Going for a drive next weekend.

[bartjo06]

Alright guys,
I'm headed to California next weekend until mid-Januaryish for work. Right now, I'm in Eden Prairie, MN (basically Minneapolis) and I'm driving to Walnut Creek, CA. My planned route is I-90 to I-80 which goes through South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and finally California. I plan on doing the trip in 3 days instead of 2 really long days. Anyone have any ideas on where to stop for the day/what to see along the way? I know there isn't much in South Dakota, this is just my first time out west so any suggestions would be great!

I'm looking forward to seeing all the trucks in Cali though, it seems like most of the really nice trucks come from either Texas or Cali


Here's a map of the drive for those that are geographically challenged

[skeet]

cant speak of much, but have a safe trip!!

[Mang213]

You'll pass thru the Salt Lake basin in Utah just before the Nevada border. That part of the country is stunning and as you go west on I80 straight up into the mountains, make sure you stop in the town of Wendover. It's right on the border of Utah and Nevada, which happens to also be the line for the Central-to-Pacific timezone, so all the restaurants have two clocks in them. Kinda funny. I used to live in Elko, Nv in a former life so I made that trek quite a few times. Have a safe trip and take pics!

[bartjo06]

cant speak of much, but have a safe trip!!

Thanks man!

You'll pass thru the Salt Lake basin in Utah just before the Nevada border. That part of the country is stunning and as you go west on I80 straight up into the mountains, make sure you stop in the town of Wendover. It's right on the border of Utah and Nevada, which happens to also be the line for the Central-to-Pacific timezone, so all the restaurants have two clocks in them. Kinda funny. I used to live in Elko, Nv in a former life so I made that trek quite a few times. Have a safe trip and take pics!

Thank you for the advice, I'll check it out! I'm going to have my camera inside the truck the whole time and I plan on taking lots of pics, I'll post them up here when I get to CA.

[blackjack325]

now thats a road trip... have a fun and safe trip man.

[DamnYankee]

You're going right next through the Black Hills of South Dakota which are amazing. If you don't do anything else on this trip check out the Crazy Horse monument and museum (in the Black Hills). The monument is amazing. It's also close to Mount Rushmore, but that pales in comparison to the Crazy Horse monument.

It's out of your way, but the Battle of Little Big Horn was fought just over the border in Montana (Crow Agency) where Custer and the 7th Cavalry rightfully got their asses handed to them. A good place to visit and reflect on how the U.S. government screwed the Native Americans nine ways to Sunday.

There are some very, very spread out places in Wyoming. Make sure you have plenty of gas before hitting the long stretches. There's also a ton of open range in Wyoming so watch out for cattle, moose, antelope, etc. Some of the coolest pictures I've taken are from Wyoming.

That being said:

Imagine wrecking and landing where no one can see you from a road that doesn't have much traffic to begin with. You're injured and have to get attention but can't move. A lot of people will laugh at these suggestions, but they're the same ones that wouldn't last in a survival situation: When traveling sparsely populated areas (like Wyoming), you should keep a few items on hand in case you break down, wreck, etc. (water, food, charged phone, spare phone battery, small signal mirror, flashlight, etc.). You should also give someone a timeline of your trip, when you're getting to what city, where you're staying, etc. Check in with them to keep them posted of your progress so that in the event you wreck where no one sees you etc., someone knows something is wrong and has a ballpark idea of where you might be. Again...some will think this is extreme but they're the same ones that don't know how many rows away the exit doors are on an airplane when they fly and couldn't start a fire without a bbq lighter and gallon of gas.

Have fun, I'm sure everything will go fine, but be prepared.

[RedHeartbeat]

Which Budweiser facility, north of Denver?

[bartjo06]

Which Budweiser facility, north of Denver?

Correct. Right at the base of the mountains in Fort Collins.

[kyle.p12]

Jordan man!!! those pics are sweet. Definately makes me wanna leave Maine.. except compared to Maine, that deer looks like a retriever. Keep em coming there nice!!!

[DamnYankee]

Which Budweiser facility, north of Denver?

Correct. Right at the base of the mountains in Fort Collins.

yep...been by there a few times myself. If you were in Ft. Collins you should have swung by the Fat Tire Brewery...

I took my "lunch break" there one time.