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pukebreath

The Fly
Joined
Apr 17, 2001
Messages
88
Location
boston, ma, united states
Help me please:

I'm taking 4 weeks this summer to drive around the country. I would appreciate any suggestions for stops (preferably off the beaten path). I'm starting in Boston, going to Cleveland (for obvious reasons), and the rest is yet to be determined.

Also, on a side note, does anyone have any suggestions for the cheapest possilbe mode of transportation. I want to rent a UHAUL or van and just sleep in back. Don't worry, I'll brush my teeth every day. HA!!!
 
I did this when I finished college. Rent a car, not a uhaul. A car will get WAY better gas mileage than a van or truck. Buy a tent and sleeping bag and camp, it's really cheap and there are sites everywhere. Go to New Orleans and the Grand Canyon, they are both amazing amounts of fun.
 
Renting a car, especially with all that mileage, will get expensive I think. A U-Haul, I know, is very unreasonable.

Since you're heading near Cleveland, do the Michigan tour. Go to Grand Haven to see Lake Michigan. Head up to Traverse City and then head up to Whitefish Point on Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula (UP). Michigan has a lot of interesting places to see, even though I grew up to hate the state. ;) If you to head up to the UP, head into Canada through Sault Ste. Marie and check out Georgian Bay (Canadian end of Lake Huron). I've seen some amazing photos of that place!

Melon
 
I had a car, so we didn't need to rent one, but as Melon said, all the mileage would make it quite expensive. We had camp sites for $10 a nite, but this was in '95, I don't know if prices have gone up. You'll wind up spending most of your $ on gas.
 
If you do the Michigan tour, there are a lot of great places right outside Traverse City to camp (and a nice grocery store that won't kick you out if you sleep in your car in its parking lot - it's right by Mabels - err..not that i would know). Then go through the UP and upper Wisconsin, go into Duluth (take highway 2 all across Wisc, takes you right to Duluth) and go 35E south. 35 will get you to the Twin Cities, and if you keep following it, all the way down to Louisiana.
 
Niagara Falls...(and the Canadian side is nicer than the American side...and you'll get more for your $$$ if you shop in Canada sue to damn exchange rates)
 
Kentucky. See the blue people and the barbeque capital of the world and take advantage of the state's largest cash crop. :wave:
 
You could buy an old VW Van cheap and drive/live in it till you don't need it anymore then sell it to someone else doing the same thing, happens all the time in Europe and if all goes well (no large repairs) it's much cheaper than renting a car or van plus I have one and they are a ton of fun to go on roadtrips in!
 
If you take Melon's advice and drive thru the Sault way into Canada, two stops on your itinerary should involve Temiskaming and Killbear Provincial Park, the latter being on the shores of Georgian Bay and quite likely near the amazing photos he refers to. Simply breath taking.

From Killbear you can swing down and in about 3 hrs drive you pass thru Toronto, stop there for a day and then do the Niagara Falls thing...but I dont know of any decent camping spots in either Toronto (lol) or the Falls...but lots of cheap motels if you just want a place to crash when your day is done.
 
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Pukebreath its too bad you have ur heart set on Cleveland...I just realized where you were starting from.

Im an avid camper, and assuming I was beginning in Boston I would do nothing but drive straight up the coast, making stops in Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, and Prince Edward Island.

If you like real camping and beatiful scenery there is no better place in the summer than the east coast...esp Cape Breton and PEI...magnificent!!! And the food! To die for!
 
Um, yeah, and then after you're done with fucking Michigan, get your ass out WEST.

Grand Canyon, but take the route through Monument Valley from the east, which will also take you through Arches National Park, Canyonlands (just a short right turn), and on down to the Moki Dugway. Then go back down through Monumnent Valley and the Navajo Reservation (be sure to listen to KTNN Radio 666 on your am dial). Turn right to get to Grand Canyon the less crowded and more bitchin' way. After that you're on your own, unless you want Death valley at its least crowded (and most dangerous). You'll have the place to yourself, except for a few Germans.


I can give you highway numbers if you want them.



:kiss: to everyone from Michigan!!
 
Highway #s would be awesome for the southwest. I appreciate the camping suggestions for east coast, but I'll do all that stuff aside from this trip.

Okay, so Marth, at one point you told me about Bodie State Park too. It sounds like you know the Southwest pretty good. The southwest and northwest are where we really want to hit. ANY info would be awesome.
 
Do a complete loop of the country. Hit the spots Martha mentions in the Southwest, then return through Utah, Yellowstone Park, Grand Tetons, Mt. Rushmore, Devils Tower, etc. along I80.
 
GO TO THE SOUTH. It's a different world. And parts of it are really gorgeous to drive through, too, like Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
 
meggie- we studied migration patterns within the United States and only like 4% of successful (being defined as people staying in their new place for 10+ years) migrations happen when people from the north moved south and vice versa.

i just thought that was interesting.


carry on.

another handy highway - highway 90
 
Lilly said:
If you do the Michigan tour, there are a lot of great places right outside Traverse City to camp (and a nice grocery store that won't kick you out if you sleep in your car in its parking lot - it's right by Mabels - err..not that i would know). Then go through the UP and upper Wisconsin, go into Duluth (take highway 2 all across Wisc, takes you right to Duluth) and go 35E south. 35 will get you to the Twin Cities, and if you keep following it, all the way down to Louisiana.

Silly girl.....35 (and not E, just 35) will take you all of the way to Dallas. Highway 61 (Highway 61 Revisited - Dylan) will take you from Duluth to Baton Rouge. Of course, it connects with a number of Interstates, like 35 and 55. It more or less follows the Mississippi.

How about Route 66?
 
meegannie said:


Because they don't seem as fun in England/Europe, for some reason.

I disagree!

You have the Autobahn in germany.
They have the crazy Rally races all over Europe.
And have you ever seen any of those crazy 60's English movies with the high speed car chases in cool convertables? The English rock at making GREAT cars - you better believe they know something about road trips.

You should join us this summer for the road trip to v2003!
 
America is a great place for road trips (perhaps why all of Wim Wenders' "road movies" take place here). Europe is great for train trips, IMO.

Melon
 
zonelistener said:


I disagree!

You have the Autobahn in germany.
They have the crazy Rally races all over Europe.
And have you ever seen any of those crazy 60's English movies with the high speed car chases in cool convertables? The English rock at making GREAT cars - you better believe they know something about road trips.

You should join us this summer for the road trip to v2003!

:hmm: The car chase DOES sound fun....

I can't afford to go to v2003, but I DO want to meet up with you guys at some point. I'm not sure yet whether I'll be living in London or in Norwich in August.
 
I did a fantastic road trip in may last year which lasted a month. It took in pretty much most of the american west, and it was camping (apart from in the cities). I did it with a trek company though - but you could check out their website - it might give you some ideas.

here's a link to the trek I did:

http://www.trekamerica.com/tours/pdlmap.html

not sure if that's any use to you, but you never know!

Lu
:wave:
 
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