Traveling Across The Country W/ No Destination

[chrozzo 19]

so awesome man!this is also a dream of mine...the NE national parks, grand canyon, route 66 and other placeshave funtry thisand thisive seen the second, as ive driven the LA-Vegas route many times

[Wandigo 1]

If you ever find yourself in the pristine wilderness of Ann Arbor, MI let me know. There are some cool campgrounds and stuff to see along Lake Michigan on the west side of Michigan.

lol, I'm near Ann Arbor like twice a week. This will definitely NOT be a stop on my trip.

[chrozzo 19]

stop by carlisle...Gettysburg battlefield is 20 min away from me, you can see thatill buy you a beer at my pub!

[grocery_mony 8]

Man I am jealous. As a kid I one day dreamed of just getting in my car and just driving. Had plans to do some momth long road trips that got ****ed up cuz of life. The next thing I know I got responsiblities, bills and no time(well 2-1week vacations a years). Enjoy it!!!I guess this why old people get 6 figure rvs when they retire. Sigh, only about 30 more years to go.

[r0llin_game 1]

if you do goto the key west holla at me wandi!! i'll join ya if you dont mind. when you do this definately keep a blog or something. i'd definately wanna read!

[sandwedge 30]

Skip Louisiana and Mississippi.

And here I was thinking that brunch at the Cracker Barrell was the highlite of your cross country trip.Seriously, Wandigo, I think this is an awesome idea. I also suggest that you avoid interstates. I also recommend that you try to avoid the touristy things. For example, when you go to Yellowstone, don't just spend a day driving to all the easy-to-see sights. Spend a week there, and buy a book of day (or overnight) hikes. To me, a thermal feature out in the middle of nowhere is much more spectacular than Old Faithful viewed from behind 100 camera carrying Japanese tourists.

[Southern Buddhist 1]

Awesome! Did some road trips in college, love 'em.I'll only speak about the state I live in: come to Staunton, Virginia. We have the world's only re-creation of Shakespeare's Blackfriars Playhouse, and plays guaranteed to make you enjoy Shakespeare more than you ever thought possible (I swear -- trust us with the same two hours of your life you'd entrust to a shitty Hollywood movie, and I promise you'll walk out amazed).If that's not good enough for you, we have the world's largest collection of Tiffany windows outside of Tiffany Studios, all installed in a church from the 1700s where Patrick Henry used to attend. We have Sunspots Studios, home of a nationally-known glassblowing artist. We have over 1000 buildings on the National Historic Register, and we're only 40 minutes from Monticello.Then go lose yourself in Southwest Virginia. Drive through Cumberland Gap into Kentucky or through Fancy Gap into North Carolina. You'll find the kind of Blue Ridge vistas they make postcards out of. One day, my husband and I decided to just drive down to Southwest VA and see what happened. Around dusk, we came upon a tiny local racetrack gearing up for lawn mower races. One dollar admission, one dollar hot dogs, one dollar Cokes, and two hours of watching lawn mowers race on a summer evening. Plus, Wytheville's CJ's Pizza has awesome pizza, and EN Umberger's hot dogs (aka Skeeter's) in Wytheville has not been redecorated since maybe the 1940s and they serve weirdly tasty magenta hot dogs with chili and slaw.On one trip, we stumbled across the Cadillac Ranch, absolutely by accident, and it was pretty cool. It's in West Texas, which is otherwise indeed a hole.Philly is cool, even if you don't have our buddy John as a tour guide -- there's a sub and an 1800s ship you can tour, and the Mutter Museum. About an hour outside of Philly, in Doylestown, is Fonthill, an American castle built by an eccentric tile magnate. Husband also says: Graceland; NYC's Museum of Sex (27th Street @ Fifth Avenue), the Cloisters, which rocks, and the Tenement Museum; NJ: Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. The Rio Grande Gorge, the drive up to Taos, and Ghost Ranch in NM; Lafayette, Louisiana if you like Cajun culture; hell, yeah to seeing the floor of the Grand Canyon if you haven't. Ditto to Route 66, any portion. He says Mount St. Helens is okay if you're in the vicinity. Above New York the Hudson River area is pretty and has a lot of house museums and castles, if you're into that sort of thing.I've always wanted to go to Centralia, PA. It's that town that has a massive coal fire burning underneath it and the authorities evacuated the town like 30 years ago. The fire is still burning and the ground is always hot to the touch, and it's a ghost town. I love ghost towns. In Upper East Tennessee, where the TVA dammed up a lot of creeks and filled mountain "hollers," there's a town called, I think, Bishop. It's at the bottom of a TVA lake (that whole area is actually gorgeous, with mountains tumbling right into peaceful lakes). The town of New Bishop is located up the mountain, but before the old town was abandoned before the flooding, locals threw change out in the streets. If you can scuba dive at all, you can go down and pick up coins and see the decaying houses underwater. When they pull the lake level down to catch snow runoff, you can see chimneys in the water.A lot of people go to Cape May, NJ, but more interesting is Cape May Point. There's a museum showing the effects of erosion on the region, including another town that is now underwater, South Cape May. Our friend John grew up there and can remember seeing the chimneys in the Delaware Bay. There's a WWII sailors' lookout that's several feet out in the water and John (who's 39 or 40) can remember when it was not only on land, but it was so far in from the beach that it was surrounded by grass that the sailors had to mow. There's also a concrete ship that's aground on a sand bar and just decaying quietly. Gift shops there sell postcards showing historic pictures of the ship from the 1920s to the present.Well, I guess I didn't stick to the state I live in! Have fun!

