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Still my favorite, after 40+ years, was summer of '76. I dropped off my completed Master's thesis, got a ride with a friend to I40 north of Chapel Hill NC, then he wished me good luck and I was off hitchhiking for the next 10 weeks. I'd never been west of Chicago, so everything was new: the Grand Canyon, the big sky of the midwest & west, California, etc. The giant loop was NC - San Diego - Vancouver (train to Calgary - the only public transit of the trip) - the single longest ride I ever had (outside Calgary to Toronto!) - the Maritime Provinces (including Newfoundland) - and back to NJ, where my parents lived. Obviously, not lingering in one place very long, it was more like reconnaissance for future trips. As is usually the case when hitching, I met all sorts of people outside of my typical day-to-day, and they were all interesting and accommodating (literally, giving me a place to stay for the night, buying meals). I think I spent maybe 5 nights outdoors, the rest of the time being on the receiving end of the kindness of these wonderful strangers. What a wonderful, simpler, more trusting time that was! I've traveled a lot since then and continue to see beautiful places and meet interesting people, but '76 remains my travel Gold Standard.
Still my favorite, after 40+ years, was summer of '76. I dropped off my completed Master's thesis, got a ride with a friend to I40 north of Chapel Hill NC, then he wished me good luck and I was off hitchhiking for the next 10 weeks. I'd never been west of Chicago, so everything was new: the Grand Canyon, the big sky of the midwest & west, California, etc. The giant loop was NC - San Diego - Vancouver (train to Calgary - the only public transit of the trip) - the single longest ride I ever had (outside Calgary to Toronto!) - the Maritime Provinces (including Newfoundland) - and back to NJ, where my parents lived. Obviously, not lingering in one place very long, it was more like reconnaissance for future trips. As is usually the case when hitching, I met all sorts of people outside of my typical day-to-day, and they were all interesting and accommodating (literally, giving me a place to stay for the night, buying meals). I think I spent maybe 5 nights outdoors, the rest of the time being on the receiving end of the kindness of these wonderful strangers. What a wonderful, simpler, more trusting time that was! I've traveled a lot since then and continue to see beautiful places and meet interesting people, but '76 remains my travel Gold Standard.
When I drove from Washington state to Alaska in 1983. I had everything I owned crammed in the car, $700 and no second gear in the automatic transmission. I had first gear to get moving and third gear to keep moving. Canadian Customs took 2 hours going thru everything in my car and then let me load it all back in. Maybe 15 minutes after I left the customs checkpoint I got pulled over by a Mountie. I was not doing anything wrong so no ticket. The second night I stayed at a real dive of a motel. The people in the room next to me spent a couple hours throwing themselves out before the clerk did. My last night in Canada I stayed at a motel that had a lodge with a bar and restaurant and three cabins on either side. When I checked in there were maybe 20 people in the bar and restaurant. There were several cars in the parking lot. About 2 am I woke up and looked out the window. Everyone was gone. The lodge was completely dark. My car was the only car there. All of the lights outside the lodge, outside the cabins and in the parking lot were dark. When I went to check out at 7 am the door to the lodge was locked and zero signs of anyone being inside. Since I had paid at check in I just tossed the room key thru the mail slot and departed.
We went on a 2 month 13,000 mile road trip up to Alaska, and then down the coast to California two summers ago.
My favorite stops:
the drive on the Top of the World highway from Dawson City Yukon up to Homer Alaska was amazing,
Stewart BC, (from there drove 23 miles to see the Salmon Glacier in lower Alaska-Wow factor!)
Vancouver Island BC,
The rugged coastal highway through Oregon and northern California,
Avenue of the Giants CA,
Little Big Horn MT,
the Badlands National park SD,
and Deadwood SD.
I have to add: Grand Teton National park was beautiful, but Yellowstone was a farce.
A complete waste of time and money. Long winding roads of nothing but trees on either side, bumper to bumper traffic, then we sat in the hot sun for an hour with hundreds of other people waiting to see Old Faithful erupt. Might as well have watched a fire hose squirt water up in the air for 15 seconds.
Yellowstone a farce? I guess it would be if you went in peak season and only saw the "biggies".
Of course my visits there were a few years (like 30?) back and not in peak season. One was in winter when you could still snowmobile in and around the place. Amazing.
My favorite road trips are the once I took with my husband in first few years of marriage. The longest was 7 hours. We don't like driving so that was long enough. My favorite part is being together for that many hours & talking. He probably hated the talking part but I loved it
Describe the best road trip you've ever taken, and what was great about it?
Mine was when I was in my 60s, and I decided to go to a bunch of minor league baseball games. I went to a game every night in Appleton WI, Richmond IN, Charleston WV, Princeton WV, Johnson City TN, Winston Salem NC, Asheville NC, Greenville SC, Savannah GA, Macon GA, Greensobo NC, Hickory NC, Altoona PA, Erie PA and Columbus OH.
I was driving a 15 year old Camry sedan, and slept every night in the reclining front seat in the ball park parking lot, and hit the road the next morning. Never had a hassle. All by myself, no radio in the car, no phone, paper maps. That was in 2002.
One that I remember right away was a drive from Grand Canyon's eastern side by taking 64 East to 89 South to 17 towards Phoenix.
This was an unexpected and very pleasant surprise. The landscape changed so dramatically, from deserts to lush green pastures to snowy mountains - perhaps it was time of the year but truly enjoyed that drive.
Describe the best road trip you've ever taken, and what was great about it?
Mine was when I was in my 60s, and I decided to go to a bunch of minor league baseball games. I went to a game every night in Appleton WI, Richmond IN, Charleston WV, Princeton WV, Johnson City TN, Winston Salem NC, Asheville NC, Greenville SC, Savannah GA, Macon GA, Greensobo NC, Hickory NC, Altoona PA, Erie PA and Columbus OH.
I was driving a 15 year old Camry sedan, and slept every night in the reclining front seat in the ball park parking lot, and hit the road the next morning. Never had a hassle. All by myself, no radio in the car, no phone, paper maps. That was in 2002.
15 years old Camry in 1960?
How old is the Camry model?
About 20 years ago, my husband and I drove from our North Florida home to visit everyone we were related to who lived east of the Mississippi River. Stops included Atlanta, Nashville, Cincinnati, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York, and Hartford.
We put 5000 miles on the car (a Camry) and the trip took us five weeks. We drove at a leisurely pace, did lots of sightseeing, ate at some wonderful restaurants, and thoroughly enjoyed the trip.
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