Ideas for epic father/son road trip?? Fellow 6ers,
My Dad is turning 70 this month and I want to give him the road trip that he never had.

Due to his health, I'm thinking that a 5-7 day trip is perfect. It allows us to cherry pick one of the VERY BEST cruising routes in the continental U.S. The idea is to fly into an airport (if applicable). Rent a super comfy car (that's perhaps a bit unique). And hit the road. Enjoy the scenery. Crash at motels/B&Bs/inns. Catch some cool sites that are pure Americana. And finish the trip at some really cool spot.

My goal is an EPIC father/son trip here gents!

Timing/location/etc. are all TBD. Part of the fun will be planning the trip with my Dad. However, I want to provide a few different types of trips we can take to let him guide me on what would give him a lifetime thrill.

SO - LOOKING FOR YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE BEST ROADS IN THE COUNTRY AND HOW TO BEST ENJOY THEM. It'll probably be in the Spring or early Summer if that helps.

Let your minds go wild!

As background to help your thinking: My Dad's passion is American History (with a focus on the Revolutionary and Civil Wars). He's a traveled a ton with his work and has stayed at all the top hotels. He's more likely to be "wowed" at this stage in life by an inn that's a converted carriage house, a quirky road side display or a historic diner with the best burgers in the area. That type of stuff! (Note: he's not a car guy so something like the Tail of the Dragon wouldn't work here.)

I'm posting this in a few regional chapters here on 6Speed because I honestly don't know which part of the country he wants to see up close and personal. Want to collect a bunch of ideas from each part of the country to A) psyche him up about the trip, and B) open him up to the endless possibilities.

Part of the excitement of a trip, as you guys know, is in the planning.

So, what would be an epic trip in the Northwest?

Much thanks and appreciation for your thoughts!

 

I would say the northwest, from utah to north cali up to seattle

 

Hey WPG! What types of roads/places specifically? I'm looking for specific recommendations

 

When I go on my road trip with my dad to monterey every year we just go wherever. The fun thing is not really knowing where your going. When you get tired you pull over to a motel and stay the night. It also makes for a low-stress situation.

 

Have done lots and lots of road trips, one of the most memorable and interesting is to start at Cape Flattery visiting the 1912 military sites, and drive the entire coast, sticking with the roads closest to the ocean all the way to San Diego, stopping along the way to visit all the military battery sites. To do the whole thing takes about two weeks, and is actually 2,000 miles in total. The costal history is extraordinary and there are some great books that cover every town on the coast. You could spend two weeks just driving as far as San Francisco.

Another terrific trip would be to trace the entire Louis and Clark route. Another would be to trace the Mississippi. That too can take about two weeks.

 

TommyJames, great stuff! And MiniGeorge you're describing the type of mood I'm shooting for. Thanks to both of you.

 

For a car enthusiast, Hot August Nights in Reno is a fun trip. Tons of classics, muscle cars, and even exotic cars to look at. You can even make it out to the Silver Auction and watch some of these precious beauties sell.

 

One of the things I've always wanted to do was fly somewhere, buy a fun/interesting car and spend the road trip driving it back. If you've got the money, I think it makes the entire trip more intrestesting than renting a caddilac STS or something mundane and boring.

When I think about doing this, I always start looking at something like a BMW 850... not that fast, heavy, and not reliable at all, but for some odd reason I've always wanted one. My only scare with that car is parts if something major broke along the way. but if I have it inspected by a good shop before I even fly out for the trip... then it would probably be safe.

Because your dad is a history buff, maybe some classic American car would work...plus if that broke you could probably find qualified mechanics and parts all over the US.

 

I definitely agree with Tommy about the pacific coast. You could easily start in Port Angeles where there is an international airport. Go through Cape Flattery, along HWY101 south Thru Oregon as far as you like. If you do go into California then cut over to HWY1 and follow the coast through San Fran, Monterey, San Luis Abispo, etc. Fly home out of LA. That would be an amazing drive. The change in landscapes from Washington to California is worth the drive by itself let alone all the history of each Port and small town whether it be war history or fishing history related.

 

@ Mdash: Great stuff! I was hoping to drill down to specifics like this! Keep 'em coming.

@ Matt: While my dad digs a nice ride (he's a Lexus fanatic), he's not exactly a Car Guy The gearhead gene skipped a generation there (lol). I'm also trying to pare down the herd in my garage rather than build it back up again (although that's tempting!).

 

Several years ago I did a road trip that followed Chief Joseph's escape route with his people of the Nez Perz tribe from his lands in northeastern Oregon to the Montana Canadian border. The U.S. government was trying get him onto a reservation in northeastern Washington state. It takes you through parts of Washington, Idaho, and Montana. There are several interpretive centers along the way telling the story of his peoples harrowing experience, all very interesting. I also visited some of the gold rush towns in Montana, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks and the old Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge (lots of history there). And as I was wandering around I stopped at the Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument to take a leak. I ended up spending the better part of the day there soaking up the history. The rangers were very entertaining in their explanations of the events which took place there. I also spent time in Cody Wyoming going through one of the largest gun collections at the Remington Museum. This was a seven day trip starting in Seattle (Portland would do as well) and going as far east as Rapid City, SD and back.

 

Wow Larry, that sounds like a great trip!

 

It was. Those were the days when Montana didn't enforce their speed limits, so you could cover a lot of ground in a hurry. I remember talking with a fellow M3 guy whose car was really messed up after he hit a coyote at about 100 mph. That got me thinking...

 

Humm, awesome idea!! Definitely adding this to the list of possibilities to share with my Dad. Many thanks