A Cross Country Roadtrip to California

Grand Teton National Park

I've driven across the US 6 times on 5 different routes.  My version of the ideal cross country trip is to see as much as possible for the least amount of money. I try to camp as often as I can along the way. I thought I would post some general route suggestions for anyone who might be researching a trip of their own.

The Southern Route
If you're considering driving across country on the I-40 , chances are that you're planning a trip to the Grand Canyon. This is the wrong way to do it. You would be better off flying into Las Vegas or Phoenix and renting a car. Why you ask? Because the 1000+ mile drive between Nashville and Flagstaff is endless and terrible. If you feel the need to ignore my advice, avoid booking a hotel room in Memphis, Little Rock, Oklahoma City or Albuquerque for safety reasons and stay in a small town instead. All of these cities are notoriously dangerous. The Smokey Mountains in Tennessee are definitely worth a visit.  The east-coast beaches from Delaware to Florida are beautiful, with the lone exceptions of Virginia Beach, Newport News, Fort Lauderdale and Daytona Beach which are all cesspools of human misery.

The Middle Route

To be frank, the middle of America is empty and boring, no matter what route you take.  The middle routes across I-70 and I-64 both converge in Saint Louis, one of the scariest cities I've ever driven through.  On my first cross country trip ever, I had planned on stopping at the Saint Louis Arch. When I saw the surrounding neighborhood, I was afraid to get off the highway.  Oklahoma City and Kansas City are equally depressing.  On the other hand, the 750 miles of highway from Denver to  Las Vegas is one of the most scenic and surreal drives in the US, with literally hundreds of parks and more amazing hikes than you could finish in a lifetime.  The I-70 heads over the Colorado Rockies through Vail and Grand Junction and past Arches National Park. From I-15 South you’ll pass Cedar Breaks National Monument,  Zion National Park, Kolob Canyon,  Valley of Fire State Park,  Las Vegas, the Mojave Desert, Temecula Wine Country in California and eventually San Diego. 

The Northern Route
For a first timer who has never made a cross country trip, I would recommend the route from Chicago to Orange County by way of the Badlands and Yellowstone National Park. Here is my optimal route:  

Chicago Illinois-> Badlands National Park -> Mount Rushmore -> Devil's Tower National Monument -> Yellowstone National Park -> Grand Teton National Park -> Jackson Wyoming -> Lava Hot Springs Idaho  -> Cedar Breaks National Monument-> Zion National Park -> Las Vegas -> Newport Beach California

You can pick up an annual National Park Pass  for 80$ and get access to all of the parks on this list. They will probably still hit you with an extra fee for parking at Mount Rushmore.

The route from Chicago to Orange County California  is estimated at 36 hours one way, it'll take a hell of a lot longer than that. I would recommend splitting this trip up into 3 weeks if you want to enjoy yourself and see everything on this list. The return trip is always a nightmare. If you really haul ass and swap drivers, you can make home from anywhere in 3 days.  A word of warning: you are really going to be sick of the car by the end of your trip.

 I've had a few minor car issues on my travels, but I still don't recommend renting a car because the prices have gotten outrageous. For the price of a rental car for three weeks, you could buy 4 round-trip tickets to anywhere in the United States and still have plenty of money left over for hotel rooms.

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Blackstar Canyon Waterfall

Blackstar Canyon Falls

Blackstar Canyon is a secluded canyon located ten miles east from the heart of Orange. Blackstar has a reputation in Orange County for being haunted.  Every year around Halloween, Blackstar becomes a popular hiking destination for ghost hunters and local ghost tours.  Having recently hiked the canyon myself at night, I can honestly say that it’s definitely a spooky place.  I don’t actually believe in ghosts, but mountain lions and bobcats are known to inhabit the canyon. If the thought of a mountain lion pouncing on you from behind doesn’t spook you, I don’t know what will.

