Just stay calm and don't let delays and such ruin things. You'll know when that is.
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Planning a Holiday/Road Trip to the USA(West Coast)
- Thread starter Johnny M
- Start date
Day 4 SF-->Tahoe-->Mammoth. That sounds like a very long drive, but that's probably just me. I personally would go from SF to Tahoe, spend the night. Next day drive down to Mammoth.
"Johnny M" said:
The delays getting into Yosemite during the peak season (yes you picked it) can be almost an hour. Then there's getting around while you're in there. It takes about an hour to get from the west gate to the east gate and that's without going into the valley (which you WILL want to do). You will be entering from the east side (Mammoth is south of Yosemte) so you will need to drive the entire Tioga Pass/Tuolumne Meadows and then head down into the valley to experience most of the park.
People look at maps an see that the route is only 100 miles...heck that's easy. What they don't realize is that there is only a two lane road with other vehicles, some doing under the speed limit, and hundreds of curves, wild life, tourists pulling off and on, so be aware. Then again the road can be clear and driving a pleasure. That's why I say, stay calm and roll with the punches.
I can explain in more detail when we meet. I'll have some maps that may help too.
Sacbill
Hard Swinger
"Johnny M" said:
While in SB, seek out the following:
* Cold Spring Tavern in Santa Ynez -- http://coldspringtavern.com/
* Super Rica - fantastic Mexican food -- http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-super-rica-t ... ta-barbara
* Super Cuca - try the Pastor (BBQ pork) -- http://www.yelp.com/biz/super-cucas-taq ... ta-barbara
* McConnell's Ice Cream :thu -- http://www.mcconnells.com/
Yes, I like to eat while in SB.
If you want a really strong drink, in a funky place, with pictures all over the walls...go to Harry's -- http://www.harryssb.com/
Hopefully we'll be able to meet for a beer during your travels through the west, either in Sac or thereabouts or in the Bay Area. :yah
Okay looks like the day you get down here in LA. I have my local mustang club has it's monthly meeting. It's about 30 miles south of downtown LA. It's a fun and interesting bunch of mustang enthusiasts. Anyways do you have any idea where you are going to stay in LA? Hey I can give a small tour LA and we can get on the TMZ bus. My coworkers went on it and they said they had a blast. Anyways we could tour parts of LA like go see the Hollywood sign and Compton. You know I can show where Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg got there starts. I always tell people to go Pink's hotdog.
"David67" said:
Thats great news Dave. We are staying here in LA http://www.slsbeverlyhills.com/ What is the TMZ bus? I would like to hike up to the Hollywood sign.
"Sacbill" said:
Thanks for the info.
MY GF is going to the Chicago for a few weeks before I head over and I will get her to pick me up a cheap US cell so we can stay in touch once i land.
Have any of your guys been to any of the vineyards in Napa? We will be there on the 8/9th and I wanted to maybe visit one of them and see how wine is made...Educational purposes :beer
And, I am trying to find places that rent convertible mustangs. So far I can only find them with Thrifty. Does anyone know which hire companies have them?
O
opentrackerSteve
Guest
"Johnny M" said:
I'll send you a picture.
I live 55 miles from my office. I leave at 5am and it takes me an hour. If I leave at 5:30am, it takes me an hour and 20 minutes. Time grows to 1.5 to 2 hours at mid morning.....
Trip home is worse...
JeffTepper
Well-Known Member
"And, I am trying to find places that rent convertible mustangs. So far I can only find them with Thrifty. Does anyone know which hire companies have them?"
