest area...
it was surreal though, both times guy resting in his car and a policeman bangs on his window, shines light in his face and yells though the window
"this is a rest area no resting here"...
Good luck with your trip Corran.
John
Leszek Vogt
26-Feb-2022, 15:08
Bryan, what you really need is a self-enclosed vehicle and about 3 months (probably longer ?), in order to do justice. The LF (as John mentioned) takes longer and if you are waiting for specific lighting/effect.....longer still. Although it's OK in emergency, many Walmart places are plagued with people who love to do "varoooom" near you....as they are heading home from a bar or some such. Few months ago I came back from the longest (land) trip in my life: 81 days and 18,845
miles....it was all about maritime provinces of Canada. Most of those nights I camped in the back of my enclosed pickup at myriad of campgrounds....some of those were forest camps, some BLM....I've stayed at motels/hotels small amount of time due to heat....mid US....it was the end of Aug. If I was doing LF, I'd need at least 1/3rd more time on the road or forgo the kind of exploration I enjoy doing. But, I didn't have any deadlines. Also, certain places require more time than others.
If you are really adamant to stop at DV, you could do it (the dunes) and you'd have to get out there super early (just as the sun peaks over the mountains).....by 8:30 AM the place will be already in the 90's. The night temps could be in the 80's and I'd have a difficult time to sleep in that.....regardless how low is the humidity :>).
The Pacific coast has more civilized weather (in the Summer), which is easier to adjust to. Overall, you might be biting more than......
Alan Klein
26-Feb-2022, 15:32
Collecting postcards in advance is a great idea. That way you learn all the places NOT to go. You'd be amazed by what you can discover taking a walk on a desert wash on the opposite side the road from the direction the herd is heading to that "must see" / "must selfie" scenic spot. Just don't get lost on the way back.
Halfway down the road to the Delicate Arch trailhead, I pulled over and did just that. It wasn't long till I found a clay hill absolutely covered with bits of shimmering shattered agate of various colors. Then a little ways further away, a deep reddish clay field dotted with bright blue gopher mounds! They were tunneling an underlying
layer of blue clay. And I guarantee no one has ever ever published a postcard or taken a selfie of that. And probably no one other than me and some resident geologists and dinosaur bone hunters has even taken notice of it. I am a huge advocate of what someone else labeled, "micro-exploration". Find your own special spot where no one else is looking. Who needs another damn stereotypical postcard shot?
Take a small GPS from Garmin. They operate for hours and with two spare AA batteries, you have many more hours available. Some have topo maps. Waypoint mark your car in the GPS before you head out into unknown territory so you can find your way back easily. I suppose a cellphone can work similarly if you can mark your location. But cell towers operation probably won't be available so regular google maps won't work unless you preload the maps for the area before you leave, something I do. That way navigation will continue to work.
Alan Klein
26-Feb-2022, 15:38
Drew
I know, it's a rest area...
it was surreal though, both times guy resting in his car and a policeman bangs on his window, shines light in his face and yells though the window
"this is a rest area no resting here"...
Good luck with your trip Corran.
John
A lot of Rest areas get pretty crowded during the season and you can't find a parking space. So like a bunch of bums, they tell you to keep moving.
Tin Can
26-Feb-2022, 15:50
I dislike Sunset and Sunrise over long flats
I try to stop during that pain
One fun trip, I drove all night as my co-driver could not stay awake, he was a hazard
100 miles from Denver from the south, I jammed on the brakes hard
I thought I saw a tanker sideways in the road
Nothing there
The year before I did see 2 semis' hit head on, the fire was huge
Seems there was a full lane jog right at the AZ NM border. The states fixed it the NEXT year
I972 Colorado back road, no traffic, but rabbits were starving and running at headlights
Dead rabbits everywhere for miles, even at crawl I could not avoid them
Also real cold about midnight
Spooky
Dead rabbits everywhere for miles, even at crawl I could not avoid them
Also real cold about midnight
Spooky
That explains why I've been seeing so many starving coyotes lately.
Bryan, what you really need is a self-enclosed vehicle and about 3 months (probably longer ?), in order to do justice.
That sounds nice, but it's not going to happen anytime soon, either fiscally or time-wise. I know there's a lot of retirees here and all but I have a full-time position at a university, along with a lot of side work and gallery stuff going on. Not to mention my wife with her own job!
Funny thing you mention "low 80's" in DV at night. That sounds like heaven! I camped on the coast of GA over New Year's and the first couple of nights were about that but at 100% humidity. Miserable!
Tin Can
27-Feb-2022, 05:46
I did ALL my heavy duty driving when younger than you
I would quit a job to take a 6 week vacation, which I find long enough to want to go home
That sounds nice, but it's not going to happen anytime soon, either fiscally or time-wise. I know there's a lot of retirees here and all but I have a full-time position at a university, along with a lot of side work and gallery stuff going on. Not to mention my wife with her own job!
