3 week roadtrip in a Miata

Yep, i'm nuts.

We're going on a 3 week roadtrip in the MSM starting June 23rd, exploring the Western half of the US (and/or Canada, we did just get our passports.)

Current real basic plan is to head out to Colorado, explore the state for 3-4 days (and pop in and say hi to Keith, duh!), then swing up to Vancouver, BC. From there, work our way down the coast to Southern California and slowly back home to Indiana, stopping to see cool things.

It's the parts in between that we're looking for.

Where do you guys suggest we visit? Be salespeople, sell me on places. Also, do note that we're taking a turbo Miata, so cool roads are also encouraged. (We'll have a GoPro with us as well.)

Secondary question: With the knowledge that we're ok with staying in cheap hotels the whole time, our car will average about 25mpg, and we're traveling for 3 weeks and ~7000 miles, what would YOU budget for the trip? (Want to make sure i haven't grossly underestimated costs)

Grand Canyon and Sedona, AZ area. Lots of great roads and mind blowing scenery, especially if you haven't been there before. Probably won't die of heat exhaustion at this time of the year too. If you like what you see and want more, take the drive over the mountains from Sedona to Prescott. Some great mountain roads in between the two.

Get to Santa Cruz, CA and do this: http://goo.gl/maps/47rOh

Western Montana. Go to lolo hot springs, then go to Missoula and enjoy some great beer at the Kettlehouse (and lots more in Missoula, it is awesome), then head up north toward glacier national park. Stop at m&s meats in Bonner, MT for the best buffalo jerkey ever, and gorgeous views of flathead lake. Then head up to glacier national park and drive the Going To The Sun road. If you want to explore glacier more (which I recommend) then ask for Denny at glacierguides.com and discuss what of their offerings would be best for you.

From glacier, you can then head west through the deserted two lane mountain roads into Idaho, and on westward to Seattle.

I've lived out there twice, and would move back in an instant if I could get a job that paid anything close to what I make now.

One of the best times we had was in Colorado...Go to Ouray, rent a Jeep Wrangler (most local mom-and-pop hotels have 2-3 Jeeps for rent , and drive the Alpine Loop Trail. It is simply amazing. Real ghost towns, scenery that is beautiful beyond description...you will drive through mountain passes at 12k feet. We saw 5-6 other drivers the whole day (early June).

Alpine Loop Trail

Friends in the Miata club did something similar a few years ago. Removed the closeout panels in the trunk so they could stuff things along side the fuel tank. Also got creative using UPS sending stuff ahead and shipping home souvenirs using dirty clothes as packing material. Logistics in action!

Figure on $ 6000.

kazoospec wrote: Grand Canyon and Sedona, AZ area. Lots of great roads and mind blowing scenery, especially if you haven't been there before. Probably won't die of heat exhaustion at this time of the year too. If you like what you see and want more, take the drive over the mountains from Sedona to Prescott. Some great mountain roads in between the two.

Thanks! Definitely added!

Just have to figure out which order to go.

JeffHarbert wrote: Get to Santa Cruz, CA and do this: http://goo.gl/maps/47rOh

Added that as well!

Sonic wrote: Western Montana. Go to lolo hot springs, then go to Missoula and enjoy some great beer at the Kettlehouse (and lots more in Missoula, it is awesome), then head up north toward glacier national park. Stop at m&s meats in Bonner, MT for the best buffalo jerkey ever, and gorgeous views of flathead lake. Then head up to glacier national park and drive the Going To The Sun road. If you want to explore glacier more (which I recommend) then ask for Denny at glacierguides.com and discuss what of their offerings would be best for you. From glacier, you can then head west through the deserted two lane mountain roads into Idaho, and on westward to Seattle. I've lived out there twice, and would move back in an instant if I could get a job that paid anything close to what I make now.

I'm going to have to map this out and see how much distance/time that's going to add. I'd love to do this, but i also really want to see the Badlands. Wondering if maybe that area would be better suited as a different trip.

mightymike wrote: One of the best times we had was in Colorado...Go to Ouray, rent a Jeep Wrangler (most local mom-and-pop hotels have 2-3 Jeeps for rent , and drive the Alpine Loop Trail. It is simply amazing. Real ghost towns, scenery that is beautiful beyond description...you will drive through mountain passes at 12k feet. We saw 5-6 other drivers the whole day (early June). Alpine Loop Trail

Interesting, i'm down for that. Any idea about how much the Jeep rental runs? I'd want to make SURE i could 1) get the Jeep and 2) afford said Jeep before swinging that way.

triumph7 wrote: Friends in the Miata club did something similar a few years ago. Removed the closeout panels in the trunk so they could stuff things along side the fuel tank. Also got creative using UPS sending stuff ahead and shipping home souvenirs using dirty clothes as packing material. Logistics in action!

