V-Flyer

Doing Vegas in November via San Francisco:D.I want to drive to Vegas from SF but husband doesn't (says he spends enough time in a car as it is).If we fly will I miss out on much or am I off my head for even contemplating such a thing?[?] Thanks.

Tough call.

It is a fairly long drive, at about 570 miles, but you can go through some very interesting places... Death Valley...Sequoia National Park.. Yosemite... Kings Canyon NP... to name but a few.

Flying is easier, faster and cheaper, but..... If time wasn't an issue, my vote would be to drive and take a few days to do it, but then I like driving. [}:)]

Nick

Done it a few times. Be careful around November - if the Tioga Pass (through Yosemite) is closed due to snow/ice etc. you've got an even longer drive to consider (up through Tahoe, or down the bottom end).

Death Valley's a cool sight - but personally, I'd fly.

Worth taking a couple of days out of the 6 we have assigned to the SF end of the trip Nick?

If you DO drive, make sure you stop off at Bodie S.P. Many Americans don't even know it exists - REALLY cool place. And a real life (death?) ghost town.

Don't fancy the thought of snow and ice (bit like the weather down here today)-I had the fantasy of a mustang convertible with the hood down and heater turned up!!Didn't realise that some of the journey might be that cold.Oooh might have to consider plan B then.

Originally posted by DragonLady
Worth taking a couple of days out of the 6 we have assigned to the SF end of the trip Nick?

Wow... ask me an easy one [8D]:D

SFO is a wonderful city but it is 'doable' in 4 days. If you haven't been before you can get great tips from several SFO experts here. All I will say is Alcatraz and Ghirardelli :D

How long are you in Vegas for?

Nick

6 nights in Vegas too Nick

Originally posted by DragonLady
6 nights in Vegas too Nick

I am probably going to get a real kicking for this [}:)];), but I would be more tempted to cut Vegas down to 4 nightsand leave SFO at 6. . I am sure others will disagree though. [B)]

Nick

Been told that bit is non-negotiable Nick.Husband is planning a major poker playing extravaganza.Skid row here we come!!

Ouch - poker playing for 6 days? I'm a gambler & drinker, but for me 4 days is enough in Vegas [:I]

Cheers

Michael

Originally posted by DragonLady
Been told that bit is non-negotiable Nick.Husband is planning a major poker playing extravaganza.Skid row here we come!!

Or... look on the bright side ... 'UC all the way', here we come. [8D]

No other way to go Nick!!!!!Neither of us has been to Vegas (or SF) before and like you say Michael it may be too much for 6 nights.I won't be poker playing for sure -I'm even more clueless about it than I am I.T (which proves I'm totally inept).Glad the hotel takes cards!!

Hi Julie,

Certainly wouldn't recommend driving from SF to Vegas in one go, what I would recommend though is taking the US1 route - we did this drive last September. We drove south from SF on US1, the views are quite fantastic as you have the ocean beside you on the right all the way! We over-nighted in Cambria, a pretty little place midway between SF and LA. The drive from SF to Cambria took around 6 hrs and that included stopping for lunch in Carmel on the way. The following day we left Cambria around 10am & headed across the desert to Vegas, arriving there around 3pm.

Hope this helps,

James

I have to agree with the others 6 day's in vegas is to much, even though i like to go there and gamble alot the longest i have stayed is 6 nights and found it a drag after the 4th.

if you were to drive i'd take 2 days fvrom the vegas part of the trip and spend the 6 in SF it's a great city.

Phil

We've never driven between SFO-LAS, although we have considered it several times, we've always flown and taking the time of year into account I would be inclined to suggest you do the same. We've just driven from LAS to SAN (last week) and although the weather was better than the UK (it was in the early 60's) the wind when we got high up was bitter cold, so the roof (on the Mustang )had to go up [:(] If you were talking about September it's a different matter and I would say go for it (and then tell me what it was like heehee)

4 nights in LAS is more than enough for us, and we love to drink and gamble too, not that you'll be bored, there's plenty to do even without gambling.

Have a great time

S

That sounds promising James. I'm now torn -I REALLY want to drive but he doesn't (and he is very, very stubborn).We planned to do the wineries by car but maybe that isn't a good idea either (hic).Oh dear think I neeed to work out what car,fuel etc will cost and compare with the cost of flights.

Fuel in SF at the moment is around $2.40/gallon. In Tahoe/outskirts it's about $2.60 for regular.

Average MPG of a "standard" SUV (as rented last Thursday)? 15.4 [:0]

I've 6 nights planned for SF AND 6 for Vegas!! SO SO jealous about the Mustang Shazam -I'm a bit of a petrolhead and they're a hoot to be a passenger in and I guess even more fun to drive!!

So fuel wouldn't cost that much Paul (by UK standards anyway)even if the beast I desire is a gas guzzling monster (can't image much of a differential in mpg between a Mustang and something like an Expedition).Mind you it is a fair hike -time to do my sums....

If you want a guide, Dollar have a really good guide to typical hire cars, and their MPG's.

(click on the cars for more detail)

All fairly thirsty bits of metal!!(makes the 28mpg I get out of my car seem almost economical..)Site won't quote me for a one way rental to get some idea of cost (presumeably because it's California to Nevada)so I'll ring tomorrow.Do Hertz still use Ford as their main supplier? (still coveting that Mustang).Thanks for all your help everyone- no doubt I'll be back later on with the ongoing saga (and loads more questions).

We hired the Mustang from Hertz and got the one-way rental, hired in LAX returned to SNA. 10 day hire was £331, I think we paid extra for insurance when we got there.

If you fancy something different for a day when you are in LAS try rent-a-vette.com they have some really cool cars to rent for trip out to Red Rock Canyon or Lake Mead, we try something different each time

S

Thanks shazam will call hertz tomorrow - btw that website looks great.Gimmee the Viper pleezeee....

The viper is cool but it's difficult to get used to driving manual with the 'other' hand LOL

The one that got the most looks was the Plymouth Prowler (or should that say growler? ) but RAV don't seem to have them for rent anymore [:(] In fact when we went to Lake Mead, a minibus full of people drew up and took pictures of the car before they took any of Hoover Dam

S