US National Parks

Lassen - a miniature version of the whole trip we did with Bilco

If I only had limited days - Yosemite and Lassen

adventurous, thanks for that, and welcome to the site. Actually I don't cope with jetlag too well, although rather better going that way than coming home to Blighty.

sven Thanks, I've sent away for the DVD from the BBC, I do remember it from a showing last year and it really is good.

Anyway, we are having to put off this trip until next year because we are now going to Jordan and Israel instead; we have found that I won't be allowed to hire a car in Jordan if I'm over seventy and I really really want to see Petra as well as lots of other things. Sod going by organised tours. Well that's how we feel at the moment, but some time in the future... who knows, perhaps we'll be glad of them.

As far as I know there's no such age restriction on renting a car in the USA, even on a Ford Mustang. Fingers and everything else crossed on that.


Thanks for all your replies they [/I]will[/I] come in very helpful next year.

John Roberts said:

adventurous, thanks for that, and welcome to the site. Actually I don't cope with jetlag too well, although rather better going that way than coming home to Blighty.

sven Thanks, I've sent away for the DVD from the BBC, I do remember it from a showing last year and it really is good.

Anyway, we are having to put off this trip until next year because we are now going to Jordan and Israel instead; we have found that I won't be allowed to hire a car in Jordan if I'm over seventy and I really really want to see Petra as well as lots of other things. Sod going by organised tours. Well that's how we feel at the moment, but some time in the future... who knows, perhaps we'll be glad of them.

As far as I know there's no such age restriction on renting a car in the USA, even on a Ford Mustang. Fingers and everything else crossed on that.


Thanks for all your replies they [/I]will[/I] come in very helpful next year.

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That also sounds like a great tour, John! You're really doing a good bit of travelling

I've already got next years trip booked, flying into SF then picking up (hopefully) a Mustang convertible and heading north up the Pacific Coast Highway to see the Redwoods, over to Mt Hood to see the Timberline Lodge (of The Shining fame), then Hells Canyon, the Painted Hills, Bend, Lassen, a night at the Crater Lake Lodge, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and Napa Valley

Can't wait

sven said:

I've already got next years trip booked, flying into SF then picking up (hopefully) a Mustang convertible and heading north up the Pacific Coast Highway to see the Redwoods, over to Mt Hood to see the Timberline Lodge (of The Shining fame), then Hells Canyon, the Painted Hills, Bend, Lassen, a night at the Crater Lake Lodge, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and Napa Valley

Can't wait

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Ah, interesting about picking up the M'staang, I did have a bit of bother finding a guaranteed Mustang, by which I mean a car that was definitely a Mustang and not a Corvette or, (as they say) "or similar". I did find one eventually but it was pricey, it might have been with Hertz. There were a few others that would only go as far as "or similar".

I have found in the past that asking your hotel to reserve one for you can help, in Vancouver I went into a car rental place and asked for a Ford Explorer but they said they didn't have one. We were staying at the Four Seasons and the concierge offered to ask on my behalf and lo and behold it seems they had one all the time because they held one or two back just for posh hotels. Hardly surprising perhaps that the Four Seasons chain would have more clout than Joe Bloggs walking in off the street.

Oh, and whatever you might think of Ford Explorers they are popular in the Rockies in winter. Even though the roads were kept virtually clear of snow, well- when it did snow the snowploughs were immediately out in force to deal with it- I did play about on frozen car parks and was surprised at how controlable the big lump turned out to be. I must say that we enjoyed our two holidays there a few years ago in Jan/Feb, the first one was in superb weather, snow all around and blazing sunshine while the second was mostly overcast with a few short-lived but fierce snowfalls.

I wonder if the Amercan Rockies have similar winters. Hmm, now there's a thought...

Do keep us posted on your trip, I for one shall be all agog.

The only guaranteed Mustang or Camaro I could find was a Camaro SS convertible from Hertz, but it would have cost £1000, as opposed to £500 for a "Mustang or similar" from Alamo via Netflights. If I do end up with a Chrysler I have two nights in SF, so may have the opportunity to swap before we head north

I could have got it around £50 cheaper, but I used Netflights last year and their price includes a second driver and zero excess, so was probably cheaper overall.

There was one Mustang, one Camaro and several crappy Chrysler L200(tweeted up Sebring) convertibles when I arrived in Denver. We sprinted off the transfer bus and beat some Danish guys to the Mustang In retrospect, the cloth interior of the Camaro would have made more sense in 40+C temperatures as the black leather in the Mustang was red hot after parking in the sun

When are you going, or have you been? Keep in touch!