Tips for something big....(Driving cross-country)

[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

[KyleGilbert45]

I remembered someone doing this and posting about it here on CD. I searched around and found this...

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...=cross+country

It may be able to help you some.

[KenWittlief]

not going alone is a wise move. It can be dangerous to travel by yourself.

Id recommend you have some idea of what you want to do when you get to various places: map out trails you want to hike, specific things you want to see and explore, things you want to learn about.

Otherwise you could end up mostly driving around, with no clear goal or purpose.

And dont be afraid to take formal tours or do things that might seem touristy at the surface. I grew up in Buffalo, and have been to Niagara Falls many times, but it was not until 5 years ago when I took a couple from England to see the falls, that I went on the Maid of the Mist for the first time.

Seeing the falls from the bottom, looking up, in the middle of the river totally blew me away. Talk to people who have been to the places you are going, or talk to the park rangers and such, to make the most of your time, and to find the best ways to experience the places you go.

I read once that 90% of the people who goto Yellowstone never even get out of their cars!

[sanddrag]

A good offroad tour might be fun. On ATVs or something.

[Taylor]

Make sure not to overprepare. Reservations and and general plan are certainly good to have, but some of the best and most memorable experiences are spontaneous, off-the-beaten-path excursions. Build in a couple days just for random exploration.
Also, if you're visiting lots of nat'l parks, get a national park "passport" to document your travels. You'll appreciate it later.

[JaneYoung]

You aren't talking about walking but Peter Jenkins helped me 'travel' to places I have never been. Some of his writings might be inspirational when planning your trip.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_J...avel_author%29

Enjoy the ride,
Jane

[dlavery]

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

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

[MissInformation]

Originally Posted by Jane

You aren't talking about walking but Peter Jenkins helped me 'travel' to places I have never been. Some of his writings might be inspirational when planning your trip.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_J...avel_author%29

Enjoy the ride,
Jane

I agree completely with Peter Jenkins and inspiration. I read A Walk Across America when I was twelve or so (my older sister read it and back then, I always read what she did). Peter Jenkins met the most amazing people on his journeys. People who lived their dreams every day instead of just talking about them. People like I want to be. He made me want to take a journey like that, however, my friends are too practical and I was always too scared to go alone. When I was in college (the first time) I was invited to travel with this writer who just went from town to town, working when he needed money until he earned enough to travel on, and writing, always writing... but I couldn't do it, I had too many ties and responsibilities and not knowing if you would have money for your next meal scared the bejeezes out of me!

I like Dave's suggestion of going until you find something interesting... we made plans this weekend to go to a local Harvest Festival, which turned out to be not much of anything and so we just hopped back into the car and kept driving west and as we crested a hill, the sky in front of us was suddenly filled with hot air balloons! (and it was so amazing!) So yeah, going where the road takes you can be the best way to go... or doing both, having some planned stops and some unscheduled detours.

Heidi

p.s. If you do planned stops, I recommend Gettysburg, PA.

[Billfred]

Said by someone who drove 1,200 miles in three days:

Pick the smallest car you can comfortably fit into. I emphasize the "comfortably" part--four hours in a Honda Civic was a little hard on the legs, but you'd be hard-pressed to beat 40 MPG. (I mean, a buck not spent on gas is another buck spent on kitsch--and how can you take a big road trip without kitsch?)

[ChuckDickerson]

My wife and I travel quite a bit for work and pleasure so I have been fortunate to see quite a bit of the country over the years. One of the best times we ever had was on a trip to Alaska. I had work up there for a week and then my wife flew up and we spend another week or so just traveling around. We rented an SUV and brought a tent and sleeping bags and just went wherever we felt like. No reservations, no plans. We basically just would look at the sky and see which direction looked clear and head that way. The moral is just go where your heart takes you and you will learn the most interesting things and have the most fun. My tips if you are an outdoors sort of person:

1) Camping - Bring a tent and sleeping bag and just camp most of the time. You can save a lot of $. If the weather is bad or you crave a real bed and shower every few days splurge on a hotel room.

