US help.

[Irenaeus]

Hi all, we need some help with a portion of our US road trip plans. We will be driving from Yosemite to Vegas end-Sept along Highway 395 and passing through Death Valley. We intend to leave early from Yosemite Valley on the first day, and stay overnight in either Lone Pine or Furnace Creek in DV and drive onwards to Vegas the next day.

Some parameters:
- we would like to arrive at our overnight stop before the sun sets (about 7-7.30pm) as we are trying to avoid driving in the dark.
- we would like to arrive in Vegas by lunch time; about 12 noon or slightly later.

1. On the first day, we would like to make a few stops on Tioga Rd (Tenaya Lake, Tuolumne Meadows) and also at Mono Lake, June Lake loop. We are ok to give mammoth lakes and Bishop a miss. What will be a good place to stop for the half day mark? Perhaps in Lee Vining?

2. Given what we want to cover that day, will it be possible to add in the detour to see Bodie?

3. Should we stop in Lone Pine or would we be able to get to Furnace Creek by sunset? On the second day, we hope to make a few stops in DV on the way to Vegas (the only confirmed stop is Badwater Basin and we are fine with making only one stop if there is no time. However if there is time, we will go to Zabriskie and Artist’s Palette).

4. Are there any other considerations besides travel time to decide between staying in Lone Pine / Furnace Creek? Initially we had wanted to spend the night in DV because we heard that you will have a good view of the stars. However, this is not as important to us as not driving in the dark. Also, we will be in Yosemite for 2 nights and may be able to do some stargazing there as well.

 

[Shiny Things]

hi shiny things,

appreciate the feedback again.

how long the drive from yosemite to DV actually

If you go out the back of Yosemite, over Tioga Pass and through Bishop, it's five-and-three-quarter hours from Yosemite Village to Furnace Creek: call it seven hours once you include some stops.

If you add the White Mountains into that, so you can see the bristlecone pines, it's an extra half-hour's driving (and you should absolutely do this: you can see trees that are four thousand years old!).

But in your case, you're doing it in the winter, so you can't cross Tioga Pass, and you have to go down through Bakersfield and Mojave. That route's eight hours - call it ten hours including stops.

can i say that for winter driving best is to get a SUV with 4 wheel drive?
or sedan with 4 wheel is ok as well or there is no 4 wheel saloon in US

SUV with four-wheel drive is probably best, just because it'll have extra storage space. A regular sedan with four-wheel-drive is OK too, but those are somewhat rare unless you're able to find an xDrive BMW, Audi Quattro, or Mercedes 4Matic or something like that.

You need to split the trip on two days. Secondly, spending just one day is Zion - is to see nothing. Trust the person who have been in Zion more than dozen times. If you take shuttle from Springdale and come back - you have missed 99% what you can see there - you need to see Zion both top and bottom.

Two hikes are must in Zion - at Angel's Landing Point and Narrows. Former would take half day, combined with Emerald Pools and latter is full day hike - 8 hours. If Narrows is not an option (too cold water), than East Rim hike with Hidden Canyon and Observation point - another 9h hike with 2200ft elevation change.

This is absolutely true. I've never done Angel's Landing - you've gotta have a good head for heights - but you should absolutely take the shuttle-bus drive up and down the valley, and spend a couple of hours hiking into the Narrows, which is a nice flat walk up the valley with gorgeous scenery. (My parents did the Narrows hike earlier this year and they loved it.)

Hi all, we need some help with a portion of our US road trip plans. We will be driving from Yosemite to Vegas end-Sept along Highway 395 and passing through Death Valley. We intend to leave early from Yosemite Valley on the first day, and stay overnight in either Lone Pine or Furnace Creek in DV and drive onwards to Vegas the next day.

Some parameters:
- we would like to arrive at our overnight stop before the sun sets (about 7-7.30pm) as we are trying to avoid driving in the dark.
- we would like to arrive in Vegas by lunch time; about 12 noon or slightly later.

