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USA road trip with Canon DSLR: rental car or your own?

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Mishkin

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You see, this is on topic :) I just don't feel like asking this in Open Talk, I don't hang around there.

Q: If you were to make a trip from East Coast to the best places in the West (west of Rockies, EVERYTHING NATURE-WISE - Colorado, Utah, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming...) for a month, would you drive your car across boring Midwest or fly to Denver or Phoenix or LA or SF and rent a car?

My car has about 30K mileage. Eats about 35gal. per 1000mi.

On one hand, just to reach Rockies from NYC takes 3 days. Total 6 days driving 10hrs a day and seeing nothing but corn fields through the windshield.

On the other hand, with own car you're flexible, not bounded by air tickets and rental period.

On the third hand, the total mileage for such trip could be 15K?... 20K?... Start with 30K and return with 50K, not so good...

On the fourth hand, gas spent to reach Rockies or farther will cost as much as air ticket.

On the fifth hand...

Etc etc.

What would YOU do? What's your experience, if you ever made such long trips? Any tips are appreciated.

Thanks,

--
Mishkin
 
Mishkin said:
You see, this is on topic :) I just don't feel like asking this in
Open Talk, I don't hang around there.

Q: If you were to make a trip from East Coast to the best places in
the West (west of Rockies, EVERYTHING NATURE-WISE - Colorado, Utah,
Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming...) for a
month, would you drive your car across boring Midwest or fly to
Denver or Phoenix or LA or SF and rent a car?

My car has about 30K mileage. Eats about 35gal. per 1000mi.

On one hand, just to reach Rockies from NYC takes 3 days. Total 6
days driving 10hrs a day and seeing nothing but corn fields through
the windshield.

On the other hand, with own car you're flexible, not bounded by air
tickets and rental period.

On the third hand, the total mileage for such trip could be 15K?...
20K?... Start with 30K and return with 50K, not so good...

On the fourth hand, gas spent to reach Rockies or farther will cost
as much as air ticket.

On the fifth hand...

Etc etc.

What would YOU do? What's your experience, if you ever made such
long trips? Any tips are appreciated.

Thanks,

--
Mishkin
Click to expand...
There is way to much in the beautifull USA to be flying from Point A to Point B....
I always drive my 4 x 4 truck everywhere I go if I can get there by land...

There is just to much to see....

Rentals suck... I hate renting cars... Besides, most of the good stuff that I found in Wyoming required 4 wheel drive to get to it, or at least the comfort of knowing the 4x4 option is with you incase you get stuck..

The wife an I got stuck on a snow drift in YellowStone... I could not believe it!!! Dry pavement all around us... And I get stuck in the 1 snow drift about 24 inches high... It even took me about 10 minutes in 4 wheel drive and alot of rocking to get it out..

Screw cars... and rentals are even worse..

Take the drive.. its not that bad.. and you get to carry more stuff with you :)

Murphy
 
I would drive (and have). I hate to fly. I hate other people toucing my gear. I hate not taking all the equipment I think I might want. I hate not knowing when I will actually get to my destination/starting point. And being from Ohio, cornfields don't irritate me that much:)

Two summers ago, I drove through the Canadian Rockies and over the Alaska Highway. I spent about 7 weeks going wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted. That trip was in a 300zx, however, which I decided was NOT a very good idea. Last year I did a shorter swing primarily through Wyoming and Montana in a Jeep. I thought it worked out fine, although the gas was pretty expensive. Everywhere you mentioned has good highway access, so I would only rent a car if I wanted to do serious off roading and was not comfortable with using my own car.

Sherry
 
I agree.. i never fly.. love to drive and see the country..

but.. i prefer the sports car for the trip.. for those winding roads in the mountains or up the coastal highway.. it's a thrill..

I'm planning a roadtrip USA soon.. a one year trip around the country.. just to shoot pics.. and see the country.. again.. (like the show Bronson) ..

cheers
Murphy said:
Mishkin said:
You see, this is on topic :) I just don't feel like asking this in
Open Talk, I don't hang around there.