Funny thing you mention "low 80's" in DV at night. That sounds like heaven! I camped on the coast of GA over New Year's and the first couple of nights were about that but at 100% humidity. Miserable!
John Kasaian
27-Feb-2022, 07:20
Since you have a position at a University, some institutions offer cheap accommodations at student housing over the off season for visitors.
It might be worth contacting some of the colleges along your road trip and see what's available.
A real bed and shower every so often can be a nice break during a long road trip.
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs comes to mind---that town gets really crowded during the summer!
Tin Can
27-Feb-2022, 07:29
Good one
I have done that
Mudrunner
7-Mar-2022, 22:19
I've done a long road trip similar to yours a few years ago. Basically a large loop of the Western US....WA, ID, MO, WY, UT, CO, AZ, CA, OR, NV.
My suggestion would be to plan on going to 3 or 4 places and let the wind take you where it may. Over-planning is the enemy.
Talk to folk along the way...ask them where they came from, where they were. It's good to have a destination but allow yourself the freedom to stop along the way.
There are so many unexpected places and surprises...as well as disappointments. Don't be distracted by the well known places...although many are great destinations for a reason.
Places like Death Valley and Zion have hidden gems....talk to people and be flexible.
Some of my highlights would have featured on very few lists...if at all... Farson, Wyoming...Dinosaur Park, UT...Crested Butte, CO...The Buttermilks (Bishop), CA...Big Sur, CA...Shiprock, AZ ...some biker bar outside Pahrump, NV...etc...
I will add that June travel in mountain areas may still see snow....if not, bugs.
Looking at your list, I would definitely hit Death Valley. On your way to Mono Lake, enjoy the Eastern Sierras a bit more...Bishop, Lone Pine (Alabama Hills)... (maybe even hike parts of the John Muir/Pacific Crest). Then hit Yosemite but keep an eye on Tuolomne, Sequoia NP, and even the area between Fish Camp and Fresno. On your way to SF, consider the coast from Big Sur to Carmel/Monterey. After SF, just follow the Pacific Coast highway ...gems like Stinson Beach, Mendocino, Patrick Point...basically all the way to Seattle. From Seattle, there are so many opportunities for Cascade volcanoes (Rainier, Adams, Baker, etc...)...but the weather is a huge factor. Montana is a huge state and Yellowstone is a great place, but there are some amazing hidden gems away from the tropes and tourist spots...for instance, Texas Geyser is only a 1 mile hike, but it is deserted compared to Old Faithful. The Tetons are stunning, and Jenny Lakes is a great place to stay...but again, weather has to be factored in. Utah is worth an entire month of it's own. I will say that Zion, Bryce, GC won;t disappoint, but spend some time in the red rocks of Sedona or the slot canyons of Paige AZ.
Oh man...now you have me planning another trip!!! Enjoy...and seriously...over planning will only add stress. You will have an awesome adventure regardless.
Enjoy!
Drew Wiley
8-Mar-2022, 12:15
Some of those places Mudrunner just listed are Awfully HOT in June. Others are now scenes blackened by extreme forest fires, so will look a lot different than they did on postcards, for better or worse, depending on your photographic taste. Fires zones can be quite interesting to a view camera, but if recent, involve a lot of cleanup mess too, so some of the roads in such areas are potnetially subject to closures, both here along the coast and in the mountains. Always check in advance. This year snow conditions over mountain passers differ dramatically between the Southwest, which is in drought, and the Northwest, which has seen a heavy snow winter. The
Sierras are now at about 75% of "normal" snow condition; so the major road passes like Tioga Pass should be open by Memorial Day on schedule unless there is a last minute heavy storm, which often there is!
I'm just updating this a bit based on current conditions. There have been several road closures since I last posted, as well as certain re-opening.
Mudrunner
8-Mar-2022, 14:19
Good point about the heat/season @DrewWiley. My time through the Sierras is typically mid/late September, and often up in the mountains where it's cooler.
You also bring up the issue of fires...and more so...smoke. Many areas of the western US and Canada have been affected by forest fires over the summer months. And many times I've had to make plans with an eye towards where the smoke was blowing....and that can be a long distance from where it originates. While dissipated smoke can make for some moody and interesting photography, it is not like fog....it can harm you.
I'm in the Pacific Northwest, so fire season doesn't typically rear it's head until July/August...not sure about the South West.
I once baked in Death Valley and snow in the west pass
on motorbike
Really glad I had a windshields as the sand/wind was the worst
I'd rather show you a few nice spots rather than try to pin them on a map. Let me know when you are in the neighborhood of the redwoods!
