2015 Las Vegas/AZ/NM/CO/UT/NV Planned Road Trip

Started by ZLoth, July 19, 2014, 04:13:54 AM

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ZLoth

In my goal of trying to schedule a road trip and hoping that it does NOT explode in my face.... again (like my 2013 aborted Colorado trip), I checked the calendar, and noticed that the Toastmasters International Conference is in Las Vegas, NV in 2015. Hey, I can plan that as a launching point, visit the OTHER Las Vegas, hit Colorado, then travel I-70/US-50 back to Sacramento. So, here is the initial travel plan. Any suggestions?

Monday, August 10 - Travel from Sacramento to Las Vegas, NV
Tuesday, August 11 - Travel around Las Vegas, NV
Wednesday, August 12 - Toastmasters International Conference
Thursday, August 13 - Toastmasters International Conference
Friday, August 14 - Toastmasters International Conference
Saturday, August 15 - Toastmasters International Conference
Sunday, August 16 - Las Vegas, NV to Las Vegas, NM Part 1
Monday, August 17 - Las Vegas, NV to Las Vegas, NM Part 2
Tuesday August 18 - Las Vegas, NM to Denver, CO
Wednesday, August 19 - Denver, CO to Glenwood Springs, CO
Thursday, August 20 - Glenwood Springs, CO to Beaver, UT
Friday, August 21 - Beaver, UT to Ely, NV
Saturday, August 22 - Ely, NV to Fallon, NV
Sunday, August 23 - Fallon, NV to Sacramento, CA
I'm an Engineer. That means I solve problems. Not problems like "What is beauty?", because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems and call them "paychecks".


ZLoth

Quote from: DesertDog on July 19, 2014, 06:31:40 AMMonday, August 10 - Travel from Sacramento to Las Vegas, NV

-  First a question; do you prefer the back roads or the Interstate?  If you like the Interstate CA 99, CA 58 and I-15 will get you around the Sierra Nevada just fine to Vegas.  If you like the back roads I'd take US 50, US 395, CA 120, US 6 and US 95 to Vegas.  There a lot of cool towns on the alternate route like Goldfield but be prepared to see nobody for maybe a good hour in a clip, it is a fast road regardless.  You could even detour through Death Valley if you wanted to see something interesting on the way.  I detailed much of the alternate route on to my L.A. to Phoenix 2,700 miles road trip.

The last time (and only time) I drove to Vegas, I took US-95 from Reno to Tonopah, then US-6/NV-375/US-93/I-15 to Las Vegas. This would be a coin flip.

Quote from: DesertDog on July 19, 2014, 06:31:40 AMSunday, August 16 - Las Vegas, NV to Las Vegas, NM Part 1
Monday, August 17 - Las Vegas, NV to Las Vegas, NM Part 2

-  You'll be more than fine breaking this segments up into two days along I-40.  I would just make sure you get some side trips in like AZ 66 (which travels the same way as I-40), the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest and Santa Fe once you hit I-25.  Honestly you might want to hit more stuff along the way because you 350 miles a day will get you where you are going fast along I-40 and I-25.  Be advised though the construction on I-40 on the climb to Flagstaff is annoying as $%## right now.

Any suggestions as to a good midpoint break? When I plugged in the route from Vegas to Vegas, it was too much time and miles for one day. Will the construction on I-40 be completed by next year?

Quote from: DesertDog on July 19, 2014, 06:31:40 AMSunday, August 23 - Fallon, NV to Sacramento, CA

Don't waste your time with I-80; it will bore the hell out of your.  I'd stick with US 50 all the way to Sacramento as it will take you through Carson City and by Lake Tahoe.  You can take a small detour up Nevada 341 to Virginia City along US 50 that way also.

Since Sacramento is my home, I have made many trips to Carson City and Reno via I-80, US-50, US-88, and even a trip via CA-49, CA-4, and CA-70. So, it is kinda irrelevant which route I take.

Quote from: DesertDog on July 19, 2014, 06:31:40 AMYour travel times are sound, typically I try to go 400-500 miles in a day and keep it to 8-9 hours.  Generally I would allow 4-5 hours for side trips; your planned routes are giving you 4-6 hours of driving time.  By far your hardest day is going to be going from Sacramento to Vegas on your first day; the rest are pretty tame with what you scheduled IMO.   If you aren't used to long road trips you are doing this short enough segments to be more than okay.  I'd just advise you aren't really familiar with central Utah and Nevada (if you aren't, not everyone is) just doing a bit of reading on the area as it is very desolate.  Hopefully that helps; I've traveled all those roads and think you can make one hell of a trip if you plan ahead right.

That's the point of this trip. Most of this trip between Las Vegas, Nevada and Fallon, Nevada is virgin territory for me, so any suggestions is appreciated. I may even extend this trip to give more rest days. Perhaps I'm overplanning things a little bit, but then again, fortune favors prepared the prepared.
I'm an Engineer. That means I solve problems. Not problems like "What is beauty?", because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems and call them "paychecks".

nexus73

Zloth, if you wind up at US 191/I-70, be sure to stop at the rest stop and admire the magnificent scene of heavily eroded terrain.  Back in April 1995 I took a meal break there as I brought along a microwave oven and some East Indian food.  It was a warm sunny day (around 70) and dining with such a backdrop goes as one of my great roadtrip highlights.

Rick
US 101 is THE backbone of the Pacific coast from Bandon OR to Willits CA.  Industry, tourism and local traffic would be gone or severely crippled without it being in functioning condition in BOTH states.