I'm probably going to remove the spare tire as well, since the wheel/tire setup on this car doesn't fit in the trunk anyways if we were to get a flat. A flat pretty much guarantees a tow on this car.

We're only bringing a week's worth of clothes, and just planning on hitting ye olde laundromat a time or two on the trip.

iceracer wrote: Figure on $ 6000.

$4500-$6000 was the proposed budget, so i guess i did ok, then.

Figuring it'll cost about $1200 (probably less) in gas, $900-$1200 in hotels (figuring $50/night average for the $900 number, which gives us some play "cushion" to stay in a swanky spot or two along the way.), and that leaves the rest for an oil change along the way, food, and whatever souvenirs.

We're planning on bringing a small cooler and doing sandwiches on the road when we can (definitely during the long "hammer" stints), hitting up free Hotel breakfasts, and we can easily feed both of us for lunch/snacks on $12-$15/day.

Dinner will be really the only major food expense.

Coming down from Vancouver, BC eventually you can jump over to Hwy 101 which is very pretty and passes through many great little towns. The drawback is that you have to slow down for each town and passing lanes are virtually unheard of so trucks and campers are hard to get around. So you have to just take your time and pull over and stop. Or you have to take some of the hwy's that branch off and get away from the traffic.

There are lots of really fun roads between the beach and the central valley area all the way down the west coast. So you can generally cruise down I5 and jump onto some of the hwy's headed to the coastal areas and enjoy a spirited drive/day trip to the coast and then spirited drive back to I5 and make more headway south again.

Depending on your timing, there might even be some track events to hit along the way at The Ridge Motorsports Park, Pacific Raceways, Spokane Raceway Park, Portland International Raceway, Thunderhill, Sears Point, Laguna Seca, etc.

Vancouver is a very pretty town, I would try to find time to go to Victoria for a day trip, very european and very beautiful, plus the ferry trip has some pretty scenery.

Seattle has lots of plane and car museums in the area and of course Pikes Market has some great food and views. The Science Museum is pretty cool there, though you just missed the King Tut exhibit.

Down in Portland there's lots of beer and more great car/plane museums (McMinnville, Tillamook and Hood River) all have excellent car/plane museums, not too mention the winery's in and around the McMinnville area. Portland's science museum is pretty awesome with a WWII era sub to tour, etc.

South of Portland along I5 things get kinda boring, unless you're on the coast, but you won't be going very fast. Down near the California border there's the redwood forest, which is pretty cool, plus more fun roads in/around the mountains.

Ouray Mountain Adventures: WRANGLER RUBICON

Prices are not inclusive of taxes.

Mom-and Pop hotels would likely be less...Either way it is worth it.

In reply to turboswede:

Yeah we were planning on taking 101 down a bunch of it, at least from Portland down to the Redwood Forest. Maybe the rest of the way depending on the time we're making.

Thanks for the tip on Victoria, we'll check that out.

In reply to mightymike:

Oh hell yeah, that's fine!

Idaho Highway 12;

I rest my case.

Swank Force One wrote: In reply to turboswede: Yeah we were planning on taking 101 down a bunch of it, at least from Portland down to the Redwood Forest. Maybe the rest of the way depending on the time we're making. Thanks for the tip on Victoria, we'll check that out.

BTW, if you're interested in meeting up with any of the GRM'ers in the area, or if you need assistance, drop a line here and we can provide beer and assistance (usually in the form of pointing and laughing, but in a really heartfelt way) Heh.

Long Beach (Oysterville if you're into oysters) through Astoria and down into Seaside sucks for fun, but Seaside does have lots of car shows/cruises during the summer which is pretty cool to catch and they can have some reasonable rates on hotel rooms.

The drive east out of Portland along the Historic Columbia River Highway is a nice side trip and could allow you to hit Historic Hood River (my sister-in-law runs a book store there) or Troutdale to visit McMenamins Edgefield which is pretty much one racing track shy of guy-nirvana (they have Golf though, gag...)

Head north out of the GC and head through Page, AZ. Awesome area. Then head NW into Utah through Bryce Canyon. The trip up 12 from Bryce up through Utah into Colorado is awesome. The road is winding, twisty and gorgeous right up to the last 40 miles south of I70. You've seen me post some of those pics. I have ton more if you ever want to see them, just bring some beer and stop by the house. I'll fire up the grill.

pres589 wrote: Idaho Highway 12; I rest my case.

