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AN AMERICAN DREAM
A 'Guided
Adventure' through the varying terrain of western USA to witness some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.
The Adventure
Following the success of our
previous California adventures, why not join us on our return journey in
2010?!
This amazing fly drive “guided adventure” will travel on some of the world’s most amazing roads as we carve through the awe inspiring landscapes of California, USA.
We’ve lined up some fantastic hotels to compliment this trip, arranged the flights for our group and to ensure this is truly an all American experience, lined up a fleet of America’s finest muscle car – the mighty V8 Corvette (additional cars can be arranged upon request).
Once the tour is complete you’ll be able to enjoy 2 free days in the luxury of your hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea on the Monterey Peninsula.
Click image to play the video
Exclusive Guided Tour System
GPS - SAT NAV
We don’t subscribe to the rather archaic system of “here’s some directions, see you at the hotel tonight”. To ensure you enjoy the ultimate in stress free touring all cars on this tour will be fitted with our premium GPS Satellite Navigation units.
Our detailed and pre driven routes are loaded onto the units, you just have to select which day you are on and let the system guide you while enjoying the open road at YOUR pace. Even the petrol stops are pre loaded!
RADIOS
All customers on this tour will enjoy the use of powerful licensed two way radios – these units are 8 times more powerful than the usual high street walkie-talkies and provide a method for the group to communicate with each other during the day.
TRAVEL PACK
Each car has a travel pack which includes – itinerary - summery route for each day – suggested lunch stop – petrol stops – hotel and local information including emergency numbers.
SUPPORT CAR
2 staff from Driving Adventures will be on this tour to provide support throughout the duration of the trip
The trip in more detail:
Day 1
Saturday 9/10/10 – Fly from London to San Francisco
Driving Adventures staff we will meet the group at our pre determined check-in point at Heathrow, London to take our late morning direct flight to San Francisco.
We will arrive in San Francisco by mid afternoon, collect our pre-booked Corvettes from the airport then take a just a 5 mile drive to arrive at our 4* hotel which we’ve booked on a B&B basis.
In addition to various food options within the hotel including a fine dining restaurant and a sports bar/restaurant, there is an excellent and very lively restaurant only a stones throw from our hotel. Its waterfront location enjoys an unusually close vantage point across the water to the nearby landing strips of San Francisco’s international airport.
Day 2
Sunday 10/10/10 – San Francisco to Lake Tahoe (275 miles)
In the morning we’ll hand out the pre loaded sat nav units and two way radios for each car and make sure you’ve all you need for the incredible adventure which lies ahead.
Once in the hot seat of your Corvette, we’ll head north and take you over one of the most famous land marks in California, the staggering Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco – what a way to start the day!
It’s then time to drive around San Pablo Bay and head east. This is an appropriately easy drive to get you acquainted with the 400 horses under your right!
By late morning we’ll change direction, get off the main route and head towards the much more interesting and challenging roads found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Our lunch stop is in a real throw-back American town where it’s impossible to travel up its main street and not see a collection of old Harley Davidson motorcycles lined up in anticipation of some scenic mountain riding.
The afternoon route will really give you the opportunity to enjoy your “new” car as we snake through the spectacular scenery of the “Sierra’s” before tracing the shores at 6,000 feet around the world famous Lake Tahoe. The route section around Lake Tahoe is truly spectacular and includes the amazing Emerald Bay. You’ll have the opportunity to see this area again (and you’ll want to!) if you go on the short optional drive the following day.
Our extremely nice 4* resort club hotel, which we’ll be staying in for 2 evenings, is located in Heavenly Village next to one of the fastest gondolas in the U.S. and is in the perfect spot to explore this playground for the rich and famous commonly known as the “California Alps”. We’re also a five minute walk from the Nevada state line where you can try your hand in some of the most glamorous Casinos outside of Las Vegas.
For our 2 nights here, we’ve upgraded the rooms so you’ll enjoy a large bedroom with a separate living, dining and kitchen area. The hotel facilities also include valet parking, a gym and large outdoor heated swimming pool with hot tubs
Day 3
Monday 11/10/10 (75 miles) – Lake Tahoe REST DAY with OPTIONAL DRIVE
If you “readjusted” your bank balance late into the night in one or more of the many Nevada casinos the previous evening, you’ll no doubt appreciate a bit of a lie in today.
However, we have lined up a short drive for those who want to see more of the area.
The route takes in what California proudly boasts as one of the country’s most scenic drives so we’d suggest you join us for this drive which we’ll do in the afternoon to allow you plenty of rest time in the morning
There are many activities around Lake Tahoe such as scenic gondola rides, helicopter tours, river rafting, parasailing, pedal boats, canoeing, waterskiing, jet skiing, kayaking and boat cruises.
Day 4
Tuesday 12/10/10 (255 miles) – Lake Tahoe to Yosemite National Park
Today is sure to be a driving experience you will never forget!
