Cali, Nevada and Arizona
 

Hi - 5 of us coming over mid October 2012 ... heading from LA up to Death Valley, Vegas and then Grand Canyon before down into Arizona ..
Any recommendations on places to visit and stay (cheap but good motels .. Motel 6 ?) appreciated !!

Particularly any events, festivals etc. going on in that time ...

A few suggestions from a UK tourist:

I've never been to Las Vegas, but was lucky enough to visit Reno a couple of times for work.
I thought it was great.
The locals call it the 'friendlier, smaller, cheaper, safer, more fun and easy-going' version of L. Vegas. I couldn't do the comparison but it certainly felt true to me.
It's small enough that if you go in the same bar/restaurant/drug store a couple of times you'll soon be recognised as a regular.
(At least it was in the early 90s when I was there).

And in Arizona, Tombstone was a highlight. (As a bicycle tourist in 2001)
It's 100% tourism, but done so well, you step back 130 years in time.
Everyone dresses from the 1880s and acts the part, on the streets, in the bars and restaurants, even in the barbers (I ventured a haircut).
Many of the buildings are largely preserved, like the magnificent Crystal Palace saloon (except for discreet electric light and fire escapes).
And the Boothill Graveyard.
You find yourself chatting to Wyatt Earp look-alikes, 6ft6 tall in high-heeled boots, long black cloaks and huge holsters and guns (maybe real - I don't know). And women in the voluminous 1880s skirts and frocks of the day.
The Newspaper Museum was a little gem as well.
Pretty good fun, I thought.

A little way SE of Grand Canyon is Tuba City.
Definitely not a tourist place but I was glad to stay there quite a few days (2001) to experience a Navajo community and learn a little about its modern existence, and problems.
Going at the speed of a bicycle it was certainly a fascinating scenic journey, being a tiny dot in the huge Arizona desert. You learn it's far from featureless.
I just had a look at the Navajo Trail (US 160) on Google Street View - I don't half want to be back there!

Have a great trip!

Matt

In 2006 I spent three months in the US riding 17,000 miles solo from the East Coast to the West and back. The best 'holiday' I've ever had.

Las Vegas - I've been three times, each time staying at Circus Circus. This is one of the cheapest of the hotels on the Strip, the main road running right through the city. All hotels in the city are cheap because almost all have their own individual casinos on the ground floor which subsidise the cost of the rooms. LV looks tacking during the day but comes into it's own at night. The free water fountain show at Bellagios, and the galleons at Treasure Island. The Venetian is eye poppingly impressive too. My wife and I got a helicopter ride over the Hoover Dam and landed in the bottom of the Grand Canyon where we had a champagne breakfast. A rare and expensive treat for us but not to be missed. Along the Strip there will be lots of vendors selling tickets for the helicopter. Try offering them a lower price; I saved $100 or so doing that. Two or three days in LV was enough and slowly did my head in, so we headed off to Death Valley.

Arizona - is bloody, bloody hot in June/July. I hope you'll be leaving you British black motorcycle gear at home. I rode in lightweight mesh stuff and a white open face helmet. It's just plain stupid to ride in black in those temperatures. Tombstone is south of Tucson and close to the Mexican border. Go to Big Nose Kate's Bar and people watch. Pretend gunfights take place in the dirt street. The World Largest Rose Tree (I'm a keen gardener) is there also.

Death Valley - We've twice now stayed in Stovepipe Wells, not even a hamlet, which has a motel (you MUST book) with restaurant, a store and a gas station. It was 118f each time and 100f at midnight in July.

Grand Canyon - Visit the North Rim as the tourists always go to the South Rim, 1000ft lower and busy. Better views and quieter.

I'm sure you'll enjoy your trip there. The people are the kindest, friendiest I've met and the countryside is fabulous. The gas is a third the price of ours too!

We did 19 states last year on the first leg of our round world trip from Uk. We used Motel 6 a lot and on the whole they were perfectly OK. We also booked hotels through hotels.com which gave us 1 free night for each 10.

Las Vegas we did midweek because the hotel prices are much lower - we stayed 3 nights at Hooters but reckon that 2 days in Vegas would have been OK. We were lucky enough to win 425 US dollars during a 10 minute stint at a roulette table - we stopped playing and stayed in profit.

Joshua Tree National Park is worth a visit if only to find Cap Rock and Gram Parsons final resting place (look it up on Wikipedia if you don't know the story). Hoover Dam is OK but very busy with tourists when we were there - I thought the Parker Dam was more impressive.

If you are going to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon make sure that it is open ! We snubbed the South Rim and drove past the entrance and headed the extra 150 miles or so to the North Rim but when we got there the road was closed and was not due to open for another week - it was around mid May 2011.

Nevada has some good sights some touristy (Virginia City) and others not so - you can head up into the Sierra Nevada on the gravel roads and have a barrel of fun - loads of gold rush history.

Cool !
 

Thanks .. we fly out this week .. looks like we'll hit Vegas on the weekend unfortunately ... but needs must !

Have a great time Matt

You can pick up some of our trip in California/Nevada/Arizona on my blog..
Round the World in 80 Ways: No Grand Canyon for us

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did !

Martin

Martin

I've just had a brief look at your blog. Tell me, how did you create the Google Maps map of your ride with the blue line? I'd like to make similar maps of both of my US trips, in the same way.

Regards

Paul

Paul, I haven't embeddd a Google Map, but Tweetedtrips.com is a quick way to create a map with reports, locations and pictures along the way by simply sending tweets with pics included and the location setting on. Here is an example of some fellow's cycling trip.
Coast to Coast USA | Tweeted Trips

Since Smartphones use so much data when 3G or 4G data is turned on and prepaid data blocks are expensive when overseas, you are also able to manually set the location of a Tweet along the map. On my next trip I just intend to take pics anywhere, then include it with a tweet from the next stop where my phone can get a wifi signal. It might be many miles away, but the general route will still be true.

Paul, I haven't embeded a Google Map, but Tweetedtrips.com is a simple method of creating a reports on a map along your route by simply sending tweets with pics included and the location setting on. Here is an example of some fellow's cycling trip.
http://tweetedtrips.com/map/131/coast-to-coast-usa

Since Smartphones use so much data when the 3G or 4G data setting is ON and prepaid data blocks are expensive when overseas, you are also able to manually set the location of a tweet along the map.

On my next trip I intend to take a pic anywhere, then include it with a tweet from the next stop where my phone can get a wifi signal. It might be many miles away and make it seem like I just go from one cantina to another:beer:, but the general route will be true.

I really envy you! I hope, you'll have a beautiful stay while I am trying it here to get a greencard. You better cross your fingers, cause If I should really be able to win one, I will be the one who offers the next accommodation for guys like you ;) ! Just kidding - sounds like a lovely tour, have fun!

I've never come across that "lottery" before ... but I'm signing up !!

Hi Paul

You need to set up a Google account (free) and in "My Places" you can create a map. At the top of the map screen there are some icons to click to be able to draw lines. You can edit the map as well. Then you just save it and that gives it a unique web address which you can embed in blogs etc. Google's own instructions are here Create My Maps - Maps Help

Martin

There is a fantastic place to camp in Arizona. Go to Peach Springs on old US66 (off the Interstate 40) and turn north, there is a ~18mi gravel road to the BOTTOM of the Grand Canyon. When we spent 2 nights there in our Unimog camper we had a couple of daytime visitors, no company at night. A tribal ranger will come and collect a camping fee. A bit high - $20 or $30 a night but really not considering the amazing location.

Charlie