Jon & Diane's USA road trip
In and around United States
On the road - from New York to San Francisco.
Route taken and entries by Real Traveler Jon & Diane
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1
We've arrived
Having fun but walking loads in sunny but cold New York.
Tuesday: Headed downtown to Ground Zero and Battery Park - Ground Zero has turned in... Continue reading »
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2
On the road
Arrive in Middletown by train miles from the car hire pick-up - even the local cab company hasn't heard of the car hire place. Panic. Eventual... Continue reading »
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3
Home of the Liberty Bell
America's roads are harder to drive than we thought - and as we approach Philly it's already getting dark and raining. We pull into a motel on the out... Continue reading » -
4
The White House and all that
The drive to Washington DC is just as frantic as the drive to Philly. Plump to stay in a dingy-looking Budget Inn close enough to the city centre to b... Continue reading » -
5
Civil War country
Leave DC and head west to Virginia. Stop off in Strasburg to visit a Civil War battlefield and museum then join the start of the Skyline Drive thr... Continue reading »
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6
Stalactites and stalagmites
LURAY to HARRISONBURG: The little town of Luray has a huge, magnificent cavern which we tour in the morning before getting back on the Skyline Dri... Continue reading »
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7
Heading for the Blue Ridge Mountains
The Skyline Drive becomes the Blue Ridge Parkway at Waynesboro - but the scenery remains spectacular. There are mountains as far as the eye can see... Continue reading »
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8
A natural wonder
Virginia's Natural Bridge does exactly what it says on the cover - a bridge formed naturally by a river carving out the rock beneath. Oh, and it's... Continue reading »
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9
Mining for gems
Spruce Pine appears to be America's gem capital. Loads of places offer chances to try your hand at mining. We choose Gem Mountain. One bucket of ro... Continue reading »
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10
Hello Dolly
We couldn't resist a trip to Dollywood - and our timing couldn't have been better because Dolly was making a visit herself. She was launching a new... Continue reading »
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11
There's gold in them there hills
Dahlonega was America's first Gold Rush town - and there's still gold in them there hills (legend has it that saying was first said in Dahlonega). Tak... Continue reading » -
12
Having a Coke - or 40
Think our motel is not in the best area of Atlanta and choose to stick to walking only along the main road only in daylight hours. Diane not impres... Continue reading »
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13
Good old Jack
After an interupted night in a camping cabin battling with cockroaches it was nice to get on the road and head for Lynchburg for a sniff of Ja... Continue reading »
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14
Yee-ha - the home of the country music business
Bit disappointed with the sights and sounds of downtown Nashville - not a lot to see or do here. Just spent a morning walking around the city takin... Continue reading »
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15
We're going to Graceland
Weather still gorgeously hot - ideal for walking in Memphis; a friendly city with lots of see. Visit Sun Studios where Elvis made is first record,... Continue reading »
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16
Home of the Delta Blues
A stop off on our drive down to New Orleans to the home of the blues. See the crossroads where legend says Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil i... Continue reading » -
17
Feeling hot, hot, hot
It's the hottest day we've had - must be 30C. Get to the city early, park up and get walking. By sheer chance we've been able to drive right to the... Continue reading »
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18
Alligators - to see and eat
Stop off in Henderson near Lafayette to take a swamp tour. See three alligators in the wild - from the safety of a tourist boat - then head back to... Continue reading »
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19
A city underground
After an hour aimlessly wandering downtown we eventually discover the city is bustling beneath our feet. Houston's skyscrapers are connected by a laby... Continue reading » -
20
Fiesta time
Arrive in San Antonio in time for the start of Fiesta - the city's fun-packed annual festival. Also see the Alamo and take a boat trip to see the sigh... Continue reading » -
21
Just batty
We'd heard great things about Austin but they weren't obvious from first impressions. Famed for its live music scene, we think it must come alive at n... Continue reading » -
22
Itchy and scratchy
As far as tourism goes in Dallas, it seems to start and end at the Grassy Knoll. The Dealy Plaza Sixth Floor Museum is very interesting, letting you s... Continue reading » -
23
Cowboy country
Fort Worth is real cowboy country attached by an urban corridor to Dallas. The Stockyards district is really good fun. It is where the cattle drives u... Continue reading » -
24
A girl's best friend
Hunting for diamonds sounds more glamorous than it really is. Imagine trudging through a muddy field while the hot sun beats down with your back and n... Continue reading » -
25
Oh dear Oklahoma
The song may say Oklahoma City looks 'oh so pretty' but in reality it's just another faceless American city. Take a trolley tour of the main sights -... Continue reading » -
26
On Route 66
We've finally found the Mother Road - Route 66. More of the old road can be driven than we thought. Visit a couple of Route 66 museums and discov... Continue reading » -
27
Canyons and Cadillacs
We tried our hardest to find something to do in Amarillo but failed. Had to drive 20 miles south of the city to Palo Duro Canyons to keep us entertain... Continue reading » -
28
Trek to the crater
Make a stop off at Capulin Volcano - thankfully, an extinct volcano where you can walk round the rim and into the crater. Weather no too great so view... Continue reading » -
29
Native American life
Taos is a great place - wonderful mountainous scenery and Native American-influenced buildings. Visit the Taos Pueblo where Native Americans still liv... Continue reading » -
