Ny to La in 5 weeks

Hi there- My boyfriend and I are taking one last hoorah before we start law school in the fall - we wanted some advice! We will be driving from NY to LA and back in 5 weeks -we have some spots that we will definitely hit - Chicago, Santa Fe, Denver, Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, LA, San fran, Big sur, etc.. but are looking for some suggestions that we will not find in our Rough Guide - any wacky or strange things, cool cities with great culture - poetry slams, clubs, great musuems, etc.. We are also looking for adventure - white water rafting, cliff diving, etc.. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and happy travelin'! :) Carra

OK. One such idea:

Dinner at the Starlight Theatre in downtown Terlingua, Texas. Home to great singing cowboys, good grub and a host by the name of Ms. Angie Dean.

There is a new Natural History wing at the Whitney Gallery in Cody, Wyoming that is apparently awesome.

If you enjoy unusual place names -- drive thru the hill country in Kentucky. Bone Lick Hollow is not all that unusual.

One of our roadtrip friends has been guiding whitewater trips on the Salmon "for ever." His trips feature gourmet food and are relatively cushy, but the country is fantastic. For more information check out http://www.salmonriveroutfitters.com/

Jesse James' hot water hangout near Denver is another of our favorite places: http://www.roadtripamerica.com/places/indsprgs.htm And you might find Scott DeGroff spinning tall tales and skiing poetry at the bar.

All-time favorite hot spring would be "Lil Eden" at the end of the road in Mono Hot Springs, California.

i was also going to suggest rafting in Idaho. But i have to admit i have been on the east coast so long i had to really stop and think if we used to go on the Snake river or the Salmon river!!! I claim sleep deprivation and temporary insanity for not remembering which was which. Anyway my other suggestion is wind surfing on the columbia river. it is a challenge if you have never done it before but totally exhilarating once you get the hang of it. If you are interested i could find the info i have (hopefully)from where we used to go or maybe the editor already has some info handy. either way Enjoy!

Both Doug's Beach and East Mayer State Park are busy windsurfing areas. I have never tried the sport, but it is amazing to watch them zing along the river!

I know Yosemitee is in the guide books- but you will not believe the amazing sites. It puts one in complete awe of nature. Worth it!

If you go through the central valley of CA, you must check out The Underground Gardens in Fresno. Amazing! This guy comes out from Italy via NY and ends up creating acres of underground tunnels and rooms with gorgous gardens etc. Architects com from all over the world to see it. You must see it if you can:
http://www.roadtripamerica.com/places/forest.htm

Also found in the central valley along Interstate 5 is Anderson's Pea Soup restaraunt- yummy!

Also there are some websites that have maps for natural hot springs that can be quite fun to go to.

If you are driving along the Cali coast- stop at Ft. Bragg north of San Francisco and ride the skink train. A steam train that runs through some breathtaking forests.

I presume the previous poster meant the Skunk Train. For those of you who heard it had been shut down for budget problems, it was. However, they are running again. They can be found at www.skunktrain.com.