My H is working less and we have more time to travel, we have time in September or October. I’ve thought about Europe but I’m thinking an extended road trip would be nice. We have the option of driving or flying somewhere and renting a car. If we drove we would do a bit of camping on the trip. We would be comfortable no from Ca.
Ideas I’m considering- Santa Fe Area. We have never been before and it’s on my would love to see list.
Michigan- I’m a sucker for all the Pure Michigan commercials. I’ve heard that Michigan has some great beaches. When does the weather begin to change. Would September be too late for swimming. The other idea is to go later and see foliage. I’ve never been to that area of the country and it’s not an area that I know people who have traveled there. So I’m totally open to ideas.
We have been to Oregon, Utah, Colorado. Also have been to Yellowstone and Tetons and Glacier so not interested in those areas.
Any suggestions?
Have you been to Washington/British Columbia?
Michigan is beautiful in the fall! Depends where you are talking about going as far as the weather - and if you’re talking first half of September or October. You might get low 80’s in September - you might get 55! Over all I would say September is likely to be quite nice and no jacket weather while October will be very nice and likely jacket weather.
As far as swimming, we have a cottage on Lake Huron but the Canadian side, but comperable to the lower thumb area of Michigan. The first half of September is often the warmest water of the year and yes we have swam but we are also used to the generally cold waters anyway! But the water will cool off fast as the air cools down and the days are shorter.
@mom60 - H and I did a driving trip in October to see the fall leaves in New England. We loved Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont and were able to see great colors. We are from SoCal so we flew east and rented a car and did a 7 day trip.
Second Northern New England during foliage season.
You could do the circle drive of Lake Michigan, especially if you haven’t been to Chicago. Fly to Chicago, then go up either through Wisconsin or Michigan, stop at Mackinac Island for a couple of nights (via ferry, car stays behind), then back down through the other state. End in Chicago for some great meals and sightseeing in a world class city. You could time the trip so colors will be starting to change at the “top” of your circle. That being said, having lived in both the Midwest and Southern California, I wouldn’t make the beaches of Michigan a primary objective per se.
New England in the fall is lovely. Washington/Oregon is tremendously scenic but perhaps not essentially different from places you’ve been. Go east and see how close every place is to each other ;).
I can’t tell where you’re coming from, but we love Santa Fe. I suggest going around the time of Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque (first week of October). Taos is a couple of hours from Santa Fe, and it’s a great place to visit also. Abiquiu Ghost Ranch is also great, especially if you like to hike.
We visited Acadia National Park and Portland Maine early last September, and weather was spectacular.
There are lots of lighthouses along the coast of Maine, and the LL Bean store if that’s your thing, but if you’re in CA, that would be a LONG drive.
Since you said you did Utah, I’m assuming you’ve done Moab and the Nat’l Parks there, plus Bryce and Zion?
The Oregon Coast and/or Portland and the Columbia River Gorge Area, were awesome, and I don’t know if you could fit Crater Lake in, or Willamette Valley, if you did that trip.
We have been to Washington and BC.one year we rented a minivan and drove from Seattle Via the San Juan’s all the way to Banff and back to Seattle. It was a great trip. We have also done a fall New England trip. Also did a fall Quebec, Montreal and Countryside trip. Also have been to Savannah, Charleston, Asheville and Blue Ridge Parkway in the fall.
We are flexible on dates but I think we have a wedding mid September. We could go anytime after Sept 1.
A friend suggested Nova Scotia. Anyone done a fall trip in that area.
Meant to put in this link: http://www.lakemichigancircletour.com
I’ve never vacationed in Michigan before, but everyone I know loves Traverse City. Lots of people where I live go to South Haven, too, and love it. I think Michigan would be a nice place for a visit. I agree with Marilyn if you’ve never been to Chicago to combine a trip with Michigan.
Calling @deb922 for a Traverse area pitch. 
I’d also add that if you choose Michigan you could also make it an international trip and head across the border at Port Huron or Detroit and make a trip to Toronto…
If you go to New Mexico then Trinity Site is open the first Saturday of October (https://www.wsmr.army.mil/Trinity/Pages/Home.aspx).
When I was in graduate school in Michigan we would go cross country skiing at Sleeping Bear Dunes, it is a beautiful area with gigantic sand dunes. It was always so cold we never visited the beaches or spent much time on the dunes, but I imagine it is a great place to swim if the weather is good. Growing up (in Illinois) I had a friend who would come back from her family cottage with Petoskey stones (fossilized coral) and I’ve always wanted to visit that region to collect some of those stones. I think it is close to the Sleeping Bear Dunes.