Vaughn
I've always had a lot of luck stopping at the local police stations and asking for advice.... good local restaurants, where to park, and when I was traveling in my Rialta (small self-contained RV) was there a place where I could boondock overnight. More than once they told me that I could stay in the local school's parking lot as long as I left at dawn. In cities I approached police walking on their beat. A friend who is a policeman told me that it was just better if I never approached a policeman who was parked in a car.
Drew Wiley
8-Mar-2022, 18:09
Mudrunner - fire season is now all year round, and intercontinental. The smoke from my home town fire two years ago spread all the way to western Europe and blacked out the sun in New York city.
Its thermal cloud reached 70,000 feet high and at one point contained four fire tornadoes inside. The force of devastation in those deep canyons was literally equivalent to the energy of about 20 hydrogen bombs. But the very next May I drove into part of there to camp at a favorite spot. There was an incredible display of wildflowers coming out of the ash, an exceptional diversity of birds taking advantage of the new situation (including easy bug picking in burnt tree bark), multiple species of frogs in the stream, young tree squirrels running around.
Later this week I might do a day drive to one of the areas of massive burn behind Mt Hamilton where the old observatory is. Few people go there, despite its proximity to major cities. But flower species which haven't even been seen for over a hundred years are out in the tens of thousands there now. Various otherwise rare flower species require fire to sprout. More common fireweed is typical after burns, but certainly vivid too. In June it will be too late for lower elevation blooms, especially in drought areas. But the somewhat higher altitude meadows of Lassen Natl Park might be a good candidate this summer. Plus a lot of it was pre-burnt a century ago by a volcanic eruption, and the juxtaposition of the two kinds of devastation might be not only interesting, but have a great deal to tempt photographers more than usual. But sometimes Lassen opens late due to snow.
If you do go to Farson, WY, as suggested by Mudrunner, be sure to get an ice cream cone. Order a single - you won't be able to eat anything larger than that before it melts, unless you have competition speed.
Thanks for the additional suggestions!
Regarding weather/fire, we'll see how things are looking in a month or two. Previously burned-out areas could actually be interesting.
It looks like I may not be able to leave till a bit past the start of June now due to work issues, and therefore will skip Big Bend and book it to Phoenix and Las Vegas for conferences, and then start from there. Still working out details and can sketch out some basic plans after that's hammered down.
I will definitely hit you up Vaughn. The travel up the CA coast should be a highlight, from what I can tell. Let's just hope it works out unlike last time I had a flight booked for LA for a work trip but had to cancel last minute due to unforeseen problems.
It is pretty tough up here right now. Yesterday a visiting friend and I grabbed my kayaks and headed up the coast a ways to Stone Lagoon. Too windy, minor whitecaps -- my friend had not been in a kayak for 20 years and for at least twice that many pounds, so we had to hike in the redwoods instead. Coming back from the redwoods we saw that the wind had died down so we spent an hour or two on the Lagoon -- had it to ourselves. No jackets (well, me anyway).
It's rough, but someone has to do it....
I hope to do some backpacking early June, so timing sounds good. But we'll see...climate is something one has, and weather is what one gets.
Drew Wiley
9-Mar-2022, 14:13
T-shirt weather here yesterday, not today. Pretty good poppy bloom out. But I was happy just to be working out uphill again with a decent pack load, clearing out my lungs of all the indoor heater crud, and sweating out all the food additive toxins. Hard wind due tomorrow, then a calm Friday, when I hope to be hiking again. Today is a good day for washing the truck and cleaning its camping gear, and alas, for paying an extra buck a gallon than a week ago for gas. Why am I just a little bit suspicious that some gouging is going on?, since there is not a bit of actual diminishment of supply yet; and we're surrounded by refineries here, so rising transport costs can't be blamed either. Might affect some plans; but life is too short to stay outright grounded. We're not cruise ship types anyway; so I don't feel guilty if I spend extra to get to some trailhead, even out of State.
Otherwise, May and June might have a rather spectacular bloom right over on the Pt Reyes and Sonoma coastlines; and I'm especially eager to see if the burn area trails have opened up again, since the fireweed bloom will probably be in full force. Further north, up by you Vaughn, the coastline should still be pretty colorful in June.
But I wished I'd known you'd taken a ran past this area, since I could have handed that box of matboard over to you. Well, there's still the Post Office. But I am at least contemplating a run up Hwy 1 myself to visit some friends in Eureka before going further north. Hard to say just yet.
