US-Tour: Fall 2006
In and around Houston, United States
Next week (Sept. 19th), I'm leaving Houston for a 2 1/2 months trip in the US.
Route taken and entries by Real Traveler TomUSA06
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1
Travel Preparations
Right now, I'm preparing my trip. This actually means evacuating my apartment and decide what to take with me... On Tuesday Sept. 19th, I'm leaving... Continue reading »
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2
Historical Ride
Hot Springs is a small and old place. Many historical buildings (especially bath houses). Unfortunately, many buildings are not kept in a good cond... Continue reading »
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3
Lovely Town
Wow what a beautiful town! Cafes and restaurants along the road, old and historical buildings. The historical downtown is a must when you are in th... Continue reading »
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4
Going North
My next destination will be Badlands National Park. And on the way there, I've to go North... Kansas City is on this route and I'll stay the night... Continue reading »
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5
Norfolk, NE: Pitstop
This should be point no. 6 not 5! I stay here for the night, before I continue tomorrow on Hwy 20 WB... see the pictures made out of the car.
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6
Strategic Air & Space Museum...
Should be point no. 5, not 6! The musuem near Omaha shows planes in orginal condition and it is very impressive to see these large beasts!
It... Continue reading »
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7
Sandhills in Nebraska
It was raining the whole day and quite cold (48F). On my way from Norfolk, NE to Valentine, NE, I stopped in O'Neill (largest Irish community in NE... Continue reading »
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8
Badlands National Park
Today, I crossed the State line of South Dakota to go to the Badlands National Park. This is a very fascinating area, like a different planet. That... Continue reading »
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9
Mount Rushmore - Custer State Park - Hot Springs, SD
Mount Rushmore is only 1/2h from Rapid City and the 4 heads are visible from the street. Custer State Park is very nice and there are a lot of dirt... Continue reading »
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10
Arrived in Wyoming, home of Yellowstone and Teton NP
please check the updated pictures yesterday!
Today was mostly spent in the car. The drive from Hot Springs SD to Sheridan WY took longer than... Continue reading »
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11
Yellowstone - WOW!
September 27th: Bighorn Mountains were rainy and cold. I didn't do any hiking or off-road driving due to the wet condition. The closer I got to Co... Continue reading »
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12
Teton National Park - Jackson, WY
After Yellowstone, I passed through the nice landscape of Teton National Park. Golden Aspen trees all over and impressive mountains. Jackson is a n... Continue reading »
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13
Crater of the moon NP - Ketchum, Idaho
I decided not to stay longer in Jackson, WY as the weather went bad over night and I was not in a mood for a muddy/cold bike ride... On the way westwa... Continue reading » -
14
Biking in Sun Valley/Ketchum
I'm glad I stayed another day in Ketchum. The weather changed to beautiful and Sun Valley made it's name all honor. As it was quite cool in the mor... Continue reading »
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15
Salmon River Valley to Montana
It was raining during the night and the dirt roads were quite muddy this morning. Perfect for a 4x4! I spent 3 hrs on dirt roads and also made a li... Continue reading »
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16
Going North to Glacier National Park
The weather was awesome today; clear blue sky the whole day! I made my way over Helena up to Browning, MT the gateway to East Glacier NP.
