Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2006 20:38:34 -0800
Reply-To: BA <oddstray@ODDSTRAY.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: BA <oddstray@ODDSTRAY.COM>
Subject: Re: NYC to Palo Alto CA
In-Reply-To: <vanagon%2006112214511512@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
On Wed, 22 Nov 2006 14:50:34 -0500, you wrote:
>This Saturday Nov. 25th we will set off to make the journey fron NYC to Palo
>Alto California hauling my much-travelled white 1984 Westy behind a 16ft
>yellow Penske truck . I plan to travel west from the George Washington
>Bridge on I-80 to south on I-81 to west on I-40 to west on Rte 58 to north
>on Rte 99 to west on Rte 152 to north on I-101 to Palo Alto. Any unusual
>sights to be seen along the way or a better way to go?
>
>Happy Thanksgiving to all
>
>Sam
Hi,
Starting at Oklahoma City and going to Seligman, AZ, you'll be
traveling near to historic Route 66. There might be some fun
exploring bits of that.
Coming through California, you might choose to take a detour onto
"National Trails Highway". You would pick it up at the I-40 exit
named "Mountain Springs Road". The National Trails Highway goes
roughly along the old railroad route. Among other stops. it goes
through Amboy: http://www.desertusa.com/mag99/sep/stories/lava.html
and Newberry Springs: http://www.newberrysprings.com/ and
http://www.theroadwanderer.net/RT66newberry.htm which includes the
cafe where where the movie "Bagdad Cafe" was filmed. (The town of
Bagdad exists, but is a ruin.) If you take the National Trails
Highway, you can rejoin I-40 at Newberry Springs or a bit farther on
at Barstow.
If you take I-40 (and possible National Trails Highway) to Barstow,
then you will have missed Death Valley. I regret that I have not yet
been able to see Death Valley, despite having lived in California
since 1980. But if you do choose to go through Death Valley, then
you'll be faced with the issue of how to get over the Sierras during
winter (see mention below of Tuolumne Highway).
An alternate to Rte 99 would be US 395, but then you need to know how
you'll get farther westward over the Sierras. US 395 runs up the
eastern side of the Sierra Nevada and is the route to places like
Mammoth Lakes and Mono Lake.
You might cross over westward at Tuolomne Highway but it's closed if
the snow/ice gets too intense. I don't know much about routes
westward if you go north of there ... except ... Do not do a
"Donner"!!!! (Ackshirly, there's an interstate now so it's highly
unlikely.
I envy your forthcoming adventure!!!!
An alternate opinion from S (so far it was B - now it's S). He sez
that the trip up Rte 99 is lovely. The trip up US 395 is largely
boring!!!
B&S
'87 Westy 'Esmerelda Blanc'
SoCal
