Southwestern Road Trip by 2002 - Recos Needed!

[hellayego]

Greetings FAQers,

 

I'm leaving LA and going on a road trip tomorrow in my 1975 2002, Rolf. It's the first time I've gone on a trip solo in over well over a decade and I'm pumped/a bit anxious. 

 

I'm been working since I was 15 and I'm about to turn 37. I feel the time for me to do certain things starting slip away.

 

So, I quit my job last week and fixed it that I don't start my new job until March 16th. I figure I have about 7-8 days to drive around a part of the country I've always wanted to visit in a car that is a blast to drive. Lucky guy.

 

While I've planned a good amount of the route I'll be taking, (you can see my map here), but I'm very open to suggestions and recommendations. 

 

I plan to leave early to take a big 7-8 day loop going first NE from Lancaster, past Barstow on the 15 E then past the town of Zzyzx, CA and detour around until I hit Las Vegas. I'll give a visit to Chris at Sin City BMW, who's always been friendly. I'll likely find a place to stay overnight outside the city and then the next day head to St. George, Utah after a visit to Hoover Dam and/or Lake Mead and/or Valley of Fire. 

 

I'll see an old friend in St. George, then visit Zion National Park, somewhere I've always wanted to go. Then North to see some new internet friends in Provo, UT. Any recommendations for food, sights, roads, refuge, etc is very appreciated as I don't know much about this area. 

 

I'll head Southeast from Provo to Arches National Park and then continue to the very southwestern tip of Colorado before crossing over at the Four Corners. It'll likely be touristic there but I've always wanted to go. I'll be driving through Navajo and Zuni land and reading Joe Leaphorn books the whole time for any of the nerds out there. Then to Santa Fe, where I don't know anyone, south to Albuquerque, then southwest to the Gila National Forest. Then back east to Truth or Consequences, NM, where an old mentor of mine lives. It seems like a cool town from what I understand.

 

After a short visit with my friend, I'll head west for the last time into Arizona on the 10 W before dropping down south to the 80. 

 

I'll end up right on the border, 5 miles away, in Douglas, AZ, where my aunt lives. She build her adobe home herself in the late 70s. It is the literal middle of nowhere, very surreal for a city boy like myself. I'll stay with her for a few days in her geodesic dome that serves as a guest house... she's the cool aunt.

 

Then back on the road through Tombstone, Tucson, and Tempe. I'll hit Scottsdale for the sole purpose of visiting the fancy Otto car club for fun.

 

I plan to head out of there on the 8 west to Yuma, then into California again and north on the 86 past the Salton Sea. After that it's back to LA and real life. Maybe hit Joshua Tree or Palm Springs before reality hits, but it winds down right around here. 

 

That's all I got. Again, ANY RECOMMENDATIONS APPRECIATED for automotive museums, fun routes, all kinds of food, nice coffee(!), cool wine/beer things, nature, science, history, archaeology, weird, novelty, WHATEVER. 

 

This trip is a chance for me to be with myself, in my car, at peace with the beautiful country around me... but I'll have plenty of that. So, if any other 02 drivers want to join for any portion of this trip, holler, I'm not precious. Again, here's the map.

 

Thanks in advance,

Yego

 

P.S. Big shout out to the 02 folks that helped me be Rolf ready for this trip:  @kbmb02 @CoastalCrush @MOJOJOY @BLUNT @Pierre @Forrest_KoogleWerks and my buddies Seth and Mark. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 4, 2020 by hellayego

[1dollar93]

This is awesome, congratulations on your new venture. Sometimes that wanderlust gets into ya. I got laid off from a job back in 2008, threw my fly fishing stuff in the hatch of my WRX and drove straight from SF to West Yellowstone, MT the next day. 2 speeding tickets in 2 states on the same day!

 

My brother in law lives in Scottsdale, and took his newly restored E30 out for a spin to see the OTTO car club, apparently they dont 'do' drop ins - hopefully you can negotiate that. I hope your car runs flawlessly and you have tailwinds the whole way!

Edited March 4, 2020 by 1dollar93

[jimk]

Near Moab, Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. No guard rails, watch your step in Canyonlands.

Shiprock to Farmington and Sante Fe to Albuquerque are sections of the route that will be uneventful and forgetable.

Good Hotels in Framington, NM cheap since the power station closed.

Out of Farmington, I'd rather head south on 371, skip east to past Grants take 117 south to where it branches to Pie Town then 60 to where your route is now.  You might see 3 cars on 117 and south.  Just don't leave a town with questionable fuel in the tank.  The next station can be a ways anywhere in NM.

[Mike Self]

We drove old Route 66 from St Louis all the way to CA several years ago--some great sights to see.  Try to get by the Meteor crater and Petrified Forest, both in AZ, and drive the section of Route 66 from Seligman to where it joins back up with I-10 near the CA border.  That's the most untouched section of Rte 66 left and will really give you an idea of what it was like to drive cross country in the 30s and 40s.

 

Take an assortment of spares with you--check archives for suggestions on what parts to carry "just in case."

 

cheers, and safe travels

 

mike

 

 

[coloincaalpine RIP 2021]

AWESOME!     Enjoy.  Driven much of that route many times.   Tell my friend Chris At SCBMW I said Hey!   Great bunch of guys there. Chris used my wrecked E30ix to build the X2.

Just south of Beaver Utah,   KanKun Mexican food. I stop every time I go thru Utah. Excellent Grub.

http://kankunrestaurant.com/

DQ in Colorado

Be sure to come to Colorado sometime.

Edited March 4, 2020 by coloincaalpine

[hellayego]

Thanks all for the suggestions. I’ve incorporated some of them into my plans already. Packing up tonight and off tomorrow. I’ll post here my progress day to day. 

