Cross-country road trip FL to AZ (BBB bound) - Follow along!

[VW_MAN_73]

Jan 15th, we flew out from Tampa to Phoenix with our 2 VW friends, Dan & John, to complete the Final Stretch of our Cross-Country Road Trip in our '71 Westy for Buses by the Bridge 2025!

We're officially on the move again! After 2,650 milies on the road already, we're off for another 220+ miles of awesome scenery before rolling into Buses by the Bridge.

We first pulled over at an old-school diner on the way. Had an amazing lunch at 5 & Diner!

We followed some random billboards for "Daniel's Really Good Fresh Jerky" and to our surprise, was a hidden treasure. Jerky tastings galore and we stocked up on some awesome snacks for the week. Definitely worth the stop!

We rolled into the BBB pre-line at 7:30pm and were awarded #217. There were VWs that arrived Sunday from what we hear. Buses by the Bridge was a great experience and we cant wait to come back again. We have two YouTube videos to watch, one features an overview of the show itself, while the other is our vlog and personal experience.


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Feel free to pick or watch both!


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Sunday afternoon, we left the show and snagged a photo at the Lake Havasu City mural.

We drove the bus over the iconic London Bridge which was such a cool experience. We were surrounded by history and incredible views. Took a walk over and under the bridge.

As we set out back towards Phoenix, we stopped to take in the nature and hiked along the Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge. Such a peaceful spot that so many people pass by.

On the road again! We had a place pinned on our route that we didn't look too much into. After a treacherous 4.5 mile ride down a windy, dusty, and rocky road, we finally made it to The Desert Bar. Literally in the middle of nowhere. We didn't believe it at first, but it turned out to be SO worth the ride. We spent the afternoon soaking in the unique vibes, enjoyed lunch and listened to live music. Sometimes the hardest roads lead to the best destinations!

Along our route, we stopped by this little slide of roadside history on US-60 in Salome AZ. The old stage shop with its "We Flush Radiators" sign might not be flushing much these days, but its still a fun reminder of simpler times.

We stumbled upon Doug's Buggs & Bunnies VW shop in Mesa AZ. Fish gave us a private tour and some stickers! Was a pretty cool place, packed with VWs, parts and more!

Found a unique lunch stop, The Chuckbox! Had some really delicious burgers in an old, historic building!

We washed off 3,000 miles of dust, dirt, and pure fun off the bus, before storing it away again for a bit.

The bus is now safely tucked away once again, marking the end of our incredible FIRST cross-country road trip. It's been such a fun journey, but our adventure is far from over. Stay tuned to see where we take the bus next!

_________________
’73 Beetle - My first car, owned 26+ yrs
’71 VW Westfalia - Road-tripping across the US
Rescued & restoring a ’61 Dove Blue SO23 Bus
Follow our journey!

[DocNexil]

[VW_MAN_73]

Thanks! That's awesome. We had such a great time and look forward to next year. There's a great community out West!

[Xevin]

\m/
Nice to meet up with you two. And Xatie loved her surprise road-trip to Oatman

Safe travels
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Keep on Busin'

[VW_MAN_73]

That’s awesome! It was great meeting you. Look forward to seeing you at more shows.
Do you plan on going to the Silverado Campout? We’re planning our voyage there from Phoenix!

[VW_MAN_73]

The cross-country road trip continues! We'll be heading back to the bus in Phoenix this Thursday and cruising West through Joshua Tree National Park and onto Silverado Campout in California! Anyone going to be there? Starting a new thread for our upcoming trip!

Can't wait to get back to the bus. 2 months has been too long!

_________________
’73 Beetle - My first car, owned 26+ yrs
’71 VW Westfalia - Road-tripping across the US
Rescued & restoring a ’61 Dove Blue SO23 Bus
Follow our journey!

[richparker]

I just spent 2 night in Joshua Tree last week on out big road trip. Here’s the link to my trip, if you’re interested. Road trippin to Cali

What camp ground do you have a reservation at? On this trip we stayed at Indian Cove. It was definitely nice, but it wasn’t connected to the rest of the park. That was a bummer. My wife really liked walking around Yucca Valley, there are lots of cool shops there. Have fun!

Don’t start a new thread, keep everything in one place on this thread. Peep my Cali thread, three different trips in one place. Keeps it tidy.
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’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build

[KTPhil]

[VW_MAN_73]

Sorry, I'm late!
Our cross-country road trip in the '71 VW Westfalia continues - Silverado CA bound
From the Desert to the West Coast: Phoenix to Silverado Campout trip...