So you're in luck: you're basically doing the same drive as the other guy, but because you're doing it in summer you can take the shortcut over Tioga Pass. Let's sort you out.

1. On the first day, we would like to make a few stops on Tioga Rd (Tenaya Lake, Tuolumne Meadows) and also at Mono Lake, June Lake loop. We are ok to give mammoth lakes and Bishop a miss. What will be a good place to stop for the half day mark? Perhaps in Lee Vining?

Lee Vining is basically a truck-stop and nothing else. I'd stop in Bishop; it's a full-on town with some decent places to eat.

2. Given what we want to cover that day, will it be possible to add in the detour to see Bodie?

I think there's a better detour: go see the bristlecone pines up in the White Mountains. It's a phenomenal drive, a ridiculously beautiful location, and it'll only add a couple of hours to your drive; if you leave Yosemite early in the morning (by 9am; 8am would be even better), you'll have no trouble squeezing in the bristlecone pines as well as a couple of stops at Tioga Pass and Mono Lake.

Here's the website for the bristlecone pine visitor centre, to give you some idea.

3. Should we stop in Lone Pine or would we be able to get to Furnace Creek by sunset? On the second day, we hope to make a few stops in DV on the way to Vegas (the only confirmed stop is Badwater Basin and we are fine with making only one stop if there is no time. However if there is time, we will go to Zabriskie and Artist’s Palette).

Yeah, you'll have no trouble making it to Furnace Creek by sunset (about 6:30pm). There's six hours' driving if you go over the White Mountains; add in an hour for lunch and two hours for assorted stops, that's nine hours; so if you leave before 9am you'll make it to Furnace Creek in plenty of time. Also, Death Valley near sunset is especially pretty; you're gonna get some great photos on the way in. (Like this one: I shot this on the way into DVNP about half an hour before sunset.)

4. Are there any other considerations besides travel time to decide between staying in Lone Pine / Furnace Creek? Initially we had wanted to spend the night in DV because we heard that you will have a good view of the stars. However, this is not as important to us as not driving in the dark. Also, we will be in Yosemite for 2 nights and may be able to do some stargazing there as well.

Cost and quality, as well. Lone Pine doesn't seem to have anywhere "nice" to stay; Furnace Creek is a lot nicer, and the Furnace Creek Ranch isn't too expensive.

Also, now that I think about it - if you stay in Lone Pine, there's no chance that you'll get to Vegas by lunchtime. That's a four-hour drive if you don't stop; it'll be six hours once you stop in DVNP and see the sights. From Furnace Creek, though, you can leave at 9am, potter down to Badwater, see Artists' Drive and Zabriskie Point on the way back up to Furnace Creek, and then you can be in Las Vegas in two-and-a-half-hours; you'll be eating lunch about 1:30pm or so if you make good time.

 

[ceecookie]

The $15 SIM card comes with $18 credit. Using that credit you can buy 2.4GB of data for $15 which lasts for 30 days. Or 1.2GB of data for $10. Take a look:

http://www.starhub.com/personal/mobile/prepaid-plans/data-add-on-plans/prepaid-data-plan.html

One thing to remember - you won't get 4G speeds on your phone because Tmobile 4G will use different frequencies.

I'm getting LTE/4G on my iPhone 6 on the t mobile network. But inside shops and hotel I'm getting only 1-2 bars of reception only though

 

[invisible999]

Now I just need a phone with dual sim. Guess I'll buy a Samsung Galaxy S7 if needed. Anybody wants a Samsung Galaxy S6?

If you are buying for the purpose of getting LTE speeds in US, than you need to buy there but you won't get LTE in Singapore/Asia then.

I'm getting LTE/4G on my iPhone 6 on the t mobile network. But inside shops and hotel I'm getting only 1-2 bars of reception only though

There were cases reported that some hotels installed jammers inside to force people using their wifi and wifi.

