US50 - Washington DC to San Francisco in 13 days

[lhuff]

Lake Providence is in East Louisiana near the Mississippi border. It's actually pretty close to where my Dad is from. I've been to it and Delhi (pronounced with a long I, not like the city in India) and Oak Grove lots of times for family stuff.

Watcha want to know?

Poverty Point is near there in Epps, LA and is the site of the scene that left my sister and I in the middle of a field staring at cows because the state park had failed to mow the trails around the mounds properly. The NPS is supposed to be helping with the site now, so maybe it's better.

Laura

[Paolo99]

Just read something recently that said it was the poorest town in the US. I have a kind of morbid fascination with it. What's it like?

[lhuff]

You'll find lots of rural towns in Louisiana vying for that position. Lake Providence looks like a lot of other small dying towns in Louisiana. There's little to no industry, some people still trying to eak out a living with a small family cotton farm, etc. There's really nothing to see. You could probably also visit Goodwill, Oak Grove, Epps, etc and see the same sights. I know they have a larger crime problem in Lake Providence than the towns where I have relatives, but I don't know enough about the town to tell you the root causes. It's always been a very poor section of the country, though.

I could say a lot more, but I'd really get in trouble with RTA's Good Neighbor policy. :)

Laura

[Paolo99]

What's RTA's Good Neighbour policy?

[Mark Sedenquist]

Paolo99.

From the terms and conditions of this Forum....
The Forum is moderated by seven members of the roadtrip community and their primary job is to serve as your host and guide while you are using the Forum. They are all knowledgeable and experienced roadtrippers with millions of miles of road expertise under their collective tires. We strive to be a source of information and ideas about that nature and philosophy of road tripping and also provide itinerary suggestions. We enforce a set of “good neighbor” rules to ensure that everyone’s experience on the Forum is welcoming and helpful.

One of the hallmarks of this "Good Neighbor Code of Behavior" is that we do not embrace generalizations that are not based upon personal experiences***. In particular, we work towards the notion that there are no boring places anywhere. To be clear, we do not disrespect anyone's home town or regional area on this Forum. Likewise, negative generalizations about a group of people from one region encountered on a roadtrip are not acceptable. The Moderators on this Forum will actively enforce this version of the "Golden Rule." Elsewhere on the Web, it easy to find plenty of alternative forums where courtesy and respect are not has highly valued and those members who choose not to "play nice" will be given the opportunity to go elsewhere.

***What is always fair game and encouraged are "field reports" where members share examples of real life roadtrips. This forum has several such reports sharing some of the very real, and sometimes unpleasant aspects of roadtripping (bedbugs, breakdowns, traveler incompatibilities, etc.)****

Thanks for your continued understanding of this policy.

Mark

[Paolo99]

I'm just confused as to how Laura thought she'd be transgressing.

[jonig4]

Paolo99,
great report there, thanks. As I've posted yesterday on a different thread, I'm planning to do a pretty similar trip this July with my girlfriend. Since both books we've bought on Amazon (Blue Highways and Jamie Jensen's Road Trip USA Cross Country Adventure on America's Two-Lane Highways) haven't arrived yet (we're in Brazil so that usually takes some time), our basic idea for the trip is basically US 50 from Washington to Sacramento and then San Francisco.

Were guides useful in finding interesting detours and pointing dull segments of the road? What would you suggest? I'm afraid Jamie Jensen's guide is outdated, am I right?

On a different note and trying not to sound full of prejudice or break or motivate any violations of the Good Neighbour rule, some of your, er, political remarks got me worried. Being brazilian and ethnically dark skinned latino (my girlfriend is white), how likely is it to face racial discomfort along the way? Is it common to stumble upon people on the far-right side of the political spectrum? I don't mean David Duke or anything, just that creepy black people and women shouldn't vote thing.

[Paolo99]

The only unpleasant chap we ran into was the owner of that awful restaurant and as that wasn't even on the US50 the chances of you stumbling upon it - even by accident - are about 1 in a billion. Even if you do the smell of carcasses will have you running out the door.
We didn't run into any other bother at all. In fact, over 7 road trips covering about 15,000 miles, I've only once had a cross word with a local and that was in New Orleans where some redneck took a dislike to my fancy English accent.
Otherwise, it's an incredibly hospitable - if sometimes insular - country.
I'm pretty sure there's been an updated edition of Jensen's book which was published just after we did US50. The old one we used was pretty out-of-date but still useful and interesting and definitely worth taking with you.
As for Blue Highways, well, what can I say?
As for finding places of interest, restaurants and accommodation we used a mixture of Jamie Jensen, Rough Guide USA and the internet. I found having a laptop with us was really useful as it pointed us to B&Bs etc that we wouldn't have otherwise found. Staying in B&Bs is a really good way to get a feel for an area and a culture, much more so than staying in motels or hotels. We found Tripadvisor also useful as a research tool in larger conurbations.
Regardless, you'll have a fantastic time and I think you're doing it in the right direction [east to west]. I've done 7 trips and I think US50 was my favourite - you get to see such a great cross-section of the US and it's bookended with two of the most interesting cities.
Anyway, if you need anything else don't hesitate to ask.
P

[jonig4]

Anyway, if you need anything else don't hesitate to ask.
P

Well, I do. (:

How much did you spend on the whole trip? Is cash easily accessible throughout the way (Visa ATMs)? Are Credit Cards ubiquitous or are the hotels, diners and bars in the small towns still cash only?

[RoadDog]

DAYS 1 -3
Off in the morning towards the Ohio River scenic byway. Really lovely drive. Stopped off at Madison, Indiana. We could live here. Really special town, with a vaguely bohemian feel and a thriving downtown. [I later e-mail the local newspaper's editor asking if he has any positions available - the rude beggar doesn't even acknowledge my correspondence] Head off back towards US-50 through beautiful farm roads. Rejoin US-50 at Seymour. Pleasant rolling farmland all the way.

We were headed for Lawrenceville, Illinois, which turned out to be a slightly down-at-heel town with a Mexican restaurant selling gallons of margarita for about $1. We overindulge and end up with some locals in a bar drinking to the imminent incarceration of one of our fellow revellers' brothers. I am asked to say a few words in tribute to a convicted felon who I have never met. Surreal.

MORE TO COME SOON

That Madison is one of the neatest towns I've ever been in. I've also driven the length of US-50 in Illinois. Didn't notice that place with the cheap margaritas, unfortunately.