Q: If you were to make a trip from East Coast to the best places in
the West (west of Rockies, EVERYTHING NATURE-WISE - Colorado, Utah,
Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming...) for a
month, would you drive your car across boring Midwest or fly to
Denver or Phoenix or LA or SF and rent a car?

My car has about 30K mileage. Eats about 35gal. per 1000mi.

On one hand, just to reach Rockies from NYC takes 3 days. Total 6
days driving 10hrs a day and seeing nothing but corn fields through
the windshield.

On the other hand, with own car you're flexible, not bounded by air
tickets and rental period.

On the third hand, the total mileage for such trip could be 15K?...
20K?... Start with 30K and return with 50K, not so good...

On the fourth hand, gas spent to reach Rockies or farther will cost
as much as air ticket.

On the fifth hand...

Etc etc.

What would YOU do? What's your experience, if you ever made such
long trips? Any tips are appreciated.

Thanks,

--
Mishkin
Click to expand...
There is way to much in the beautifull USA to be flying from Point
A to Point B....
I always drive my 4 x 4 truck everywhere I go if I can get there by
land...

There is just to much to see....
Rentals suck... I hate renting cars... Besides, most of the good
stuff that I found in Wyoming required 4 wheel drive to get to it,
or at least the comfort of knowing the 4x4 option is with you
incase you get stuck..

The wife an I got stuck on a snow drift in YellowStone... I could
not believe it!!! Dry pavement all around us... And I get stuck
in the 1 snow drift about 24 inches high... It even took me about
10 minutes in 4 wheel drive and alot of rocking to get it out..

Screw cars... and rentals are even worse..

Take the drive.. its not that bad.. and you get to carry more stuff
with you :)

Murphy
Click to expand...
--
CANON 10D - S-30 - A-1 film
 
I'd agree with Murphy that there's much to see and photograph along the way, if you drive the 2-lanes. Depends on what's in your mind's eye. I've taken memorable shots of corn and wheat fields with silos on the horizon, barns, etc. Andirondaks and Poconos. The great rivers of the central states. There are more deer in WI and IA than in the west. The landscape changes. One could go on. If time is an issue, then fly. You can rent SUV's if so inclined. See Michael Richman's description (Eclipse article) of the drive to the dry lake in Death Valley where the rocks slide accross the sand. At the same time, you over estimate the miles you'll drive -- you do plan to take some pictures too, am I right? If indeed you have no interest but mountains and desert, fly and rent. Rent an economy car for the most part. Get yourself an SUV when you anticipate roughing it. You'll get the best of both worlds that way.
 
but mostly because I would never put those kind of miles on my VW Corrado.

And, if you really don't care about the several days driving across middle America then why not fly to the West and THEN rent? That's a few more days you could spend in the areas you are more interested in.

You might consider bringing an AC Inverter (or DC adapters) along so that you may charge your batteries and use your laptop on-the-go.

--Steve
 
I guess you flunk geography. LOL

Drew
Mishkin said:
You see, this is on topic :) I just don't feel like asking this in
Open Talk, I don't hang around there.

Q: If you were to make a trip from East Coast to the best places in
the West (west of Rockies, EVERYTHING NATURE-WISE - Colorado, Utah,
Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming...) for a
month, would you drive your car across boring Midwest or fly to
Denver or Phoenix or LA or SF and rent a car?

My car has about 30K mileage. Eats about 35gal. per 1000mi.

On one hand, just to reach Rockies from NYC takes 3 days. Total 6
days driving 10hrs a day and seeing nothing but corn fields through
the windshield.

On the other hand, with own car you're flexible, not bounded by air
tickets and rental period.

On the third hand, the total mileage for such trip could be 15K?...
20K?... Start with 30K and return with 50K, not so good...

On the fourth hand, gas spent to reach Rockies or farther will cost
as much as air ticket.

On the fifth hand...

Etc etc.

What would YOU do? What's your experience, if you ever made such
long trips? Any tips are appreciated.

Thanks,

--
Mishkin
Click to expand...
 
