Road trip June/July 2008

So, last year June/July I went for a little drive with 3 friends, a couple of tents and a roof-mounted space saver. We left from Leesburg, Virginia and after driving southwest to the Gulf of Mexico, west to the Pacific Ocean, North East to Lake Michigan, and east to the Atlantic Ocean, all with random stopovers in between at various points of interest, we then headed south, back to Leesburg Virginia. All in it took 5 weeks and we covered about 14 000 kms, give or take a kilometer or two.

People warned us before we left that, “4 people in a small sedan would end badly” and that, “You will be sick of each other after two weeks!” Admittedly there were a few occasions where mildly terse words were shared and teeth were gritted, but for the most part the intrepid adventurers got on famously. The little band of travelers included my Aussie mate Andrew, Andrew’s Dad Colin, Andrew’s American girlfriend Meghan, and yours truly.

35 days through 29 states allows you to see a lot of stuff, both absolutely random (like Foamhenge, a life size reconstruction of the famous Stonehenge made entirely out of Styrofoam) and mind-blowingly breathtaking (like the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley). I know how boring looking at somebody else’s vacation photos can be, so I have decided to just share with you the highlights of my trip.

Memphis, Tennessee:
Home to both Beale Street with its famous blues bars and clubs, and Graceland, Elvis Presley’s home. The music and atmosphere on Beale Street was awesome and there seemed to be a never ending festival feel that permeated through everything as we walked up and down trying to decide where we wanted to listen to some old school blues music and dine on gumbo, barbeque and other southern fried delicacies.

Graceland, Elvis’ home snuck onto my favourites list. I have never been a huge fan of “The King” but after touring his home and the various museums set up in his memory, I was gob smacked by the extent of his accomplishments. I left Graceland with contradictory feelings about Elvis of both opulence and humility.

Monument Valley, Utah:
Natures artistry at its best. For me, it was one of those places where, while sitting in silence on the top of a huge rock, the power of the forces of nature can be experienced, illustrated in the way the sandstone and shale has been eroded and shaped over millions of years.

Grand Canyon, Arizona:
Again, it was one of those places on earth that have to be seen to be appreciated. We were fortunate enough to witness both a spectacular sunset and a superb sunrise over the canyon. Andrew, having visited once before, remembered the route of a walk that took us about halfway down into the canyon and afforded us some special views of the canyon.

Hoover Dam and Las Vegas, Nevada:
Both of these were just so unexpectedly mammoth in their presence that they couldn’t not make it onto my favourites list. The temperature at the gargantuan concrete behemoth that is the Hoover Dam was pushing 45ºC which was an experience in its own.

Las Vegas didn’t disappoint the expectations that I had created in my mind. We left our hotel, The Riviera, at about 9:30pm, and took a six hour walk up and down ‘the strip’ stopping at various casinos and hotels including Ceaser’s Palace, The Bellagio and New York, New York. The energy and the excitement, along with the heat, didn’t abate for even a second. I even flushed $10 down a slot machine just to say I have gambled in Vegas.

San Francisco, California:
A highlight for two solid reasons; I got to run across the Golden Gate Bridge, and I caught up with an old friend and blog-inspirer, the BCB.

Lake Tahoe, California:
This was probably one of the biggest highlights of the trip for me, as it was so unexpected. We had not planned on stopping there but once we saw the crystal clear lake and the quaint little towns, it was a definite highlight for all of us. In winter it is a skiing and snowboarding Mecca, and in summer the hills offer running and mountain biking trails galore and the lake begs to be swum in.

Yellowstone National Park, Montana & Wyoming:
Just awesomely beautiful, and because I got to see ‘Old Faithful’, grizzly and brown bears, a bald eagle and some moose. (Or should that be meese?)

Dubois, Wyoming:
Meghan’s cousin’s home. We spent a day hiking and fishing at a lake called Jade Lake, up in the mountains. Incredibly pure and peaceful.

Chicago, Illinois and Boston, Massachusetts:
Both awesome cities with great bars and people. In Boston we walked the Freedom Trail through the city and took in some of the US’ most significant history.

After all was said and done, it was a road trip of a life time and one that will live on in my memory, and my photo book for years to come.