Date:         Thu, 30 Oct 1997 09:51:06 -0500
Reply-To:     "Forhan, Thomas" <Thomas.Forhan@MAIL.HOUSE.GOV>
Sender:       Vanagon mailing list <Vanagon@Gerry.SDSC.EDU>
From:         "Forhan, Thomas" <Thomas.Forhan@MAIL.HOUSE.GOV>
Subject:      Re: which route to CA?(long)
Comments: cc: "cdes@WELCHLINK.WELCH.JHU.EDU" <cdes@WELCHLINK.WELCH.JHU.EDU>

Sudhir,

I've travelled much of your proposed routes in VW buses.  Without
question, I would not take your prefered route to San Diego, making
extensive use of Route 50.  First of all, it is a thousand miles longer.

Second , let me say that  I enjoy poking around, getting off the
Interstates. But I would avoid the Kansas portion of Route 50, which I
last travelled two years ago. The route is flat, great for cruising in a
Vanagon, but there are numerous, hundreds of small towns and very large
trucks which slow you down incredibly. Secondly, the area is, in my
opinion, an agri-industrial wasteland of huge fertilizer plants, meat
processors (pre-cooking your frozen Salisbury steak dinner, sometimes
you can smell cooking beef for miles) and massive feedlots, where the
cows stomp dust into the air to give the area a blade runnerish quality.

Also Route 50 across Nevada is a forgotten highway going through very
desolate territory. You'll get the same views going through the desert
on the Interstate, and services, parts and people will be much more
available.  This part of Route 50 would be, in my judgement, one of the
worst roads in America to have a Vanagon problem that needed
professional assistance.

If you want to sightsee some on your trip, I'd suggest a
shorter diversion: Take 40 west to Clines Corner in New Mexico (its
about 50 miles east of Albuquerque) and head north to Sante Fe, Taos,
and continue north to Colorado where I would go west on 160, enjoying
much beautiful Colorado Rockies scenery through Durango toward Mesa
Verde, Cortez, and Hovenweep National Monument. From there, I would head
over the back roads to Monument Valley, an incredible sight. Head over
to the north face of the Grand Canyon, then pass through  Zion National
Park to St. George Utah, which straddles Interstate 15. Take 15 south,
direct to San Diego.

Have fun!

Tom F.