Summer 2006 American Road Trip

Hey, this is my first post. I am looking for any advice and thoughts on my plan.

I am going to be 20 next summer, and am looking for a couple of friends to do something along these lines.

Over 40-50 days, start in Atlanta and end up in Magnetawan, Ontario where I have a lakehouse.

I want to leave it up in the air to some degree, but the general route I want to take is.

Atlanta- New Orleans- Santa Fe- Telluride- Arches NP- Zion NP- Las Vegas- Death Valley- Yosemite- San Francisco- all the way up California and Oregon coast to- Portland- Seattle- Vancouver- Lake Louise- Banff- Regina- Winnipeg- Thunder Bay- Sault St. Marie- Magnetawan.

This trip totals 7,000 miles, about $900 in gas.
We want to spend as little money as possible, what kind of money are we looking at? Are there any other attractions along the way we can't miss?

I want to drive off the interstates once we get to Santa Fe, but I am really not interested in Texas.

Any advice will be heeded.

1. You are hitting enough National Parks that it will pay to get a National Parks Pass.

2. To help choose non-interstate roads, get a free copy of America's Byways Map We have also discovered some great roads using the Readers Digest "The Most Scenic Drives in America." You might also check AAA state maps & the Rand McNally Road Atlas (under $5.00 at WalMart) for their ideas of scenic drives.

3. As to places, if you are going to Arches & Zion, I'd add Bryce NP. There are also a number of beautiful state parks - check the National Geographic's "State Parks of the United States." Although you may be too far west for a practical stop, we loved Burney Falls on CA Route 89. In Washington state we really enjoyed Olympic NP, the San Juan Islands & the Cascades. Some details on our web page.

4. Lastly, leave plenty of extra time so you don't feel pressured to skip something you want to add at the last minute. In the worst case, you can always hop on an interstate to catch up.

I looked over your trip. It looks like you drove upwards of 9,000 miles. Thats alot of driving with just two people.

Does our schedule look realistic to you? Any changes you would make, having done a trip like this yourself?

We are young and have alot of energy and I doubt it will be a problem. We also want to balance seeing the natural parts of the country with finding some fun spots along the way.

Alot of my friends think this trip is dumb and I should get an internship instead of travel. That makes me sick, truly. I think I am at a great age for a roadtrip like this.

Anyways, thanks.

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Does our schedule look realistic to you? Any changes you would make, having done a trip like this yourself?

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I have driven a little over a million miles in recent years. Your route of drive seems reasonable, although once you are out there you will probably want to stay longer in areas than you have left time for at present.

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Alot of my friends think this trip is dumb and I should get an internship instead of travel.

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I dunno. I don't really see the value of acting responsibily so soon. You will be an adult for the rest of your life. I say -- do the road trip!

Mark

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Originally Posted by Editor

. You will be an adult for the rest of your life. I say -- do the road trip! Mark

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Funny you said that, my response to my friends was

"Congratulations, you're going to achieve the age of thirty by your 21st birthday."

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We are young and have alot of energy and I doubt it will be a problem. We also want to balance seeing the natural parts of the country with finding some fun spots along the way.

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Since we are in our 60's, I guess you could say we are old but have lots of energy! Anyhow, anytime you have the possibility of making a road trip do it. You never know what the future will bring, but you probably have less tying you down now than you will later. We have been lucky, having a job that often allowed 2 - 3 months for traveling; at last count we have made 7 cross country trips, and uncountable 1 - 2 week local trips.

As to schedule - I agree with Mark - you will discover new places to visit by talking to people while on your trip. Be sure to leave time to be able to do that.

Again, since only you know what it is you are interested in seeing, spend some time searching the web, books, travel magazines (one of my favorite off the main track travel magazines is "Country Journal"), maps, and anything else that will help you plan a route. I have met people who travel to visit every state capital, railroad museums, lighthouses, watefalls, music festivals, local food, or even to search the country for the perfect Cinnamon Roll!

