I read this article in The Age, about an Aussie/Melbournian lost/missing/late to return, in the mountains in UTAH...
www.theage.com.au/world/grave-fears-for-hiker-as-search-enters-fifth-day-20110815-1ituo.html
Then I checked Google Maps, and it got me thinking about a road trip through that neck of the woods. They certainly have cracking scenery through the Rockies. As nice as Australia is, I don't think we match the Yanks for scenery through the greater Rockies....
If a Yank drove from Bairnsdale Vic, to Myrtleford Vic, across The Range (takes about 4 hours), he would probably say, "that was nice, was that it, or is there more?". 
Everything is "BIG" in America big cars, big mountains, big debt and big arse bears
I get so excited driving around America. So much to see, just looking out the car window... Take the B roads...
A fantastic drive from Vegas, is North, then west into Death Valley, then north again up the back of the Sierra Nevada Range, then into Josemite. That is quite achievable in just 1 day of driving. Stay up at Josemite. Come back down again, and head up to Lake Tahoe...
Here's a 3000 Mile trip, incorporating Yosemite, Yellowstone, Monument Valley, Zion National Park, etc etc...http://www.yosemitepark.com/Accommodations_TheAhwahnee_PhotoGallery.aspx
maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Las+Vegas,+NV,+United+States&daddr=Lone+Pine,+CA,+United+States+to:Ahwahnee+Hotel,+CA,+United+States+to:Carson+City,+NV,+United+States+to:Salt+Lake+City,+UT,+United+States+to:Yellowstone+National+Park,+Gardiner,+MT,+United+States+to:Casper,+WY,+United+States+to:Baggs,+WY,+United+States+to:Grand+Junction,+CO,+United+States+to:Monument+Valley,+UT,+United+States+to:Zion+National+Park,+United+States+to:Las+Vegas,+NV,+United+States&hl=en&sll=40.51281,-113.058695&sspn=15.30371,17.86377&geocode=FdYQJwIdMJoi-SnRffWkgre-gDGjebPV5tXMOg%3BFVyQLgId74D2-ClTBvITnC2-gDF4jwJgY2H4BA%3BFfX2PwIdt3Df-CFWEHGnTNSSaA%3BFZaXVQIdlX7c-ClxtN74oQqZgDEoOOK9gmyc9w%3BFcv1bQIdma1U-SntMdGIlD1ShzHKMU1IoLdTWw%3BFcghrwIdmsNm-SnR9S1Uw7dPUzEflYJzaxLZrQ%3BFcgXjgIdh8qp-Sljel7IZZNghzFTPjQXOfzOaQ%3BFRYocgIdn0aV-Sln9RXp5TdDhzFHoLaP7vhp6A%3BFT4RVAIdB6aH-SlXcOci49ZGhzFWfL_OUfRjzA%3BFXy8NAIdJtRt-Sk_iFWiUi83hzElaO6UVSYXOQ%3BFT6PNwIdeMhD-SH1VjaqFToufA%3BFdYQJwIdMJoi-SnRffWkgre-gDGjebPV5tXMOg&mra=ls&t=h&z=6
dont recon i would enjoy driving in a different country . wrong side of the road for one thing.
its bad enough driving in a different state of aus.
I love driving anywhere !! For some reason my brain works really well driving overseas... It's just a mirror image... You're still sitting in the middle of the road...
used to ride motor bikes in Bali no helmet . lucky to escape that alive .
and drove one of those square vw thingos .
but LA no way
Simondo, I see we are like thinkers in our travels. Travel is a passion of mine and I have done many trips to the US as well as Europe, Sth Africa, Tahiti and Sth America. Some work related, but always a holiday. Just putting together my next trip Stateside - Hawaii, Texas, Iowa, The Dakotas and possibly a return to the Rockies, but think I might run short of time.
My first visit to the Rockies was on an Easter. The snow had melted on the prairies and was receding in the outer mountain range out from Denver. However you could see the snow caps not too far in. This first drive into the Rockies blew me away! Huge mountains, unbelievable deep ravines, rock falls along some of the cliff faces that littered the edge of the highway, with Big Horn Sheep playing on them. Every now and then just off the highway you would see abandoned gold mines from the car window, untouched since the 1890s... Then pull into little "cowboy" towns for a drink or snack. Seeing Vale with its multi Million dollars homes set in scenery that could have been from anywhere in European Alps. That visit I noticed the Cops drove Saabs, Vale really did feel like Europe. I remember we had stopped on the side of the Highway as a small snow storm was coming, taking in the view of a very deep gorge surrounded by pines, with a broken down old gold mine on one slope and crumbling log cabin in a clearing on the other side of a stream, with Bison grazing. Closer to where we were standing was a waterfall that looked like it was frozen in mid fall. Instantly I thought back to a quote in a famous Redford movie Jeremiah Johnson - To some the Rockies is the birth place of man... Yep, I could relate to that. Totally in awe! After that trip into the Rockies we returned back to my then girlfriends farm/ranch south of Denver, looking strait onto the Rockies. Down from her house was an old dilapidated log cabin next to a creek bed that she had never seen flow for more than 3 days at a time. Her dad was telling my Bro and I how that was the first building when the land was settled and the family of 3 who settled there were killed by Indians as they got in their wagon to head to town. The house was forever abandoned after that. I brought back a few arrow heads and some petrified wood we found in a prairie canyon.
Yep - Amazing place. Love visiting the US. I am always told that to see some real spectacular Rockies scenery, head up thru the Northern Rockies and into Canada and around Banff. Its on the list to do. A mate of mine in Iowa works at a Harley Dealership and wants us to do the ride thru the Rockies to Canada. I can handle that ;)
Your drive sounds great Simmondo. Got to do that one.... :)
The search for the Melbourne Hiker in Utah on the Uinta Highline Trail has been called off... NE Utah.
www.theage.com.au/world/us-police-suspend-hunt-for-missing-aussie-hiker-20110823-1j7kj.html
We're doing a two week road trip of the USA in October. We're planning on going around the Californian Coast, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Big Sur, maybe Napa Valley and North to Seattle if it suits us.
Years and years ago we took three months off and drove San Francisco to New Orleans - good fun. A fair chunk of it along route 66. Lots of the Mexican border towns were good, but there were big stretches of towns/cities in Texas/Arizona that were pretty bland - and a bit scary.
Death Valley, Mojave Desert, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon were quite spectacular.
Adof - the coast route up Cali, Org, WA is phenominal, if you end up on I5 going just south of the Oregon border look out for Heaven on Earth Bakery and stop at Weed for gas so you can get a shirt.
Simondo - if you ever go to the rockies take your mtb or your ski's. The rockies are pretty breath taking.
My bad heaven on earth is just north of the Oregon border
www.hugedomains.com/domain_profile.cfm?d=heavenonearthrestaurant&e=com
Usually half a sleep when I go through there.
Years ago did 6 weeks (Dec & Jan) in States (sister lived in Texas)
Highlights:
* New Orleans (loved the music & the food - sadly no longer)
* Rafting down the Rio Grande thru Big Bend Nat'l Park, Texas
* Train trip in bubble top glass carriage from Denver thru Rockies to Glenwood Springs for 3 days skiing & had a drink in the bar where Doc Holliday died. 
* Round trip from Las Vegas to Hoover Dam, Sthn rim of Grand Canyon (snow on top & ridges), to Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon & Zion canyon then back to las Vegas.
* Yosemite Nat Park
* Disneyland (the original)
have to find some pics (before computers) 
