Holidays in the USA. What to see?

[Monkeyleg]

I've visited just about every place mentioned above.

Southern Utah is like no other place you've seen, unless you've been to Mars. The entire southern part of the state should be a national park.

Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, and other national parks in Utah are just the beginning. The scenery between them is just as stunning.

The Grand Canyon and Yosemite have turned into bumper-to-bumper traffic jams, especially in the summer.

There's so much to see here in the US that you pretty much can't go wrong.

[Larry Ashcraft]

Apparently the best kept secret (since no one has mentioned it).

COLORADO!

Tallest state in the union. I've lived here 56 years and still haven't seen it all.  And when I've left the state I'm always glad to be back.

The Rocky Mountains are absolutely awesome, even if you grew up with them.  We live at a relatively low altitude of 4800'.  Colorado has over thirty mountains above 14,000".

On my morning drive to work, I can see Pikes Peak on my right, La Cuerna Verde (The Greenhorn) slightly left, and to my far left, the Twin Peaks.  The closest one is about forty miles away, but they look like they are standing right in front of me.

World class hunting, fishing, skiing, dining and accomodations.

Trouble is, there is no way to even start experiencing Colorado in three weeks, let alone passing through.

[Stand_watie]

Apparently the best kept secret (since no one has mentioned it).COLORADO!

Larry is absolutely right about Colorado. Unbelievable. Just west of Colorado Springs is breathtaking.

Don't write off what people are telling you are the "boring parts" though, I drive through a boring part of Texas every day and am constantly amazed by the beauty. Try to spend some time off of the major interstates and you'll see more wildlife and scenic views.

In all fairness, 3 weeks is probably just about enough time to get a nice overview of California. I know that British customs suscribe to the "more is better" notion when it comes to travel, but you'd get a better, more worthwhile trip if you stayed closer to your debarkation point and saw more instead of driving more.

[Smith]

I wonder where Bill Blank went?  Are you still here sir?

Larry, any chance I could get a favor from you sometime?  If you can, please shoot me an email at mahp2004@yahoo.com thanks!

Steve

[Stetson]

Apparently the best kept secret (since no one has mentioned it).COLORADO!

Larry is absolutely right about Colorado. Unbelievable. Just west of Colorado Springs is breathtaking.

Don't write off what people are telling you are the "boring parts" though, I drive through a boring part of Texas every day and am constantly amazed by the beauty. Try to spend some time off of the major interstates and you'll see more wildlife and scenic views.

In all fairness, 3 weeks is probably just about enough time to get a nice overview of California. I know that British customs suscribe to the "more is better" notion when it comes to travel, but you'd get a better, more worthwhile trip if you stayed closer to your debarkation point and saw more instead of driving more.

If you do decide to travel through Colorado, get someone here to get you off the beaten track, if you have time.  I have been all over the state and I have seen some incredible sights.  There are 2 places the still take my breath away.  

I-70 West Bound at the buffalo overlook looks like a postcard of the Rockies as you crest the hill.
I-25 West Bound at the top of Wilkerson Pass.

There are places like Tarryall Res that have off road trails you can still drive down provided you have 4 wheel drive.  Last time I was there I did hit an impasse.  I was on the trail and so was a bull elk.  He may have weighed more than my truck did so I just waited for him to move on.

There is all that and more all over the U.S., you may just have to look a little harder for it.

[K Frame]

I flew into Denver back in the 1990s on my way to the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, and drove down I-25.

I hit Telluride just as the sun was starting to set. It was painting the mountains amazing colors. I pulled over to the side of the road and sat on the hood of my car, just watching. A cop pulled up beside me and wondered what  the heck I was doing. When I explained to him that I'd never been west before he stuck around with me for about 20 minutes watching the sun on the mountains.

Just east of Raton is Capulin Volcano, a National Park. You can drive up to the rim, park and either walk the whole way around the crest or take a trail down into the crater. The views from the top are absolutely spectacular.

[Art Eatman]

And just north of Capulin is the little ghost town (sorta) of Folsom, of "Folsom Man" archaeological fame.  There used to be a little home-grown local museum there, run by a couple of little old ladies.  That back road between Clayton and Raton is one of my favorite low-key drives.  Nothing spectacular; it's just sorta "neat".

Driving north from LA up the coast highway with side trips could easily take three weeks to get to Seattle.  Yosemite, Muir Woods, Crater Lake...Victoria, B.C. is worth two or three days.

[Art Eatman]

Addendum:  There are parts of west Texas, and you can go on north to Canada, for which the only purpose is to keep the Atlantic and Pacific coast from sliding off into the oceans.

Anybody who says the drive on I-10 from Fort Stockton to Ozona is "scenic" is a refugee from the State Home For The Bewildered.

But, it's 880 miles from New Mexico to Louisiana.  If you don't like what you're seeing in one spot, just wait a bit; it'll change.

