Road Trip USA, Summer 2008

[Serj]

dude. Get your woman to sit further away from the wheel. that position is reserved for 80yr old ladies who want the airbag to kill them. you need at least 45cm or 18" space!

In your original plan i was going to try and persuade you taking a side-trip north from Toledo to Detroit, and Visit The Henry Ford (Museum) and maybe even driving past the Chrysler Tech Center. WAY COOL stuff imo.

[Phinn]

Not to be a kill joy, but are you going to be able to rent a car as you're under 25?

Anyway, definitely hit Devil's Tower between Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone. It's close (you could even make a stop at Crazy Horse as well, it's just a short drive from Rushmore). Devils Tower is really fascinating, it's huge, and you can climb the rocks and go right up to the base. Just remember to be respectful to the offerings left there by the Native Americans.

Yeah, you can rent a car, but you have to pay $27 a day extra. The basic rental for the Mustang was $799, but the surcharge inc. tax pushes this to over $1700

As for Devils Tower, we're heading up there today Drove through the Indian reservations in South Dakota yesterday and visited Wounded Knee. They included the two poorest counties in the United States and it showed. While the scenery was beautiful, the towns were pretty depressing places.

So was Jeremy correct about how terrible this country is?

Well, no-one has offered me cheese so far (all the food just comes with it already) and we haven't been chased out of town by a posse of rednecks yet either (too far north?). It's all been rather disappointing!

Having said that, although they have improved in recent miles, the roads here, particularly the Interstates we've used, are in a shockingly poor condition. My girlfriend is a junior doctor and spent last summer in the jungles of Belize treating Mayan villagers and the main roads there were in better nick. Oddly enough, it's the obscure byways and State Highways that often are in a better condition. Presumably to do with the way funds are allocated?

The only other bugbear is that everyone stares at you as you walk by. It's starting to get unnerving. Even the truck drivers give you the evil eye as you pass by on the Interstate. It's like they have Limey Radar or something.

Overall though, really enjoying the trip so far, the driving is a lot less stressful than in the UK and the Mustang just eats up with miles thanks to its cruise control, the scenery is stunning and everyone (apart from the aforementioned staring) is very friendly, although it is dropping off the further west we get (another stereotype proving itself true).

Great photos man, I'm looking forward to seeing more. I have a bit of a route suggestion If you plan on coming through the South I'd hit Destin Florida and consider the state done, driving through Florida is worse than driving through the plains states and I don't believe Miami itself is worth that kind of torture. You should also hit up Savannah there is so much history there it is just incredible.

I'm hoping to have enough time to do the South, but we lost a week due to cashflow delays, so we'll just have to wait and see.

dude. Get your woman to sit further away from the wheel. that position is reserved for 80yr old ladies who want the airbag to kill them. you need at least 45cm or 18" space!

In your original plan i was going to try and persuade you taking a side-trip north from Toledo to Detroit, and Visit The Henry Ford (Museum) and maybe even driving past the Chrysler Tech Center. WAY COOL stuff imo.

Looks weird right? She's only 5ft 1, so unless she sits that far forward, she can't reach the pedals! I'll see if I can get her to move back though. I don't fancy having her head removed by a exploding air bag.

I have relatives in Toledo I want to visit, so we may have time to do the Henry Ford Museum. Bill Bryson (my inspiration for this trip) mentioned it in his book and I'd love to go if we have the time.

Anyway, I'm sitting in a motel room in Spearfish, SD at the moment and today we'll be seeing how far across Wyoming we can get as we're now heading for Yellowstone.

I've done some route maps as accurately as I can remember. Each letter represents somewhere we stopped to visit, sleep or eat. Any suggestions on how to get from Yellowstone to the Pacific Coast are highly appreciated!

Route Map for Days 1-4
Route Map for Day 5

[Whappeh]

My girlfriend is a junior doctor and spent last summer in the jungles of Belize treating Mayan villagers and the main roads there were in better nick.

HAHA! I always complain to people that "roads in Belize are better maintained then our roads here". Turns out I was correct.