2) Hotels - Most reputable places have those "frequent stay" type cards where you accumulate points for free nights. The Choice Hotels chain (Quality Inn, Comfort Inn, etc.) has the "Choice Privileges" program which is usually running a stay 2 separate says and get a night free. When I travel for work and just need a clean hotel on the road for one night I usually stop at one of the Choice Hotels. They are usually decent for a night and every 3rd night is free. You would be surprised how quickly the free nights add up. Pick a few hotel chains that you are happy with and get the free "frequent stay" card for them and get your points. I have found that the less expensive name brand hotels usually have FREE high speed Internet where the higher end places charge you for it. Take a laptop on the road with you and use the free high speed Internet to keep us updated with your travels here on CD! If you let everyone know where you are and where you are heading I bet you will find some folks here on CD that say "Hey that's where I live! You want to meet up and let me show you my hometown! I'll even buy you lunch!".

3) If you camp, don't forget about the State camp grounds and Corps of Engineers camp grounds. The COE camp grounds are usually less crowded, well maintained, and near some sort of water recreation like lakes. The COE campgrounds aren't allowed to advertise so you have to seek them out but there are books and websites to help you find them. Try: www.recreation.gov and www.corpslakes.com

4) If you want to see a lot of National Parks get an annual National Park Pass. It will save you a lot in the long run. IIRC they are about $50 per year and if you go to 2 or 3 parks it is worth it. Also, it may sound cheesy but get a National Park Passport and get it stamped at each NP you visit. I never did this but wish I had. The NP Passport is sort of like a real passport but you get it stamped usually at the visitor center of each park. When you get older you will like to pull out your NP passport and look at all the stamps for all the NP you have been to and remember each visit.

[KenWittlief]

Originally Posted by Jane

You aren't talking about walking but Peter Jenkins helped me 'travel' to places I have never been. Some of his writings might be inspirational when planning your trip.

other good sources of travel inspiration:

Colin Fletcher - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Fletcher

and "Sailing around the world alone" by Joshua Slocum (which you can read online for free! http://arthur-ransome.org/ar/literary/slocum2.htm

[GaryVoshol]

Originally Posted by dlavery

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...

Now if that doesn't sound like I hint, I don't know what does

I agree with others, get off the beaten path. (Readers Digest put out a book "Off the Beaten Path" several years ago that listed interesting things to see, check if you can find it in a library.)

And don't forget to meet people.

If spending more time in obscure places, and talking with interesting people, means you don't get all the way you wanted to go - oh, well, you'll just have to plan another trip.

[JaneYoung]

I always loved Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt - the ending segment with nature. It was always a goosebumper. He was a traveler who did not mind the less traveled road, or getting lost in time or space - and he enjoyed the wonderful diners along the way.

I also think about John Travolta's character in the movie, Michael, 'sometimes you just gotta laugh.'

Wonder if Heidi would share any photos of the balloons.
Jane

[Greg Marra]

I think if I took a gigantic road trip that the number one thing I would try to do is document it. With a digital camera and a laptop, you could get all your feelings about the difference places into writing while they are still fresh in your mind. Your friends and family would be able to follow along as your tour the country. Years later when you look back at what you wrote and the photos you took, you will be able to see how you have grown and changed and get that wonderful nogstalgic feeling of "Man, I did that." There's something to be said for not trying to go out of your way to document everything, but just sitting down each night and typing for fifteen minutes would be a great way to reflect on the day and plan out what you want to do tomorrow.

Also, I am a huge geek.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

We need a little more info. Advice will be different for camping than for hoteling. National parks are the best you will ever find in this country. Plan on staying at least one night in each park. This may require some advance planning to get your reservations set up. Each park is set up around a natural attraction or is near other attractions. The thing is to go to the library and get some books on the parks you wish to visit. Plan a few things to see and then plan in some time for stopping to see things that look interesting from the road. The world's largest ball of string jumps to mind. We did the Yellowstone/Grand Teton trip this summer and it takes a few days. Talk to the rangers when you get there. If you can only stay a day or two, ask them what you should see. They will give you a list of ideas. Pick interesting routes that may take longer but reward you with spectacular scenery. Driving Needles Highway into Mt. Rushmore is better than the quicky road in from the highway. The Beartooth Highway from Billings, MT down to the Northeast entrance to Yellowstone is one of the most beautiful roads I have ever driven. It is easy to get to the Grand Canyon from Flagstaf but the trip from Pueblo, CO through Durango to Tuba City will take you across the Great Divide at Wolf Pass. It will allow you to take a trip on a steam train through the most wonderful canyon to Silverton from the Durango Station (with a stay at the Iron Horse Inn in Durango). You can visit Meas Verde and skirt Monument Valley, stop at Four Corners National Monument (the only place four state borders come together in one place) and then enter the Grand Canyon from the east entrance. The Grand Canyon is the one place to stop along the rim and watch the sunset, the single best place on the planet.