AFTER ATTENDING A WEDDING IN JOSHUA TREE IN JULY MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE THREE WEEKS TO SPARE FOR A ROAD TRIP. ANY SUGGESTIONS? S. WILKINSON, BALLINA
That's a generous amount of time and what I'd be doing is heading north-east towards Flagstaff to take in the Grand Canyon from the South Rim. Spend a day in the vicinity at least, the canyon is at its photogenic best in the early morning and at dusk.
From there continue north-east to take in Monument Valley and then drive north along Highway 191 to Canyonlands National Park and Moab. If you still have a couple of weeks in hand you could continue to Salt Lake City and then to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone, but if not you'd be pushing it.
Head west across Nevada aiming for Yosemite National Park, another of the great natural wonders of the American West. Next stop is San Francisco, and spend a couple of days soaking up the sights of the City of Love.
From there take California Highway 1, the coast road to Los Angeles. This is a classic drive and one of the greatest of all US road trips. Highlights along the way include Santa Barbara, Hearst Castle, Big Sur, Point Lobos, Carmel and the circuit of the Monterey Peninsula. Try and fit a night at the Madonna Inn http://www.madonnainn.com/ [madonnainn.com] into your itinerary and be prepared to laugh. You need at least two days for the 885 kilometre drive but three is much better.
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