I spent a week down in San Clemente and then a few nights in Oakland on the way back, printing with friends. I have a flip phone and during the 10 days, the closest I came to directly using a computer was saying, "Alexis, play Buffalo Springfield, please." and "Alexis, volume 5, please." in the darkroom while processing carbon prints. I had to stop saying 'please'. I think it confused her...otherwise, most of my screen time was thru the windscreen...a lot of it on Hwy 5. Poppies are popping, fruit trees are in blossom. I try not to drive that highway at night...farmers seem to do all their spraying when you can't see it.
I came in the house to google planting blueberries and got trapped...time to get those puppies in the ground!
There's something happening here.
There's something happening here.
"what is ain't exactly clear"... the lament of too many poor darkroom workers.
Alan Klein
10-Mar-2022, 06:56
Mudrunner - fire season is now all year round, and intercontinental. The smoke from my home town fire two years ago spread all the way to western Europe and blacked out the sun in New York city.
Its thermal cloud reached 70,000 feet high and at one point contained four fire tornadoes inside. The force of devastation in those deep canyons was literally equivalent to the energy of about 20 hydrogen bombs. But the very next May I drove into part of there to camp at a favorite spot. There was an incredible display of wildflowers coming out of the ash, an exceptional diversity of birds taking advantage of the new situation (including easy bug picking in burnt tree bark), multiple species of frogs in the stream, young tree squirrels running around.
Later this week I might do a day drive to one of the areas of massive burn behind Mt Hamilton where the old observatory is. Few people go there, despite its proximity to major cities. But flower species which haven't even been seen for over a hundred years are out in the tens of thousands there now. Various otherwise rare flower species require fire to sprout. More common fireweed is typical after burns, but certainly vivid too. In June it will be too late for lower elevation blooms, especially in drought areas. But the somewhat higher altitude meadows of Lassen Natl Park might be a good candidate this summer. Plus a lot of it was pre-burnt a century ago by a volcanic eruption, and the juxtaposition of the two kinds of devastation might be not only interesting, but have a great deal to tempt photographers more than usual. But sometimes Lassen opens late due to snow.
What does the rejuvenation say about how we do things? Just how smart are we?
About two weeks and I'm off on this trip. Changes that have come up is a fast-track drive to Las Vegas to start for the conference I am attending and then I can do whatever.
Currently planning on leaving LV at 3:30am or so June 10th to get to Death Valley area well before sunrise. Do as much as I can before the heat becomes untenable and then drive to Mono Lake to see the sunset.
I see several "first come first serve" campsites near Lee Vinings, near the Eastern Yosemite Valley entrance, as well as dispersed camping availability around Mono Lake, according to Forestry Service. I will have to be in Yosemite before 6am June 11th or else I won't get in. No problem there, I will be itching to go as soon as my eyes close.
June 11th all day in Yosemite, starting 4-5am I guess, coming from the east on Tioga Pass. Need to find someplace on the west side to camp, and maybe make a second pass the next day.
June 12th drive to San Mateo, staying with family for several days.
June 15th or 16th or thereabouts heading north on the coastal highway.
I'm reviewing all the suggestions and adding things but the Death Valley and Yosemite areas I think will be the most difficult, in terms of sleeping anyway. Found a hostel cheap in Mammoth Lakes area in case I need that. The coastal CA area is a bit more populous and AirBnB or other lodging is available. Will definitely be reaching out to some of you in June as well. Goal will be about 3 days to get to Portland. Stay for a day or two with friends and then up to Seattle, perhaps stay at a hotel/AirBnB until heading east to Glacier. I have some AirBnB plans over there where I might stay an extra day or two. Meander south and then east home afterwards.
Thanks for the earlier and future suggestions!
Tin Can
22-May-2022, 15:10
Have a great and safe trip
We will want a complete report
Safe travels
A lot of Rest areas get pretty crowded during the season and you can't find a parking space. So like a bunch of bums, they tell you to keep moving.
wasn't crowded. 2 of us in the whole huge parking lot, on a weeknight and it wasn't "closed". it was just a state policeman enforcing the "no resting in the rest area" policy.
Leszek Vogt
22-May-2022, 15:55
About two weeks and I'm off on this trip. Changes that have come up is a fast-track drive to Las Vegas to start for the conference I am attending and then I can do whatever.
Currently planning on leaving LV at 3:30am or so June 10th to get to Death Valley area well before sunrise. Do as much as I can before the heat becomes untenable and then drive to Mono Lake to see the sunset.
I see several "first come first serve" campsites near Lee Vinings, near the Eastern Yosemite Valley entrance, as well as dispersed camping availability around Mono Lake, according to Forestry Service. I will have to be in Yosemite before 6am June 11th or else I won't get in. No problem there, I will be itching to go as soon as my eyes close.
June 11th all day in Yosemite, starting 4-5am I guess, coming from the east on Tioga Pass. Need to find someplace on the west side to camp, and maybe make a second pass the next day.
