Epic cross-country loop summer 2025 (with great times with other forum folks)!

[broadicustomworks]

Day 1 was the push to get from NC to Amarillo. 20 hours straight before hotel rest and recharge.

I’ll make posts after this as placeholders to update when this epic mega trip is done.
The California segments have a different shape from when I saved this pic a year ago (when planning started) as we crossed in at Death Valley, went up 395 to Lee Vining, over through Yosemite, Though Oakhurst to Big Sur.

Forum members met for the Utah portions, others met for the Cali portions, and hopefully one more in Oregon when we get there (currently about an hour south of Mt. Shasta).

*pics of each day incoming as I can

Sponsored

 

[broadicustomworks]

Day 2 Amarillo to Monument valley, through to Valley Of the Gods to camp.

VOG proved to be too ill suited that afternoon. Dust-laden high winds, exposed camp spots with no shade, a lack of flat area to set up, temps over 100.

Alone each was a drawback but not intolerable. All combined led us to seek elsewhere. @618TRVLWILD Found a potential spot along the route to Moab that proved perfect.

Changing plans and then finding some blessing after having to regroup proved to be a positive trend as the trip progressed.

Sand Island camp in Bluff, UT was large enough with ample flat ground, shade, bathrooms, and the San Juan River right beside us.

Stargazing was great!

friends along for the ride today:
@618TRVLWILD
@HotdogThud
@RBF 1401

 

[broadicustomworks]

Day 3 was a short jaunt up to Moab where we snagged some good pizza and ate too much. We hit the downtown shops for a couple of hours.

My lack of hydrating as I should had me wiped out. So to the hotel we went.

While my ladies hit the pool I showered, rested up, and we hit up Arches to watch the sunset.
Today’s crew was with @RBF 1401 and @618TRVLWILD.

 

[broadicustomworks]

Day 4 was the beginning of the epic daily drives that led me to uncharted and completely underestimated terrain and roads.

After a quick jaunt down I70 with @RBF 1401 we got off 4 lane for the next few days.

24 to Hanksville where we saw a really cool Sinclair station built into the surrounding red rock formations.

Kept west to the turnoff to Factory Butte and Moonscape overlook.

Washboard roads for the @15 miles in and then back out were a bit rough. By the payoff as Moonscape revealed itself made it WELL worth it.

Almost indescribable.



After that we continued down 24 and hit hwy 12. “The most scenic highway in America” might very well be true.

heights alone are a bit stressful for me when driving. But the section of 12 that winds into Escalante from Torrey was on another level. Scariest section of road I’ve ever been on (until a later post leaving Big Sur).

But oh-so wonderful.



We made our way into camp in Kodachrome Basin State Park. A campsite I assumed would be a “decent place to stop and camp” when I reserved it months back.

This is a location that is a diamond in the rough, exceptional facility with otherworldly vistas and great sites among the trees.

We went in a Ranger-led night walk to find scorpions. And we did. Learned they glow when exposed to a black light.
Same crew today as yesterday.

 

[broadicustomworks]

Day 5 was one those bittersweet days but no less amazing. We knew we were parting ways with @618TRVLWILD after camp, and with @RBF 1401 after the 40-mile off-pavement Cottonwood Canyon Rd that led from Kodachrome to 89.

Highly recommend CC rd. Not too bad with washboards but there are some. Beautiful scenery.

We parted ways and stopped in Kanab for a bite to eat before visiting Coral Pink Sand Dunes.

From there we ended up not heading north to Zion as intended but went SW to Hurricane.

After a quick stop at Matt’s Off-Road we hit the hotel again. Daughter and I set off to look around Sand Hollow for a bit.

 

[broadicustomworks]

Day 6 was yet another mega-underestimated scenery day.

The sheer presence of the rock mountainsides headed from St.George to NV on I-15 is indescribable and as everything else, hard to capture in pics.

Ya just “gotta be there”.

Into the desert wastelands we go.

After a couple-hour stopover in Vegas walking the strip we were off again to cross down into (and up out of and into again) Death Valley.

Father Crowley overlook is not to be missed on 190. Drive past the paved lot and down the slightly rough path that leads to it. Just do it!