Johnny:
Most US Car Rental agencies rent convertibles. The two likely mainstream cars are Mustangs and Chrysler Sebrings. It has been my experience that when you reserve a car, you do so by "class" (for example: "Compact". "Midsize". Full", etc) rather than by specific car. I suggest that you select a rental company that features Ford products to improve your odds of not getting a Sebring!! Over the years I have used many different companies but I prefer the customer service at Enterprise Rent a Car. However, pricing can be all over the board even within the same company depending upon where you get the car. For example, the last time I rented a car in the Los Angeles area I found that I could rent the exact same make and model car from the same company for much less per day at John Wayne Airport (SNA) than at Los Angeles International (LAX). The same is true when comparing airport locations and various downtown locations. For example the quoted rate within the City of San Francisco ranges from $62 to $106 per day depending on where you pick up the car. Go figure?? Lastly, to further blur the distinctions between car rental companies, several different brands are actually owned by the the same parent company. There really is no rhyme or reason for the pricing structure that I can figure out. With that in mind, Google "Mustang Car Rental" and see what comes up for you.
On the wine tour request, note that Napa is but one of many wine producing areas within California. We also have wineries in the East Bay such as Wente and Concanon as well as numerous wineries here in the South Bay such as Ridge, Testarosa, and Mirrasou that offer tasting, etc. Click this link for more wineries here in the South Bay:
http://www.santaclarawines.com/
Good Luck, Jeff
Johnny:
Most US Car Rental agencies rent convertibles. The two likely mainstream cars are Mustangs and Chrysler Sebrings. It has been my experience that when you reserve a car, you do so by "class" (for example: "Compact". "Midsize". Full", etc) rather than by specific car. I suggest that you select a rental company that features Ford products to improve your odds of not getting a Sebring!! Over the years I have used many different companies but I prefer the customer service at Enterprise Rent a Car. However, pricing can be all over the board even within the same company depending upon where you get the car. For example, the last time I rented a car in the Los Angeles area I found that I could rent the exact same make and model car from the same company for much less per day at John Wayne Airport (SNA) than at Los Angeles International (LAX). The same is true when comparing airport locations and various downtown locations. For example the quoted rate within the City of San Francisco ranges from $62 to $106 per day depending on where you pick up the car. Go figure?? Lastly, to further blur the distinctions between car rental companies, several different brands are actually owned by the the same parent company. There really is no rhyme or reason for the pricing structure that I can figure out. With that in mind, Google "Mustang Car Rental" and see what comes up for you.
On the wine tour request, note that Napa is but one of many wine producing areas within California. We also have wineries in the East Bay such as Wente and Concanon as well as numerous wineries here in the South Bay such as Ridge, Testarosa, and Mirrasou that offer tasting, etc. Click this link for more wineries here in the South Bay:
http://www.santaclarawines.com/
Good Luck, Jeff
When we went to cali last october, we rented a mustang convertible from hertz.
They have them , but you usually don't have the specific option to select that car. We selected to rent a convertible and it said sebring, mustang or similar. When we arrived in SF and went to the hertz counter they told us we had an eclipse spider. WTH. I pointed to my 2 year old standing with us and they agreed to switch us to a different car. With a little persuasion we got a Mustang.
I believe if you sign up as a hertz gold member you can select a specific model and get confirmation before you arrive.
They have them , but you usually don't have the specific option to select that car. We selected to rent a convertible and it said sebring, mustang or similar. When we arrived in SF and went to the hertz counter they told us we had an eclipse spider. WTH. I pointed to my 2 year old standing with us and they agreed to switch us to a different car. With a little persuasion we got a Mustang.
I believe if you sign up as a hertz gold member you can select a specific model and get confirmation before you arrive.
"Johnny M" said:
Great place to stay Johnny, you are almost across the street from where they practice for dancing with the stars. Beverly Hills is nice, the wife and I like to hang out there, we like to have coffee at coupa cafe(we love the Bay and this place is huge in palo alto where it was founded) and Villa Blanca where we had our anniversary dinner. A lot of cool little spots to hang out.
Napa, we really like Robert Mondavi's vineyard, if you make it up to Rutherford I recommend dinner at the Rutherford grill and if you happen to make it north enough to St Helena I recommend stopping at Anas Cantina and getting one of your dollar bills or euros pinned to the ceiling via their neat quarter toss system.