June 12th drive to San Mateo, staying with family for several days.
June 15th or 16th or thereabouts heading north on the coastal highway.
I'm reviewing all the suggestions and adding things but the Death Valley and Yosemite areas I think will be the most difficult, in terms of sleeping anyway. Found a hostel cheap in Mammoth Lakes area in case I need that. The coastal CA area is a bit more populous and AirBnB or other lodging is available. Will definitely be reaching out to some of you in June as well. Goal will be about 3 days to get to Portland. Stay for a day or two with friends and then up to Seattle, perhaps stay at a hotel/AirBnB until heading east to Glacier. I have some AirBnB plans over there where I might stay an extra day or two. Meander south and then east home afterwards.
Thanks for the earlier and future suggestions!
As many have said, the forecast (temps) for DV in early June does not look good....and likely it will continue till Nov. Just saw 108 deg suppose to be on May 25th (really, no news there). Some of that will be felt in Baker (being the DV exhaust pipe) and other adjacent areas....and even on Rte 395. Hope you had a chance to talk to someone at Yos. There are many campgrounds on Rte 120 (Upper Yosemite) but many appear to be closed. White Wolf seem to be open, but with avalanches of folks rolling in into the park, I have no idea what are your chances. Tamarack Flat, which is not too far from the Valley, it sort of became my fave.....tho one had to show up early to find a spot....as others were leaving. At that time, that campground was on first-come first-served basis....currently it shows as closed (temporarily).
Back in the old days (mid 70's) my AF friend Bill L. and I arrived at the park at the Valley at night. It was also June and when we slid via Tioga Pass (nearly 10K' elevation) we threw snowballs at each other....both wearing shorts. Anyhoo, we got to Bridevail Falls late, spreded mats on the benches, crawled into sleeping bags and slept soundly to the sound of the nearby falls....till people started to arrive.... Doubt if this could be replicated today. :(
profvandegraf
22-May-2022, 16:39
Speaking of Delicate Arch, I decided the park did a good enough job for me and I didn't feel like walking all the way over there and back.
Alan: My wife took the exact same picture last month! Cracks us up.
Drew Wiley
22-May-2022, 16:59
Just be careful where you pull off on side roads around Mono Lake. It's awfully easy to get trapped in the loose pumice sand. And expect some nasty big mosquitoes at night anywhere near the lake. But if you simply drive Hwy 395 uphill a few miles to the north, right at the summit of the pass (Conway Summit) you arrive at the Virginia Lakes road, which has quite a few camping opportunities in the aspen. The whole question, however, is how much will be snow-free and accessible so early in June?
Yosemite is now open to entry only via reservation in advance. Technically, you can drive straight through over Tioga Pass on Hwy 120 and to some west side exit provided you stay strictly on 120 and don't stop for any reason. They hypothetically time you, and can give you a citation for even stopping to take a picture unless you have an entry reservation. Of course, they can't prevent you from sightseeing with your eyes only; but even entering Yosemite Valley itself would be a violation. I have no idea of the actual strictness of enforcement, but Yosemite Rangers tend to be particularly uptight and impatient due to being more crowd-control police than naturalists.
Casual car camping is possible outside the Park on Forest Service land, but it takes some experience to know where those opportunities are, unless you are willing to spend the night in smokey and boom box noisy official FS campgrounds. The lower hill country on the west side will be hot and buggy at night, but otherwise beautiful. Sonora Pass on Hwy 108, just an hour north of Mono Lake, has ample unofficial car camping opportunities plus great scenery. Sonora Pass is already open, and Tioga Pass is scheduled to open late this week. Both roads come out on the west side at the same point, on Hwy 120 near Chinese Camp just below Sonora.
Sal Santamaura
22-May-2022, 17:09
Bryan, you've gotten all the advice you can use, so I'll limit this to my wish for your trip. May there be no wildfires raging during it. Ambient temperature in Death Valley doesn't count as one. :)
Thanks Sal.
Drew, as long as you get in the gates before 6am, no reservation required in Yosemite. I don't have any problem with "noisy" campgrounds - since I'm mostly deaf in my right ear I just rest on my left ear and the noise disappears :).
Drew Wiley
22-May-2022, 17:39
The official wording is "driving into OR THROUGH" the park after 6:00AM, somewhat ambiguous. So you might want to double-check that. That time of year I'm personally a lot more interested in shots up high than going down into crowded, heavy-traffic, potentially smokey and smoggy Yosemite Valley itself. But yeah, my own strategy once the Memorial Day mess is over will be to drive to the east side, get slightly over Tioga Pass very early, and hope to spend some quality photo time before the mosquitoes go berserk in the high meadows as the snow melts. I have a lifetime Parks Pass, so there's no complication about that either, if I get questioned for not having an entry receipt. West side entry (not exit) can be awful on weekends. They aren't kidding about up to 2 hr long lines behind the entry station, especially on Hwy 41.
