Trip Advice

[wphiii]

If I chose California, I would envision the trip as this.  I work a midnight shift until 07:30 in Toronto on Wednesday October 31, book it to Buffalo, NY and take a midday flight to LA.  Arrive in LA around the evening rush, enjoy a burger from In'n'out (best part of CA), and then head northwest.  Two days on the PCH, (thursday and friday), then a day in San Francisco on Sat, back to LA on sunday via US101, and then a half day in LA before flying out on the redeye monday overnight, getting back to buffalo on tuesday morning.  Back to work at 15:30 in Toronto on Tuesday.  Is that too ambitious for the time I have?  Seems pretty whirlwind.

It really just depends on what kind of traveler you are. It's certainly very feasible if you're the kind of person who enjoys seeing as much as possible when they travel even if it's at the expense of quality time in just one place. I'm one of those, so what you described sounds like something I'd try to do.

Also if you're looking for budget accommodations in San Francisco and are not averse to hostels, I highly recommend the Green Tortoise.

[wphiii]

Unfortunately, there's not much else there.

Big Bend is an easy drive away, as are destinations in New Mexico, Chihuahua, and even Sonora.

Of course, I'm referring only to El Paso itself. The significant other lives there, so I've indeed found myself getting very familiar with the surrounding destinations. It's gotten to the point where I insist on booking it to Cloudcroft practically as soon as I land.

[agentsteel53]

Of course, I'm referring only to El Paso itself. The significant other lives there, so I've indeed found myself getting very familiar with the surrounding destinations. It's gotten to the point where I insist on booking it to Cloudcroft practically as soon as I land.

not a bad idea.  Cloudcroft rocks.  I have a friend who hunts in that area, and he took us on some neato back roads in the area.

oh, ever been to Juarez?  I'm heeding the warnings and not going there - staying out of the border towns during my Mexico explorations; especially Juarez!

[wphiii]

Of course, I'm referring only to El Paso itself. The significant other lives there, so I've indeed found myself getting very familiar with the surrounding destinations. It's gotten to the point where I insist on booking it to Cloudcroft practically as soon as I land.

not a bad idea.  Cloudcroft rocks.  I have a friend who hunts in that area, and he took us on some neato back roads in the area.

I love how you can just roam around up there in the Sacramentos and have no idea you're anywhere near a huge desert. NM 244 in particular is a pleasant "back door" between Cloudcroft and Ruidoso.

oh, ever been to Juarez?  I'm heeding the warnings and not going there - staying out of the border towns during my Mexico explorations; especially Juarez!

I actually meant to ask you in the previous post if you'd done much driving in Chihuahua and Sonora because I've pretty much only been to Juarez when I've gone across the border, as most of la novia's family lives there. The situation seems to be improving ever so slightly, at least enough that I've been able to be out and about in the main plaza, as well as a shopping mall, without feeling an overwhelming sense of danger. It still feels a bit uneasy, and I generally do try to keep as low a profile as possible whenever I go. It's a shame, too, because even a moderately safe Juarez seems like it would have so much more to offer than El Paso.

The only other time I've driven in Mexico was from the border crossing at Lukeville to Puerto Penasco. It's a major American tourism route and is supposed to be about as safe as it gets in northern Mexico, but even that drive felt kind of creepy, as there was very little traffic, and every so often a black SUV with no license plate would pull right up on your ass and, being so isolated, you can't help but wonder what its agenda is, and then it just passes you and goes on its merry way. This is why I am quite curious as to what your driving experience has been in the Mexican border states.

[US81]

Also in West Texas: Hueco Tanks, McDonald Observatory, Balmorhea.  New Mexico - White Sands.  Particular to road-geeking would be the fabulous Camino Rio (FM 170), old or abandoned alignments of US 80, 90, 290, and - possibly - the ghost lights of Alpine-Marfa.   Sonora - further to the east - has beautiful caverns. 

Further descriptions of central or south Texas (ie. Austin/San Antonio/Houston/Galveston) available if helpful to you.  I hope you will post pics of whatever trip you decide to take.

[wphiii]

Sonora - further to the east - has beautiful caverns. 

The Caverns of Sonora are wonderful, they've got to be one of the most spectacular, yet totally unheralded attractions in the entire country.

[agentsteel53]

I was talking to a border patrol agent recently and he said that the Sonoyta-Puerto Penasco route is being used more and more by drug traffickers.  I was unimpressed with Puerto Penasco; too many tourists.  But there is a national park there off of highway 8 which I intend to visit.

I've only been to Chihuahua once.  some photos may be found here:

https://www.aaroads.com/blog/2012/08/01/sonora-part-i/
https://www.aaroads.com/blog/2012/08/01/sonora-part-ii/

I need to post the photos of the second day (Sonora and Baja California); dang too much work!

[kphoger]

I've only been to Juárez once (and El Paso, for that matter).  That was back over New Year's 2001/2002, before the increase in violence.  We did no sightseeing, just a taxi drive between bus station and hotel (which I made more than once because I'd left a bag in the taxi).  However, if I were in El Paso, I would try to go see a bullfight in Juárez.  I've never been to one, so I think it would be a cool experience.

I grew up going to Big Bend, and it is definitely a cool place, especially if you have 4WD capability (I never did).  Before 9/11, you could cross the river in a rowboat to two different communities (Santa Elena and Boquillas), but they closed the crossings because apparently El Qaeda terrorists were just swarming over the border there (not); I don't know if the situation has relaxed.  Carlsbad Caverns National Park is also less than 200 miles from El Paso.  If you like spicy food, make a trip the other direction to Hatch, NM–less than 90 miles.

[agentsteel53]

they closed the crossings because apparently El Qaeda terrorists were just swarming over the border there (not); I don't know if the situation has relaxed. 

officially no, but those El Qaeda (hah!) terrorists are busy crossing the river and threatening to interrupt our freedom by selling us trinkets.

[AsphaltPlanet]

In case anybody is interested, I ended up choosing Texas.  The flight was cheaper, and what can I say?  I am a sucker for big urban freeways.



More here:
http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/TX/I/10/

[Truvelo]

The big Texan freeways are something I've yet to see. My only visit to the state on the ground was a short drive from New Mexico along a two lane road. I would like to take some photos of five level stacks, particularly from a surface street with an ultrawide lens.

My next trip is likely to be Arizona in February so at least some of the stacks in Phoenix are a possibility although it's the saguaro I'm more interested in.

[1995hoo]

Those look like HO/T lanes in that photo. Thanks for posting it. Ours in Northern Virginia are to open next Saturday and it's interesting to me to see how they're configured in other cities (the only ones I've actually driven in are the ones in Miami). Much wider "median" between the managed lanes and the general-purpose lanes in the picture you posted.

I've wanted to make a trip back to Texas for a long time. I was born there but we moved to Virginia when I was one year old, and on my only trip back to the state (a high school trip to a convention in the summer of 1990) I didn't get back to see where I was born and the like, only got to the convention at the University of North Texas in Denton. I kind of wish the Formula One race had been in October. I'd love to go, but there is no way I'm making that trip the weekend before Thanksgiving, especially when we're hosting dinner this year.

I did find a picture of our old house on Google Street View and sent the link to my parents and they commented that it didn't look all that different from how it looked 40 years ago.....