America's Got a New Theme Tune!

To attract even more foreign visitors to spend their pounds and Euros and yen and renminbi here in the USA, we've got a new song to sing, courtesy of Rosanne Cash and Los Lobos:

http://www.youtube.com/yourdiscoveramerica

Atlas Recycled 14. Courtesy of Tom Tsuchiya

Atlas Recycled 14. Courtesy of Tom Tsuchiya, a photo by Pacific Citizen on Flickr.

I went to see a wonderful show at the Berkeley Art Museum, dealing with all the crazy-conceptual art that was being made on the West Coast in the 1960s/1970s. Non commercial, interactive -- fascinating. One map-related piece made me think of this; I'll find a link and show it to better effect...
http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/exhibition/state_of_mind

Moving to Facebook!

Hello Road Trippers --

It's been a nice run here at Blogger, and I've enjoyed responding to your varied and intriguing travel questions, but more and more I'll be hanging out at Facebook:


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Road-Trip-USA/57043169932

RV, or not RV? Cross country road trip!

Hi!

My husband, three children (current ages 7,9,11) and our dog are hoping to take a cross country road trip next summer. We are trying to plan well in advance starting with our mode of transportation. We are considering either renting or buying a Class C motorhome for the trip. We really want the time spent together to be as an important part of the trip as the sights and experiences so we want a comfortable, not cramped, ride but like many families, we are not made of money. We are not planning to keep the RV if we purchase it but renting seems so expensive! Any advice in that department? Any other suggestions on how to travel?

My husband and I are both teachers so we have July and August off from school. We will have between 4-6 weeks for this trip. Does that seem like a reasonable amount of time? Looking at your road maps, I think we'll follow the Oregon Trail from our home in Massachusetts then follow the Pacific Coast Trail, then the Southern Trail and then head back home up the Atlantic Coast. Are we biting off more than we can chew? We do not take many vacations so this may very well be a once in a lifetime opportunity as a family.

Any advice you have for our family is very welcome and appreciated. We will be buying your book. It looks great!

Thank you,

Kate and Scott
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Hi there Kate and Scott --

Many thanks for writing in to Road Trip USA, and I hope I can help you plan a great trip. With gas prices etc, cross-country trips are more of a challenge than they were when fuel was "free"; I still dream of filling tanks at 99¢ a gallon, like we did way back in 1999.

If you can find a spacious yet fuel-efficient RV, that sounds like a good way to go, especially with 3 kids along for the ride. But even with an RV you need to factor in the cost of overnight campsites, which can add $20 a night or more. (There's no real "free parking" anywhere, anymore, except for rare places in the wilds -- or at the occasional Wal-Mart...)

There are a number of alternatives to the 7,500-mile loop you describe (Massachusetts to California and back!), which could combine RV travel (great for the wide-open "Wild West"), with trains and planes and even automobiles. Amtrak is a blast for the cross-country long-haul: the train carriages are very spacious, and you can get a sleeping compartment, so you can kick back and relax without having to keep your eyes on the road. Alas, Amtrak seems to have a pretty strict "no dogs" policy.

If the trains doesn't appeal, you could fly west (to Salt Lake or Denver, for example), and pick up your RV or rental-car there.

In the shorter term, since you're not taking the "big trip" until next summer, maybe it would be good idea to take a practice trip, renting an RV for a week or so to explore New England -- driving the Appalachian Trail perhaps? And who knows, if you like it, you may decide to turn this "once in a lifetime" road trip into a family tradition.

I know this is not exactly an answer to your question, but I hope it helps gets you thinking about all the possibilities out there.

Let me know what you think, and

Happy Trails,


Jamie Jensen
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Route 66 -- from Egypt!

hi jamie,

how r u ?

We are from Egypt, i and my husband are planning to make the road trip for route 66 next june/july with our son 2.8 years.we are planning to begin from Chicago till Los angles.We are planning to stay first in chicago to visit it for about 3-4 days.
Plese let me know your advices and how long we should take it by putting in mind a small boy can get bored soon and what are the best VISTA POINTS in the road to stop at it?

Also, any recomendations for lodging all over the road? shall we make a previous reservation or it is easy to drive in to any motel whenever we need?

Also is the weather good in June/July, to make such trip.?

Many thanks in advance.


Ahmed

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Hello Ahmed --

Many thanks for your message -- all the way from Egypt!

If you do manage to take the Route 66 trip, you will have a great time. And don't worry, there are plenty of accommodations along the way, so I am sure you will find something good (and I have dozens of specific recommendations throughout Road Trip USA -- in a new edition, coming out in May 2012). Look for the Wigwam Village motels in Holbrook Arizona, the Blue Swallow in Tucumcari New Mexico, and many other friendly spots all along this great old highway

The one place I would encourage you to do make advance reservations is at the Grand Canyon, which is a very popular place to visit; all lodging is run by one company, and prices range from moderate to luxurious. June-July is a very good time to travel there, weatherwise. Allow a full day at least, for sure, so you can watch the sunset (and/or sunrise). And of you have time, hike down to Phantom Ranch, deep down in the canyon. Unforgettable.