And maybe I said this earlier, but the Mobil Station right where 120 meets 395 below Tioga Pass, just outside the town of Lee Vining, has a deli with some incredible burgers etc, even elk or buffalo meat if you can afford it, but the regular $13 beef sirloin burger is about as good as it can get; great breakfast burritos too, but I don't know how early they are open.
My America the Beautiful renewal came in the mail this week and so it's not really about the payment but about the new "reservation" system they implemented during Covid and have apparently kept to work on crowd control.
I wish my timeline didn't have Yosemite on the weekend as I know that's not optimal but, it is what it is. I suppose if I get a sweet campground right outside the gates I might splurge and stay a few days, but on the other hand I do have a lot of ground to cover :D.
Alan Klein
23-May-2022, 05:27
About two weeks and I'm off on this trip. Changes that have come up is a fast-track drive to Las Vegas to start for the conference I am attending and then I can do whatever.
Currently planning on leaving LV at 3:30am or so June 10th to get to Death Valley area well before sunrise. Do as much as I can before the heat becomes untenable and then drive to Mono Lake to see the sunset.
I see several "first come first serve" campsites near Lee Vinings, near the Eastern Yosemite Valley entrance, as well as dispersed camping availability around Mono Lake, according to Forestry Service. I will have to be in Yosemite before 6am June 11th or else I won't get in. No problem there, I will be itching to go as soon as my eyes close.
June 11th all day in Yosemite, starting 4-5am I guess, coming from the east on Tioga Pass. Need to find someplace on the west side to camp, and maybe make a second pass the next day.
June 12th drive to San Mateo, staying with family for several days.
June 15th or 16th or thereabouts heading north on the coastal highway.
I'm reviewing all the suggestions and adding things but the Death Valley and Yosemite areas I think will be the most difficult, in terms of sleeping anyway. Found a hostel cheap in Mammoth Lakes area in case I need that. The coastal CA area is a bit more populous and AirBnB or other lodging is available. Will definitely be reaching out to some of you in June as well. Goal will be about 3 days to get to Portland. Stay for a day or two with friends and then up to Seattle, perhaps stay at a hotel/AirBnB until heading east to Glacier. I have some AirBnB plans over there where I might stay an extra day or two. Meander south and then east home afterwards.
Thanks for the earlier and future suggestions!
Bryan: Red Rock Canyon just 20 minutes west of Las Vegas has a great 13 mile road drive thru the canyon These pictures were taken from the car stops long the way so you don't need to hike in hot weather for fabulous views.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanklein2000/albums/72157717671668191
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanklein2000/albums/72157717671668191
Alan Klein
23-May-2022, 05:31
Could someone tell me if they're getting my album in last message i posted or something else? I'm not getting my album.
Michael R
23-May-2022, 12:36
Sounds like a great trip. Guaranteed countless amazing photographic opportunities to be had.
Drew Wiley
23-May-2022, 15:11
Corran, a "sweet campsite right outside the gates" of Yosemite ....???? You and six hundred other people still waiting for the resort to get snowplowed. There is an official FS campsite at the bottom of the Tioga grade only 20 minutes away from the gate, perhaps full, perhaps not. Otherwise, stick with your Mono Lake perimeter road options. Lundy Canyon just north of LeeVining also has official FS campsites in the aspen, but is not necessarily open that early.
Could someone tell me if they're getting my album in last message i posted or something else? I'm not getting my album.
I could see the photos.
Alan Klein
24-May-2022, 03:04
OK thanks. something is working weird on my Android operating Samsung tabblet. Other items show instead of my album.
Tin Can
24-May-2022, 03:10
I viewed your excellent work!
Loaded up:
44 sheets of T-Max 100 (6 Grafmatics and 4 regular holders)
12 sheets of Efke 25
12 sheets of Portra 400
12 sheets of Velvia 50
10 sheets of NPS 160 (Kinematic)
10 sheets each of Fuji Provia 100F, 160S, and T64ii Quickloads
120 total!
Plus lots of extra TMX, Efke, and Portra 400, as well as empty boxes for N+ and N- development (reloads possible at the occasional overnight booking or I have a changing bag).
Getting close :).
Not pictured, about 60 rolls of Delta 100, Portra 160, T-Max 100, and other emulsions in 120 and 35mm film...
Drew Wiley
26-May-2022, 11:30
Gosh. It would take me two decades to shoot that much film. But it's a beautiful time of year both in the mountains and along the coast. Getting distinctly windy and foggy here on the coast, like a typical June, with lovely light. The Central Valley will start getting quite hot, but if you cross the Valley morning or evening, the farm and orchard areas are quite lovely too in their own way this time of year.