[AmScray 355]

Then go lose yourself in Southwest Virginia. Drive through Cumberland Gap into Kentucky or through Fancy Gap into North Carolina. You'll find the kind of Blue Ridge vistas they make postcards out of.

Troof.I absolutely love that part of the world.You can start in Martinsville and head north via the Blue Ridge Parkway.As an aside- if you like road rally driving, I know a relatively undiscovered spot near the Henry County/Franklin Virginia area, up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge's that would probably vie for some of the best road course driving anywhere on planet earth. The hills and turns are absolutely sick- not so impossibly windy and wavy as to be totally unnavigable at higher speeds, but sick enough that an inexperienced driver would probably wipe out if he tried to do it just maintaining the posted speed limits. It's the absolutely perfect road course in every single way. God, it's so, so, so fun to drive that stretch. I was this close ---><--- to buying a Mini Cooper just to do that run once or twice a year.

[chrozzo 19]

did he not see my post about stopping in MY HOMETOWN!?!?DRINKS AND GOOD TIMES AWAIT HIM!!!!

[drcossack 0]

did he not see my post about stopping in MY HOMETOWN!?!?DRINKS AND GOOD TIMES AWAIT HIM!!!!

Uhh, Pennsylvania sucks.

[GWCGWC 83]

Take a trip to Glacier NP, up through Alberta, take the Alaska-Canadian highway to Fairbanks, go left and drive down to Seward. Check out all the shit in between . Take bug spray, watch out for boarder crossings with weed, bears, drunken Indians, German Nazi decedents and cops in general. You'll be able to camp every night and there are plenty of places along the way to shower and do your laundry. Drive back down through British Columbia and take highway 1 down the entire western side of the US into Baja. Check out all the shit in between. Take bug spray, watch out for dishonest mechanics, gay bikers, anyone with a Jersey accent and cops in general. The timing and weather would be perfect for this if you leave like, tomorrow. Pick up every hitchhiker along the way.

[Southern Buddhist 1]

Troof.I absolutely love that part of the world.You can start in Martinsville and head north via the Blue Ridge Parkway.As an aside- if you like road rally driving, I know a relatively undiscovered spot near the Henry County/Franklin Virginia area, up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge's that would probably vie for some of the best road course driving anywhere on planet earth. The hills and turns are absolutely sick- not so impossibly windy and wavy as to be totally unnavigable at higher speeds, but sick enough that an inexperienced driver would probably wipe out if he tried to do it just maintaining the posted speed limits. It's the absolutely perfect road course in every single way. God, it's so, so, so fun to drive that stretch. I was this close ---><--- to buying a Mini Cooper just to do that run once or twice a year.

No kidding!!! Where are you, and what stretch of road do you mean? I grew up in Hillsville and Galax -- roads like that are where I learned to drive. Route 16, where the oddly-named Mouth of Wilson, VA, is located (it's at the mouth of tiny little Wilson Creek, but still...weird name) is a good driving road -- it crosses a pretty good-sized mountain between Sugar Grove and Independence, and sweeps around the side of this enormous bowl-shaped valley that is just awe-inspiring.

