Greetings, folks. My name's Kiat and I am a college student here in Claremont, California (Claremont is in the L.A. county). Next fall, my friend and I are going to be interns in Washington D.C. and we've decided to take this opportunity to take a road trip across the country. We're both foreigners (he is Peruvian and I am Thai) and we figured that this is probably the best way to get to see this country.

We will leave on Aug. 15 and we can arrive in Washington anytime before Aug. 30 - so we have about two weeks.

Right now I've started by purchasing the Rand McNally 2005 Road Atlas and Travel Guide: United States, Canada, & Mexico (Rand Mcnally Road Atlas Deluxe: United States, Canada, Mexico) from Amazon.com.

We would really appreciate any input as to where to stop and visit, what gears to pack, what motels are nice and comfy, precautions I should take, etc.

Thank you very much!

Kiat T.