News:

why is this up in the corner now

Main Menu

2025 Road Trip Plans

Started by JayhawkCO, October 08, 2024, 12:55:02 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

JayhawkCO

As we near the end of the year, probably time for a new thread.

Here's what I have planned so far:
Driving from Sacramento up to the Medford area where my wife and I will explore, probably driving down to Redwoods, and then driving up to Portland to fly home.

Renting a car in Johannesburg, driving down to Lesotho, back into South Africa and then entering Eswatini. This will be my first time driving in a left-hand traffic country and my first time driving in Africa. I have previously driven in Asia and Europe. This will also be the only time outside of crossing from the U.S.->Canada and vice versa that I have driven a car across a national border, which I will do three times on this trip.


Rothman

All I know about Johannesburg is that they were advertising flamethrowers for cars to discourage carjacking. :D
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

JayhawkCO

Quote from: Rothman on October 08, 2024, 01:09:27 PMAll I know about Johannesburg is that they were advertising flamethrowers for cars to discourage carjacking. :D

It's not THAT bad (having been there before), but either way, the airport is quite a ways out of town in the direction I'll head to go to Lesotho, so I won't be entering the city limits.

Rothman

Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 08, 2024, 01:13:35 PM
Quote from: Rothman on October 08, 2024, 01:09:27 PMAll I know about Johannesburg is that they were advertising flamethrowers for cars to discourage carjacking. :D

It's not THAT bad (having been there before), but either way, the airport is quite a ways out of town in the direction I'll head to go to Lesotho, so I won't be entering the city limits.

https://youtu.be/oGZLYx8StWk?si=QRHz7ZzJLhs9IzkW
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

JayhawkCO

Quote from: Rothman on October 08, 2024, 01:15:40 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 08, 2024, 01:13:35 PM
Quote from: Rothman on October 08, 2024, 01:09:27 PMAll I know about Johannesburg is that they were advertising flamethrowers for cars to discourage carjacking. :D

It's not THAT bad (having been there before), but either way, the airport is quite a ways out of town in the direction I'll head to go to Lesotho, so I won't be entering the city limits.

https://youtu.be/oGZLYx8StWk?si=QRHz7ZzJLhs9IzkW

Budget had the option to rent an armored car, but alas I chose the economy model instead since it wasn't a stick. :)

pderocco

Early next summer, when the days are long, I'm planning to drive from home in San Diego out to Douglas AZ, then drive US-191 from Mexico to Canada, then come back down I-25 to Las Cruces NM, and then go home. I'll also fill in a substantial gap in my I-90 coverage between Billings MT and Buffalo WY, and with some backtracking here and there clinch US-87 in MT, WY, and CO, before it wanders off into TX from Raton NM. I'll also grab a few Interstate bits around Denver, so I'll have clinched all the Interstates in the 11 westernmost states. It'll probably be a two week trip, maybe a little less.

Quillz

Late January, probably going to do another week in the redwoods (Crescent City area). I want to finally clinch US-199 and visit Oregon Caves along the way. Maybe take a long day trip to Crater Lake as well, not sure.

pderocco

Quote from: Quillz on October 21, 2024, 01:42:48 AMLate January, probably going to do another week in the redwoods (Crescent City area). I want to finally clinch US-199 and visit Oregon Caves along the way. Maybe take a long day trip to Crater Lake as well, not sure.
The only thing that will be open at Crater Lake will be the south entrance, and typically only the first two parking lots are accessible (comfort station 72 and 68). In January, it might not even be open at all. I've been there in April twice, and both times the snow on the side of the road looked about 12 feet deep, although the road was clear. The first time the lake was full of fog, and the second time it was crystal clear and beautiful, but I had to climb an enormous pile of snow to see it. I was also in the area around the end of June, and the rest still wasn't opened yet, so I skipped it. It's still on my bucket list, but I'll have to go up there in August.

Quillz

If that's the case, that's fine. Would just be a bonus. Mainly just want to spend a week in the redwoods/on Crescent Beach. Been there early in the year before and it's always great, usually the rain comes in but the canopy is so thick it doesn't even reach you.

Despite how many times I've been to the area, still have never clinched US-199 or CA-36. For this trip I'll probably try to get both done.

Max Rockatansky

So far my wife and I have only seriously considered Molokai and Southern Utah.  I would imagine we are obligated to return to the southeast to see my sister next year also.  We've talked about Colorado briefly also.

Hunty2022

I have a trip planned for Kentucky for April 20th thru April 25/26th.

Also got another Lynchburg (VA) trip planned for sometime in late March.
100th Post: 11/10/22
250th Post: 12/3/22
500th Post: 3/12/23
1000th Post: 11/12/23

Hunty Roads - VA (under construction):
https://huntyroadsva.blogspot.com

Hunty Roads - NC (also under construction):
https://huntyroadsnc.blogspot.com

Bruce

Starting to make plans for a late spring trip that loops around a few more states and cities I missed on my drive down to Texas to see the eclipse.