[RonBurgundy 0]

new orleans ftw

[BigDMcGee 3,352]

Ridin' along in my automobileMy baby beside me at the wheelI stole a kiss at the turn of a mileMy curiosity runnin' wildCruisin' and playin' the radioWith no particular place to go.Ridin' along in my automobileI was anxious to tell her the way I feel,So I told her softly and sincere,And she leaned and whispered in my earCuddlin' more and drivin' slow,With no particular place to go.No particular place to go,So we parked way out on the KokomoThe night was young and the moon was boldSo we both decided to take a strollCan you imagine the way I felt?I couldn't unfasten her safety belt!Ridin' along in my calabooseStill tryin' to get her belt alooseAll the way home I held a grudge,For the safety belt thatwouldn't budgeCruisin' and playin' the radioWith no particular place to go.

[Balloon guy 158]

Take a trip to Glacier NP, up through Alberta, take the Alaska-Canadian highway to Fairbanks, go left and drive down to Seward. Check out all the shit in between . Take bug spray, watch out for boarder crossings with weed, bears, drunken Indians, German Nazi decedents and cops in general. You'll be able to camp every night and there are plenty of places along the way to shower and do your laundry. Drive back down through British Columbia and take highway 1 down the entire western side of the US into Baja. Check out all the shit in between. Take bug spray, watch out for dishonest mechanics, gay bikers, anyone with a Jersey accent and cops in general. The timing and weather would be perfect for this if you leave like, tomorrow. Pick up every hitchhiker along the way.

But if you do get up to Seward and Juneau, go to Homar, and rent a boat for a half day and catch a halibut..good times.

[LongLiveYorke 38]

No love for New England in this thread? I grew up there and I think it's beautiful, if you like small, quaint towns, harbors, small white houses, and a bunch of over educated snobby liberals.Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire are extremely pretty. And if you get bored, you can stop in NY, Boston, Foxwoods, or, uh...Providence...?I don't know. New England once WAS America (more or less), so if you want to get to know America better, I think it's a worthwhile destination.

[MJINK3 0]

I've aready told the wife if I win the lotto I'm getting a list of all the places Guy Fieri went on Diners, Drive in and Dives buy an RV and hit the road.But on a serious note when I was a kid we went to the caverns in Missouri somewhere and it was incredible. You took an elevator down I don't know how many stories, went on a trail 5 foot wide, and then it opened up to areas as big as like 5 football fields. Someone who knows where these are help me out, I was 7 and have no idea where it is.

[SlapStick 0]

Mexico,for a start, in my opinion, just stay away from the sleazy north and cancun and see the real country. Its amazing. Obviously I have no clue about America but if you're looking for a life growing experience, leaving your country/culture is the best way to do it. I left Ireland 2 years ago and have been travelling since, I've settled in Israel for now but the first part of backpacking around, meeting people from every part of the world, trying to survive without the language at 3 am lost in some city looking for a hostel etc was the best thing I've ever done. I'm a completely different person from when I left and I'm delighted about it. Experiencing different cultures is a must and one of the most eye opening things you'll ever experience.But sticking to your plan and the actual topic, buy "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac and go with it. Always been a dream of mine to follow that books route since reading it. Most of this was pretty irrelevant to your question, but great idea, fair play to you and good luck. Travelling is a necessity.

[AmScray 355]

No kidding!!! Where are you, and what stretch of road do you mean? I grew up in Hillsville and Galax -- roads like that are where I learned to drive. Route 16, where the oddly-named Mouth of Wilson, VA, is located (it's at the mouth of tiny little Wilson Creek, but still...weird name) is a good driving road -- it crosses a pretty good-sized mountain between Sugar Grove and Independence, and sweeps around the side of this enormous bowl-shaped valley that is just awe-inspiring.

The place I'm talking about (I don't live there, but I do go camping up there about twice a year) is just a little NW of Martinsville, right by Bassett. It's the most fun driving anywhere at any time. The only real downside is that the deer are so thick that you can't really go full-bore any time after dusk, lest your turn your vehicle into a $30,000 Venisonmaker.

[Sal Paradise 57]

But sticking to your plan and the actual topic, buy "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac and go with it. Always been a dream of mine to follow that books route since reading it.

never heard of it.

The place I'm talking about (I don't live there, but I do go camping up there about twice a year) is just a little NW of Martinsville, right by Bassett. It's the most fun driving anywhere at any time. The only real downside is that the deer are so thick that you can't really go full-bore any time after dusk, lest your turn your vehicle into a $30,000 Venisonmaker.