Down to 5ft elevation and 103 temps we ventured.

Stovepipe Wells was a lot neater to hang out a bit in than what the dot on the map would lead you to believe. Friendly folks and a chill vibe. Great gift shop!

Coming out of the last climb out of DV and eventually 395 is a distance that via Google Maps looks minor.

But it’s not. It’s another 1-1.5 hours of desolated but beautiful countryside.

We met up with @Natai who had already snagged the best site in Fossil Falls Campground. Something about camping on a dormant obvious volcano and lava flow area caused me to choose it back when planning this.

Father Crowley overlook. The road below is the one you take to get there. Amazing.

lava flow. 5-9 Jr. Broadi for scale. Sorry, fresh out of pineapples and bananas.

sunset over the Sierras.

Sunrise over the other side.

our own personal little cinder cone volcano.

 

[broadicustomworks]

Day 7 was another instance where one anticipates a campsite or area to be better than actuality.

The plan was to snag a great site in Alabama Hills early (like 45 minutes away from the prior camp night), ride abound and wheel the area the rest of the day.

Alabama Hills is rugged. More by far than I imagined. The open Sites (due to being “4x4 only) were not level, not large enough for 2 Broncos and tents, and all were considerably rocky and exposed to the brutal sun.

So after visiting for a bit we headed north on 395.

We found a really neat campground in Big Pine and if it weren’t for the ants and sketchy showers, would have been dang near perfect for a day where we spent the remainder literally doing nothing but recharging and hanging out together. Mosquitoes and ants had their heyday with us.

couple of cool shots of @Natai

a few shots of/from our campsite in Big Pine

 

[broadicustomworks]

Day 8 showed me the reminder that Cali terrain and varying scenery/ climate changes very quickly.

After a quite-long ascent up to Lee Vining I found myself in awe again of the sheer magnitude of the terrain.

Mono lake was a quick stop for local coffee and a visit by the lake before heading into the grandiose Yosemite park.

Just a few hours south we were at 5 ft of elevation and now found ourselves at 9,945. Pretty sure we climbed another 55 ft somewhere so in my head we hit 10k this trip.

Tioga Rd is scenic and amazing.

Big Oak Flat Rd that takes you around and down into Yosemite Village is a bit scary. As is Wawona coming back out the other side.

Not terrifying, but not some easy stroll.

The whole of Yosemite made me extremely grateful for being able to see it and sad that people who live in Cali don’t realize how great it is if they’ve never had the chance to be there.

After leaving we camped by Bass Lake in Oakhurst in a decent spot near the water. Mosquitoes were plentiful, and expectedly so.

The vibe that night at Miller’s Landing bar and grille (and store) was super-cool.
Pics added:

 

[broadicustomworks]

Day 9 was another example of best-laid plans not quite being what was expected and the “plan B” being a blessing. Another example of mega-terrain and climate changes, another example of being speechless at the sheer size and presence of the land.

We left Oakhurst and headed down through Paso Robles and over to Cambria.

As we approached I thought there was some mega-fire ahead.

But that wasn’t smoke. It ended up being moisture and fog/clouds where the Pacific air pushed against the sheer mountains.

We stopped to potentially see some elephant seals but were blessed with another fortuitous moment in time where the Ranger said “You’re lucky to be here at this point of the year to see them coming in to rest after 8 months at sea living in depths of 1500 ft.”.

Onward to Big Sur we went.

Again, you think you know what to expect but being there is on another level. Amazing.

Little bit of white-knuckle focus and we arrived at Plaskett campsites.

The air was cold, everything was wet, the site (006) was not really big enough for 2 vehicles so we made the choice to backtrack a few miles to Gorda, CA to check out the one place that was the store, restaurant, town hall, and accommodations building in town.

We snagged a 2BR cabin overlooking the water and listened to the seals call out.

The sheer good fortune, serentity, and magnificence of it all almost brought tears to eyes.

Everything on Plan B yet again far exceeded what the reserved plans offered by many multitudes.

But again there was that bittersweet feeling in knowing the morning would bid adieu to the shorter adventure trips as well as our time together with friends.