A few of the proposed sections and stops: US 12 through Lolo Pass; Devil's Tower; Minneapolis and St. Paul; Madison; Kenosha's little streetcar; Chicago; Des Moines; Denver; I-70 through Glenwood Canyon; another Utah national park; and returning via the Loneliest Highway or through Idaho.

One of the goals will be to add to my list of visited state capitols. I had to miss South Dakota and Colorado, so those are a high priority.
Wikipedia - TravelMapping (100% of WA SRs)

Photos

NWI_Irish96

Doing a Spring Break trip (probably the last with both kids) to Baltimore. Stopping at Gettysburg on the way. Visiting Annapolis, and making a side trip into Delaware as it's the only state east of the Mississippi that the kids haven't been to.
Indiana: counties 100%, highways 100%
Illinois: counties 100%, highways 61%
Michigan: counties 100%, highways 56%
Wisconsin: counties 86%, highways 23%

doorknob60

No massive road trips this year. Not like 2024. But plans are starting to take shape for the first half of the year.

January: Flying to Burbank, renting a car, doing some stuff there, driving down to San Diego, do some more stuff, fly home. Nothing particularly interesting or new road wise. Mostly just to visit some theme parks and escape the cold.

March: Driving to Reno for a weekend for a concert. I'll mostly stick to US-95 and I-80, but might check out a few of the highways around the Reno/Carson/Tahoe area, depending on how my wife feels about it, and weather.

May: Fly to Philadelphia, spend a few days there, rent a car, then drive up to Niagara Falls, then Vaughan (outside of Toronto) for a few days, then fly home. Never been to any of these places (though I will be stopping at Hersheypark and staying in Harrisburg, where I have been) so lots new to see there. I'll mostly be using public transit around Philadelphia and Toronto proper though, but roads along the way like future I-99 look interesting.

gonealookin

I'm planning on attending consecutive PGA Tour events, the final weekend of March in Houston and the first weekend of April in San Antonio.  I'm leaning toward driving my own car rather than flying and renting a car.  It would be the first time I've ever driven my own car east of Interstate 25; all previous trips east of there have been fly/rent.

From Lake Tahoe it looks like Houston is slightly more than three days' reasonable driving.  I think the return from San Antonio could be done in three days.  However, I could add a little time to explore some places I haven't been to.

Routing would likely be a version of Vegas-Albuquerque-Dallas on the way there, and El Paso-Phoenix on the return.  It's about 3800 miles total via the two direct routes, plus any side trips.

pderocco

Quote from: gonealookin on October 25, 2024, 05:54:30 PMRouting would likely be a version of Vegas-Albuquerque-Dallas on the way there, and El Paso-Phoenix on the return.  It's about 3800 miles total via the two direct routes, plus any side trips.
Unless you have specific points of interest to visit along the way, I-10 is pretty boring. You should consider taking some of the smaller roads, like US-180 or US-70/60/93. I'd even rather drive I-40 once in both directions.

gonealookin

Quote from: pderocco on October 26, 2024, 12:02:30 AM
Quote from: gonealookin on October 25, 2024, 05:54:30 PMRouting would likely be a version of Vegas-Albuquerque-Dallas on the way there, and El Paso-Phoenix on the return.  It's about 3800 miles total via the two direct routes, plus any side trips.
Unless you have specific points of interest to visit along the way, I-10 is pretty boring. You should consider taking some of the smaller roads, like US-180 or US-70/60/93. I'd even rather drive I-40 once in both directions.
El Paso is one of the few large cities in the country I've never been to, and that's about one day's (550 miles) drive west on I-10 from San Antonio.  You are right that I can probably do a lot better from El Paso than I-10 west to Phoenix, a place I've been to a lot, and San Bernardino; some route through central parts of New Mexico and Arizona up to Kingman, AZ would hit roads I've never been on.

JayhawkCO

Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 08, 2024, 12:55:02 PMRenting a car in Johannesburg, driving down to Lesotho, back into South Africa and then entering Eswatini. This will be my first time driving in a left-hand traffic country and my first time driving in Africa. I have previously driven in Asia and Europe. This will also be the only time outside of crossing from the U.S.->Canada and vice versa that I have driven a car across a national border, which I will do three times on this trip.

Sadly, this exact portion of the trip has been scrapped. There's a lot of civil unrest in Mozambique right now which was the main destination for my trip. So, now I'm going to fly into Nairobi, Kenya, take a shuttle down to Arusha, Tanzania and climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. I'll also have brief stopovers (where I leave the airport) in Cote d'Ivoire and Ethiopia.

paulthemapguy

Quote from: JayhawkCO on December 16, 2024, 03:19:17 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 08, 2024, 12:55:02 PMRenting a car in Johannesburg, driving down to Lesotho, back into South Africa and then entering Eswatini. This will be my first time driving in a left-hand traffic country and my first time driving in Africa. I have previously driven in Asia and Europe. This will also be the only time outside of crossing from the U.S.->Canada and vice versa that I have driven a car across a national border, which I will do three times on this trip.