30
Oldest trio
Santa Fe has the oldest church in America, the oldest house in America and the oldest Madonna figure in America. Jon is disappointed he didn't see the... Continue reading » -
31
Beautiful scenery and not-so-beautiful labs
Los Alamos - the birthplace of the atomic bomb - has some beautiful scenery but it is dotted with labs which still carry out nuclear research. Ev... Continue reading » -
32
New city, Old Town
Drive into Albuquerque in a sand storm and quickly find somewhere to stay. Have a KFC US-style for supper (some KFCs out here serve gizzards and liver... Continue reading » -
33
Extra-terrestrial fun
Roswell is much larger (or more sprawled) than we expected. Arrive late afternoon and take a walk by the 'river' to the zoo - the river is more like a... Continue reading » -
34
Journey to the centre of the earth
A visit to Carlsbad Caverns is like a journey to the centre of the earth - you gradually descend into the vast cavern room which is said to be the siz... Continue reading » -
35
Out of this world
We make it back into Texas and down to Fort Davis, Marfa and Alpine just as the sun is going down. It also happens to be a Star Party night at the McD... Continue reading » -
36
Sun, sand and Santa Elena
Think this is the furthest south we'll be going and probably the closest to Mexico we'll get. Big Bend National Park has it all - desert, mountains an... Continue reading » -
37
Wyatt Earp and all that
Tombstone is a great place - just like out of a Wild West movie. It's where Wyatt Earp and his brothers had a gun fight with some cowboys at the... Continue reading » -
38
The Wild, Wild West
We happen upon Old Tucson Studios on a drive out of the city - and so glad we did. It began as a film set in the 1930s for the movie 'Arizona' and has... Continue reading » -
39
Phoenix nights
Phoenix is hot, hot, hot. Temperatures here have been reaching over 100F. We take a walk into downtown but soon wish we hadn't as it is further than w... Continue reading » -
40
Red hot
Sedona is a beautiful place - surrounded by red rock formations and fanatastic summery weather. Think we bit off more than we could chew with the amou... Continue reading » -
41
Planets and meteors
Flagstaff's Lowell Observatory is where the planet Pluto was discovered in 1930. We take a tour of the observatory and see the telescope which led to... Continue reading » -
42
Another White House
You could easily miss Canyon de Chelly, where Navajo Indians lived in the canyon walls hundreds of years ago and still live today. We hike to the W... Continue reading »
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43
A true treasure
We saw Mesa Verde on TV's 'Around The World In 80 Treasures' and knew we had to fit it in to our route. More ancient Indian settlements in the shee... Continue reading »
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44
Mittens and more
On way to Monument Valley we stop off at the Valley of the Gods for a taste of Utah's impressive red rock scenery. Just down the road but in Arizona t... Continue reading » -
45
Colourful antelope
We make a quick stop off in Page to see Antelope Canyon. We'd seen pictures of this magical place - and we weren't disappointed. Some spectacular p... Continue reading »
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46
A Grand occasion
We get our first taste of the Grand Canyon (and it's hoards of tourists) almost as the sun is going down. So come back the following day and decide... Continue reading »
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47
Viva Las Vegas
A quick stop off in Vegas gives us a taste of the action. Continue reading » -
48
Dam it!
It's just a dam - ok, maybe a very big dam - but there is only so much you can see before it gets a bit tedious. Being Memorial Day weekend [like... Continue reading »
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49
Is there anyone out there?
Rachel is the one-horse town closest to the famous Groom Lake and Area 51 - America's most secret air base that officially doesn't exist [they are... Continue reading »
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50
Mono in stereo
This place is usually the east entrance to Yosemite but late snowfall is blocking the path. Will have to drive north and try the west entrance. S... Continue reading »
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51
Ghostly ghost town
Bodie is America's largest ghost town. It once boasted 10,000 people all seeking their fortune during the gold rush. When they started to move on they... Continue reading » -
52
Gateway to Yosemite
A beautiful drive across the Sonora Pass - yesterday it was desert now surrounded by snow. The descent off the mountain pass takes its toll on our bra... Continue reading » -
53
Wet and wild
The snow is melting in the Sierra Nevada mountains making Yosemite come to life. The waterfalls are wild right now and the views dramamtic. See Bridal... Continue reading » -
54
Meeting the General
Another twisty-turny drive up into the mountains to see California's giant red woods. General Sherman is the biggest of them all - in fact, he's... Continue reading » -
55
Hot stuff
Death Valley is one of the hottest places on earth - when we were there it hit 45C. Phew. Drove across the valley (although we weren't supposed to acc... Continue reading » -
56
A little slice of England
Here we found a little slice of England in the Arizona desert. The American's bought London Bridge in the 1960s for $2.5m and is the centrepiece... Continue reading »
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57
U2 stayed here you know
Joshua Tree was where U2 recorded their famous album back - and it is also the home to the Joshua Tree National Park where there are hundreds of... Continue reading »
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58
The city of angels
Stay in Santa Monica and unlike Sheryl Crow we watched the sun go down over Santa Monica Boulevard. Take a bus ride into downtown LA and quickly... Continue reading »
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59
It's a mystery
Drive through Santa Cruz and stay at a KOA camp site. In the morning go to the Mystery Spot - a weird place which twists your melon man. Continue reading » -
60
Golden days
Apart from the normal weirdos and homeless that you find in any city, San Francisco seems to be a great place to be, especially if you like shopp... Continue reading »
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