 

[Hisashiburi]

I think the SG s7 phones have the same lte frequencies for T-Mobile in USA.
Some older sg lte phones do not have.

Check online at gsmarena for the frequency bands available for your phone.

Now I just need a phone with dual sim. Guess I'll buy a Samsung Galaxy S7 if needed. Anybody wants a Samsung Galaxy S6?

 

[Irenaeus]

So you're in luck: you're basically doing the same drive as the other guy, but because you're doing it in summer you can take the shortcut over Tioga Pass. Let's sort you out.



Lee Vining is basically a truck-stop and nothing else. I'd stop in Bishop; it's a full-on town with some decent places to eat.



I think there's a better detour: go see the bristlecone pines up in the White Mountains. It's a phenomenal drive, a ridiculously beautiful location, and it'll only add a couple of hours to your drive; if you leave Yosemite early in the morning (by 9am; 8am would be even better), you'll have no trouble squeezing in the bristlecone pines as well as a couple of stops at Tioga Pass and Mono Lake.

Here's the website for the bristlecone pine visitor centre, to give you some idea.



Yeah, you'll have no trouble making it to Furnace Creek by sunset (about 6:30pm). There's six hours' driving if you go over the White Mountains; add in an hour for lunch and two hours for assorted stops, that's nine hours; so if you leave before 9am you'll make it to Furnace Creek in plenty of time. Also, Death Valley near sunset is especially pretty; you're gonna get some great photos on the way in. (Like this one: I shot this on the way into DVNP about half an hour before sunset.)



Cost and quality, as well. Lone Pine doesn't seem to have anywhere "nice" to stay; Furnace Creek is a lot nicer, and the Furnace Creek Ranch isn't too expensive.

Also, now that I think about it - if you stay in Lone Pine, there's no chance that you'll get to Vegas by lunchtime. That's a four-hour drive if you don't stop; it'll be six hours once you stop in DVNP and see the sights. From Furnace Creek, though, you can leave at 9am, potter down to Badwater, see Artists' Drive and Zabriskie Point on the way back up to Furnace Creek, and then you can be in Las Vegas in two-and-a-half-hours; you'll be eating lunch about 1:30pm or so if you make good time.

Thanks for the advice shiny things! We've actually already booked a night in Furnace Creek, just getting some last minute jitters about whether we can make it on time and whether it's a better idea to stay in Lone Pine. Your reply has been very helpful in helping assure us we made the right choice.

On the bristlecone pine detour, read up on this and it says we may need to drive '12 miles on a well maintained dirt road' to get to the Patriarch Grove. Will we need a 4 wheel drive for this? We've already rented a car and it is not a 4 wheel drive. Actually I also realise the road to Bodie is a dirt road and that's supposed to be 'rough'. So we may not be able to do that anyway.

 

[fone]

I think the SG s7 phones have the same lte frequencies for T-Mobile in USA.
Some older sg lte phones do not have.

Check online at gsmarena for the frequency bands available for your phone.

I was able to use my SG S7 on T-mobile network. In fact, it works better / faster than my old T-mobile mifi device (like 4 year old mifi device). So to say, the S7 connects faster to T-mobile network (no need to shut down phone to insert sim card) than the mifi device can boot (need to remove battery to insert sim card).

GSM Arena gives the LTE bands for these type of phones with multiple versions for different countries / carriers?