Sadly, this exact portion of the trip has been scrapped. There's a lot of civil unrest in Mozambique right now which was the main destination for my trip. So, now I'm going to fly into Nairobi, Kenya, take a shuttle down to Arusha, Tanzania and climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. I'll also have brief stopovers (where I leave the airport) in Cote d'Ivoire and Ethiopia.

Any plans on seeing the Serengeti? That would be an all-time bucket list item for me.
Avatar is the last interesting highway I clinched.
My website! http://www.paulacrossamerica.com Now featuring all of Ohio!
My USA Shield Gallery https://flic.kr/s/aHsmHwJRZk
TM Clinches https://bit.ly/2UwRs4O

National collection status: Every US Route and (fully built) Interstate has a photo now! Just Alaska and Hawaii left!

JayhawkCO

Quote from: paulthemapguy on December 16, 2024, 04:48:16 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on December 16, 2024, 03:19:17 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 08, 2024, 12:55:02 PMRenting a car in Johannesburg, driving down to Lesotho, back into South Africa and then entering Eswatini. This will be my first time driving in a left-hand traffic country and my first time driving in Africa. I have previously driven in Asia and Europe. This will also be the only time outside of crossing from the U.S.->Canada and vice versa that I have driven a car across a national border, which I will do three times on this trip.

Sadly, this exact portion of the trip has been scrapped. There's a lot of civil unrest in Mozambique right now which was the main destination for my trip. So, now I'm going to fly into Nairobi, Kenya, take a shuttle down to Arusha, Tanzania and climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. I'll also have brief stopovers (where I leave the airport) in Cote d'Ivoire and Ethiopia.

Any plans on seeing the Serengeti? That would be an all-time bucket list item for me.

So, alas, since I'm going by myself, I have a general rule that I don't go to place/do things that are on her bucket list. We had driving safaris planned in Namibia and Botswana back in 2020 and 2021, obviously cancelled for Covid reasons, so I'm intentionally not trying to do much in the way of wildlife. That will probably be a trip for a few years down the line when I can go with my wife and my son (who is only 3 now). I do have a morning to kill in Nairobi so might go to the Nairobi Giraffe Center, but nothing in the wild.

It's also why I switched my trip around altogether. I was planning on just spending a couple days each in Lesotho and Eswatini on the way to the beaches of Mozambique, but if I'm avoiding Mozambique, I thought about staying longer in those two countries. The problem is, they're very small and there's not a lot to do OTHER than wildlife stuff.

So, I decided to change things around completely.

oscar

Quote from: gonealookin on October 26, 2024, 02:48:59 PM
Quote from: pderocco on October 26, 2024, 12:02:30 AM
Quote from: gonealookin on October 25, 2024, 05:54:30 PMRouting would likely be a version of Vegas-Albuquerque-Dallas on the way there, and El Paso-Phoenix on the return.  It's about 3800 miles total via the two direct routes, plus any side trips.
Unless you have specific points of interest to visit along the way, I-10 is pretty boring. You should consider taking some of the smaller roads, like US-180 or US-70/60/93. I'd even rather drive I-40 once in both directions.
El Paso is one of the few large cities in the country I've never been to, and that's about one day's (550 miles) drive west on I-10 from San Antonio.  You are right that I can probably do a lot better from El Paso than I-10 west to Phoenix, a place I've been to a lot, and San Bernardino; some route through central parts of New Mexico and Arizona up to Kingman, AZ would hit roads I've never been on.
Another option would be to curl south on historic US 80, from Lordsburg NM to Douglas AZ, then through Bisbee and Tombstone.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

Hunty2022

Might go for another Myrtle Beach trip sometime next summer, since I loved the two trips there from this year.

My first conceptual routing there would be:
US 29 -> Greensboro -> I-74 -> I-95 -> US 501 -> Myrtle Beach
100th Post: 11/10/22
250th Post: 12/3/22
500th Post: 3/12/23
1000th Post: 11/12/23

Hunty Roads - VA (under construction):
https://huntyroadsva.blogspot.com

Hunty Roads - NC (also under construction):
https://huntyroadsnc.blogspot.com

hbelkins

My brother has floated the idea of a long roadtrip next spring. The only definite destination/stop is Albuquerque, where he'll be making a left turn visiting the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. Since he mentioned it to me, I presume I'll be going. I probably won't have much input into the trip; as with the last two long trips I've taken out west with him, I'd just be along for the ride. I'm going to suggest a stop at the Pyramid Bass Pro Shop in Memphis, which is someplace he's said he wants to go, so at least I'd get clinches of I-40 in Oklahoma and Texas out of the deal. Outside of Albuquerque, I have no idea where we'd be going.
Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

1995hoo

Only thing so far, aside from the usual work travel to New York, is my 30-year college reunion. But that barely counts as a roadtrip.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Rothman

If I list my plans here, it'll jinx them.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.