Santa Barbara, we like the Sandbar Mexican restaurant and tequila bar. Good food great prices. Just walk up and down State street and you will find something you like, guaranteed.
Hiking up to the Hollywood sign is a def go on behalf of the wife and I, we will be taking one of our friends that's visiting from SF on the hike this weekend.
Sounds like you are going to be very busy, but just make sure and take time to breathe and take it all in.
"RapidRabbit" said:
I spent a good deal of time over the weekend reaching this and it looks like the ONLY company that can gaurantee a Mustang is Hertz. Its a gamble with all the other companies. The only catch with Hertz is that you have to pay that little bit extra to secure the Mustang. I am not going to take the gamble on this one and going to go with Hertz. I would be gutted if i got presented with anything but a mustang for this road trip.
I am thinking about changing my route slightly. My original plan was to head from SF down to Yosemite (via Lake Tahoe on the 50&395) then go back the same route and spend two days in Napa before heading south on Highway 1. However I read over the weekend that driving over the Tioga pass is one of the best drives in the world. So i might ditch Napa and head over the pass and join highway 1 south of SF. As Jeff was saying I could visit the vineyards in Santa Clara Valley instead. What do you guys think?
Here is a new route plan
http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=San+Francisco,+CA,+United+States&daddr=US-395+S%2FThree+Flags+Hwy+to:37.81974,-119.71388+to:37.79757,-121.16602+to:37.82231,-120.6422+to:San+Mateo+Rd+to:37.22,-122.40614+to:36.44208,-121.92254+to:Santa+Barbara,+CA,+United+States+to:Los+Angeles,+CA,+United+States+to:San+Diego,+CA,+United+States+to:Las+Vegas,+NV,+United+States&hl=en&ll=35.755428,-118.839111&spn=5.802541,8.470459&sll=37.457691,-122.354393&sspn=0.177417,0.264702&geocode=FVJmQAIdKAe0-CkhAGkAbZqFgDH_rXbwZxNQSg%3BFbCbPgId5lXp-A%3BFVwVQQIdqE_d-ClrR61-xeWWgDG4CF3LJwPANw%3BFcK-QAIdPCfH-Cl1EQBYz0OQgDGE2mjj54R_Zg%3BFWYfQQIdaCXP-ClxMnr4leWQgDER2WOesVhHsg%3BFZK3OwId2N-z-A%3BFaDuNwIdBDu0-Ckjj5NGHwGPgDFzSQ8cRHMfNg%3BFeAPLAIdFJy7-CmRNgtY3euNgDG1Fs3YSATnHw%3BFV44DQId8ozd-CnVgy1vxxTpgDFIdrrXZDrRyA%3BFYqYBwIdm77z-CkT2ifcXcfCgDH0CEYlb98v4g%3BFUEy8wEdeVIE-SlLHpKtD1PZgDF53xX9_SE6DQ%3BFdYQJwIdMJoi-SnRffWkgre-gDGjebPV5tXMOg&mra=mi&mrsp=5&sz=12&via=2,3,4,6,7&t=m&z=7
B67FSTB
The NorCal dude from Belgium
Hello Johnny!
Man am I jealous !! But I wish you the best vacantion you ever gonna have !!!
Enjoy !!
One thing to think about : a convertible hasn't that much off trunk space, in case you need it.
Man am I jealous !! But I wish you the best vacantion you ever gonna have !!!
Enjoy !!
One thing to think about : a convertible hasn't that much off trunk space, in case you need it.
A
Anonymous
Guest
I wouldn't get your hopes up with Hertz. I rented the Shelby at the Orlando airport a few years back. I'd call to confirm it every once in awhile. Gave me the song and dance to feel good. Got to the airport and no Shelby. I did get my rental for free, but it sucked not getting the fast car.