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A16 LOCAL
Friday 30 June 2017
Sightseeing on a 500-mile-a-day road trip? You can do it!

By EVA PARZIALE tacular, soaring, red-hued
Associated Press sandstone walls, through
BRYCE CANYON NATION- a mile-long tunnel to a visi-
AL PARK, Utah (AP) — I tor’s center. Shuttle buses
drove across the country take visitors through the
for the first time in 1984, park. We stopped only at
alone in a car without air Weeping Rock to see the
conditioning and a radio hanging gardens created
that stopped working as I by dripping streams and at
crossed into Texas. I took the lodge for a tasty lunch.
my second cross-country Back in the car around 1
road trip this year, this time p.m., we were in Las Ve-
in an air-conditioned Hon- gas three hours later. We
da CRV, with music stream- stayed off the strip, at a
ing from my iPhone, and Marriott next to the Con-
my 20-year-old daughter in vention Center.
the passenger seat. After a couple hours at the
I drove with Kelsey from pool, with drinks and ap-
Columbus, Ohio, to her petizers, we went by cab
summer internship in Los to The Venetian to gawk
Angeles — 2,400 miles at the pricey stores. At the
(3,860 kilometers) in 4.5 Bellagio we saw the col-
days. We encountered orful Dale Chihuly glass
highway construction, ac- sculptures and grabbed
cidents and rainstorms but dessert at Jean Philippe’s
we also managed to take patisserie, then took Uber
in some of the most beau- back to our hotel.
tiful scenery imaginable, This May 25, 2017 photo shows a view of the world-famous hoodoos, also called tent rocks, fairy Day 5: We forgot to gas
tucking in sightseeing and chimneys and earth pyramids, at Inspiration Point in Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. These up before leaving Las Ve-
tall, thin spires of rock are composed of sedimentary rocks like sandstone and shale and can be
even some pool time de- found throughout the western United States. gas and got nervous with
spite our nearly 500-mile- (AP Photo/Eva Parziale) a quarter-tank left and
a-day (800-kilometer) trek. nothing but desert ahead.
Here’s how we did it. son rates via Booking.com Utah’s Bryce Canyon Na- We made three stops, Siri said the nearest station
made it affordable). We tional Park. We skipped the ending at Inspiration Point, was in the roadside town
THE DRIVE AND THE STOPS wished we’d had time and cowboy dinner show, one home to rust-colored, pin- of Jean, about 30 miles (48
Day 1: We left Columbus energy to hike the snow- of several dining options nacle-shaped rocks called kilometers) ahead, and we
at 8 a.m. and drove 719 capped mountains. If we offered along with lodg- hoodoos that spike upward limped into the Chevron
miles (1,157 kilometers) via had, we might have need- ing at a complex just out- from the ground. on fumes.
Interstate 70 to Topeka, ed the container of oxygen side the park. Instead we Day 4: We hit the road by We made it to Pasadena
Kansas, through construc- in our hotel room ($19.99) headed to the park, arriv- 7:15 a.m. and reached at 1 p.m., tired but proud
tion in Indiana and Illinois, to offset the effects of the ing at 5 p.m., which meant Zion National Park two of ourselves. We ended our
rainstorms in St. Louis and altitude. few visitors clogging the 13 hours later. The drive into road trip with a family din-
Kansas City, and traffic ac- Day 3: After a day of moun- viewpoints along a 38-mile the park winds down into ner that night. My father,
cidents. We’d planned 10 tain driving, we reached (61-kilometer) loop drive. the canyon, past spec- uncle, brother and sister-
hours of driving, but didn’t in-law live in southern Cali-
pull into the Fairfield Inn fornia and hosted us at the
until 13 hours later. We ate Terrace restaurant at the
takeout from Wendy’s — Langham resort.
burgers and fries — stand-
ing up in our hotel room to PREPARATION AND TIPS
ease the kinks in our backs AAA provided guidebooks
from sitting so long. and Google Maps was in-
Day 2: Clear skies, dry dispensable in planning
roads and little traffic. We the route. We had a me-
sped past the lush Flint Hills chanic look at the car be-
outside Manhattan, Kan- fore we left, getting new
sas, through the flat lands spark plugs and an air filter.
of western Kansas and into Hotels inside and outside
Denver. After 630 miles national parks fill up so
(1,013 kilometers) and book ahead.
climbing 7,000 feet (2,133 In general, hotels seemed
meters), we arrived in Vail, to be a better option than
Colorado. Most businesses Airbnb for the few hours we
in this high-end resort (in- had each night. TripAdvi-
cluding a couple of mink sor and Booking.com were
coat stores) were closed useful.
because it was after ski National park entrance
season and before Memo- fees vary. We bought an
rial Day. But we found a annual pass for $80 which
creekside patio table and Kelsey can use while in
meal at Sweet Basil be- This May 26, 2017 photo shows a view of a Dale Chihuly’s glass sculpture hanging from the ceiling California this summer. The
fore turning in at the luxu- of the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. pass has paid for itself in
rious Tivoli Lodge (offsea- (AP Photo/Eva Parziale) less than a month.q