Hi Russell, et al... > Starting on June 27th my wife and I plus a friend plan a whistle-stop > world tour [...] I've very envious. > We are interested in receiving suggestions from people whose territory > we are about to travel through about what they consider worth seeing I live in Claremont, about 40 miles due east of downtown Los Angeles. My recommendations may include places already on your list. > USA: June 27th Los Angeles, San Diego, brief foray into Mexico, then > via Lake Havasa or to Phoenix via Yuma. Flagstaff, Meteor Crater, > Grand Canyon, Las Vegas via Hoover Dam (July the 4th in Vegas!), > Death Valley, to Sierra Nevadas/Lone Pine/Independence, Yosemite NP, > San Francisco, LA via Pacific Coast 12 July Depart San Diego area - downtown San Diego Zoo (full day) Balboa Park (museums, botanical garden) -- you just missed a traveling exhibit of very early photography, runs to June 14 San Diego Aerospace Museum, south end Balboa Park San Diego automotive museum, next to aerospace museum Cabrillo bridge -- take 163 freeway(*) south from Interstate 8 freeway, you go under bridge, exit 163 freeway to Balboa Park and Zoo; later, drive west on Balboa Park's main road and you go over top of bridge; park in city park on west end and walk over bridge (1/2 hour) Balboa Park was built for San Diego Exposition of 1915(?); Cabrillo Bridge was built then to cross deep narrow canyon from city (much smaller then) to exposition grounds. Local doctor(?) was distressed at plan to kill exotic animals after the exposition closed and formed San Deigo Zoo using them as basis Sea World San Deigo; commercial fish & marine mammal park; I'm not much interested but my wife & son like them Belmont Park, at Mission Beach (on Mission Bay, near Sea World), with very old wooden "Giant Dipper" roller coaster; family nights special prices from 4PM to closing from June 6th to August 26th; see http://www.giantdipper.com Coronado bridge to north island, turn around, drive back; very fancy/pricy 1900's hotel on north island (remainder is Navy base) San Diego area -- north (La Jolla, Escondido & Julian) Stephen Birch Aquarium & Museum in La Jolla; adjacent cliffs overlook Pacific Ocean; look for hang gliders flying over them San Diego Wild Animal Park -- affiliated with zoo; larger area with much more natural, open areas for animals; is east of the Interstate 15 freeway (follow signs) around 78 highway from Wild Animal Park, you can follow 78 through Julian (mildly interesting antique tourist town) over north-south mountain range continue into Anza-Borrego Desert State Park; lots of neat desert views, rough off-road vehicle trails, and hiking trails; they have camp grounds. I can give you details, GPS latitude & longitude coordinates, etc on request; hot in June You can leave area east on S2 or S3 highway to Salton Sea; it was formed by Colorado River irrigation then salinity raised as water evaporated (if I recall correctly) Palm Springs area from Salton Sea, you can head north through Palm Springs and join Interstate 10 freeway to Phoenix or head south to 8(?) freeway to Yuma Banning Pass area on interstate 10 freeway from Banning Pass (east end of LA basin) to Blythe (at Arizona border), there are wind power farms. Banning Pass to north of Palm Springs is _major_ farm -- hundreds of wind power generators on towers dinosaurs in Cabazon; near Banning Pass on Interstate 10; 2 large 15 meter high concrete dinosaurs built in 1950-70 by slightly eccentric man; gift shop inside one of them. Fast food places adjacent allow combined dinosaur visit and food/rest stop Pheonix area -- north Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West (in Scottsdale) Palo Solari's Cosanti (in Scottsdale) 62 foot tall sun dial (third largest in the world); in Care Free; about a half hour north of Phoenix Palo Solari's Arcosanti, an urban laboratory (east side of Interstate 17 freeway at Cordes Junction; about 1-1/2 hours north of Phoenix on the way to Sedona & Flagstaff or 1 hour north of Care Free); see http://www.arcosanti.org; they have low priced lodgings Montezuma's Castle National Monument, Campe Verde AZ; 600 year old native american cliff dwelling; 90 miles north of Phoenix (20 minutes north of Cordes Junction) or 50 miles freeway; about 20 minutes north of Cordes Junction Sedona area wonderfull huge red rock formations only McDonalds with green arches Red Rock State Park Winslow area (Meteor crater) Winslow is an old train resupply town; as railroad no longer needs to stop there, it has contracted; neat 1950's & 1960's buildings and "feel" -- I like it; nice overnight base for Barringer Meteor Crater, south of Interstate 40 freeway (in the middle of nowhere), 25 miles or half hour west of Winslow; http://www.barringercrater.com Petrified Forest National Park; 1-1/2 hours east of Winslow on Interstate 40 freeway; million year old fossilized trees; see http://www.petrified.forest.national-park.com/ Painted Desert wilderness area; part of Petrified Forest, on the north side of the freeway San Jose area -- downtown Tech Museum Winchester Mystery House Moffet Field & NASA Ames Research Center (visitor center) San Francisco area -- downtown Golden Gate Bridge; walk across & back Fort Point National Historic Site, underneath south end of the Golden Gate Bridge; see http://www.nps.gov/fopo/ Alcatraz Island; tours; used to have tours of the old fort underneath the 1930's prison, not sure if they still do it Oakland Bay Bridge & Treasure Island Exploratorium Coit Tower Cable Cars! ride them & visit Cable Car museum San Francisco area -- north Muir Woods National Monument (www.nps.gov/muwo/ primordial redwoods) and Mount Tamalpais State Park; short drive north end of Golden Gate bridge; walking tour; when we picniced, parking lot was in direct sunlight, picnic tables (50-100 meters away!) was in full fog with drizzle (ground hugging clouds) -- mega neat effect Boy, that took a lot longer than I thought it would to write. Hope you have fun. If you're going to be near intersection of the 10 & 15 freeways, send me email if you'd like to get together for lunch or something. Lee Jones * = freeway is limited access, non-toll highway with normal speed limit of 65 MPH (100 KPH); traffic permitting, most vehicles go 70-75 MPH between cities -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different ways. See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details.