Cars are meant to be used and driven IMO. They will never go up in value unless it is a rare collectors type car. They go down in value. That makes them a really poor investment if that is how you look at them.

Also, many rental cars won't let you go any place fun.

Steven
Mishkin said:
You see, this is on topic :) I just don't feel like asking this in
Open Talk, I don't hang around there.

Q: If you were to make a trip from East Coast to the best places in
the West (west of Rockies, EVERYTHING NATURE-WISE - Colorado, Utah,
Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming...) for a
month, would you drive your car across boring Midwest or fly to
Denver or Phoenix or LA or SF and rent a car?

My car has about 30K mileage. Eats about 35gal. per 1000mi.

On one hand, just to reach Rockies from NYC takes 3 days. Total 6
days driving 10hrs a day and seeing nothing but corn fields through
the windshield.

On the other hand, with own car you're flexible, not bounded by air
tickets and rental period.

On the third hand, the total mileage for such trip could be 15K?...
20K?... Start with 30K and return with 50K, not so good...

On the fourth hand, gas spent to reach Rockies or farther will cost
as much as air ticket.

On the fifth hand...

Etc etc.

What would YOU do? What's your experience, if you ever made such
long trips? Any tips are appreciated.

Thanks,

--
Mishkin
Click to expand...
--
---
New and Updated!!!
http://www.pbase.com/snoyes/desertmuseum
http://www.pbase.com/snoyes/desertbotanicalgardens
 
:-) how many hands do you have? ;-)

I've been dreaming about driving across the country but have not had time doing so yet.

I don't like rental car. It does not have all the stuff that I need (warm cloth, power converter, food, drink, etc :-), and it's probably expensive.

I can only bring just a little if I fly. 38 miles / galon of gas is not bad. 20K miles for the trip is probably ok, I guess. I'm ok with that :-). Think of how many photos you can take :-).

just my 2 cents

Thanh

btw, please share the photos with us when you're back :-)
Mishkin said:
You see, this is on topic :) I just don't feel like asking this in
Open Talk, I don't hang around there.

Q: If you were to make a trip from East Coast to the best places in
the West (west of Rockies, EVERYTHING NATURE-WISE - Colorado, Utah,
Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming...) for a
month, would you drive your car across boring Midwest or fly to
Denver or Phoenix or LA or SF and rent a car?

My car has about 30K mileage. Eats about 35gal. per 1000mi.

On one hand, just to reach Rockies from NYC takes 3 days. Total 6
days driving 10hrs a day and seeing nothing but corn fields through
the windshield.

On the other hand, with own car you're flexible, not bounded by air
tickets and rental period.

On the third hand, the total mileage for such trip could be 15K?...
20K?... Start with 30K and return with 50K, not so good...

On the fourth hand, gas spent to reach Rockies or farther will cost
as much as air ticket.

On the fifth hand...

Etc etc.

What would YOU do? What's your experience, if you ever made such
long trips? Any tips are appreciated.

Thanks,

--
Mishkin
Click to expand...
--

o
 
murphy said:
There is way to much in the beautifull USA to be flying from Point
A to Point B....
I always drive my 4 x 4 truck everywhere I go if I can get there by
land...

There is just to much to see....
Click to expand...
My very last flight was in 1995 when I nearly died on an airplane when they thought itd be cool to fly a 767 into a storm which had a tornado warning and nearly lost control of the airplane, and it wasnt the first time and i probably only flew 15 times before that...never ever EVER again. just thinking about them gets me anxious. airplanes are not safe and i DONT trust the pilots and DONT throw statistics at me, if there were as many airplanes in the sky as there were cars on the road there would be 50X as many plane crashes...........with that being said I started taking the train everywhere and let me tell ya, the midwest is not boring at all if you look at it the right way, yeah there are a lot of corn fields but some of the barns in iowa are just beautiful, there are a lot of stuff to take pictures of, and minnesota has a beauty of its own that I cannot really explain....and the mississippi river, what do you mean the midwest is boring???
 