 

[xtc 88]

hi Shiny things

thanks again for yr input

So yosemite to death valley entail a 8 -10hours drive , how the journey, scenic ? don't know whether can handle that long drive as i only driver in this trip

how to settle the tolls fee in the usa road with electronic mean like ERP using rental car

since is winter , it advisable to book only a few days before arriving for National park accommodation like in Death V , Zion , Grand canyon to have flexibility in planning or must we book in advance

Regards

 

[patryn33]

can i say that for winter driving best is to get a SUV with 4 wheel drive?
or sedan with 4 wheel is ok as well or there is no 4 wheel saloon in US

I like the Chrysler 200, and I have driven for years in winter conditions without 4 wheel drive.

ppl in big SUV and 4 wheel drive gets the wrong impression that they can drive fast, super control of the veh on icy road and often end up in accidents. major accidents often occur with such big vehs.
http://icyroadsafety.com/fatalitystats.shtml

even if U drive SUV etc, U still need to drive slow. Give yourself ample stopping distance. It doesn't mean much to be on 4 wheel drive. low end cars often don't provide all wheel drive option

On the bristlecone pine detour, read up on this and it says we may need to drive '12 miles on a well maintained dirt road' to get to the Patriarch Grove. Will we need a 4 wheel drive for this? We've already rented a car and it is not a 4 wheel drive. Actually I also realise the road to Bodie is a dirt road and that's supposed to be 'rough'. So we may not be able to do that anyway.

a regular Sedan can handle the road to Patriarch Grove.

how to settle the tolls fee in the usa road with electronic mean like ERP using rental car

since is winter , it advisable to book only a few days before arriving for National park accommodation like in Death V , Zion , Grand canyon to have flexibility in planning or must we book in advance

tolls uses electronic means, they get bill to your rental car and charge to your credit card on file. U just pay for crazy fees at times.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_73

I am going Grand Canyon this winter break and I book in adv. my sedona trip also adv as the place I staying booked out fast

 

[xtc 88]

[
I am going Grand Canyon this winter break and I book in adv. my sedona trip also adv as the place I staying booked out fast[/QUOTE]
hey Patryn

wow. in that case i need to book the accommodation soon

how long many nites u r in GC , i am looking at eL tovar or Kachina Lodge i.e inside the GC village itself. Is the Fred Harvey suite in El Tovar worth it ?

am also in to 2 night at Zion Park as well.


just dont how tiring will be the driving is this winter time and some place to place need at least 6 hours .. some more is left hand right


thanks

 

[patryn33]

hey Patryn

wow. in that case i need to book the accommodation soon

how long many nites u r in GC , i am looking at eL tovar or Kachina Lodge i.e inside the GC village itself. Is the Fred Harvey suite in El Tovar worth it ?

am also in to 2 night at Zion Park as well.

just dont how tiring will be the driving is this winter time and some place to place need at least 6 hours .. some more is left hand right

I didn't monitor the thread closely, Winter travel say 17 Dec to Jan 1st can be busy.

I have been to GC so many times, I am just spending 1 nite there.
not stayed with class in grand canyon.
stayed with thunderbird and bright angel lodge, ok just sleep.

after 2 days of drive, u get adjusted. load up some music on a USB stick or phone and use that to keep u awake.

go over the handbook.
https://www.dmv.ca.gov/web/eng_pdf/dl600.pdf

 

[Shiny Things]

just dont how tiring will be the driving is this winter time and some place to place need at least 6 hours .. some more is left hand right

Yep, left-hand-drive, but you get used to it pretty quickly, especially on the interstates. Just go with the flow of traffic.

And yeah, six hours place to place is a thing. America's a big place - you could fit three Singapores into greater Los Angeles! Driving SF to Las Vegas is like driving from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and back! But you get used to it - and the scenery on the way is so fantastic that it's worth the long drives.

I like the Chrysler 200, and I have driven for years in winter conditions without 4 wheel drive.

ppl in big SUV and 4 wheel drive gets the wrong impression that they can drive fast, super control of the veh on icy road and often end up in accidents. major accidents often occur with such big vehs.

even if U drive SUV etc, U still need to drive slow. Give yourself ample stopping distance. It doesn't mean much to be on 4 wheel drive. low end cars often don't provide all wheel drive option

Yeah, this is absolutely true. A car with 4-wheel-drive is safer, and you'd take a 4WD over a 2WD in winter any day, but it doesn't make you invulnerable. Drive slow, give yourself much MUCH more space than you normally would, and don't make any sudden movements; steer gently and you'll be fine.