, Art

[BillBlank]

Still here, just struck down with sinnusitis after a cold. I got home from work last night and just hit the sack. Face feels like it's going to peel off when the painkillers wear off.

Thank you all so very much, SWMBO and I will probably be spending a fun hour or two this evening googling and poring over maps trying to find some of these places.

Harpers ferry, pretty much the whole of Tn, Virginia and DC for the museums etc. is where I would spend my three weeks with maybe a side trip to see the NHRA top fuellers, my sister crewed on one last year in the euro championship. I'm still begging for a dead piston as an ashtray. It's not like they haven't got any spare ones, kabooom .  But then I remember yosemite, Crater lake and Art goes and hands me a route on a plate through texas and recommends a restaurant. Then theres Montana, Colarado, the great lakes, Niagra (sponsored by pfizer yet?) aaargh. Too much stuff


1800 miles from houston to LA, you're right those are big numbers, a pity she hates flying really .  But, wait, whats this, A shelby mustang, from HERTZ? Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

Petrol locally has just hit £1 a litre, so yes I do feel shocked when I read about how much yours is.


This is why I asked you guys, hearing you talk about your country and your love for it would have inspired me to come for pleasure rather than work for a change, even without my wife nudging me every month or so. I may post for advice on how to survive as a tourist on THR when I have a better Idea of where we'll be. I must admit that personal safety may well colour the choice of route, hence why I'm keen on the area's with less gun control. I hated certain parts of D.C when I was there.

Thanks again for the GREAT idea's and feel free to continue to debate what the best bits are, though I am surprised anyone here was foolish enough to be rude about Texas lol.

[jefnvk]

I'm still begging for a dead piston as an ashtray.

Dunno about NHRA, but if you're in the North Carolina area, hit some of the NASCAR shops.  They all got blown or busted car parts they sell as souviners for a few dollars.

Plus, its just cool to watch them build the cars

[BillBlank]

cool idea jef, I'd go to see the shop. Top fueller pistons are special though, very big.

[280plus]

http://www.etownraceway.com/top.htm

[Old Fud]

Bill,
One way or another, everybody is trying to tell you the same thing.  
"doing America" in 21 days is not a thing to try.
In round numbers, America is 3000 miles wide by 1500 miles high.  If you do the "U" track you mentioned in an early post, that's over 6000 miles of TRAVELLING -- no sightseeing.  
That's roughly half of your vacation time doing nothing but sitting in a car.

Oh-by-the-way, let's make sure we agree on units of measure, OK?
A gallon is roughly 10% less than 4 liters.
Today's rate of exchange is $1.85USD to 1 Pound British.
If you are paying 1 pound/liter, that's on the order of $6.65 per gallon.
Right now, most of our pumps are running just over $3 per gallon.
Highway prices tend to run higher than community-local, but the 6000 miles you wer thinking of will cost you $900 to $1000 in fuel alone.

You really need to make hard choices and limit your trip to about 1/4 of the country.
Texas and all the "Great Plaines" states (west of the Mississipi) have an awful lot of "Same" to the day of travel for what you get in points of interest.
Much as we love our mountains and delight in looking at them, I suspect you might find "satisfaction" in some of those "alps" that are a bit more local to you.  
I'm from California, and don't suggest you spend your trip here.

If you want beauty, and history, and cars, and guns --- South East is your place.
Just make very sure you have an air-conditioned car, don't eat the grits and try not to irritate the tobacco-chawing, chain-saw-weilding, rotten-toothed rednecks you will have to wade through.  According to the Brady bunch, One of the Bush family just gave them license to kill you on sight.

Fud.

[mtnbkr]

don't eat the grits

Why avoid such an American culinary delight?  Seriously, if you spend time in the south or the west, the food is what you'll want to try.  

and try not to irritate the tobacco-chawing, chain-saw-weilding, rotten-toothed rednecks you will have to wade through

Less of that these days than people think.  

You may be better off picking a few regions you want to explore, fly to them, rent a car at each stop, and spend a few days exploring that area rather than trying to drive everywhere.

Chris

[K Frame]

I agree with Chris, absolutely no need to abstain from the grits. They are quite unique and can grow on you VERY quickly...

In fact, I'm thinking seriously about making cheese grits with sausage for dinner this evening.

Also, when you're in the south, I recommend stopping at the crappiest, dumpiest looking road side BBQ stand.

In my experience, the ones that have the worst appearance have, by far, the best food. I suspect it's because they're concentrating on their food, NOT on making the place look pretty.

[BillBlank]

Grits are great. They can also be the devils sick. Better than tripe though, my grandmother loved that "shudder"

Yes Fud, 1000ml or 1ltr of 95 octane petrol costs 99.9pence drop me an email and I'll post you a picture of the sign at the local petrol station. It really is that expensive. Why do you think I like the states? You're right though, on our map most of the pins are clustered E - S/E.

