Help! I've got to drive from KC MO back home to San Francisco,

[LaPera]

I've always flown everywhere, but now I have to make this drive...

It looks like a long boring drive when I look on the map.

Any places along the way I should stop and see, any good restaurant's, places to stay, anything to see besides long straight roads, then the Rockies, more boring long straight roads, then the Sierra's and back home to the Pacific?

Is there anything else along the way?

[oustemnow]

1. I have no sympathy for anyone who can call San Francisco home

/damn, I wish I still lived there
//might want to consider drving historic route 66. I was considering taking it on my drive from LA to ATL. It would definitely be a diversion and add time to your commute, but aparently it's not a dull drive.

[swag]

2. See what there is,

and report back.

Yell if you see a Stucky's.

[huskerlaw]

3. Sadly, that's about it.

Do not, under any circumstances, do the Utah/Nevada leg when tired. You WILL fall asleep. I've driven from Lincoln to Reno a few times. It's horrifyingly boring. And I live in Nebraska, so my boredom tolerance is fairly high. Sorry...and good luck.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

4. Eating on that run:

Two places where you will always be able to stop and get a good meal in clean and safe surroundings:

Cracker Barrels and Petro Truck Stops. I recommend them for the road warrior.

[Scout1071]

18. You can "check-out" books on CD at cracker barrell's and return

them to another one in a different city. Pretty cool and a great way to kill the time.

[Scout1071]

20. Did I mention that I believe the books on CD program is free?!?!

[mike_c]

5. no specific route suggestions...

...but if you're not in a hurry, i.e. not looking for the fastest route between two points, there are LOTS of things to see and cool places to visit. I drove across the U.S. about 10 years ago-- took six weeks-- and had a great time. Stay off of interstate highways. String National Forests and State Parks together whenever possible. Meander.

[LaPera]

9. Thanks all, I'm bookmarking this and will hit the restaurants and sites

you guy have provided...Also taking my Sirius radio with me and laptop so I can hear AAR all the way, via Sirius and check in on DU on with my laptop.

Thanks again!

[Arugula Latte]

6. Do the National Parks in Utah

Arches, Bryce, Zion -- any and all are incredible and you won't be sorry. Springdale, Utah and Moab (both near parks) are actually hip little towns.

There's always Vegas, as well.

Also, there is very spectacular scenery in Southern Colorado near Durango and Silverton (sweaty-palm drives on twisty roads for the latter).

[Goathead]

8. Torrey is a great little town in Utah

Right near Capitol Reef N.P., the least visited N.P. in So. Utah.

[Goathead]

7. I-70 through Utah

At Grand Junction follow the river road to Moab, Utah. It follows the Colorado River and goes through some spectacular Red Rock country. Arches National Park is stunning, camp out in Moab at this place called "Behind the Rocks" it's BLM land up behind Moab or stay at the hostel called "The Lazy Lizard" Follow one of the old trails going through that part of the country, The Pony Express, The Mormon trail. I would follow old Route 66 through New Mexico but that takes you to L.A. There are different stops and it allows you to break up the monotony. Take Highway 50 through Nevada,"The Loneliest Highway in the Country". Hit Great Basin National Park in NV. PM me if want any more suggestions I've driven from Virginia to San Francisco and back four times.

[Scout1071]

10. I'm in KC...and I've driven to San Fran from here

Gotta be honest with you....that it one long ass drive. Good news is that much of it is incredibly beautiful.

If you want the scenic drive, go straight thru I-70 and the Rockies etc. Be warned that this can be slower because of winding mountain roads.

If you want a quicker, less mountainous drive, head north to Nebraska. I think it's I-80? Anyway, it cuts across Nebaska, lower wyoming, utah and nevada. It is very flat, making it a quicker drive, but it's not a scenic.

Anyway, make the most of it because it doesn't seem like we get the chance to do a drive like that very often. You'll never forget it.

I only hope that you have Sirius.

[LaPera]

11. Nice, thank you, looking forward to the beauty (and serenity). I'm not in

that big of a hurry. Also will take "Goathead" advice and break up the trip.

[Scout1071]

12. I agree with Goathead that Moab should be a must

That part of Utah is just breathtaking. Colorado and Utah are just amazing to drive thru, but it can be kind of tough if driving alone because you really have to concentrate on those mountain roads.

On that drive, seems like I really hit the wall in Nevada and western Utah. Holy crap, that may actually be as boring as driving across my home state of Kansas. Also, you might consider looking around online and booking a room in Nevada in advance. Maybe around Elko? Driving across the desert at night can be rough. I once did the drive and had to stop for the night because I could barely see the road anymore and couldn't get a damn station on the radio. Problem was that every room in the only nearby town was booked solid. Ended up sleeping in my car which made the drive much worse the next day.

I'm kind of jealous...I want to take a road trip!

[WMliberal]

13. long, boring?!

:wtf: I 'll trade with you any day. I love road trips, the rockies, the West in general. Why do I haveto be stuck in Va Beach? :cry:

[all.of.me]

14. me, too! i'm a road trip girl!

i'd drive before flying any day.

[WMliberal]

19. the best vacation I ever went on was 3 weeks in a RV

We drove from Virginia beach to Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Estes Park, then home. :woohoo:

Can't wait to get the chance to do it again someday

[eek MD]

22. i agree completely....road trips can be a blast.....

Every area of the country has something about it that makes it special and beautiful. There's so much more to see to the country than you can view from an airplane window. I'm jealous, i love road tripping. Especially when you can take a slow, leisurely pace and enjoy your trip.

[norml]

15. Seven Devils Hot Spring, East of Lovelock, near I 80.

http://www.hotspringsenthusiast.com/Nevada.htm

[norml]

16. Remember you can pay to take showers at truck stops.

If you shower at truck stops, and sleep in your car, you can save a lot of money, and make better time.

[Nevernose]

17. Great time of year to visit great Basin National Park

There's still snow on Wheeler Peak, but the lower altitudes are sprouting flowers. I spent my spring break vacation up in that area of the world (the Great Basin), and there's some truly fantastic country. And if you stay off the interstate, there are a whole lot of cool things in Utah -- it's really one of the prettiest states I've been to.

[AlabamaYankee]

21. Get Satellite Radio

I have XM, but I'm sure Sirius would do as well. It's a lifesaver when you're going through long stretches rural America, where there's not any kind of radio. In addition it's safer than trying to fiddle with CDs or cassettes.