Do the lake Michigan circle tour. Early September is still summer and the kids have gone back to school. Resort area prices likely to be a bit lower after Labor Day and availability good. The water warms up after the hot months. Sleeping Bear Dunes is fantastic. So are so many other places around the lake. Chicago is a great city to start and end your trip- so many excellent museums. The freshwater fish- miss that now in FL. Whitefish, walleye, lake perch, Friday fish fries…
You can PM those of us from the area for travel tips. So many things to do in that area. I would not bother setting up camp every night but would stay in moderate hotels.
If you like NPs, hiking, and camping, Acadia NP in Maine. Early/mid September is the best time to visit as crowds have gone down but weather still lovely. and it’s one of the most beautiful NPs; hiking is fantastic. Great camping at Mt. Desert Campground.
Sedona is also lovely, though I’m not sure what the weather is like that time of year. We did a 6 week road trip in the west/midwest and Santa Fe was actually one of the disappointments of our trip.
I love and am very familiar with the Leelanau peninsula of Michigan, the whole “pinky finger” peninsula of western Michigan from Traverse city and north. As others have said, early September is still good for swimming, not so much in later September and October though you could still probably rent kayaks and get on the water that way. Lots to explore in this area. Vinyards, breweries, some great food, sleeping bear dunes, lots of cute towns, beach areas and on and on. We have lately been renting cottages through airbnb or vrbo in this area and I would think there would be a lot of availability at that time of year if you prefer that to hotels.
I’m not as familiar with it but there are supposed to be some amazing places in the upper peninsula of Michigan- copper harbor, pictured rocks, tahquamenon falls, etc. And Mackinac Island is unique and fun.
Typically the peak colors for the upper lower Michigan (hows that!) is the first week of October, the UP peak colors are typically the last week of September. Depends on a lot of variables but peak colors are sooner the farther away from the lake that you are.
But a first week of October, you should be able to see a lot of color.
If I were to go on a road trip of Michigan, I would fly into either Grand Rapids or optimally Traverse City but flights can be limited. I wouldn’t fly into Chicago myself unless you want to visit Chicago. It’s a real pain to either drive the southern or northern route to where you would want to be in Michigan. Lots of traffic on the southern end and a whole lot of nothing on the northern route. You will spend a lot of time driving, I’ve done both and neither was enjoyable.
Depends on what you’d like to see but tons to do in Northern Michigan. One thing that hasn’t been mentioned are the plethora of wine and whisky makers. Beautiful scenery and great restaurants abound.
But my absolute favorite week to be up north is the first week of September. The weather is usually great, all of the tourists are gone but still feels like summer, well our summer.
I love the relatively unspoiled charm of the UP. But I also love sleeping bear dunes area and Petoskey, I think their vibe is completely different but equally charming.
Another option is to fly into Chicago and drive north and take one of the ferry’s across Lake Michigan. Warning, it’s not cheap to do, which is why we’ve never done it. But you won’t waste a bunch of time driving around the Lake
Door County WI area is gorgeous as well.
September in Michigan is glorious. I can’t add much to what has already been posted except for my enthusiasm.
Sleeping Bear Dunes is knock-down gorgeous and the Leelanau Peninsula has a little bit of everything (vineyards, great restaurants, and the scenery!)
I’m a lighthouse junkie, and the Michigan coastline is filled with them.
There’s a really cool Shipwreck Museum in Paradise, MI - it’s a bit off the beaten path, but it’s an amazing place if you’re into that kind of thing.
If you’re a stargazer, the Headlands International Dark Sky Park is on Lake Michigan near Mackinaw City, MI. http://www.midarkskypark.org/
Mackinac Island is a little touristy, but it’s also surprisingly historic - one of the first engagements of the War of 1812 occurred there.
I see where the OP is a camper, too. Michigan has some nice campgrounds, some right on the water.
We went tubing on the Platte River once - parked near the beach, got picked up and dropped off upriver. Then we just drifted down back to the beach. The river emptied into Lake Michigan so you can stand there and move back and forth between cold (lake) and warm (river) water. Very pretty beach. The only caveat is watching out for inebriated kayakers.
Michigan can be lovely (September means apple picking and pies) and there are also interesting destinations in Wisconsin- Lake Geneva, Door County, House on the Rock, Wisconsin Dells…that’s why I thought of the circle tour if you have plenty of time and enjoy camping.