I think he’s looking for the best way to do it? I know what he’s up to… pleasure per mile…
edit- Hopefully I’m right?
Well I think I get it…but… As another “pro”, I know what I’d want to see and do. And as part of my adventurous side, I would not be averted to just “drop in” spontaneously somewhere along the way. As far as FBO’s…well that’s just part of the “job” we do when the boss says let’s go here. So…that part is not unusual. What am I missing here?
I used to ferry pipers from Vero to SLC.
I’d just point the nose west and when my tanks were 1/2 empty I’d start finding a place to fuel. Planning that way, or the lack there of, got me to stop at places I’d never of stopped at other wise.
Slept in a plane twice, got stuck for days w/ weather, followed a flight of Hueys near Ft Rucker in marginal VFR to get down when the both navs went out.
Loved every flight.
foot note-some areas of the south might require a translator
lieberma can cover the Mississippi area… 
I’ll PM you BenjaminKramer…
Are you hauling the family or going solo?
I think Allen should fly his Sundowner to OAK for a beer with Dami. I’d show up for that.
To azav8r point, I guess it’s just a sad case of yet another pilot who lost touch with where he started. I see you all to often at the airport. I don’t see anything wrong at all with asking other people their opinion who’ve done the journey in a single their thoughts, routes, or particular destinations they chose to go off route. It’s part of the enjoyment of talking to other people, but, alas, when there is a keyboard and a monitor there is always one individual who feels the need to ridicule and act in a manner which is just not acceptable when face to face with someone.
I’m sorry to have wasted your time so much.
Please don’t misconstrue the suspicion expressed by some here. It doesn’t come from an evil streak in their id, it comes from the fact that we’ve been trolled a few times too many.
As you stated there are obvious visual pointers one notices when dealing face-to-face with folks that one cannot discern on a computer monitor.
For the record, I didn’t notice any ridicule, just a bit of wariness.
Welcome to FA Ben.
Yes…please don’t. You even admitted that your “translation doesn’t come across very well”…and it didn’t… 
Lost touch with where I started?..naaa…I’m still getting there. 
Sorry if I offended you. As your journey takes you across the SW, I just might have a few ideas for you…
I’d better be better equipped then my Slowdowner
12.5 is my service ceiling!
And heck yeah, I LOVE challenges
I do hope to get this kind of opportunity to do this kind of trip when I go “full retirement” as I have enjoyed seeing what I have in my short flying career between here, Ohio, Bawdimore, Myrtle Beach, Daytona Beach and all points between…
Az,
I’ll volunteer my services 
Ben,
That would be a great trip… I did it last September and it was awesome… I did CLT-MYF (San Diego) all VFR… I used airnav and 100ll.com for fuel stops (looking for cheap stops along the route).
Well, I planned the most direct route… then didn’t end up flying it due to weather. I ended up having to overnight in west TX and then fly the southern route, so be prepared to change the plan enroute. Having onboard WX (e.g XM WX) would be of great help… if you know someone who has a 396/496 … beg, borrow, steal… 
I didn’t have it, and I wish I did.
Generally speaking, I found small FBOs in small towns to be the best For example, they’d let me use courtesy car overnight (to get to hotel and back)… heck… in one place I didn’t even have to ask…
Also, I had a Route A (most direct) which included St. John’s… I heard good things about that place and gas is cheap. Unfortunately I did not get to visit there… Then there was Route B (pre-planned before departure)… it was the southern route (El Paso area, then onto Casa Grande, AZ etc…)… it was just a plan B… but ended up being the route I flew due to weather. It helped to have it pre-planned. One thing I’d mention is that I used those AirChart sectional atlases… I thought they were the best thing since sliced bread…
Not familiar with the Arrow (performance wise) so I can’t talk about D.A. and/or terrain… it wasn’t a big concern for me (I cruised at 14.5 part of the way… density was 16k), but what may be worth mentioning is that airports thin out as sectional turns brownish in color… and your options are few and far between… being conservative with fuel stops would probably be a good idea…
The scenery is just beautiful… so don’t forget to enjoy it Have fun on your trip… I sure hope I get to do it again (soon)
PS… post pictures when you get back
That’s why I suggest crossing the Rockies at Albuquerque direct St Johns. The MEA is 12,000. Plus I’ve flown that route in a PA-28-200R at 12, 500 in August twice.
