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My dad's personal goal (recently achieved) was to hit all four corners of the U.S.:
SE - Point Udall, St. Croix
NE - somewhere in Maine, we drove as far as we could to the West Quoddy Lighthouse (East Quoddy is in Canada, we saw that one too)
NW - Cape Flannery, WA (amazing, also go to the Quinalt Lodge if you're there)
SW - somewhere near San Diego and the border
juniper - that's definitely pretty cool, but i'm just thrown off by st croix ... the other 3 seem to be the main 48
now if it was a good excuse to get to the USVI that's fair enough, but it does raise questions about other states like Alaska and Hawaii and other territories like Guam
My wife & I will be celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary next May and are starting to think about places to go. What would be everyones top 10 places to visit in the US?
I was thinking maybe northern CA via HWY 101 on through the Redwoods National Park up through Oregon and maybe even onto Seattle if we could do all of it in 5-6 days? She's more into warm weather, beaches, & exploring cities while I'm more of an outdoorsman enjoy traveling to National Parks for some light hiking, scenic drives, etc. Places that we could get a good mix would be perfect!
I have done this trip (well, not all the way to Seattle) and it is great. You will get to experience some of the best urban areas in the country along with some of the best natural beauty. You will not be disappointed with the views driving along 101 - they are amazing! I think this is about the best road trip a person can take in the United States. You should know that the beaches up there are nice for scenery, but are cool from the cold ocean water. So don't expect a typical fun in the sun beach experience.
My top US destinations (no particular order)
1. Washington DC
2.New York City
3.Drive Pacific Coast Highway
4.Drive to Key West
5.Yellowstone National park
6.Sedona
I've seen most every place mentioned so far and my advice would be to go with your first instinct and see the PCH & Redwoods north of SF but don't miss heading a bit east for the most stunning location in the Lower-48, Yosemite...
My top Destinations would be.
1. Alaska! Nothing in the US is better or more amazing!
2. Washington DC
3. LA/San Deigo
4. Miami with a visit to Key West and the Everglades
5. New York City
6. Boston
7. Yellowstone
8. San Francisco/NOCAL
9. New England, Maine, Vermont
10. Las Vegas
There are a few cities which are so unique that they have to be seen at least once:
New York City
Washington, DC
New Orleans
Las Vegas
San Francisco
Santa Fe
For natural beauty, I'd recommend:
The Redwood country
The Outer Banks of NC
Yosemite
Yellowstone
Grand Canyon
Texas Hill Country
Northern New Mexico
Big Sur
Mojave Desert
But, overall, I think your suggestion of going north out of SF is a good one. US-101 is a good road and passes through very beautiful country. However, CA-1, the Pacific Coast Highway, is even more remarkable, but not much of a road in many places, especially around Ft. Bragg. It's worth the trip, though. You can pick it up at the northern end of the Golden Gate and it rejoins 101 at Legget.
By the way, PCH passes through Bodega Bay, where "The Birds" was filmed. It's a great little place.
juniper - that's definitely pretty cool, but i'm just thrown off by st croix ... the other 3 seem to be the main 48
now if it was a good excuse to get to the USVI that's fair enough, but it does raise questions about other states like Alaska and Hawaii and other territories like Guam
Ok, Miami or the Keys, they've been there too. Alaska is the dream, though. We actually went to St. Croix to visit relatives for New Year's 2000, so that was the primary excuse. It does market itself as the easternmost point in the US, which is why we counted it:
cool - wasn't trying to be critical, just curious .... i know some people get really into this type of thing ..... there are some people who travel to find the highest point in any given area, not for me but can be pretty neat reading their tales
Stillkit - Bodega Bay was pretty nice, we actually spent a night there (spent 2 nights in Sonoma and then a night in Bodega Bay, went north up to the redwoods, hit a spa in between the two places and then drove down the PCH into the city)
With that said, sleeping there wasn't the best experience with the foghorn blowing with much frequency
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