I think i can make this work...

In reply to turboswede:

Well, i WILL have to stop halfway through to change oil, so as i get the route more nailed down, i'll try to figure out whose driveway i can use.

Bobzilla wrote: Head north out of the GC and head through Page, AZ. Awesome area. Then head NW into Utah through Bryce Canyon. The trip up 12 from Bryce up through Utah into Colorado is awesome. The road is winding, twisty and gorgeous right up to the last 40 miles south of I70. You've seen me post some of those pics. I have ton more if you ever want to see them, just bring some beer and stop by the house. I'll fire up the grill.

Grand Canyon will be on the return leg, but i'll play around and see what i can do to integrate that. Thanks for the tip!

New "draft" of trip:

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Indianapolis,+IN&daddr=Rocky+Mountain+National+Park,+Estes+Park,+CO+to:Grand+Junction,+CO+to:Salt+Lake+City,+UT+to:Missoula,+MT+to:Lewiston,+ID+to:Vancouver,+BC,+Canada+to:Whidbey+Island+to:Seattle,+WA+to:Portland,+OR+to:45.229195,-123.8703151+to:Redwood+National+Park,+Crescent+City,+CA+to:39.26916,-123.787296+to:38.5619455,-123.3117982+to:38.140113,-122.8716003+to:37.9143089,-122.6649442+to:San+Francisco,+CA+to:36.1929622,-121.7108626+to:34.6215302,-120.4287348+to:34.0642321,-118.9904662+to:San+Diego,+CA+to:Las+Vegas,+NV+to:Grand+Canyon,+AZ+to:Sedona,+AZ+to:Indianapolis,+IN&hl=en&ll=39.300299,-107.226562&spn=26.577554,39.506836&sll=31.690782,-103.974609&sspn=29.116477,39.506836&geocode=FVPRXgIdDFXd-ikDanmn_1BriDF86rlA9p2O1g%3BFcizZgIdjVOz-SEXgo6nQ-4n-inpA1lF5HlphzEXgo6nQ-4n-g%3BFT4RVAIdB6aH-SlXcOci49ZGhzFWfL_OUfRjzA%3BFcv1bQIdma1U-SntMdGIlD1ShzHKMU1IoLdTWw%3BFecIywIdUzM0-SnLZ_NQKsxdUzEugJTKdxLj6Q%3BFZkDxAIdG7QG-Sm3kKPyB6yhVDEupGTjOdi_Wg%3BFaqq7wIdOW6p-CmzT6lD8XOGVDGL84Gb6paRuw%3BFURl3AIdsbiz-Ckx6gVCnvaPVDHQZBRQmtc5-A%3BFcJp1gIdWVy1-ClVM-iTLBCQVDGa1URpRmUlEA%3BFfyhtgIdERyw-CkndKl9CwuVVDGRhdH25rk2HA%3BFYsksgIdleOd-CnJWFYpT9vqVDHhDgv2hZEmUw%3BFfvcdAId7Nab-CGOXzuVZjLPNimlf0H1NmbQVDGOXzuVZjLPNg%3BFSgzVwId4Cef-CkDPVXRN62BgDEsPLrp_5dOTA%3BFZloTAIdSmmm-CnFgNN6krCGgDH82z11zRJH_Q%3BFdH4RQId0CCt-CmhO8xaQM6FgDGRyVnEeAyF_g%3BFcSGQgIdEEiw-CmPanv0g5OFgDHpCwk2HcscgQ%3BFVJmQAIdKAe0-CkhAGkAbZqFgDH_rXbwZxNQSg%3BFcJCKAId8ta--CknFjGBXIGNgDFi5yygOLPDgw%3BFVpIEAIdQmfS-CmHedTU0B3sgDG5-GDruZea2Q%3BFWjHBwIdflno-CnnvVYIJz_ogDGYK3ioyiDTWw%3BFUEy8wEdeVIE-SlLHpKtD1PZgDF53xX9_SE6DQ%3BFdYQJwIdMJoi-SnRffWkgre-gDGjebPV5tXMOg%3BFSfaKAIdAUlD-SnbSPnujb7MgDHSyFlZHMB8sg%3BFewRFAIdoqlW-SkNsEL5MqEthzH9jmz6I8VIVQ%3BFVPRXgIdDFXd-ikDanmn_1BriDF86rlA9p2O1g&oq=indiana&mra=ls&via=10,12,13,14,15,17,18,19&t=m&z=5

It's unlikely that i'll really go down the whole cost via Route 1 like that, but i mapped it out just to see how terrible it would really be.