I usually carry a laptop. One of the things I have found useful is to maintain a file called "Next Trip." Anytime I find something interesting when reading this site, a travel blog, looking at a map, a TV show, or magazine, or even some nearby place we can't fit in a current trip schedule, I add a link or description to the file. Working with the file & my GPS mapping software provides a good way of planning the next trip.

Have a great trip & be sure to leave some time afterwards to compare the pleasures of your trip with those that spent the time in their internships. I suspect you will come out on top!

I am willing to go fairly out of the way for a nice drive. Here is my route again. I'm only listing necessary stops. Well, they are fairly necessary.

Atlanta
New Orleans
Santa Fe
Colorado Rockies
Southern Utah national parks
Vegas
Death Valley
Sequoia
Yosemite
San Francisco
Portland
Seattle
Vancouver
Canadian Rocky Mountains
Toronto


The road that I have discovered that I am eagerly anticipating is HWY 12 in Utah. I'm fine with taking interstates when the speed outweighs the scenery. But if there is anything to see, I want to see it. If you happen to have seen anything you loved along this route, please tell me and I WILL take note. Tell me any great highways I can take, or any sights or anything. If you are extremely bored, you can even tell me the entire route YOU would take if you were to embark on this expedition.

Keep in mind this is a 40-60 day vacation. This is the second post regarding this trip I have made, and I would expect there to be many more in the future. I want this to be the best trip of my life. Oh, and its for next summer.

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Originally Posted by UGAphin

The road that I have discovered that I am eagerly anticipating is HWY 12 in Utah.

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I have the pleasure of living at the northern end of Utah Hwy 12, it is an amazing road in all seasons.

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Originally Posted by UGAphin

I'm fine with taking interstates when the speed outweighs the scenery.

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I think you may not seeing the forest for the trees. There is plenty of scenery to be found on interstate highways and in some places, (like Glenwood Canyon in Colorado or the Virgin River Gorge in Arizona,) the only way you can see it from a car is from the interstate.

But, one huge part of being in a place, for me, is seeing farms, small towns, and the lazy life that goes around away from the interstates. The only commerce you see from the side of interstates are gas stations. The scenery may be good, but it just doesn't feel the same. I also like windier roads, they keep me awake.

It seems we’ve got similar ideas of road trip through america. Originally, my plan was to start my trip in New York in May 2006 and then hit south: along the coast to florida, then west, almost the same road you plan to take, New Orlean, Houston, Carlsbad, Roswell, Santa Fe, Canyon de Chelly and Grand Canyon, great national parks in Utah, Las Vegas, Yosemite, Sequoia, Los Angeles and San Francisco. I planned it to last 3 to 4 months. Camping all the time, taking a camp stove, and generally being very careful with expenses. I’m on tight budget too. I was looking for companion for this trip among my friends but they don’t want to take a year break in studies or aren’t really into travelling. I just don’t want to wait with this trip till I graduate.

Please let me know if you still want to go and maybe we could do this trip (at least the part from Atlanta to SF) together.

Stay well
Tom, 21 years old student, Poland

sounds good Tom. 9,000 miles is totally possible. This past summer a friend and I conquered 32,000 miles in roughly 80 days. No breakdowns, no problems, it was an amazing trip. Alaska, Seattle, Mt. Rushmore, Chicago, Maine, Boston, New York, Washington DC, Miami, Orlando, Austin, Nashville, Memphis, Las Vegas were among places we reached! Got some good ideas. What are you into?

32,000 miles? Sounds amazing. Real 'around country' trip. I was rather thinking about something... smaller. Just coast to coast trip in 3 months, taking time, not being under pressure of making hundreds miles a day. Just see the sights, take back roads through small towns and visit some events like ufo festival in Roswell or apple feast in Oak Glen, Ca, stuff like that.
At this point I'm looking for companionship because solo travel is just not it.
After that I think I'll stay in LA for a while, till mid december probably.
Let me know if you recall any great offbeat places you had visited...

