Scott Warren, is there golf in the plan for every day?
No, probably five games. Two up in the north east and three in California. See you at Buda!
2. The idea of a day trip to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas is very ambitious. According to Google Maps, you are looking at 5 hours of driving to get there and an additional five hours to return. Much of that will be on winding roads. If you are dying to go, I would recommend staying a night at the lodge.
3. Unless you are playing LA North and Riviera, I would cut days from Los Angeles. The main thing you will experience there is traffic congestion.
We wouldn't drive to the canyon and back ourselves, you're right, that would be too much driving! There are tour groups who do bus and light plane trips there in a day, so that's the plan.
Re LA, I am playing Riv, and my missus will want one full day there together (ie. where I don't bugger off and play golf) together there, so my hands are sort of tied there.
And to throw in a final plug for a train ride, there's another overnight run from a couple hrs S. of the Canyon (Williams, AZ) straight into LA arriving 8am. Saves you the ride back to LV and the subsequent drive to LA.
That's not a bad idea. The logistics of seeing the canyon, because it's a priority for both of us, were one of the most difficult parts to plan, and TBH, to head to the canyon, check it out, then jump on a train could be better than the way we have it at the moment - provided we could drop a rental car off in Williams. I will definitely look into that.
I did the day trip driving to the grand canyon from Vegas with a tour group. Left at 6am and got back at around 7pm but was well worth it even though the return trip was pretty boring (apart from crossing the Hoover Dam and comin down into Vegas at night)
Do you remember which tour group you used, Matt? As I said above, this remains one part of the trip I'm still trying to get set.
Scott Coan: Nantucket does sound pretty good... I don't know about losing a night in Boston, but we could perhaps spend a night of the New England leg out there. Something to look at, for sure.