I would fly to Denver and go from there. Your 6 day drive (NY-Den-NY) calculation is mostly interstate with very little worth capturing, unless you leave the interstate, in which case it would take you longer than 6 days. Since your goal is to see the Western States, don't waste your time on the in-between. Spend the 6 days in the West.

Just my .02.

Olga
 
I already made a roadtrip 4yrs ago: NYC, Chicago, Boulder, Santa Fe, Boulder, Grand Canyon, LA, Hwy 1 all the way from LA to Seattle, Yellowstone, Boulder, Calsbad, Mexico bay, Panama City, Atlanta, NYC (with corresponding National Parks along the way).

14,000 miles.

(ok, 1K was in Boulder during the time I worked there)

So, 20K maybe too much for a month trip, but 15K is not.

I flunk geography, but I can read tachometer LOL
Andrew McCoy said:
Drew
Mishkin said:
You see, this is on topic :) I just don't feel like asking this in
Open Talk, I don't hang around there.

Q: If you were to make a trip from East Coast to the best places in
the West (west of Rockies, EVERYTHING NATURE-WISE - Colorado, Utah,
Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming...) for a
month, would you drive your car across boring Midwest or fly to
Denver or Phoenix or LA or SF and rent a car?

My car has about 30K mileage. Eats about 35gal. per 1000mi.

On one hand, just to reach Rockies from NYC takes 3 days. Total 6
days driving 10hrs a day and seeing nothing but corn fields through
the windshield.

On the other hand, with own car you're flexible, not bounded by air
tickets and rental period.

On the third hand, the total mileage for such trip could be 15K?...
20K?... Start with 30K and return with 50K, not so good...

On the fourth hand, gas spent to reach Rockies or farther will cost
as much as air ticket.

On the fifth hand...

Etc etc.

What would YOU do? What's your experience, if you ever made such
long trips? Any tips are appreciated.

Thanks,

--
Mishkin
Click to expand...
--
Click to expand...
--
Mishkin
 
I drove Hwy 1 all the way from LA to Seattle and can say I wish the speed limit was at least 50, not 35 to experience real thrill :)

Interestingly, the distance by the map is about 1400mi, but by Hwy 1 it's 1800, yep, these thousands of turns take extra 400mi :)
cpr1954 said:
but.. i prefer the sports car for the trip.. for those winding
roads in the mountains or up the coastal highway.. it's a thrill..
Click to expand...
--
Mishkin
 
Sadja Herzog said:
interest but mountains and desert, fly and rent. Rent an economy
car for the most part. Get yourself an SUV when you anticipate
roughing it. You'll get the best of both worlds that way.
Click to expand...
Where do I need SUV, which National Parks? My car is not 4WD.

--
Mishkin
 
dude,

i think you meant I-5, not hwy 1 (LA to Seattle) and....
.... i think u meant odometer, not tachometer! L O L

good luck on your roadtrip. me, personally? if i have time to spare, i'd drive. i value personal convenience over my car's depreciation. the memories you'll have with that car will be worth much more than the car itself years from now.

-brey-
Mishkin said:
14,000 miles.

(ok, 1K was in Boulder during the time I worked there)

So, 20K maybe too much for a month trip, but 15K is not.

I flunk geography, but I can read tachometer LOL
Andrew McCoy said:
I guess you flunk geography. LOL

Drew
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I-5 doesnt have 400 miles worth of turns, lol...and hwy 1 is along the coast, very scenic, I-5 is just...well an interstate.
breycap said:
i think you meant I-5, not hwy 1 (LA to Seattle) and....
.... i think u meant odometer, not tachometer! L O L

good luck on your roadtrip. me, personally? if i have time to
spare, i'd drive. i value personal convenience over my car's
depreciation. the memories you'll have with that car will be worth
much more than the car itself years from now.

-brey-
Mishkin said:
14,000 miles.

(ok, 1K was in Boulder during the time I worked there)

So, 20K maybe too much for a month trip, but 15K is not.

I flunk geography, but I can read tachometer LOL
Andrew McCoy said:
I guess you flunk geography. LOL

Drew
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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