Thanks
Tom, 21 years old (student of astronomy), Poland

Hmmm. Cool places I can think of off the top of my head are..
Krause Springs Water Hole. -Found this through a Houston local who took us there for the day. Located in Spicewood, TX, this is some guy's property who opens it up in the summertime for visitors to swim in. Has awesome rope swings & a ledge you can jump 20ft off of. Very cool and something I've never experienced here in California. Other cool places you should look into are Sandpoint, Idaho. Great camping right in the middle of town on Lake Pend Oreille. Nice beach and crystal blue skies. Check out Wisconsin Dells, WI. Spend a couple days in Chicago. Go up Sears Tower. Stop in St. Louis, MO. Not alot of people know you can actually go up the Gateway Arch but you can. Very cool. Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio. World renowned and self proclaimed the best theme park in the world. I think I agree with that. If your really into music hit up the EMP Museum in Seattle, WA next to the Space Needle which I'd also go up. Heard alright things about Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland but I've never been there. The #1 Places For Astronomy are Huntsville, AL, Houston, TX, and of course Cape Canveral in Florida. I'd time your summer trip around a launch. I tried this on my trip but it got delayed :( While in Florida go to South Beach(Miami). Plenty of things to do in Orlando of course. Charleston, SC is an amazing town. Boston, NYC, Chestnut St in Philadelphia, Washington DC are a must. Also Newport, Rhode Island, Toronto, & Elvis Presley's Graceland in Memphis are in my top Fav places.

Great tips Bam! I'd love to go to that Krause Springs Water Hole and camp at Sandpoint, ID. Do you have any pictures?

Gen

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The #1 Places For Astronomy are Huntsville, AL, Houston, TX, and of course Cape Canveral in Florida.

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I think you meant these places are great if you're interested in the space program or NASA. Astronomy is something different. For that, the best places are Kitt Peak, Mt Hopkins, Mt Graham and Lowell Observatory, all in Arizona. Kitt Peak for one, allows visitors during daylight hours. Also, there is a famous observatory in Hawaii (a little farther afield) and there is the fascinating VLA on the Plains of San Augustin in western New Mexico (also worth a visit). The VLA was a star in Jodie Foster's movie "Contact."

Here's a few pics. In the 1st Sandpoint picture I recommend camping right next to that lakefront park at Best Western's Edgewater Campground.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/searc...&cop=&ei=UTF-8

http://www.sandpointinfo.com/images/Sandpoint.jpg

http://come2sandpoint.com/sandpoint/..._Gold_Hill.jpg

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Originally Posted by Bam

In the 1st Sandpoint picture I recommend camping right next to that lakefront park at Best Western's Edgewater Campground.

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If you want a real fun place to camp -- Fox Farm (just up the lake from town) can't be beat!

Mark

Hey Bam.
THANKS A LOT. That’s exactly what I was looking for. Spicewood looks awesome. I guess I won’t be able to see all the places you mentioned but some of them are a ‘must see’ now. Over the past few weeks I’ve finally found companions for the trip and plans changed a bit. It’s called a compromise I guess. We’ll just give up the east coast (probably) and concentrate on western (and mid west) states.
I am interested in NASA programs (naturally) but I think we won’t make it to Houston, alas.
But VLA in Socorro and Kitt Peak, AZ are the places I just can’t miss.
Thanks again for the tips.

Tom

NASA in LA

Tom, if you're going to be in LA for a while and are interested in NASA, be sure to check a previous post of mine for the links and sign up for the tours of JPL and Edwards. This should be a lot easier now that you're EU and no longer Warsaw Pact.

AZBuck

Don't rule out Mt Hopkins! Here's a link to their website. The Whipple Observatory on Hopkins has a multi-mirrored instrument that is fascinating. Tours are available on a limited basis, and you need reservations. Kitt Peak, on the other hand, is a self-guide tour and more freely available. Bob