I may try to find a way to swing up for Grand Teton and Yellowstone, now that i look at it...

It's a seriously pretty stretch of road, I rode the length of it last summer on the VFR then camped at the end up in the hills on some national park grounds. It's gorgeous all the way to Missoula, as I remember it.

If I could do this sort of trip with a girl that was up for it, I'd camp now and then, aside from buying the gear (nothing to sneeze at) you can stay out pretty cheap. National park sites for about $10 or less a night, free in Bureau of Land Management areas where you'll be doing it "primitive", and you can make your meals here and there.

But this can be a hard sell and maybe something you're not that interested in either.

pres589 wrote: It's a seriously pretty stretch of road, I rode the length of it last summer on the VFR then camped at the end up in the hills on some national park grounds. It's gorgeous all the way to Missoula, as I remember it. If I could do this sort of trip with a girl that was up for it, I'd camp now and then, aside from buying the gear (nothing to sneeze at) you can stay out pretty cheap. National park sites for about $10 or less a night, free in Bureau of Land Management areas where you'll be doing it "primitive", and you can make your meals here and there. But this can be a hard sell and maybe something you're not that interested in either.

Honestly if i wasn't in a Miata of all things, i'd be down for camping. I simply cannot spare the space for sleeping bags and a tent, though. Plus a factory MSM isn't exactly the best-riding car i've ever encountered, so a real bed might be nice to have every night.

Are we already planning a potentially even crazier trip with our Cherokee in a couple years that will involve camping every night? Absolutely.

In reply to Swank Force One:

Grab your D waypoint and put it on Jackson, WY and you could have a good route.

Too much interstate! You're probably wise jetting across KS on I-70, to be honest, although US-36 isn't all bad, and it gets you right to Rocky Mountain Nat. Park.

How much margin are you putting into your schedule, how many extra "in case" days, and how much time in places like San Francisco?

Swank Force One wrote: Honestly if i wasn't in a Miata of all things, i'd be down for camping. I simply cannot spare the space for sleeping bags and a tent, though....

http://pres589.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=116

That's a two-man tent and a bear can full of food and cooking items, amongst other items. Carried 4 liters of water with me, which was about 2x more than I ever needed, and enough food to last for days, which I wouldn't do again either. But you get the idea.

If a Miata can't get you there....

pres589 wrote: In reply to Swank Force One: Grab your D waypoint and put it on Jackson, WY and you could have a good route. Too much interstate! You're probably wise jetting across KS on I-70, to be honest, although US-36 isn't all bad, and it gets you right to Rocky Mountain Nat. Park. How much margin are you putting into your schedule, how many extra "in case" days, and how much time in places like San Francisco?

We're leaving the night of June 22nd.

The basic plan is to make it out to Estes Park in a day and a half, tops. I've hammered through that area in this car once before, and i'm pretty confident i can make it, weather permitting.

We'll likely be in Colorado until the morning of the 28th.

In all honesty, the only parts of this that are REALLY set in stone in terms of what we want to do is make it up to Vancouver/Victoria and hang out there 2-3 days. The rest of the other major areas from there on are a day stay, tops, and we may very well not get to all of them. We're both pretty aware that 7000+ miles in a Miata is a tall order, so if we have to take a break and stay an extra day somewhere, we will. If we have to skip somewhere, we will. If we decide this was way too much to bite off and we need to jet home halfway through, we will.

Right now the draft is more of a "wish list." I think we're both a bit more interested in "Seeing" things than "Doing" them on this particular trip. SWMBO hasn't really ever been out of the state, and she wants to just see everything, take pictures, and use this as a basis to map out future more "focused" trips.

Our hard deadline is that we have to be home at a decent hour on July 14th.

pres589 wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: Honestly if i wasn't in a Miata of all things, i'd be down for camping. I simply cannot spare the space for sleeping bags and a tent, though....

http://pres589.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=116 That's a two-man tent and a bear can full of food and cooking items, amongst other items. Carried 4 liters of water with me, which was about 2x more than I ever needed, and enough food to last for days, which I wouldn't do again either. But you get the idea. If a Miata can't get you there....

I actually DO have a full complement of backpacking gear, and if it were just me going, i'd be fine. But we need to have enough room for a week's worth of clothes for two people, one of them being female. Camping is off the table for this particular trip.