I know the journey is long, very long, but the wife will not fly that often. Guess Who'll be doing the driving? If it was just me I'd crate up my bike and ship it over. That things a time machine, Where I used to live in ramsgate it was next door to the eurotunnel so the south of France was an easy days ride away, northern italy was a day if you were blessed with good weather and no sense of self preservation. What worries me is the forward facing speed cameras on Highway patrol vehicles that can snap you even if they are driving towards you. No fair .

We're both working at the same school so six weeks is now looking more of a possibility, if we can find someone to feed the cats for that long.

This will be the last big holiday before we seriously try for kids. We're having a few weeks in Egypt this summer, we've been to the tropics for the wedding and our anniversary in the last twelve months so after some snowboarding for me this winter the USA is the last one on the list. I've been there for work in a previous life but never a holiday. We also want to get a feel for it, house shop a little and see if we could cope with living there.  Considering a package holiday for the two of us for two weeks would cost just over $5000 before you factor in spending money, eating, drinking etc we are of the attitude that we might as well do it properly and see the things we want to see. The phrase "Once in a lifetime" applies here.

[mtnbkr]

In my experience, the ones that have the worst appearance have, by far, the best food. I suspect it's because they're concentrating on their food, NOT on making the place look pretty.

Definately.  That said, just because the place looks ratty doesn't mean the food WILL be good.  Just don't let that turn you off before sampling.

Chris

[jefnvk]

Where I used to live in ramsgate it was next door to the eurotunnel so the south of France was an easy days ride away, northern italy was a day if you were blessed with good weather and no sense of self preservation

Therein lies the difference between Europe and America.  I go to school in the same stte that I live in.  To get to school, is 7.5-8 hours worth of straight driving (no stops).  I never leave the state.  To me, it is a foreign concept that you could drive for a day and go through three or four different countries.  Maybe I just have to view states in America as countries in Europe.

But the race shops are real cool, if is what you like.  We did about ten of them one day, they vary in what you can see or do.  Penske Racing had a catwalk above their operations, so you can look down and watch them install engines, or hang sheet metal, or whatever else they were doing.  One of the engineers even seen us watching and stopped to talk to us for a few minuets about what they were doing.

Can't really help you with much more though.  If you get Michigan way, take a drive up and see the Mackinaw Bridge, or maybe a day trip to Mackinaw Island.  The bridge is the largets suspension bridge in America (just under 5 miles long), and the Island is filled with history from the time of the French fur trappers to the War of 1812, where the Brits had a fort.  Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie are fun, if you enjoy watching shipping vessels.  Plenty of auto history to see around Detroit, I believe someone already mentioned the Henry Ford Museum.  Plus, you always have the Great Lakes, the large lakes in the world.  There's also some of the deepest mines in the world up in the far northern tip, although that is way up and out of the way if there is nothing else up there you are going to see.

[BozemanMT]

Best part of colorado is Southwest.  hwy 550, 141, etc.  The alps of colorado.

Oh, the reason your gas is so expensive is because of taxes, but you knew that, you just forgot.   Like I said and a couple people have mentioned, America is BIG.  But me, I think driving around through the country is sightseeing. :-)

I would pick an area and concentrate on that, you can see a lot in 3 weeks of driving.  I would go west, big wide open spaces and majestic views, things you just aren't going to see in Britain.  The south is great too, but not in a big majestic way.

[Larry Ashcraft]

Here's something you may not find many places:

About four years ago, we had a family get together near Antonito Colorado.  Big park, cabins, tents picnic, the whole works.

My friend Bud had brought his horses and we trailered them up to a trailhead in a wilderness area.  From there, Me, my son, and Bud rode back into the area about nine miles (five hours on horseback), and fished for a little while.

There was not a footprint, a piece of trash, NOTHING that said anybody had ever been there before.  And the fishing was like nothing I had ever seen before, and that says a lot.  I've been fishing Colorado for probably 50 years.

I hooked one monster who just slammed my pole down, sliced my finger with the line and was gone.  I'd liked to have seen just how big he was.

Those places still exist, they are just a little harder to find.

[jefnvk]

Those places still exist, they are just a little harder to find.

Same goes for the backcountry camping in Glacier National Park.  Quite possibly my favorite place in teh country, although two weeks aren't enough to make a trip out of the park alone.

[doczinn]

It takes nearly 4 days of hard driving just to get from one coast to the other.

I did it in 36 hours!

[K Frame]

"here was not a footprint, a piece of trash, NOTHING that said anybody had ever been there before. "


One of the things that absolutely blew my mind when I was in New Mexico at the Whittington Center is that on part of the property you can still see evidence of wagon ruts from pioneers going west on the Santa Fe Trail.

[BillBlank]

It takes nearly 4 days of hard driving just to get from one coast to the other.

I did it in 36 hours!

A man after my own heart

[Smith]

BillBlank, if you get the chance to eat some NC style Shrimp and Grits, DO IT.  Sounds weird I know, but man is it awesome.

Let me know if you're headed through NC.