To do the full Chicago to LA trip, I would recommend taking at least a week, so you have time to enjoy everything along the way. The whole route is about 2000 miles, which means you will have about 30 hours altogether in the car, and 4 to 5 hours each day is about the limit.

Having traveled with young boys myself, I think your son will want to get out and run around at least every two hours, which is a good reason to stop and explore many of the old American "small towns" you will be passing through. Enjoying small town American life is what Route 66 tourism is all about, and I am sure you will be given a warm welcome wherever you go.

You will see so much while walking around than you do racing by in a car, so having a reason to stop frequently may turn out to be a real blessing.

With best wishes,


Jamie Jensen
--
Road Trip USA

Delaware to Georgia?

Hi Jamie

Next week I am taking a spring-break road trip from Wilmington, Delaware, ultimately ending up in Savannah Georgia with my son and both his grannies.

I have about 10 days to make this trip, so was thinking along the lines of taking 2-3 days to drive there, spending a couple of days in Savannah, a couple of days around Charleston maybe and driving back a different way over 2-3 nights.

As you can see I am still in the planning stages, but would love some advice on good route that would take in some history (Monticello, Blue-Ridge Parkway, Jamestown, Williamsburg, Wright Brothers etc, scenery, beaches etc (we have explored Shenendoah and the Skyline Drive previously))

Would love some advice on planning this trip and good stopping off points etc...

Thanks in advance

Emma

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Hi Emma --

Many thanks for writing in to Road Trip USA, and I hope I'm not too late to help! I think your plan sounds pretty smart -- 2 / 3 days should be plenty of time for you to have a pleasant drive, there and back.

My first thought: seeing that you're driving right about now, I'd really suggest you think about planning to make a stop in Washington DC on your way south. It's right on your route, plus it would make a good preparation for Monticello -- the Thos. Jefferson Memorial is gorgeous, and thought-provoking. Plus your kids would appreciate the history lesson, I'm sure. (insert ironic winking smiley here...)

After DC, and Charlottesville, the Blue Ridge Parkway down to Asheville is a blast -- and the Biltmore Estate is unforgettable.

While in and around Asheville, if you or your son is a Hunger Games fan you might want to check out this: http://hungergamesfantours.com/#!day-trips (though I have to say I find the whole Hunger Games phenomenon more than a little disturbing...)

Then: Savannah. A fantastic city, with tons of character, lovely houses, parks and gardens, great restaurants, and nice beaches too.

Charleston is also amazing, as is the whole coast of both Carolinas. And on your way north, if you have time and energy, historic Williamsburg (and Richmond) are also great places to explore.

Sounds like a great trip -- hope this helps,


Jamie Jensen
--
Road Trip USA

Michigan to California? with teenagers, via Route 66!

Hi Road Trip USA,

I am looking for advice regarding a road trip from Michigan to California. It would be myself, husband, son - 17 years old and our daughter 11 years old. We are looking at July of this year and taking three weeks. We would like to drive up the coast in CA making stops at San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Yosemite National Park, etc. Driving to/from we would like to stop at Salt Lake City, Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming), and Black Hills (Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota). Would like to understand if we would be able to do some sort of circle drive getting to/from CA? We really wouldn't want to spend more than 8 hours a day driving. What are your thoughts? Any suggestions on a route (Route 66?!) or other places to see?

Thanks for your assistance.


Tammy

==

Hi Tammy !

Many thanks for writing in to Road Trip USA. That sounds like a great trip, and you've given yourself enough to do it - without having to spend all day in the car. There are many routes you could follow between Michigan and California, depending on what you want to see, and in what order.

One possibility would be to head west across the Great Plains, seeing Mount Rushmore + Yellowstone and Salt Lake City on your way to California, starting at Yosemite then moving on to San Francisco. I'd recommend giving yourselves a day or two to see and enjoy Monterey and Big Sur, and Hearst Castle too, before moving on to LA and SD.

Keeping with this counter-clockwise loop, after southern California you could visit the Grand Canyon and the wonderful "Four Corners" region (Monument Valley, Mesa Verde National Park, maybe also Santa Fe and Taos in New Mexico) -- via Route 66, which could take you all the way east to Chicago.

You could also flip all these places, starting off with Route 66 and finishing up with Mount Rushmore et al. Either way, it's a fantastic adventure.

Hope this helps,


Jamie Jensen
--
Road Trip USA