So yosemite to death valley entail a 8 -10hours drive , how the journey, scenic ?

The short road over Tioga Pass is unbelievably beautiful, it's one of the greatest drives in America (in my totally biased opinion). The long way via Bakersfield, on the other hand, is farmland, farmland, farmland, Bakersfield (which is not a very nice town), desert, desert, desert, desert, Death Valley.

The only thing on the way of any visual interest, unless you like desert scenery (which admittedly I do), is the Mojave Spaceport off to one side of the road. (Also, the drive down into Death Valley from the west, with the sunset at your back, is properly magical.)

don't know whether can handle that long drive as i only driver in this trip

You'll be fine. Just make sure you stop every couple of hours for a coffee. It's not ten solid hours' driving, either; that's with plenty of breaks.

Also, my favorite thing: get a car with satellite radio! You get 140 channels of absolutely everything: music of every genre, sports, talk radio (even the bananas right-wing talk radio that America's famous for)... you'll never get bored, and it's a great little introduction to American culture.

how to settle the tolls fee in the usa road with electronic mean like ERP using rental car

There aren't any tolls on the route you're looking at; you're fine.

since is winter , it advisable to book only a few days before arriving for National park accommodation like in Death V , Zion , Grand canyon to have flexibility in planning or must we book in advance

Nope. You're travelling around a high season - Christmas is usually pretty heavily booked - and especially in the national parks, accommodation sells out months in advance. You're going to have to suck it up and pre-book.

On the bristlecone pine detour, read up on this and it says we may need to drive '12 miles on a well maintained dirt road' to get to the Patriarch Grove. Will we need a 4 wheel drive for this? We've already rented a car and it is not a 4 wheel drive. Actually I also realise the road to Bodie is a dirt road and that's supposed to be 'rough'. So we may not be able to do that anyway.

I've done Patriarch Grove in a Corvette which could just about fit a sheet of paper under the front spoiler. You'll be fine. (Also, if you decide not to go all the way to Patriarch Grove, you can stop at Schulman Grove, which is nearly as impressive and it's paved all the way.)

Bodie, on the other hand... I've never done it myself, and frankly it's in the wrong direction from everything else you're going to. I'd give it a go, but if you find yourself running short of time or if the road looks a bit rough, you won't be missing anything if you skip it. There are other ghost towns.

 

[patryn33]

Also, my favorite thing: get a car with satellite radio! You get 140 channels of absolutely everything: music of every genre, sports, talk radio (even the bananas right-wing talk radio that America's famous for)... you'll never get bored, and it's a great little introduction to American culture.

@ xtc 8, you have to pay $$ like us$5/day.

if have dataplan can get free trial, iirc the streaming version gets more stations
https://www.siriusxm.com/hsbb30daytrial?intcmp=hsbbvideoblog

else listen to old fashion radio. San Fran has Chinese radio stations. FM also offer music or all genre. Limited but free. else U can do iheartradio on phone but requires dataplan. Ulu place no coverage nothing to listen unlike SXM.

 

[xtc 88]

[
Hey shiny

Thanks again ..
But it for sure the Tiago pass will closed in mid December, if not have to take the other Long road via Bakersfield to DV

Any nice clean accomation to recommend in LA Santa Monica near beach area and in Las Vegas strip ?

Is Disney land worth the while there in LA as been to Tokyo and should be same same ?


Never been to six flag in LA though , worth to visit


Regards



QUOTE=Shiny Things;103423499]Yep, left-hand-drive, but you get used to it pretty quickly, especially on the interstates. Just go with the flow of traffic.

And yeah, six hours place to place is a thing. America's a big place - you could fit three Singapores into greater Los Angeles! Driving SF to Las Vegas is like driving from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and back! But you get used to it - and the scenery on the way is so fantastic that it's worth the long drives.