From this point on it was just us again. 3 folks from NC somehow finding their way around the far other side of the nation.

First clear sight of The “other ocean”!

As we rode toward the last rise before the ocean I thought “That’s one heckuva fire”.
But it wasn’t. It was the fog/moisture rolling in and getting dammed up against the sharp rise I was yet to see and comprehend.

Various images of the jaw dropping wonder that is Big Sur:

An example of plan B being many times better than “plan A” was?
definitely.
Plaskett campsite turned out to be very dank smelling, unlevel, and too-small for two setups.
I told the site host I wasn’t going to cancel, to give it away for free to whoever showed up looking for a site.
@Natai was able to snag this very affordable and wonderful 2br cottage overlooking g the water and hwy 1.
The gazebo offered up a wonderful evening view, nice breeze, and the sounds of the water and semi-distant lonely calls of seals on the rocks.
After an evening by the fireplace together sharing many laughs we slept in comfort.

We were fortunate to see a bunch of male elephant seals resting, molting, and hollering at each other.

 

[broadicustomworks]

Day 10. The beginning of which put me squarely facing off against my fears.

Looking at a map one can be misled (or have an unrealistic assumption) by seeing the path the road takes, the waviness and switchbacks, knowing that you are going to cross those mountains, and expecting it to be a walk in the park and an easy time.
Nothing, not even the “Google guy” on Google Maps can prepare you for reality vs. pictures.

Nacimiento-Ferguson rd is not for the feint of heart. Steep, narrow, winding with no guardrails or any other feel-good things that make folks like me feel comfy. Rationally, people take that route without the slightest incident. That and sheer will to power through helped me try and keep it above 10 mph for the climb to the top of the world again. Unencumbered views showed you constantly what you had previously been driving on and the open expanse of sea and clouds below.

After a quick bite to eat once back on 101, we said goodbye to Sean and Joy, headed up solo to the Golden Gate Bridge and onward to the hotel in Mt. Shasta.

 

[broadicustomworks]

Day 11 wasn’t as bad a drive as I feared.
9 hours including fuel stops but we made it to Mt. Shasta.
The mountain and town are really cool.
We stayed at the Loge, which had been renamed since I made the reservation and it was not a great experience.
No staff on site, check in was via text to give you a code to enter the room.
Wooden steps and upper deck walkway had rotten boards, one light in the bed area worked and it flickered constantly.
As did the bathroom light.
0/10 would not recommend.
Other, better places closer to the town.
Golden Gate was shrouded in fog, but we did manage to get a haphazard pic of the structure at the north end as the fog lifted.

 

[broadicustomworks]

Day 12 was both mundane landscape, possibly the most breathtaking vista (hard to say if it was more awe-inspiring than Moonscape but it’s a really close 1-2 tie) at Crater Lake.
To describe the intensity of the experience is impossible.
A 12k ft volcano that blew its top and left an 8K ft tall ring with a 2k ft deep pristine lake 6 miles wide is hard to visualize.
A big highlight was meeting another long-time forum friend for a brief “howdy”.
I wished I had more time to just talk with @corey07.
I’d REALLY love to come back and hunt some big game with her.

*And she gave me some local jerky!

 

[broadicustomworks]

Day 13 drive was quite monotonous until we approached the backside of the Tetons.
We came in the shorter way time-wise via 33 and 22, over the Teton Pass.
Talk about a steep climb and descent! Whooo!
Not as nerve wracking as Nacimiento rd was (at least this one was wide and had guard rails).
pics to come.
Jackson Hole is a cool vibe. Touristy, but a cool and pretty downtown.
Really nice little cabins for rent at the Cowboy Resort.

 

[AZ_Craig]

Sheesh, I've thought some cross country trips I've done have been breackneck, but I usually have 20 to 30 days. See a hell of a lot, but not enough time to stop and smell the roses per-say in my opinion . Regardless, enjoy it!

 

[Dugout]

Yes, keep the stories & pics coming. What an amazing fun trip.
Gets me pumped for my little 11 day National Park/Camp/Golf SNNS trip coming up end of July.

Sponsored