As Hussra said, a round trip encompassing parts of Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Oregon could be fantastic and easier to execute that the one you contemplate in your initial post.

Alternately, have you considered a loop through the Mexican interior and Gulf Coast, including the Yucatan? That could be absolutely amazing and pretty reasonably priced since you can eat well for little money in Mexico and also find very inexpensive accommodations, even in the touristy areas. I know this from experience since I I first started driving through large swathes of the country when I was a destitute grad student in my mid 20s and have returned several times. For your trip, you could visit a cool variety of ancient Mayan ruins, old Spanish colonial towns densely populated with interesting historical sites, and contemporary urban environments--in addition to snorkeling in the ocean as well as in the Yucatan's remarkable constellation of pristine freshwater cenotes/caverns. Also, the ubiquity of tasty roadside eating through much of the country makes car trips a fun way to experience Mexico. You'll often find great meals for a few bucks in anonymous, ramshackle huts and open-air stands along your route; and you will almost certainly meet some friendly, interesting people who are often eager to interact with Americans. It's been a few years since I last visited the country, but I plan on taking my kids in a couple years when they are a little older and easier to manage. Please keep in mind that this kind of trip isn't for people who insist on American standards of comfort--at least if you are planning on hitting the least expensive places to eat and sleep.

I think doing more than 400 miles a day every day for weeks, especially trying to actually do a significant amount of sightseeing... is suicidal, especially for an old man who hasn't done that kind of driving for a while.

400 miles is essentially 7 hours of actual rural Interstate driving. You each drive half of it. Stop every 100-150 miles to either check out a place, eat something, or just stretch and take a shit someplace (for your friend I'd recommend Starbucks and spend $2 to buy something). That is 7am-5pm each driving day, with evening time for dinner or fucking, and some slack for bad weather or traffic.

Redo your plan with a 400 mile/day guide and an absolute limit of 2000 miles a week, and see what fits.

thanks for the advice but we decided against any foreign countries like Mexico. Sorry if that sounds ignorant but we don't feel safe if we drove thru Mexico. But doing one of those Mexico vacation packages we did consider as you stay in a safe bubble supposedly. But we sort of want to drive and not fly.

The states you mentioned, we are only interested in Colorado. I heard it's a great state to visit and a lot of different things to do there. So maybe we can do the Vegas to Phoenix to Denver and all of Colorado thing? I'll have to plan it on AAA.



thanks man and thanks to everyone posting here w/ the advice. I guess the original plan was too optimistic and I didnt consider all the other factors such as wear and tare on the body. After Tall Midget's and Hussra's suggestions, we are now thinking of doing maybe a Grand Canyon trip. Fly into Vegas, do Arizona, Utah, and A lot of Colorado.

I haven't been to Utah in like 25 years but I remember driving outside and around Salt Lake City was beautiful. I had a friend who went to Colorado last summer , I think it was a real small town by Colorado Springs, but he said it was great. Maybe that won't be as intensive but still a good drive.

This boob can't drive around the damn block, how the hell is he going to make it across the country?

It's more fun to be a victim

There will never be an effective vaccine. I'll never get one anyway.

we will be starting our road trip tomorrow. it's a bit of change in plans from the original post, but wanted to thank everyone here for the tips and advice.

I have MANY years of experience in trying to appreciate steaming piles of dogshit.

here's an idea to tell you wife from the message board ........"why don't we MOVE TO ALASKA without any internet access!!!"

It's more fun to be a victim

There will never be an effective vaccine. I'll never get one anyway.