Blackstar Canyon has a hidden waterfall and a cave at the mouth of the creek.  From pictures, the falls look amazing when they are running, but they were bone-dry both times I visited. The hike to the waterfall is a little over 6 miles round-trip. The first two miles of the hike follow a wide dirt road that winds its way into canyon, crossing several bridges and never veering too far from the creek. The canyon is filled with willow, acorn, eucalyptus, oak, and a variety of other large trees. The trail cuts through several areas which are privately owned and fenced off with electric and barbed wire. You can spot the remnants of a dilapidated squatter’s camp just off the trail.

 At approximately 2 miles in, you will come to a
three- way junction. The main road veers away from the creek to the left and heads further into the mountains. The middle trail, a smaller single track hiking trail, follows the rim of the creek and gradually leads up into the mountains.  The right-hand trail descends to the creek bed and leads upstream to the waterfall and the cave.

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Don't Eat the Wild Mushrooms

Don't Eat the Wild Mushrooms!

Have you ever seen one of those survival shows where the host eats a handful of wild mushrooms to stay alive? Are you tempted to try it yourself?  What you don't see when you watch these shows is the botany expert with the PHD in biology behind the camera carrying his trusty encyclopedia of edible plants.  To the untrained eye, many types of mushrooms and plants are indistinguishable. One bad mushroom might be all it takes to kill you on an empty stomach. If you're ever lost in a forest for  a few days, you are much better off eating bugs. Earthworms, termites, grasshoppers, and crickets are all completely edible and high in protein. Most people can go for a week or two without food anyway. I could probably go for two months on body fat alone, and that's not a joke. When in doubt, its better to tough it out for a day or two  and avoid the plant or mushroom that could potentially kill you. No matter what anyone on TV tells you, stay away from the wild mushrooms.

http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Family-Gets-Sick-From-Poisonous-Yard-Mushrooms--174410621.html

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Save Trestles

http://savetrestles.surfrider.org/

This is an interesting blog about the proposed highway to be built adjacent to Trestles (possibly the best surf spot in Southern California).

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Nobody Hikes in LA.

This is a HUGE list of hikes in the LA/Orange County area. Many of the links are clickable.

Abalone Cove

ABCD Loop – see Santiago Oaks Regional Park

Airport in the Sky – see Catalina Island

Airport Loop Trail – see Catalina Island

Alger Trail Camp – see Momyer Trail

Aliso Canyon Trail (San Fernando Valley) – see Porter Ranch Loop

Aliso Peak

-from Seaview Park

-via Valdido Trail

Aliso Summit Trail

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Mountain Biking in El Moro Canyon

Moro Canyon

Today, I rode my mountain bike from Balboa Peninsula, taking the back routes through the affluent suburban neighborhoods to Coastal Peak Park. Ridge Park Road ends at the park and it’s a very daunting ride from the bottom of the hill. The park sits at one of the highest points in the area and there are some amazing overlooks along the way to take in the views, but the views wont help your legs pedal any faster. From the park, I hit the Bonner Ridge Trail, took a wrong turn and ended up on the Rattlesnake trail. The Rattlesnake trail is in horrible disrepair. Ultra-hardcore mountain bike enthusiasts might call it a “technical” route, but the reality is that the rattlesnake trail is ruined and in dire need of some serious work to make it a viable bike route. I was able to connect to a nice wide-track road in the middle of El Moro canyon and bomb almost the entire last two miles of the trail at serious breakneck speed. It was the first time that I’ve worn a helmet in all year.

At the bottom of Moro Canyon, there is a connector trail to get you back to the bike route on Pacific Coast Highway, but you have to hike your bike up another steep trail. I chose instead to ride my bike on the beach and pick up the bike trails at Crystal Cove about a half mile north. Trust me, the concrete ramp up the beach is a lot less brutal than the connector trail in Moro Canyon. It might be possible to bike Pacific Coast Highway, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have a death wish. The speed limit on this section of PCH is 55, but most people drive 70 and the shoulder in nonexistent.

By the time I was back at Balboa Peninsula, I had ridden a little over 18 miles. Somehow, I felt as if I was biking up hill almost the entire ride, except for the canyon itself. I definitely learned a lesson. The next time I bike Moro Canyon, I’m going to use a two car shuttle; park one car at the bottom of El Moro, and drive the bikes to Coastal Peak Park.

El Moro Canyon Trail Map

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