Might as well be sure! :)
I did clean out a lot of my freezer stash.
John Olsen
26-May-2022, 13:42
Good luck on the big excursion.
Erik Larsen
26-May-2022, 13:48
Jealous I am, enjoy the trip!
Tin Can
27-May-2022, 06:24
Make sure your tire pressure is optimal
Hot roads
also batteries fail more in summer than winter
my exactly 5 year old lawn tractor battery died a week ago from heat
Despite my constant usage of a Battery Tender
Sal Santamaura
27-May-2022, 08:24
...my exactly 5 year old lawn tractor battery died a week ago from heat
Despite my constant usage of a Battery Tender
Or perhaps because of that. :)
Tin Can
27-May-2022, 08:51
My practice 40 years
Modern batteries are designed to fail
I replace a car battery at 5 years regardless
Tires age also, check the date of creation before buying any tire
Before auto tire sensors that also fail, I checked my tires several ways
Sabotage also occurs
often
Or perhaps because of that. :)
I have made reservations to go backpacking in the redwoods June 6 to the 10th. Just me and my cute little 5x7. If I survive the hike, I have another planned for the first week or so of July (but a longer crazier hike in rougher country, so perhaps just the Rollei or the 4x5).
So I should be here in civilization when you pass through.
Safe travels Bryan. Looking forward to your images!
Darr
Thanks Darr! Vaughn, I'll message you when I'm out in CA. Not sure my schedule past about June 14.
I just booked a campsite Fri June 10 and Sat June 11 just outside Yosemite's East gate. There's a ton of first-come-first-serve sites but since I found the Fri/Sat opening I figured I'd rather be safe than sorry. June Lake area.
Also Death Valley is forecast now to be at 113 F when I'm passing through :rolleyes:.
Tin Can
31-May-2022, 04:57
but it's Dry heat
carry a lot of water and drink it
Burning Man requires 1 gallon water per person per day
I will never go BM again
I've got a 6-gallon tank, plus two more gallons in jugs. I bought some tubing and can actually sip water out of the 6-gal tank from the front seat, or siphon it as needed for my water bottles. The 6-gal tanks are used as weights for festivals sometimes.
I don't plan to be out in DV past 7 or 8am. I wish I could do more but I guess I missed the balmy 80 degree days this past week. I found a cool AirBnB just outside of the park, really cheap, will have to come back with my wife in the future (perhaps a bit earlier in spring).
I will spend the rest of the day around Mono Lake.
Sal Santamaura
31-May-2022, 09:17
but it's Dry heat...
So is placing one's head inside a preheated electric oven. :)
One-week check-in. Went to DV this morning and I enjoyed the mild 110F temps :). Seriously a summer day in Florida at 100% humidity is worse IMO!
Anyway, I just got gas at $6.05 and am making my way to Mono Lake.
228029
Tin Can
10-Jun-2022, 13:59
Good update!
Drew Wiley
10-Jun-2022, 15:24
Ha! Gas at Lee Vining (Mono Lake), or worse, Bridgeport slightly further north, was always two dollars higher than anywhere else in the State. Wonder if it's still like that. If so,expect $8.50 per gallon; but appreciate the fact you aren't driving a huge motorhome hauling a Jeep plus a boat. I never have been able to figure out that crowd. My nephew once had to leave all his climbing gear hostage at the garage in Lee Vining while getting his pickup fixed there. I drove over the range with cash, and bailed him out. Mono Lake itself can be pretty hot this time of year except morning and evening, when the light is best anyway.
That's where the ancestors of the Indians I grew up with came from. Hard to say when, but maybe around 1200 AD militant bands of them decided to take over much of the West slope of the range too, and displaced the former Yokuts to the San Joaquin Valley and lower margins of the hills, that is, until modern Casino culture reinvented certain bands of Yokuts, using, among others, the descendants of those who exterminated those same Yokuts hamlets in the first place. What do they call that these days? - oh yeah, "alternate history". Anything for a buck, or rather, a few hundred million bucks.
Yeah just outside DV I saw it at $8.84! Just pulled into June Lake and it's over $7.
Leszek Vogt
10-Jun-2022, 16:35
Yeah just outside DV I saw it at $8.84! Just pulled into June Lake and it's over $7.
Glad you survived DV....tho brace yourself for some possible heat in certain areas (Calif). Coastal parts and higher elevations exempted.
Hope you were able to get some nice images. Best of luck.
Watching for updates, Bryan.
Happy you made it through DV.
Darr
Hit 80F in my backyard the last two days, a heat wave! Up to a half-inch rain expected this weekend (should be great under the redwoods). Then more reasonable temperatures the next week (60s)...'partly coudy'.