ZLoth

Here is a slight revision of my trip plan. Still filling in the details on the exact trip details.

Monday, August 10 - Travel from Sacramento to Las Vegas, NV
Tuesday, August 11 - Travel around Las Vegas, NV
Wednesday, August 12 - Toastmasters International Conference
Thursday, August 13 - Toastmasters International Conference
Friday, August 14 - Toastmasters International Conference
Saturday, August 15 - Toastmasters International Conference
Sunday, August 16 - Las Vegas, NV to Winslow, AZ
Monday, August 17 - Winslow, AZ to Las Vegas, NM
Tuesday August 18 - Las Vegas, NM to Denver, CO
Wednesday, August 19 - Denver, CO to Glenwood Springs, CO
Thursday, August 20 - Glenwood Springs, CO to Richfield, UT
Friday, August 21 - Richfield, UT to Ely, NV
Saturday, August 22 - Ely, NV to Fallon, NV
Sunday, August 23 - Fallon, NV to Sacramento, CA

Grand Trip Map
I'm an Engineer. That means I solve problems. Not problems like "What is beauty?", because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems and call them "paychecks".

cpzilliacus

You have covered the best part of I-70 in Utah, across the Swell.  Amazing scenery, little traffic and a high speed limit (75 MPH) most of the way.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

halork

Staying in Las Vegas, NM may sound interesting, but it's really not worth it. Stay in Santa Fe.

Pete from Boston


Quote from: cpzilliacus on September 26, 2014, 09:15:14 PM
You have covered the best part of I-70 in Utah, across the Swell.  Amazing scenery, little traffic and a high speed limit (75 MPH) most of the way.

I stood for 30 minutes at the pulloff, staring at the San Rafael Reef, trying to figure out how I was now supposed to make room in my reality for this.

ZLoth

I'm now starting to work on this trip again.... I might be able to expand it to three weeks instead of two.
I'm an Engineer. That means I solve problems. Not problems like "What is beauty?", because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems and call them "paychecks".

ZLoth

After speaking with my manager who is open to the idea that I will be taking off for three weeks in August, I'm revisiting my road trip, including resurrecting a portion which got aborted.... badly... two years ago.

The current plan is as follows:
8/8 - Sacramento, CA -> Bakersfield, CA (291 miles)
8/9 - Bakersfield, CA -> Las Vegas (281 miles) for week-long stay for Toastmasters conference.
8/16 - Las Vegas -> Flagstaff, AZ (252 miles)
8/18 - Flagstaff, AZ -> Albuquerque, NM (325 miles)
8/20 - Albuquerque, NM -> Colorado Springs, CO (379 miles)
8/22 - Colorado Springs, CO -> Denver, CO (70 miles)
8/26 - Denver, CO -> Glenwood Springs, CO (157 miles)
8/28 - Glenwood Springs, CO -> Richfield, UT (309 miles)
8/29 - Richfield, UT -> Ely, NV (236 miles)
8/30 - Ely, NV -> Sacramento (436 miles)

Some of the places along the way that I want to see is: Las Vegas, NM, Glenwood Springs, I-70, Pike's Peak, Mount Evans. One thing that I am painfully aware of.... hot weather. Thoughts?
I'm an Engineer. That means I solve problems. Not problems like "What is beauty?", because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems and call them "paychecks".

JKRhodes

Check out the Cache Valley Cheese factory in Beaver. They have good cheese curds. I heard the ice cream is good, though I've never tried it. The Flying J / Eagle's Landing Plaza by the interstate sells the curds as well, in case you get in town after the factory closes.

ZLoth

Unfortunately, the numbers just aren't adding up for this road trip. I can afford the Las Vegas part, but the part after that.... well...
I'm an Engineer. That means I solve problems. Not problems like "What is beauty?", because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems and call them "paychecks".

NE2

Quote from: ZLoth on March 16, 2015, 01:16:19 AM
I can afford the Las Vegas part, but the part after that.... well...
Learn to count cards.
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

ZLoth

So, here is the revised and scaled down trip schedule....

Saturday, August 08, 2015 - Bakersfield, CA   (291 Miles)
Sunday, August 09, 2015-Saturday, August 15, 2015 - Las Vegas, NV (281 Miles)
Sunday, August 16, 2015 - Richfield, UT (285 Miles)
Monday, August 17, 2015-Wednesday, August 19, 2015 - Glenwood Springs, CO (309 Miles)
Thursday, August 20, 2015 - Richfield, UT (309 Miles)
Friday, August 21, 2015   - Ely, NV (235 Miles)
Saturday, August 22, 2015 - Sacramento, CA (437 Miles)
I'm an Engineer. That means I solve problems. Not problems like "What is beauty?", because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems and call them "paychecks".

ZLoth

Progress report.... I'm all booked for the Las Vegas part, but I really don't want to drive 10 hours from Sacramento to Vegas. Any good hotels in Bakersfield, CA?
I'm an Engineer. That means I solve problems. Not problems like "What is beauty?", because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems and call them "paychecks".

AplikowskiTheMinnesotan

You're going on the Loneliest Road? :wow: I envy you! I'd love to take US 6 from Delta, UT to Bishop, CA as that's even MORE desolate!
Rush is the best band! Case closed.

ZLoth

I'm an Engineer. That means I solve problems. Not problems like "What is beauty?", because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems and call them "paychecks".



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