There’s a few ways to look at this. Are you looking to get to Catalina in the shortest time with the least amount of hassle? Or are you planning on making the TRIP part of the experience; like stopping in for a day trip at a few of the interesting places you might find in a magazine like Pilot Getaways.
The first option is easy. Plot a course straight to Arizona and from there straight to L.A. Stop when you need fuel. (like a few months ago when I flew a 172 from Dallas to Jersey with one stop. sightseeing was not part of my mission.)
If you are extremely flexible in your time and finances, I’d just start flying west, stopping at some interesting places you’ve heard about, or when you see something interesting.
Somewhere between is a compromise of time and fun. If I was making this trip I’d plot a course straight towards Arizona. Then I’d check if there were any places within a certain distance from the straight like that I’d like to visit. Then I’d figure out within a hundred miles or so where I’d need gas, and I’d check airnav for cheap fuel. (if IFR I’d make sure they have at least one decent approach) I’d make sure I have plenty of charts, including a few WAC charts for the “big picture” and off I’d go!
Now everybody’s talking about passing through AZ and NM, so I’ve got a bunch of interesting landmarks to hit. This is a vacation, right? Family?
These are all good by either car or foot, but many of these could also be good flybys – marked with asterisks. Those without asterisks (Chaco, Canyon de Chelly) are only worth it if you dwell upon them, from the ground. These are listed roughly in East-to-West order.
- Great Sand Dunes, CO (maybe approach by La Veta Pass, 9413 ft, and exit south to about Taos, then turn west. Research this carefully first – a lot of it is above 8000 ft.)
Chaco Canyon, NM (the premier pueblo ruin site in the world) - Shiprock, NM (the mountain looks like a sailing ship)
- Monument Valley, AZ – especially Agathla Peak (which is at the southern exit, near Kayenta AZ)
Canyon de Chelly, AZ (pueblo ruins and beautiful canyon) - Page, AZ (Glen Canyon Dam)
- Bryce and Zion Nat’l Pk, UT (spectacular canyons; drive through if possible)
- Grand Canyon, of course. In fact, you must. (You really should walk down in if at all possible. Plan for one hour down, then 2 hr back out. 1-2 liters of water per person for that. EDIT: And an hour’s not enough to get anywhere in particular, just deep enough to appreciate its size. )
- Boulder City, NV (Hoover Dam)
We really love Lone Pine CA (O26) also, just east of Mt Whitney. You could approach via Area 51 and Death Valley. But you’d basically have to backtrack south to go onward to Catalina.
And that’s why I’ve skipped anything further north. But if you’ve got time, you might consider a northerly return, e.g. northern CA, Yosemite, Mono Lk, Reno, SLC, Wyoming. You said April, and your chances of tolerable weather there will improve later in the month. You probably wouldn’t have to sit anywhere more than a day or two before moving on.
I hope this is the kind of thing you were looking for.
Why Lone Pine? I’ve over flown it a couple of times but never had a reason to stop there. What do you do there?
Sedona Arizona is a great stop, with a great restaurant right on the field. That airport is a blast to land at too. Meteor Crater is not far east of there and is really amazing from the air. I got mountain flying instruction out there and still remember the jaw-dropping beauty of the Red Rock country.
I’ve done the trip before in a normally aspirated AC-500S before (KOSH - KVNY). The lower route via Albuquerque is definitely the way to go. The density altitude during the afternoons as we approached the Rockies was the only thing that put a hiccup into the trip. Not planning the stops for the right time of day will mess up your schedule - that is if you are trying to keep one.
It’s just a nice small town in a gorgeous setting – Mt Whitney and the Sierras on one side and the rolling desert mountains on the other. You can drive down toward Death Valley or up toward Mt. Whitney - day trips either way. They have a small museum about the movie-making history there – from early westerns up through Ironman. We were stuck there with car trouble (which started in Death Valley), and we just enjoyed it. YMMV.
Dadalope, some great information! Exactly what I was hoping for. This will be of excellent value.
Glad you like the list. I think you’ll like the places too. Have a good trip, and tell us what you choose and how it works out.
NB: I just added a comment about the Grand Canyon to prevent a possibly dangerous misunderstanding. Water and distance in the desert are as important as fuel and distance in aviation.