Das... Continue reading »
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17
Logan Pass and Many Glaciers - East Glacier National Park
Arrived at the Glacier National Park, I was told that Logan Pass is closed and I have to drive around the park to get to the other side... Well, th... Continue reading »
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18
Whitefish - West Glacier National Park
I decided to stay a night longer in Whitefish to enjoy a full day in the West Glacier National Park. After driving up to the road closure, it start... Continue reading »
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19
Montana -> Idaho
Not much to tell today. It rained on my way from Whitefish to Sandpoint. On the way there were a couple of espresso stands with really nice espress... Continue reading »
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20
Coeur d'Alene - Hell's Canyon, Or
Quite a long trip today! From Sandpoint over Coeur d'Alene to Enterprise, Oregon. Long distances between villages and lots of uphills and downhills...... Continue reading » -
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Hells Canyon - Baker City
It was below freezing tonight but the sky was blue this morning. Everything was covered with a thin layer of ice. The road to Hat Point is gravel a... Continue reading »
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22
Walla Walla, Washington
On the way to Seattle, I took a "short cut" through the mountains between La Grande and Walla Walla. It took about 3 hours more on this route, but it... Continue reading » -
23
Leavenworth - Seattle
From Walla Walla, I drove to Leavenworth which is on the way to Seattle. Leavenworth is a Bavarian style village with lots of German-alike things to s... Continue reading » -
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Seattle
In Seattle, I visted a friend (Philipp, we worked together in Switzerland and in Houston) and his family. Philipp showed me around in Seattle, which i... Continue reading » -
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Mount St. Helens - Portland, Oregon
On the way South, Mt St Helens is one of my stops. This volcano erupted in 1980 and left a completely new scenery behind. Unfortunately, there was thi... Continue reading » -
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Oregon Coast
Astoria is a San Franciso style small town with a cafes, seafood restaurants and hairdressers (it was about time for me...)
Astoria ist eine... Continue reading »
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27
Astoria - Newport
The sky was overcast today and it rained a bit. Oregon's coastline is beautiful and invites for many stops on Hwy 101. North of Newport, some grey wha... Continue reading » -
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Going East
Rain showers and strong winds accompanied me all along the coast. Somehow I liked it, it was a special atmosphere with the diffuse light. When I heard... Continue reading » -
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Crater Lake - Grants Pass, OR
The forecast was right, it was a beautiful day up on Crater Lake. Pretty cold and windy, but the sun was warming up quickly. I asked an employee at... Continue reading »
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30
Californinan North Coast - Redwood NP
Driving through the Redwood forests is very impressive. Huge trees and spectacular view of the coastline. Some of the trees have diameters of more tha... Continue reading » -
31
Going South along the coast
After a "little" detour, I came back to highway. There are more redwoods along the "Avenue of the Giants" which is worth taking. Fort Bragg is a to... Continue reading »
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32
Highway No. 1
Highway No. 1 is very scenic. It takes quite some time with all the views and the winding road, but it is a must when being in this region. One of the... Continue reading » -
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Leaving the coast
Point Reyes just north of San Francisco is very special. Huge waves on the shore, strong winds and cows feeding on the grass. Unfortunately, fog was a... Continue reading » -
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Cutter Creek - Sierra Nevada
On the way to Sutter Creek, there is a chocolate factory which I visted. I was impressed about the quality and the taste of all chocolates they sell!... Continue reading » -
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Biking on Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe has great bike and hike trails! The weather was stunning, but cold... Starting altidude is over 6200ft!
Am Lake Tahoe gibt e... Continue reading »
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36
Lake Tahoe - Reno
On the way to Reno, I made a 6 miles hike around Mount Tamarack. It was pretty cold in the shade but nice and warm at the sun. Some of the little c... Continue reading »
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37
Desert is calling...
Highway 50 in Nevada is called 'the lonliest highway in the USA'. It leads through great desert-like scenery and small mining towns. And it is really... Continue reading » -
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Great Basin National Park, going to Utah
Continuing on higway 50, I visited Great Basin National Park. Main attraction is the over 13000ft high Wheeler Peak. The road ends at a little over... Continue reading »
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39
Bryce Canyon - Grand Staircase National Monument
Highway 12 is a very scenic route which I will explore the coming days. On that highway, Bryce Canyon, Grand Staircase, Capitol Reef Parks are located... Continue reading » -
40
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Day 42! Exactly six weeks ago, I left Houston. Comparing the scenery of today and six weeks ago, it's like day and night!