Drew Wiley
10-Jun-2022, 20:06
We might have hit 80 today; but it's over 100 just over the ridge inland, where the coastal airflow is blocked. Due to drop 10F tomorrow, and another 10 Sunday. Maybe back to our normal June highs in the mid-50's here by Tues or so.
Two week update!
Currently having coffee in Fort Bragg on the coastal hwy. A little behind schedule. Booked a place in Seattle to stay, and will be bumming it until then between here and there (Hoh Rainforest before going to Seattle).
Yellowstone flooding has me most likely skipping Glacier and Yellowstone, for a swing down to Boise. Then Tetons. And then Monument Valley and Shiprock, before heading east.
Two week update!
Currently having coffee in Fort Bragg on the coastal hwy. A little behind schedule. Booked a place in Seattle to stay, and will be bumming it until then between here and there (Hoh Rainforest before going to Seattle).
Yellowstone flooding has me most likely skipping Glacier and Yellowstone, for a swing down to Boise. Then Tetons. And then Monument Valley and Shiprock, before heading east.
I thought of you when I heard about the Yellowstone flooding.
Sounds like you are having a good time. Always wanted to photograph the Tetons; someday!
Stay safe, Bryan!
Bryan should have past west of me this morning on his way north into the redwoods. I blew getting back to his PM in a timely manner, so I hope to hear from him by phone. The light this morning should be wonderful along Prairie Creek.
This week has been nuts for someone who is suppose to be retired. Far too complicated to go into but includes a house guest who is attempting curate and find a home for the 40 year old abandoned (photo/graphic arts/personal) work of a homeless mutual friend as the foundation of the week...and gets more interesting.
Hopefully Bryan will get my reply with my phone number before I miss him altogether.
Edit to add -- just got off the phone with Bryan...south of Eureka and still on his way north, so I have not missed him!
Mark Sampson
17-Jun-2022, 11:22
Sounds like you're having fun. I look forward to (eventually) seeing your photos from this trip.
John Layton
18-Jun-2022, 04:52
Regrets for not having kept up with this thread...if but for the vicarious adventure! Will try to check in more often, and in the meantime, Bryan don't forget to eat and sleep...and to turn your dark slides over after clicking the shutter!
heyjochen
18-Jun-2022, 08:22
One-week check-in. Went to DV this morning and I enjoyed the mild 110F temps :). Seriously a summer day in Florida at 100% humidity is worse IMO!
Anyway, I just got gas at $6.05 and am making my way to Mono Lake.
228029
We had 82% humidity a couple days ago here in Chicago at 6 am. I really miss the dry SoCal heat.
Bryan left early this morn to take a walk in the redwoods and continue up the coast towards Washington!
I took him on a walking tour of the town, the first stop being a (dry) tour of the World Famous Logger Bar next door...all that took care of the first 15 minutes of his visit.
We had a good time, basically taking a break from the Road -- and it sounds like he'll have way too much film to process when he gets home!
Ron McElroy
18-Jun-2022, 10:25
Bryan left early this morn to take a walk in the redwoods and continue up the coast towards Washington!
I took him on a walking tour of the town, the first stop being a (dry) tour of the World Famous Logger Bar next door...all that took care of the first 15 minutes of his visit.
We had a good time, basically taking a break from the Road -- and it sounds like he'll have way too much film to process when he gets home!
Good to hear Vaughn. Following Bryan's trip on Instagram it looks to be a great experience.
Update! I've definitely had a rough week that I won't go into, but, I am now home in north GA. I even developed 5 rolls of film and some 4x5 sheets.
Look forward to pics soon. I still have a week off work so plenty of time for film dev and scan!
Most of the film I shot, plus what's in the cameras that I need to finish up. Not pictured, 46 sheets of 4x5.
228583
Great news -- may the gods of silver be with you!
That's wonderful to hear!
Especially nice to have the time for process now.
Looking forward to your images!
Drew Wiley
26-Jun-2022, 19:37
In the Southwest they say, Hi Ho Silver, Vaughn.
Sal Santamaura
10-Jul-2022, 11:42
...my wish for your trip. May there be no wildfires raging during it...
It's great that my sentiment didn't precipitate an episode of Murphy's Law. You got back with a couple of weeks to spare:
https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm
Yeah I dodged that bullet. They even re-opened the southern road to Yellowstone when I was in WY, but I didn't go. I came home about 4 days early, saving Glacier, Yellowstone, Monument Valley, and Shiprock for another time (I was really exhausted!).
PS: I appreciate all of the suggestions made here and apologies if I wasn't able to get in contact with some of you on the road! Looking forward to spending more time in focused areas in the future.
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