Utilising a magnificent “pass” to lead us away from the south shores of Lake Tahoe, you’ll really appreciate being in a sports car as we wind our way through miles of stunning mountain terrain.
Later we’ll take in the unusually intriguing views near Mono Lake and the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada’s before descending to our very remote scenic lunch stop.
After lunch, we’ll use some excellent roads to guide us to one of America’s greatest natural treasures, Yosemite National Park. We’ll enter the park at 10,000 feet (that’s 1,000 higher than the Stelvio Pass in Northern Italy!) and enjoy some spectacular views including those at Tuolumne Meadows at almost 9,000 feet.
We’ll enjoy 100 incredible
miles on the way to our hotel on
the borders of the Yosemite
National Park. Our imposing 4*
Park hotel will be your retreat
for the next 2 nights.
Sitting 1 mile above sea level
within its own 35 acre natural
reserve, it enjoys excellent
facilities including valet
parking, a restaurant, bar and
grill, indoor and outdoor
swimming pools, indoor and
outdoor whirlpools, sauna, steam
rooms and a gym.
Day 5
Wednesday 13/10/10 (100 miles) REST DAY with OPTIONAL DRIVE
A rest day which if you choose can involve no driving at all leaving you free to relax in the hotel or visit the experience centre to choose from the many activities available including horseback riding, hiking and even guided rock climbing - needless to say, we aren’t the guides for that!
However, if you are itching to get back in that sports car, then there is a fantastic drive that we highly recommend. It involves going off the main route to utilise an excellent sequence on undulating and good quality roads, but not even the excitement of these challenging ribbons of tarmac will prepare you for the awesome views awaiting us.
Make sure your camera is fully charged as you’re sure to take lots of photos here as the views stretching across the valley are staggering. Use one of the telescopes provided in this well facilitated area and you’ll no doubt see hikers and climbers making their way up different parts of the mighty “Half Dome”.
Later we’ll go to one of our favourite spots in Yosemite Valley for lunch before making our way back to our 4* resort hotel for a second night.
Day 6
Thursday 14/10/10 (140 miles) – Yosemite to Sequoia National Park
The morning route from the hotel can only be described as a rollercoaster ride being endless snaking turns on very well maintained roads making for a mountain descent that will remain in your memory for a long time to come.
Once out of this mountain area we’ll use some really remote roads we’ve found to guide us to our next mountain segment. Although still in the High Sierras, we’ll explore roads which although gifted with many scenic backdrops, are much less known of by tourists so you can expect to see even less traffic than experienced to date.
The route takes in some really incredible roads and scenery before entering Kings Canyon National Park which we’ll slice through to continue the rollercoaster ride as we break into Sequoia National Park and enjoy yet another stunning stretch of roads to guide us to our hotel, regarded as the best in the area.
We’ll arrive here for lunch so you'll have the afternoon to either relax or we’d recommend venturing off on foot into the surrounding wilderness on one of the marked trail routes.On site is an excellent restaurant with towering windows to ensure you can always enjoy those stunning forest views. There is also a bar area and lounge.
As usual we’ve booked the accommodation on a B&B basis to give you as much choice as possible.
Day 7
Friday 15/10/10 (295 miles) – Sequoia National Park to Carmel
After enjoying days in the high Sierras, it's time to head west in search of the Californian coast. The day starts off by driving on roads you’re more likely to associate with the Alps long before you’d ever think you
were in America but stunning, twisty and, all American they are!
70 miles later we’ll actually embark on roads that the U.S. is perhaps better known for – straights ones! But fortunately we’ll still have some very nice scenery to take in along the way as we work our way across State.
However, don’t get used to not using your steering wheel for too long as we’ll soon be approaching one of the most famous stretches of road in the world – the Pacific Coast Highway.
We’ve found a very picturesque beachfront restaurant as our lunch stop before embarking on our coastal drive.
The backdrop to this route will be a stark contrast to the terrain you’ve experienced over the past week. Hugging the cliffs of the Californian shoreline, we’ll travel 100 very memorable miles made infamous by their wealth of dramatic and beautiful cliff top ocean views.
After experiencing one of the most scenic drives you’ll ever likely to encounter, we’ll arrive at our very interesting 4* hotel nestled in the backstreets of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Owned by once Hollywood starlet Doris Day, this hotel is considered to be the nicest in Carmel.
All the rooms have been recently refurbished to a high standard and to ensure we make the most of your stay here, we’ve reserved upgraded, larger rooms. This will be your home for the next 3 nights. It has its own character bar and lounge which claims to sell the best burgers in town. We’ve reserved all three nights on a bed and breakfast basis.
There are many restaurants in Carmel so you will be spoilt for choice when you decide to venture away from the hotel.
Day 8
Saturday 16/10/10 – REST DAY
Why not keep the car parked up today so you can explore Carmel on foot. There’s plenty to see in this town where Clint Eastwood was once mayor. Take a walk along the beach and see some of the incredible ocean front homes. For shopaholics it doesn’t get much better than this.
