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Old 23rd August 2017, 12:50   #16
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Re: Michigan to California : Drive of a Lifetime

Pete's breakfast house is a small place in Ventura. The breakfast was WOW. Anybody passing through or near Ventura should try this place; there are no vegetarian options here, unfortunately.
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Old 24th August 2017, 10:16   #17
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Very inspiring. Loved the pics, particularly the panaroma shots of pikes peak :thumbup:
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Old 24th August 2017, 13:31   #18
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Re: Michigan to California : Drive of a Lifetime

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Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Hat's off to your Mom's spirit man. My folks have always been big on road-trips too and we've had many memorable ones. But I don't think they'd ever have the appetite for a drive from Michigan to California. This is one for your memory bank .
Yeah, huge props to my mom for agreeing to come along. The major reason she tolerated me and the whole trip is for the likes she got on Facebook.

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Originally Posted by Omtoatom View Post
This is just fabulous Jalaj!

Flooded back memories from my stay in the States as a student, much like yourself. My buddies from grad school and I took a road trip from Austin, TX to San Francisco, CA and with time on our hands, decided to (un)cover bits of Utah and Colorado along the way. Let's just say, it was a detour worth every extra penny we spent (and then some)

And to top it, my brother was once based out of Indianapolis and I visited him a few times. So for me, your travelogue was almost a homecoming of sorts!

I couldn't agree more with you, by the way. The United States is so much more than it's cities - you know the usual suspects like NYC, SFO, LA, Miami, Orlando, Chicago, Vegas, Philly, Boston etc. etc..

Only if you just care to venture...this country has so many hidden gems to unearth!
Completely agree! The trip we did is perfect for students and those with a low budget. We spent around $70/$80 per night on hotels, around $300 ish on fuel for the whole trip and around $50 per day on food (breakfast was usually included in the hotel package). Going to those metropolitan cities ain't any close to economical.

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Originally Posted by SajiNSalin View Post
Well written travelogue and beautiful pictures. It is not many a young person who would prefer to go on a car journey with a parent; admire your patience. I belong to the parent category and our car trip with our son from LA to San Francisco on PCH (California 1) and then onto Death Valley-Las Vegas-Grand Canyon and ending in Phoenix was an amazing week. The 3 of us enjoyed the drive thoroughly.

You should try the Pacific Coast Highway sometime between LA and SF, it is not at all boring. It is amazing. Some portion of PCH was closed due to landslides, so we had to take a detour.

Look forward to a Key West drive from Florida next time.
Taking my mom along wasn't my first choice since our ideas of a vacation differ significantly (Spas and Lagoons vs Spa Francorchamps and Laguna Seca, haha), but going on a trip all by self could've been a little dangerous so my parents decided that my mom would tag along.

Unless there are at least 2 people who can drive, organizing the route and hotels and stuff gets a little tiring when I'm driving 8 hours a day and booking hotels the night before, so next time I come to the US, I will probably go with the "Excitement Tour" guys I met at a rally I attended in October. It's a car rally non-profit and they charge nominally for the food and stay and any profit is donated to a charity at the end of the rally.

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Originally Posted by Mad Max View Post
Absolutely second this. 101 isn't that exciting but the PCH has some incredible views, not to mention small towns with some really nice food.

Amazing trip, glad you had a great time. Way to spend time with your mum.
It truly was an amazing trip, I had a lot of fun nagging my mom on the daily to look up from her phone (WhatsApp) and look ahead, which was usually followed by a "WOW" and lots of picture taking. Haha

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Originally Posted by SajiNSalin View Post
Pete's breakfast house is a small place in Ventura. The breakfast was WOW. Anybody passing through or near Ventura should try this place; there are no vegetarian options here, unfortunately.
Vegetarianism and Veganism is really starting to pick up in the US, with even small diners and coffee shops offering stuff like Vegan pancakes and muffins. Fortunately, both me and mom aren't picky about food so we had zilch problems.

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Originally Posted by rajukamal View Post
Very inspiring. Loved the pics, particularly the panaroma shots of pikes peak :thumbup:
Thanks!
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Old 25th August 2017, 22:40   #19
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Re: Michigan to California : Drive of a Lifetime

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Originally Posted by jalajprakash View Post
Day 5 - Colorado, CO --> Hartsel, CO --> Aspen, CO - 16/05/17

The next destination in our journey was Aspen which is very well known Ski mountain. Now I have no clue how to ski but it is supposed to be one of the most picturesque places in the world so why not?

I could've taken the highway and saved maybe 1.5 hours but decided to take the back roads (read: state highways) and the view was one of the most amazing I had seen throughout the trip. We were cruising slowly at 50mph and were absolutely mesmerized.
For anybody who is attempting this route between May and October, I would highly recommend taking the Independence pass instead (HWY 82 through twin lakes) to get to Aspen. It is at an elevation of 12095 feet and is one of the highest paved “through” road in the state. The views are fantastic. At places the roads are very narrow and so one needs to be cautious while taking the highway. But it’s worth it.
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Old 30th August 2017, 23:26   #20
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Re: Michigan to California : Drive of a Lifetime

Good one buddy! Just a suggestion, pacific coast from LA to SFO is one the most beautiful and scenic roads on this planet. Attaching few pictures from my roadtrip a year back.
Attached Thumbnails
Michigan to California : Drive of a Lifetime-13407200_10154214255797521_3709256491480879839_n.jpg  

Michigan to California : Drive of a Lifetime-13407330_10154214255602521_8783106673883239325_n.jpg  

Michigan to California : Drive of a Lifetime-13432311_10154214255822521_2840423147053128146_n.jpg  

Michigan to California : Drive of a Lifetime-18262_10154214255702521_2672960935144736092_n.jpg  

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