First, you're lucky to have the time for this!
I know more about locations closer to home (SF bay area), but I've traveled too.
If you haven't yet, get down to Palo Alto Baylands for stunning coastal marsh landscapes and a very approachable egret/night-heron rookery. Snowy egret nestling activity starts now. For more information, see my photo essay on P.42 of June 2006 Birder's World.
Yosemite valley is overrun. Don't go there - if Tioga Pass is open, Tuolumne Meadows is pretty. A little further east near Tioga Pass, Mono Meadow is even prettier. If you have an afternoon, scramble up Mt. Dana for a panaramic view of the Cathedral Range to the west and the Mono Basin to the east. On your way up Mt. Dana, you'll see yellow bellied marmots - they'll definitely get close enough to photograph with your 80-200mm lens.
After you've driven down towards Mono Basin, make a stop at Matt Toomey's Whoa Nellie Deli. It's in the gas station(!) to your right at the junction with California 395. Try the ragin' Cajun jambalaya. Then photograph Mono Lake and Negit Island from the ridge next to the deli.
If only Sonora Pass (CA 108) is open, take it to CA 395 instead. You'll go over passes pedaled by riders on the Markleeville Death Ride (Tour of the California Alps). Then head south on 395 to Mono Basin and Lee Vining.
Northwest of Mono Lake are the Dechambeau Ponds, home territory to lots of noisy yellow-headed blackbirds and great marsh scenery.
Find Bodie ghost town by heading north of Mono Lake on 395 - then follow the signs. This town the state preserves in a state of arrested decay is well worth a detour - bring your wide angle lens, and hope for rain to keep crowds away and trim the dynamic range to something you can record on film or pixels.
If you go north on I80 to Tahoe, there's lots of places you'll want to stop. Only trouble is the drive across Nevada that follows - not too much out there. Watch for egrets along the Snake River when you get close to Idaho - if you go that far north. Snake River Birds of Prey NCA and the Peregrine Fund's headquarters south of Boise are both worth a look. As you approach Jackson, Wyoming, there's a lot of mountain scenery. If you get to Jackson Hole, watch for bison, elk and moose.
If you head southeast through Arizona, Phoenix hasn't a whole lot to recommend it. There's great scenery east and west, though. North is Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon, and the big prize - Grand Canyon National Park. There are also Anasazi ruins at Palatki and Tuzigoot. South is Tuscon, Subino Canyon and the Kit Peak Observatory.
In southern Utah, go to Bryce Canyon. You'll see giant red asparagus and other neat formations in this stone Rorschach test. Sunrise Point and the Fairyland Loop trail are worth the time.
Zion has its own beauty - the Checkerboard Mesa, the Great White Throne, and the Weeping Wall are unique - but it may remind you of Yosemite.
Then there's Moab. You'll find Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, plus more BLM land than you can shake a stick at. Arches is good for a day's scramble - climb around the WIndows area, and walk out to Delicate Arch for a classic red-rock landscape. Canyonlands is better on a mountain bike or four wheel drive. If you can, ride out to the Green-Colorado River confluence. The Jughandle Loop is probably the most scenic trail, mile-for-mile. You'll need great legs and lungs, and about a day to ride it.
For mountain bike riders, a copy of Todd Campbell's "Above and Beyond Slickrock" is an essential guide to rides in the area. Todd's ridden them all in the nearly 20 years he's lived in Moab.
In northern Utah, go to Antelope Island in Great Salt Lake.
You'll see great views of the Wasatch Range, Avocets in the lake by the causeway on the way, and lots of bison. You may catch a glimpse of the pronghorn the island's named for if you're lucky.
Further east in the Wasatch Range near Logan and Hyrum, find Hardware Ranch WMA. Views in Blacksmith Fork Canyon on the way there are worth it. The Ranch hosts Wagons West rides to beaver dams and other wildlife hangouts. In winter, there are rides to view elk that feed in the Canyon.
Continuing northeast, there are lots of Anasazi sites in the Four Corners area. Mesa Verde is overtouristed - but further southeast, Chaco Canyon isn't as bad. Canyon De Chelly and Monument Valley offer more desert scenery and Anasazi ruins.
Further north on I70, Grand Junction and the whole Grand Mesa area present incredible mountain landscapes. If you have time, drive the Million Dollar Highway (Colorado 550) south through Ouray and Durango for incredible alpine scenery - green meadows and craggy peaks of many 14ers.
continuing east on I70, Glenwood Springs and the country around Basalt, Carbondale, and Aspen are worth a stop. If you have a mountain bike and some time, trails around Mount Sopris and the Lincoln Mining country are worth a ride.
Denver has lots to see - but I'd detour north to Boulder for better scenery.
Or head south to Colorado Springs. Stop at Garden Of The Gods for a red-rock fairyland. The Air Force Academy offers cool architecture with the Front Range as a backdrop.
Continuing southeast, the volcanic landscape of El Malpais and El Morro National Monuments are worth a stop. So is Acoma, one of the oldest Pueblo villages in the U.S. It was called Sky City by the Spanish and early Caucasian settlers.
Make a detour south of Albuquerque on I25 to Bosque del Apache NWR. It offers views of hawks, eagles and other raptors in a wood oasis formerly used by the Apache.
I've only been to isolated places further east - I'd stop in New Orlean's French Quarter. Jackson Square and the spectacle of Bourbon Street are worth a look - and you help the local economy by spending a little money there.
Artie Morris gets great bird images at Fort DeSoto and other spots in southwest Florida. Check out his site at
www.birdsasart.com for more ideas.
Enjoy your trip!
