Help with trip from Oklahoma->CA->Washington

[katerkat]

Russ and I are headed to Oklahoma City in just over a week to pick up his daddy from training - haven't seen him in 5 weeks! Since we've done the drive up and across the midwest twice now, we decided to go across then up this time. Here is the basic plan - any advice or comments are appreciated!

Day 1 - drive from OKC to Albuquerque (8 hours)
Day 2 - drive to Grand Canyon (~4 hours), staying at Yavapai Lodge West
Day 3 - morning in Grand Canyon, drive to Vegas (~4 hours), probably booking Circus Circus for a night
Day 4 - morning in Vegas, drive to DisneyLand (~4 hours), staying at Anaheim Plaza Hotel
Day 5 - Disneyland
Day 6 - drive up Highway 1, staying somewhere near Monterey? I'd like to stop at the Hearst Castle and maybe see some missions as well
Day 7 - drive to San Fransisco, go to Alcatraz (need to book the ferry in advance!), want a hotel near the Wharf (also is there parking near the Wharf for the Alcatraz ferry?)
Day 8 - drive to Oregon (8 hours)
Day 9 - drive home (6 hours)

 

[xmelissax]

I would suggest spending a whole day in Vegas instead of just a morning. There's a lot of fun things to do and see. Hearst Castle is a few hours from Monterey especially when taking the 1 as the section between them is very very windy and one lane so if you get someone going very slow in front of you it can take forever. I do know a fantastic hotel in Monterey though. It is right of the bay, has great customer service and is beautiful! An easy walk to Fisherman's Wharf and the Aquarium. It is called the Monterey Bay Inn.Lastly there is a large parking structure across the street from Pier 39 and the ferries to park in.

 

[katerkat]

We need to leave Vegas by midafternoon to catch the fireworks in Disneyland! Plus DH was just there in June for work so he's seen a lot of stuff, and we'll be taking a full-fledged Vegas/Grand Canyon trip with the grandparents in a few years, so this is just kind of a quick overview.

We have all day to get from LA to Monterey, so stopping a bit is definitely the plan. That hotel is VERY nice, thanks for the suggestion! Someone else suggested the Nepenthe restuarant in Big Sur.

And I figured there would be parking near the wharf! But thanks for reassuring me!

 

[PoohPrincess76]

If you are trying to keep costs down a bit you can try staying in Marina or Sand City. They are just above Monterey on 1. My favorite restaurant in Monterey is the El Torritto on Canary Row. Definately wait for window seating. You overlook the ocean waves crashing against the rocks and if you get there around sunset it is spectacular looking out over the bay. I am not sure which way you are planning to get to Oregon, but, I would suggest taking getting to highway 5. Not as scenic as 1, but, alot quicker. 1 is a two lane highway most of the way north of Santa Cruz, very curvy.

 

[xmelissax]

We need to leave Vegas by midafternoon to catch the fireworks in Disneyland! Plus DH was just there in June for work so he's seen a lot of stuff, and we'll be taking a full-fledged Vegas/Grand Canyon trip with the grandparents in a few years, so this is just kind of a quick overview.

We have all day to get from LA to Monterey, so stopping a bit is definitely the plan. That hotel is VERY nice, thanks for the suggestion! Someone else suggested the Nepenthe restuarant in Big Sur.

And I figured there would be parking near the wharf! But thanks for reassuring me!

There is a great stop off I forgot to add on your way up to Monterey and pretty important as there aren't a lot of places to stop in Big Sur. There's a place called Ragged Point Inn (I think that's the name) it's the first stop after you pass Hearst Castle and start going up the big hill. There is a hotel there, but there is also a restaurant, a gas station, a nice little walk up counter to get snacks and lunch items, and a little coffee bar. Behind that all you can take a short trail around the gardens and back of the inn and see the beautiful Big Sur views of the cliffs and the ocean. It's a nice spot to take a little 20/30 minute break.

In Monterey there is a restaurant called The Fish Hopper that I think is really good if you like seafood. It's right on the bay and most all the tables have views out onto it out of the huge plate windows that make up the wall overlooking the bay. You often can see seals laying on the rocks right outside. The Bubba Shrimp company is right down there too and while the food isn't quite as good it's a fun atmosphere and it always seems like lots of families are there and the little kids love it even if they don't know what the movie is,haha.

 

[tracys2cents]

You don't wanna leave Vegas mid afternoon. If you hit the 5 to 7pm Los Angeles traffic it could take you 7 hours to get to Disneyland instead of 5.

What day of the week would it be?

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Columbus Motor Inn is a decent place to stay in San Fran, because parking is included in the rates ($25-$40 at other hotels!). You can walk to the wharf.