Planning a Road Trip PDX-SLC-LV-SF-PDX

"JRapp: now as good as new again" (jrapp)
07/29/2015 at 18:30 • Filed to: None

So I’m planning a road-trip, and need suggestions for interesting, possibly car-related things to visit along the way. The skeleton plan is Portland OR - Twin Falls ID - via Bonneville Salt Flats to Salt Lake City - Las Vegas - Hoover Dam - back to Las Vegas - San Fransisco, avoiding as much of LA as possible - back to Portland.

Any interesting, car related along the way I should visit?

DISCUSSION (14)

HammerheadFistpunch > JRapp: now as good as new again
07/29/2015 at 18:35

Don’t bother with the salt flats...they are closed.

JRapp: now as good as new again > HammerheadFistpunch
07/29/2015 at 18:46

How “Closed” is are they? I was aware that they cancelled the Speed Week that was supposed to be happening soon. Twin Fall, ID to SLC via West Wendover adds less than an hour travel time when compared to 84. And the idea isn’t to drive on the salt or anything.. just to see the place they do their thing at, maybe get a souvenier at a gift shop or gas station or something..

HammerheadFistpunch > JRapp: now as good as new again
07/29/2015 at 18:54

I would call the wendover airport and talk to them before your trip and make the decision based on that. Seems like a lot of the worlds ugliest driving to just see the park area. 84 is also a terrible, and boring road. If it were me I would be tempted to keep heading east to the rocky mountains and then head south to salt lake. The truth is that although there is some cool stuff to see in the great basin (great basin NP is amazing) that all the really cool stuff is east of I15.

61hp > JRapp: now as good as new again
07/29/2015 at 19:03

What time frame are you going on your roadtrip?

Car week is happening in Monterey/Carmel in two weeks time
Pirelli World Challenge Championships in Utah is on August 22-23

JRapp: now as good as new again > HammerheadFistpunch
07/29/2015 at 19:04

Well, our ultimate destination is Las Vegas area this time, where we’ll be spending a few days (Hoover Dam and whatever else we dig up, and the Strip.. still unsure about the Grand Canyon - that’s either really expensive, or a longer drive for the cheaper option), so headed further east of SLC is likely not gonna happen this time around. That’ll happen for one of our next road trips to Mt Rushmore (which is admittedly underwhelming in itself, but it’s something you have to see at least once). I myself have already seen all of the above, but the wife and the boys haven’t..

HammerheadFistpunch > JRapp: now as good as new again
07/29/2015 at 19:07

Gotcha.

JRapp: now as good as new again > 61hp
07/29/2015 at 19:10

Unfortunately we’ll be missing both. We’ll actually be leaving this Saturday, the 1st, and I have to be back at work on the 10th. I’m just looking for interesting sights to see along the way. We more or less already know where we’ll be staying each night.. the towns or areas anyways if not the actual Motels Hotels or whatnot.

The Monerey Car Week looks awesome though. May need to keep that in mind for next summer. Thanks for the suggestion.

JRapp: now as good as new again > HammerheadFistpunch
07/29/2015 at 19:13

But when you say “the cool stuff is east of I15”.... what do suggest? For future reference. I already have both Arches NP and Monument Valley further south, on my list of things to visit. Haven’t seen either yet.. though this time again, they’re a bit out of the way.

HammerheadFistpunch > JRapp: now as good as new again
07/29/2015 at 19:22

Hit up highway 12. It will blow your mind. There are many MANY other great things out there, but highway 12 is like a string of pearls.

JRapp: now as good as new again > HammerheadFistpunch
07/29/2015 at 19:35

Thank you for that suggestion. It looks gorgeous. Now I’ll just need to figure out how to fit that into a road-trip scenario. Seems it would add at least 4 hours to the SLC to LV leg, and there’s no other way to really make use of that drive, coming from Portland, going somewhere .

61hp > JRapp: now as good as new again
07/29/2015 at 20:59

If you are a fan of Fords, especially Mustangs, Cobras, and GT40s I would suggest stopping by Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah and going through their museum. It is quite impressive.

If you like window shopping or stop by during business hours the Ferrari dealership in SLC has a La Ferrari (or did last time I drove by) and it looks like the Porsche dealership has two 918s, one in Martini livery. The Ferrari dealer is pretty chill, never been into the Porsche dealership. Might be worth the stop if you are in town, better then paying money to go into dealerships like they do in Vegas.

If you are going to be near Oxnard, California it may be worth reaching out to the Mullins Museum to see if they will open it for a semi-private tour. Normal tickets are $15, but semi-private tickets on days they usually would be closed are $40, and would absolutely be worth it.

61hp > JRapp: now as good as new again
07/29/2015 at 21:10

Two more places I just thought about, though I imagine there are plenty more

Blackhawk Museum just outside of the Bay Area
http://www.blackhawkmuseum.org/

The Nethercutt Collection on the north side of the LA area
http://www.nethercuttcollection.org/

JRapp: now as good as new again > 61hp
07/29/2015 at 21:45

Thanks for the tip on the Miller Motorsports Park. Looking at their site, there’s no mention of a museum, or if there is, it’s well hidden, so I had discounted that. But searching for a Museum there does bring up some stuff. I’ll see if I can convince the wife to detour there, considering we just recently did the new World of Speed museum near Portland that looks very similar.

I think I’ll forego the car dealers, as the Ron Tonkin Gran Tourismo dealer in Portland doesn’t charge for admission either I don’t think, and they have some pretty stuff there too, albeit no La Ferrari..

The Mullins Museum and Nethercutt Collection will unfortunately be too far out of the way. I want to stay out of LA this time around. May see if that’s doable end of August when we’ll be in LA anyways. Thanks for that tip.

Thanks for the tips though!

LoveTheWagon > JRapp: now as good as new again
07/29/2015 at 23:45

Air museum in Roy Utah. It is also entertaining to watch people base jump off the bridge in Twin Falls. There is the Yanke Motor museum in Boise and The Candy Store in Boise which used to have a nice Duesenberg on display. There are races at Meridian Speedway outside of Boise as well. Nice new aquarium near Draper Utah, just south of SLC. Lots of things to see and do.