[iinca]

wait...back up...Pie Town?

 

you gotta stop in Pie Town

 

mmm Pie

 

note Pie Town elevation is 8000

Edited March 5, 2020 by iinca

[jim57759]

I would definitely recommend exiting I-10 at the eastern end of Coachella Valley and drive the loop through Joshua Tree.  It's worth it even if you don't have time to stop and hike along the way.

[irdave]

If you end up in Farmington and have a problem, find Brian at Speedin' Motorsports.  Tell him you know Dave up in Fort Collins and that you have a problem.  He'll help.

 

Have a great trip.

[hellayego]

Heading out of LA this morning, feeling somewhat prepared. Got my spares, got my snacks, a boombox and a good attitude. 
 

Thank you again for the well wishes, I’ll post progress as interesting things happen or don’t. 
 

 

[Steve Tochi]

Yego, good for you and sounds like a trip of a lifetime. I've been fortunate to have traveled extensively throughout the Southwest so here are some thoughts.  

I'd exit Zion out the East entrance through the tunnels, then get up Scenic Byway 12 through Escalante, one of the most amazing roads I've been on, just keep both hands on the wheel.  Leaving Utah, you could head over to Grand Junction down and over Red Mountain Pass into Durango, but would need to watch weather and conditions (avalanche danger). Four Corners, I'd avoid it and its a tourist trap and they now charge a fee to see a slab of concrete.  Near Farmington/Aztec is the San Juan River, famous trout fishery but unless you're a flyfisher, no need to stop. Near Douglas, check out Bisbee which has evolved into an eclectic or trendy little town and nearby is the Cochise Stronghold if your a history buff.  I read somewhere Warren Buffet's son lives down there, and is like a sheriff or something.  Kartchner Caverns is on the way to Tucson, relatively recently discovered miles of limestone caves.  Once you get to Tucson, south 4th Ave in Tucson is great for Mexican Food, there's about 20 family owned restaurants up and down the street. Phoenix you could hit a spring training game and if you have time you can head up to Sedona/Flagstaff. Throughout the trip, you'll see little family operated places w/ individual cabins or KOA campgrounds, which are affordable and are comfortable enough.  Just watch the weather and be prepared for heat and possible snow even in Southern AZ.   Enjoy and login once in awhile and let us know where you are.

[jimk]

5 minutes ago, Steve Tochi said:

Leaving Utah, you could head over to Grand Junction down and over Red Mountain Pass into Durango, but would need to watch weather and conditions (avalanche danger)

You bet watch the weather.  It's winter in the Rockies till the end of April.  Stay out because once you head up the road, there are no ways out except to turn around.  There can be all sorts of stuff on the road from salt to sand to coal dust for traction control.  Get into the stuff and the 02 will never be the same.

[Jim_75Sahara]

Enjoy your adventure! I am overdue for such a trip in my 2002. When I flew in to Denver to pick up my 'new' 2002 in 2017, I found a great little motel for the night in Beloit, KS. Hoping that you find interesting sights,  tasty foods, quaint motel courts, interesting people - - along the way.

Edited March 5, 2020 by Jim_75Sahara

[JsnPpp]

If you can post occasionally when you stop at night, would be fun to follow along.

 

Have a great time, journey of a lifetime indeed.

 

Jason

[hellayego]

Today was Day 1. 

 

I left Los Angeles just after morning rush hour at headed up to Lancaster, CA, about 1.5 away. Nice little drive to shake out Rolf's legs. There's a guy up there called Matchstick. Yes, Matchstick. 

 

He is in the middle of nowhere. He's commandeered an old airplane fabrication shop. It's awesome.  

 

I know of him from a friend who's big into the Custom American Van scene. He actually runs Custom Vanner Magazine. He is also a metal and fabrication wizard. I was only there for a short visit but in that time he dropped all sorts of knowledge and I could just barely keep up with what he was talking about triple welding chevy replica brake calipers...

 

See a few pics...

 

As I left Matchstick's, I got my first lesson of the trip. If you see a gas station and you are at half a tank, refill! I feel some pangs of anxiety as I continued to empty my tank on super straight nobody-in-sight back roads. I was 35 miles from a gas station, luckily, it wasn't so bad and I made it, but lesson learned. 

 

Eventually I made it to the civilized path of the 15 east and drove to Las Vegas for my first night. Not where I'd normally want to go, but I was invited to make a pit stop by Chris at Sin City BMW. Those guys are the ones who built that ridiculous "X2" off-road 2002, that patina NK with a modern 6 series drive line, and the 8 series convertible, if you've seen those images around. They also do really nice 2002 and E30 restorations. Chris is a buddy of my friend Ken Blasko and it was really friendly of him to show me around the shop and talk cars, even while customers were showing up at closing time. Cool folks. 

 

Tonight is actually my first time in Las Vegas. I'm not sure I like it, but I got a fancy hotel room for cheap via some app. 

 

Tomorrow I'll either drive to Salt Lake City to see friends, then to St. George. Or I'll skip Salt Lake all together because its 3:40 out of my way...

 

Rolf performed well, knock on wood. 

 

More tomorrow, for now a few pics from today. 

 

Thanks for all the responses, I'm taking the winter weather warnings seriously, I appreciate the look out...

 

Yego

 

Images, typically I prefer to overpost images on my Instagram stories @hellayego but here's a few random ones from today

 

There are 20 vans and/or carcasses at Matchstick's place. This one he painted and turned the side door into a gullwing using his own fiberglass mold. 
 

 

 

Rolf at the turn off for Lake Los Angeles

 

 

 

Apparently Sin City BMW has the NOS back up flares for the Jagermeister race car. These were in some junior bmw technicians basement in Chicago until Chris found them.