I used to date a girl from bassett that I met at the martinsville race a bunch of years ago. she was hot. but anyways, yeah that part of va is pretty nice; not where I'd go for a road trip cause hell, I've been here my whole life, but nice nonetheless. buuuut... if you do end up in va and in that vicinity, you have to find this place called "devil's marbleyard". its somewhere up there near Natural Bridge and Peaks of Otter, but its really pretty out of the way. I haven't been there in years so i can't remember exactly, but I know you have to go on a winding dirt road to get there, but once you do its freaking awesome. some kind of geologic explosion or something lots and lots of years ago made this whole side of the mountain just a ass ton of boulders you can climb up. its really cool.

[BigDMcGee 3,352]

Which reminds me, when are we gonna do a line or six off a stripper's ass?

[antistuff 0]

i am insanly jealous.

[Southern Buddhist 1]

The place I'm talking about (I don't live there, but I do go camping up there about twice a year) is just a little NW of Martinsville, right by Bassett. It's the most fun driving anywhere at any time. The only real downside is that the deer are so thick that you can't really go full-bore any time after dusk, lest your turn your vehicle into a $30,000 Venisonmaker.

Tell me about it -- my dad hit one when I was a kid. Good old '70s American steel...slammed the deer into a field on the far side of the road. Busted up both headlights and the radiator, though, so we had to get towed. On our wedding day, hubby-to-be bounced one off the side of our pickup truck. Big dent, no other damage. Both on roads in that area. Shitloads of deer, and not enough traffic to train them to be wary.

[Southern Buddhist 1]

never heard of it.I used to date a girl from bassett that I met at the martinsville race a bunch of years ago. she was hot. but anyways, yeah that part of va is pretty nice; not where I'd go for a road trip cause hell, I've been here my whole life, but nice nonetheless. buuuut... if you do end up in va and in that vicinity, you have to find this place called "devil's marbleyard". its somewhere up there near Natural Bridge and Peaks of Otter, but its really pretty out of the way. I haven't been there in years so i can't remember exactly, but I know you have to go on a winding dirt road to get there, but once you do its freaking awesome. some kind of geologic explosion or something lots and lots of years ago made this whole side of the mountain just a ass ton of boulders you can climb up. its really cool.

I'll have to look for that -- I'm sniffing out Virginians on this forum, because it seems like there's a lot for a state with no official poker. Did you grow up here and leave, or are you still in the state? But that sounds awesome. One thing I love about the Blue Ridge is that they are one of the oldest mountain ranges on earth, and their analogue (the other ones pushed up by the tectonic plates bumping together) are the Atlas Mountains in northern Africa, around Morocco. I'd love to go there and see them someday. But I've lived here all my life (well, most) and I've never heard of "Devil's Marbleyard." Now I'm dying to scramble around it.BTW, another cool thing in Virginia is the Ghost Fleet. It's a massive fleet of decommissioned ships that the Navy stores in the James River. If you Google something like 'ghost fleet james river virginia' you can get a pretty good map of it. The best places to see it are from a naval base, but there are vantage points elsewhere on the river banks. The Navy is trying to get rid of the ships, though, by selling them off for scrap, for fear that a hurricane could come up the river and destroy the rusting, leaking ships, creating an environmental disaster. There used to be something like 250 ships, now it's down below a hundred. If you like large industrial, rusting, decrepit stuff like I do, it's interesting.

[Balloon guy 158]

Mexico,for a start, in my opinion, just stay away from the sleazy north and cancun and see the real country. Its amazing. Obviously I have no clue about America but if you're looking for a life growing experience, leaving your country/culture is the best way to do it. I left Ireland 2 years ago and have been travelling since, I've settled in Israel for now but the first part of backpacking around, meeting people from every part of the world, trying to survive without the language at 3 am lost in some city looking for a hostel etc was the best thing I've ever done. I'm a completely different person from when I left and I'm delighted about it. Experiencing different cultures is a must and one of the most eye opening things you'll ever experience.But sticking to your plan and the actual topic, buy "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac and go with it. Always been a dream of mine to follow that books route since reading it. Most of this was pretty irrelevant to your question, but great idea, fair play to you and good luck. Travelling is a necessity.

I was just at a film festival talking to a director who is in the works for a movie about the deaths and carjacking happening in the border towns and northern area of Mexico. It was unreal how many people are getting pulled out of their car, shot and left by drug runners and or cops working for drug runners.Stay out of northern Mexico