Yeah, this is absolutely true. A car with 4-wheel-drive is safer, and you'd take a 4WD over a 2WD in winter any day, but it doesn't make you invulnerable. Drive slow, give yourself much MUCH more space than you normally would, and don't make any sudden movements; steer gently and you'll be fine.



The short road over Tioga Pass is unbelievably beautiful, it's one of the greatest drives in America (in my totally biased opinion). The long way via Bakersfield, on the other hand, is farmland, farmland, farmland, Bakersfield (which is not a very nice town), desert, desert, desert, desert, Death Valley.

The only thing on the way of any visual interest, unless you like desert scenery (which admittedly I do), is the Mojave Spaceport off to one side of the road. (Also, the drive down into Death Valley from the west, with the sunset at your back, is properly magical.)



You'll be fine. Just make sure you stop every couple of hours for a coffee. It's not ten solid hours' driving, either; that's with plenty of breaks.

Also, my favorite thing: get a car with satellite radio! You get 140 channels of absolutely everything: music of every genre, sports, talk radio (even the bananas right-wing talk radio that America's famous for)... you'll never get bored, and it's a great little introduction to American culture.



There aren't any tolls on the route you're looking at; you're fine.



Nope. You're travelling around a high season - Christmas is usually pretty heavily booked - and especially in the national parks, accommodation sells out months in advance. You're going to have to suck it up and pre-book.



I've done Patriarch Grove in a Corvette which could just about fit a sheet of paper under the front spoiler. You'll be fine. (Also, if you decide not to go all the way to Patriarch Grove, you can stop at Schulman Grove, which is nearly as impressive and it's paved all the way.)

Bodie, on the other hand... I've never done it myself, and frankly it's in the wrong direction from everything else you're going to. I'd give it a go, but if you find yourself running short of time or if the road looks a bit rough, you won't be missing anything if you skip it. There are other ghost towns.[/QUOTE]

 

[xtc 88]

Thanks patryn for the tips

Dunno how going to pass time driving in the vast distance from pt to pt in west coast

Though of getting the Garmin standalone GPS but the USA map alone cost close to 100 bucks

Regards

 

[Hisashiburi]

Many rental cars now have Bluetooth sound system so u can use your phone to play music.
Alternatively, listen to the local FM n AM radio stations.

 

[ocean29]

Any recommendation for souvenir from Las vagas or SF?

 

[patryn33]

Thanks patryn for the tips

Dunno how going to pass time driving in the vast distance from pt to pt in west coast

Though of getting the Garmin standalone GPS but the USA map alone cost close to 100 bucks

Regards

Download HERE WeGo on your phone, the maps are in the phone no need to use data plan. If you want traffic will use data but minimal

 

[patryn33]

Any recommendation for souvenir from Las vagas or SF?

What do they like?

Chocolate lovers can find factory outlet
https://www.ghirardelli.com/locator/san-leandro-ca#R3Xx6amtFUdq1toE.97

Wine you can find expensive Napa or Sonoma wine cheaper than sg
Cognac lovers can find high quality drink drunk by presidents
http://m.sfgate.com/wine/article/OVER-A-BARREL-Germain-Robin-makes-superb-2735377.php

Chain store in USA can get very high quality oils and vinegar or liquor
https://sf.vomfassusa.com

Coffee lovers - SF is very famous can get fancy beans for coffee snob
https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/best-coffee-cities-in-america
Intelligensia just joint from Chicago - their black cat wow
https://www.thrillist.com/drink/san-francisco/the-definitive-top-11-bay-area-coffee-roasters

Their salt very expensive in sg
http://www.sfsalt.com

Vegas - stripper cards? Lol

 

[invisible999]

Though of getting the Garmin standalone GPS but the USA map alone cost close to 100 bucks

Any android or google smartphone -> download google maps offline. That's just one option, in addition to maps.me and Nokia street maps.