There are hundreds of privately owned shops and boutiques, many high quality galleries and of course a great choice of restaurants and bars.
If you decide to get in the car, you could venture into nearby Monterey for a visit to Cannery Row, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and of course the historic old town of Monterey. You may also decide to drive and revisit the Big Sur coastline which we would have driven through the previous day.
Day 9
Sunday 17/10/10 REST DAY with OPTIONAL DRIVE (30 miles)
If you want to get back in your car for some scenic driving, why not take our optional 30 mile drive along the Monterey Bay Peninsula, through Pebble Beach on the “17 mile drive” followed by a scenic drive along the beach front of Carmel-by-the-Sea.
Day 10
Monday 18/10/10 (130 miles)
Today we head to San Francisco. Our aim is to get there around lunch time which leaves us plenty of time in the morning to continue our scenic route along the Pacific Coast Highway to enjoy those coastal views and roads one more time – about 70 miles of them!
After the Corvettes are returned and you’re checked in at the hotel all you need to do is decide how to spend your afternoon and the following morning in one of America’s friendliest cities.
Our 4* hotel is located on Union Square so you’ll be right in the heart of the action as soon as you leave the lobby. There are many things to see and do including, cable car rides, Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz Island, Chinatown, double-decker bus tours, seaplane tours, Lombard Street, and of course the heart of the city itself.
Day 11
Tuesday 19/10/10 (0 drive miles)
This is the day you won’t be looking forward to – going home and leaving sunny California behind you.
However, you will still have the morning to enjoy San Francisco before taking our pre arranged shuttle from the hotel to San Francisco International airport to catch our early evening flight back to Heathrow, London.
Day 12
Wednesday - 20/10/10 – Heathrow Arrival
Our overnight flight will arrive mid morning so it will be time to say our farewells after what will be one of the most amazing journeys of your life.
If you were to only ever go on one driving holiday, this should be it. Staying in fantastic hotels, driving on stunning roads through some of the world’s most renowned locations…. see you at Heathrow on the 9th October!
OCTOBER
9th - 20th
2010
CALIFORNIA CRUISING
12 Days / 11 Nights
5 Driving / 5 Rest / 2 Flying
| DAY |
DATE |
TYPE |
MILES |
FLIGHT |
DEPART |
ARRIVAL |
LOCATION |
HOTEL |
1 SAT |
09 OCT |
FLY |
5 |
11:30 |
11:30 |
16:00 |
Near
San Francisco |
4*
H |
2 SUN |
10 OCT |
DRIVE |
275 |
|
09:00 |
16:30 |
Lake
Tahoe |
4*
H |
3 MON |
11 OCT |
OPT |
75 |
|
14:00 |
16:30 |
Lake
Tahoe |
4*
H |
| 4 TUE |
12
OCT |
DRIVE |
255 |
|
09:00 |
17:00 |
Yosemite
National Park |
4*
H |
| 5 WED |
13
OCT |
OPT |
100 |
|
10:30 |
17:00 |
Yosemite
National Park |
4*
H |
| 6 THU |
14
OCT |
DRIVE |
140 |
|
09:00 |
13:00 |
Sequoia
National Park |
3*
H |
| 7 FRI |
15
OCT |
DRIVE |
295 |
|
09:00 |
17:30 |
Carmel |
4*
BH |
| 8
SAT |
16
OCT |
REST |
0 |
|
N/A |
N/A |
Carmel |
4*
BH |
| 9
SUN |
17
OCT |
OPT |
30 |
|
11:00 |
12:30 |
Carmel |
4*
BH |
| 10 MON |
18
OCT |
DRIVE |
130 |
|
09:00 |
14:00 |
San
Francisco |
4*
H |
| 11 TUE |
19
OCT |
FLY |
N/A |
17:00 |
13:00 |
Next Day |
San
Francisco / In Flight |
|
| 12 WED |
20
OCT |
HOME |
N/A |
|
N/A |
11:00 |
N/A |
|
|
|
|
1305 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Minimum |
1100 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Optional |
205 |
|
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|
|
|
|
Total |
1305 |
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| KEY |
B&B = Bed &
Breakfast | D,B&B
= Dinner, Bed &
Breakfast |
|
C = Castle | CH = Chateau
|
H = Hotel | M = Manor House | BH = Boutique Hotel |
|
Country Codes
AT = Austria | BE =
Belgium | FR =
France | DE =
Germany | IT = Italy
| LU = Luxembourg
MC
= Monaco | CH =
Switzerland | GB =
United Kingdom | US
= United States of
America |
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All times of arrival
are estimated on
normal road and
traffic conditions
and include assumed lunch stops of
1 1/2 hours (3 hours on Day 4 to include ski lifts)
and
additional 30 minute breaks at
the petrol stops. |
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