trip-report/25-12-mom-and-race

December Road trip to see Mom and go racing

Dan Weatbrook

— 5 min read
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December Road trip to see Mom and go racing

Mom has a fountain that Catherine and are going to move to our house, so since I had to be in Sonoma for a car race on Dec 13th, it seemed like a good excuse to go on a road trip after Thanksgiving. In planning this route, I decided to give the lastest versions of the LLM's a try, so I posted to both chatGPT and Gemini the following query, plus a screen shot of all of the tracks of all of the trips we have taken.

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Help me plan a road trip. I live in seattle, and am planning a trip in my 4wd sprinter van to see my mom in suncity west in arizona. I will leave between Friday and Sunday after thanks giving and want to be in suncity west by Satruday December 7th. I will then leave moms house on dec 10th to drive to sonoma california. i have to be there by the 12th.
The tracks for the trips that I have been on with and without Catherine

I ended up focusing my efforts on Gemini as it not only seemed to give me better answers, but it was also able to create links to Google maps for the routes and suggestions it was giving, which made it super easy to look at the routes and decide if it was something I wanted to do.

Will I follow this route to the letter? I don't know, I kind of doubt it, but it does seem like a good place to start, and it's only a plan, so it's open to change. The only commitments I have is to be in Sun City west by the 6th of December, and Sonoma by the 12th. My friend Mike Huck is going to fly in to meet me for the car race, and then we will hang out with George, and then he will road trip north with me, where I will drop him off at his seaside home, before making it the rest of the way to my home.

Trip Overview

  • Leg 1: Seattle, WA → Sun City West, AZ (via Oregon Outback & Nevada High Desert)
  • Leg 2: Sun City West, AZ → Sonoma, CA (via Mojave & San Andreas Fault)

Leg 1: The High Desert Route (Nov 30 – Dec 5)

Day 0&1: Sat Nov 29 & Sunday, Nov 30

  • Route: Seattle → West Linn → Burns, OR
  • Stop: 2310 Tulane Street, West Linn, OR. This is a quick detour off I-5.
  • Drive: After West Linn, cross the Cascades via Mt. Hood or Santiam Pass (check weather) to Bend, then head east into the high desert to Burns.
  • Overnight: Burns, OR (Last major services).
  • Stats: ~465 miles | ~8 hours driving.
  • View Day 1 Route Map

Day 2: Monday, Dec 1

  • Route: Burns → Alvord Desert → Winnemucca, NV
  • Adventure: Drive south on OR-205. Stop at the Alvord Desert. If the playa is dry, drive out onto it. If wet, stick to the gravel road and visit Alvord Hot Springs.
  • Drive: Continue south through Fields (grab a milkshake), cross into Nevada at Denio, and hit Winnemucca.
  • Overnight: Winnemucca, NV.
  • Stats: ~233 miles | ~4 hours driving (plus exploring time).
  • View Day 2 Route Map

Day 3: Tuesday, Dec 2

  • Route: Winnemucca → Ely, NV
  • Adventure: Take I-80 East to Battle Mountain or Carlin, then head south into the heart of the "Loneliest State."
  • Stop: Eureka, NV (The "Friendliest Town on the Loneliest Road").
  • Overnight: Ely, NV.
  • Stats: ~270 miles | ~4 hours driving.
  • View Day 3 Route Map

Day 4: Wednesday, Dec 3

  • Route: Ely → Great Basin NP → Cathedral Gorge
  • Adventure: Head east to Great Basin National Park. Drive the scenic road as far as snow allows (likely Upper Lehman Creek).
  • Drive: Head south on US-93 (Great Basin Highway) to Cathedral Gorge State Park.
  • Explore: Walk the slot canyons at Cathedral Gorge before sunset.
  • Overnight: Panaca, NV (near the park) or Caliente, NV.
  • Stats: ~176 miles | ~3 hours driving.
  • View Day 4 Route Map

Day 5: Thursday, Dec 4

  • Route: Panaca → Gold Butte → Mesquite, NV
  • Adventure: Drive south to Mesquite. From there, take the bumpy road into Gold Butte National Monument.
  • 4WD Highlight: Little Finland. Unmatched red rock formations. Note: This requires navigating dirt roads south of Mesquite. Download offline maps as cell service is non-existent.
  • Overnight: Mesquite, NV.
  • Stats: ~230 miles | ~5-6 hours driving (slow going in Gold Butte).
  • View Day 5 Route Map

Day 6: Friday, Dec 5

  • Route: Mesquite → Sun City West, AZ
  • Drive: Straight shot down I-15 and US-93.
  • Optional: Stop at Valley of Fire State Park if you skipped Gold Butte, or see the Hoover Dam bypass bridge.
  • Arrival: Sun City West, AZ.
  • Stats: ~350 miles | ~5 hours driving.
  • View Day 6 Route Map

(Rest Days: Dec 6 - Dec 9 in Sun City West)

Leg 2: The San Andreas Route (Dec 10 – Dec 12)

Day 7: Wednesday, Dec 10

  • Route: Sun City West → Kelso Dunes (Mojave Preserve)
  • Adventure: Drive west into California. Enter Mojave National Preserve.
  • Hike: Trek up the Kelso Dunes for sunset (or just admire them from the base). Listen for the "singing sand."
  • Overnight: Baker, CA or camp in the Preserve.
  • Stats: ~306 miles | ~5 hours driving.
  • View Day 7 Route Map

Day 8: Thursday, Dec 11

  • Route: Kelso Dunes → Carrizo Plain
  • Adventure: Head west across the desert (CA-58 is scenic).
  • Stop: Carrizo Plain National Monument. Visit Soda Lake (white salt flat) and Wallace Creek (to see the San Andreas Fault offset).
  • Overnight: Paso Robles or San Luis Obispo.
  • Stats: ~300 miles | ~5 hours driving.
  • View Day 8 Route Map

Day 9: Friday, Dec 12

  • Route: Carrizo Plain Area → Sonoma, CA
  • Drive: Head north on US-101 (The El Camino Real) through the Salinas Valley and Bay Area.
  • Arrival: Sonoma, CA by evening.
  • Stats: ~315 miles | ~5 hours driving.
  • View Day 9 Route Map

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