Our cross-country road trip in the ’71 VW Westfalia continues, and the adventure just keeps getting better. Our last leg of our trip started in Phoenix, we trekked to Lake Havasu City for Buses by the Bridge VW event, and then made our way back to Phoenix. After spending time in Tempe and Scottsdale, we packed up and hit the road west once again, bound for Silverado, California for one of what has become, our favorite VW events, Camping all weekend!

Leaving Arizona behind, we crossed the desert with high spirits and a bus full of essentials (plus a few extras, because… road trip!). The journey from Phoenix to California is a scenic one, but something about doing it in our restored bus makes it feel more intentional. We set out to make this trip happen, coast to coast and we were so close to achieving it.

Joshua Tree NP
From the Colorado Desert to the Mojave, we crossed two worlds in one awesome cruise through Joshua Tree National Park! We entered the Cottonwood (South) entrance and cruised about 50 miles up through 29 Palms. The visitor's center was already closed, we just missed it by minutes. Thankful to have a ranger help get us a stamp for our NP passport book.

NOTE: Cholla Cactus Garden trail and parking lot are temporarily closed. Many people still pulled off to see the acres of teddybear cholla in the Pinto Basin

Reuniting with our new VW friends
We met Jose at Buses by the Bridge back in January. Believe it or not, we parked our bus in what we learned was "his spot"! The same spot he's been parking for many, many years. We hit it off and had a great weekend together, so much so that he invited us to camp at his house if we were ever in the area. So, we hit up Jose and let him know we were making the haul from AZ to CA and passing through his town. He opened up his home, and his killer garage! This was a dream shop, filled with early splits. He introduced us to his friend Ruben, another VW lover and recently a master-fabricator! We had the chance to camp alongside Ruben and experience his creation "VW Armadillo" firsthand. This video gives you a closer look, though even the best footage can’t quite capture how amazing it is in person.


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Silverado Campout Vibes
After breakfast and a VW bus convoy, we rolled into Silverado Canyon just in time to catch the campout atmosphere in full swing. Buses (and beetles with tents) lined the shady tree-covered area as so many of our fellow VW community gathered around. There’s nothing like being surrounded by people who get the charm (and chaos) of vintage VW travel. We camped, connected with old friends and new, and got to relax. The canyon was alive with VWs everywhere. Nearly 300 air- and water-cooled Volkswagens showed up for a full weekend of camping, community, and classic vibes. Campground full of buses, beetles, and awesome VWs. We had another awesome lantern walk experience too. Music, food, fun, conversation... and camping with like-minded people. Doesn't get any better than this.

Sunday was the actual car show. We rolled over to the site where all the beetles, ghias, and Type 3s snuck in during the early morning hours to set up their display. We weren't there for an award, but hoping for an honorable Longest Distance Traveled mention! HA! Ruben won a top 10 award and one for best engineering for the VW Armadillo!

Here's our recap video from the event:

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Rolling Solo
After the Silverado Campout weekend, we ventured off on our own, towards LA. We took a detour for a fun, quirky, roadside attraction. Have you ever driven through a Donut?! We did! Ang found a cool building that you can drive through, and they have giant donuts on each end. The best part, although it was afternoon, they still had donuts for sale and these were THE FRESHEST DONUTS we've EVER tasted. Such a simple staple, but it sure made the roadtrip more fun. Back on the road, we made our way to the coast. What a cool feeling! From Florida's coast, to California's beachy coast. We checked out Hermosa and Redondo beaches, walked the boardwalks, popped into a few shops, and enjoyed our time there. We even saw a sea lion on the beach banks.

Parking the Bus
We made our way to Torrance, a coastal town in the greater LA Area. We were lucky enough to find parking and settle in. Disconnected the battery, emptied the cooler, unpacked all our clothes and belongings, and headed back home... until the next one.

Check out our vlog from this trip:

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As we continue to make miles, we’re reminded that the journey is as much about the moments in between as the destination. Campouts, roadside stops, gas station convos, and long stretches of highway. All that plus taking in the scenery, that’s what makes this trip memorable.

Next trip: SoCal VW Week
Stay tuned, we can’t wait to share our next adventure!

Trip Stats:
Bus: 1971 VW Westfalia
Route: Phoenix, AZ -> Silverado Canyon -> Torrance, CA
Nights camped: 4
Repairs so far: Zero (knock on wood!)

Have you ever camped in a VW or done a cross-country trip in a classic? Drop us a comment or share your experience.

Follow along on YouTube, Instagram, and Spotify for more from the road.
_________________
’73 Beetle - My first car, owned 26+ yrs
’71 VW Westfalia - Road-tripping across the US
Rescued & restoring a ’61 Dove Blue SO23 Bus
Follow our journey!