Suggestions for thanksgiving roadtrip from Michigan

[coast_to_coast]

Hello !!

I'm looking forward to an roadtrip during thanksgiving holiday from Ann Arbor .... and was thinking of ideas ?

Here's the basic outline :
1. Lone traveler --- male in mid 30s.
2. Starting from Ann Arbor, Michigan.
3. Travel time -- 4 days of thanksgiving -- Thursday to Sunday.
4. Where ?? That's the big question. The goal is to have a solo trip; comprised of mostly long drives along interesting routes away from cities, with 2-3 stops in a day to eat, drink , see minor attractions here & there. Having lived in Michigan for a few years, I've traveled to the Mackinac island, Michigan west coast (Sleeping Bear Dunes, Traverse City). So would love to go someplace different for a change.
5. Why ? It's a long answer -- but suffice it saying that I'm somewhat of a loner and prefer quiet solitude to think, get my thoughts together. Believe it or not, driving away from cities is the only thing I've found gives me this opportunity. (Is that weird ... to want to travel long distances, solo - for no purpose other than to travel for the sake of it?)

I don't really look forward to camping/hiking but I'm more than comfortable living in bare-bones kind of motels or even sleeping in car. As long as the drive is at least semi-intresting , I'm game.


So there you go.. probably weirdest road trip idea you've read in a while ? Any suggestions?

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

If you don't really care much about specific venues for stopping but would rather concentrate on the drive, and limit that to quieter back roads, then I have a suggestion for one possible general routing. Note that with four days, all of them behind the wheel, you can actually cover a fair bit of distance. Even the Rockies would be within reach, but that would place the emphasis on the destination rather than the getting there. Instead, think about first heading for the Appalachians, say Leadsville WV to pick a random destination, and then follow the hills and valleys of the mountains on roads such as US-219, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and US-23 southward for a couple of days. When it's time to turn around - towards the end of the second day - turn west and head for the Mississippi River, pick up the Great River Road and follow that north until it's time to make the final run for home. Note that the Great River Road is a collection of local highways on both sides of the river so that you can easily avoid the major cities such as Memphis and St. Louis by being on the other side of the river for that stretch.

Such a nebulous plan might just suit you well. You can go where you will while still having a general idea of direction. The routes will take you through some interesting areas. You can turn for home when the time requires and not feel like you've missed anything. And you can go in either direction, mountains first or river first, whichever suits you.

AZBuck

[Lifemagician]

(Is that weird ... to want to travel long distances, solo - for no purpose other than to travel for the sake of it?)

This is my style of travelling most of the time. Rarely do I have a specific destination in mind. I have wandered the scenic hyways and byways over many States. (Am doing it at the moment.)

The routes mentioned above are some great suggestions. My favourite regions to simply wander would have to be Pennsylvania and northern New York State.

One thing you should do is to get hold of individual State maps, such as are produced by the AAA (free to members) and Rand McNally. Not only do these maps show the roads and routes, they also hilight the scenic roads and routes, of which there are countless. You could also search for scenic drives.

And lastly, don't ignore that interesting sign by the road. If it points to something which looks interesting, follow it. No knowing what gem you may chance upon.

Wandering these back roads you will often chance upon roadside mum and pop motels with very reasonable rates. I would not attempt sleeping in your car, unless it is set up for it. It is hard to get a good night's rest which could spoil the next day's travels.

Have a great trip.

Lifey

[Subman]

Hi coast to coast,

As Lifey mentioned above, this is probably the greatest way to travel - by yourself and with not too many plans and deadlines. I used to travel like this quite a bit some years ago (not in the US, sadly, so I can't give you any route advise - I'll finally get to go next year) in Europe and, once, in China, avoiding cities and concentrating on small towns and scenic routes. I have since met my wife and had children, but I still think (rather guiltily... : ) that those solo trips were the best thing I have ever done. You learn a lot about yourself, and the world, by embarking on one. Also, you tend to meet like-minded people when travelling in this way. I'm sure you'll have a great trip.

As for sleeping in the car, I have done it a couple of times in small European towns, but only because all other options were exhausted. You can sleep, but not well - you tend to wake up very often wondering about what's going on outside, even if it's nothing. But I would definitely NOT sleep in the car, if it's cold outside.

All the best.

Subman

[Lifemagician]

Here's a page I think you will enjoy reading.

When you're out there, please keep some notes, a journal, or whatever. We love to hear how a trip went... and see any pics you might have taken. In fact, we have a special forum, just for such reports.

Lifey