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Originally Posted by Greg Perkins
Hey you guys,
I've been talking to a few of my friends, and while I'm still young, I want (actually need) to see more of the world and our country. I'm planning to go with some friends to the caribbean next winter, which will be awesome. But that's not my main question, I also want to drive cross country and visit historical landmarks, and national parks. Has anyone ever done this, and what should I expect? Planning is always a big part before I go on trips, so I'd like some thoughts to go on as I'm pretty clueless so far. I plan on having myself, and two(or three) friends accompany me, so splitting driving time is crucial. Any help would be great guys, thanks!
~Greg
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Greg -
I have done this a couple of times over the years. The best recommendation I can give is: take your time! There is a lot to see out there!
The first time I made the "driving cross-country" trip was in second grade. My family was moving from Virginia to California for a year, and we took three weeks to drive across the country and see what ever we could. We took the "northern route" (Virginia - Ohio - Wisconsin - Minnesota - Dakotas - Montana - Wyoming - Utah - Nevada - California) on the way out. We made a point of spending at least one night in every state through which we drove, and actively looked for every strange, unusual, weird tourist trap we could find (I still have pictures somewhere of the twenty foot tall concrete Fred Flinstone we found in South Dakota). A year later, we did the "southern route" (California - Arizona - New Mexico - Texas - Louisiana - Alabama - Tennessee - Carolinas - Virginia) on the way back over another three week period. When it was all over, the one thing that I wished the most was that we had had more time to do and see more.
There are going to be some people that will say plan out your route and activities and daily travel to the final detail, and stick to your plan. That really works well for some people. I am more of the type that just says "let's drive that-a-way until we find something interesting." Pick a couple of big goals that you absolutely want to see (the Grand Canyon, the Black Hills, the St Louis Arch, Yosemite, Graceland, Jackson Hole, Miami Beach, etc.) and make sure you see those. But in between, go exploring. Stay off the super-highways. Follow the original Route 66 for five hundred miles, and see what you can find. When you see the sign for the "Million Dollar Bar" in Wyoming, follow the arrows and go see it! Buy a bunch of cheap crap on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, just to say that you did it. Make a special side trip to see the Worlds Biggest Ball Of Twine in Darwin, MN. Visit the one place in the whole country where they make pink plastic lawn flamingoes in Leominster, MA. Pay homage to the largest catsup bottle in the world in Collinsville, Illinois. Go to Akeley, MN, and follow the crowds to see the twenty-foot-tall concrete Paul Bunyan. Get out of the car in Cass, WV, and ride behind the largest Shay steam locomotive ever built. Buy more cheap crap in Branson, MO, just to say that you did it. Visit the Dinner Bell diner in Bluefield, WV, and ask Flora if she remembers the three goofy college kids that stopped in for Thanksgiving dinner in 1979, and washed dishes to pay for the meal because we didn't have our wallets with us, and she put us up for the night before we headed back the next morning. There are lots of things to see out there - don't just sit on the highways and drive past them all.
Then, of course, there was the 58-hour drive from Virginia to Denver and back to fetch a wallaby. But we try not to talk about that one too much...
-dave