The 'Canyonlands' of... Continue reading » -
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Canyonlands - Capitol Reef National Parks
On a dirt road, I left Torrey early morning. First, I visited Capitol Reef National Park and then I drove southwards to Lake Powell. The dirt road "No... Continue reading » -
42
Monument Valley & Valley of the Gods
The Monument Valley: red and stunning! Highway 163 is famous for several movies. I think Forrest Gump was running on that highway... There is a dirt r... Continue reading » -
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Needles Overlook - Arches National Park
Along Hwy 191 are a couple of dirt roads leading to overlooks. For a 75 mile distance, it finally took 140 miles ;-) And with the Arches National P... Continue reading »
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44
Slickrock - Bike Mecca!!
Top notch trails here at Slickrock, Moab! The main loop is quite strenous and only for advanced bikers (unless you like walking...). The uphills are s... Continue reading » -
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Death Horse State Park - Castle Valley
As there were no ATV tours available today, I made my on 4x4 tour with my car ;-) I visted Death Horse State Park and made a loop trough Castle Valley... Continue reading » -
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There is an arch, there is another one, and another one...
I can recommend the hike from Devils Garden to Dark Angel and back. Take the 'primitive trail', you'll get some difficult hiking and beautiful views.... Continue reading » -
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Living at 8000ft...
Yesterday, I drove from Moab to Aspen. The weather was beautiful and so was the forecast for today. That's why I made another bike tour today. The tra... Continue reading » -
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Winter Park - Rocky Mountains NP (west)
Leaving Aspen was a bit hard as the ski season will soon start. But vacation never last forever, so I drove eastwards to the Rocky Mountain National P... Continue reading » -
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Rocky Mountain NP
After that very cold night. I crossed the Rockies in direction Estes Park. But before resting for the night, I did a short hike in Rocky Mountains NP.... Continue reading » -
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Snowfall... Boulder: University Town
Boulder is a town with a lot of students. There's a lot of cafes, restaurants and bookshops. I like that! Even a car free zone for enjoying downtown.... Continue reading » -
51
Mile high city
The mile high city is layed on a plateau with a beautiful view to the rockies. Downtown is relatively small and can be explored on foot easily. Den... Continue reading » -
52
Denver - Manitou Springs
only a short trip from the airport. No pics! nur eine kleine Reise vom Flughafen. Keine Bilder! Continue reading » -
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Going South - Pikes Peak
The travel party consits now of two! Susanne arrived today in Denver and we drive together to El Paso! It is very nice to have my girlfriend with me a... Continue reading » -
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Great Sand Dunes -> New Mexico!
Today, we went to the Great Sand Dunes NP. After that we crossed the border to New Mexico and we are staying in Los Alamos.
Heute besuc... Continue reading »
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55
Very Large Array - Going South
Los Alamos is close to the Bandalier National Forrest and is a scenic drive going South. On the way is the Very Large Array (VLA) which is one of the... Continue reading » -
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White Sands National Monument
White Sand? Actually, it is grinded mineral crystals which are left after evapourating water. With the wind, the dunes are moving eastwards. It's l... Continue reading »
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57
West Tip of Texas
Staying at friends (Michela and Andre) in El Paso, we enjoyed interesting talks and good food. And the hot tub on the patio, of course!
Bei F... Continue reading »
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58
Guadalupe Mountains - Carlsbad Caverns
East of El Paso is the highest point of Texas: Guadalupe Mountain. Interesting, how those mountains towering from the desert-like surface. A little fu... Continue reading » -
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Going South to Big Bend
I left Carlsbad to visit the Big Bend National Park. As it is quite far away, I made a stop at Alpine. Staying at the Holland Hotel was pretty nice: B... Continue reading » -
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Just West of Big Bend
I was lucky to get a room for the next days that close to Big Bend National Park. The drive along the Rio Grande was very scenic today and I'm looking... Continue reading » -
61
Desert at Rio Grande - Back to basics
It is a interesting place here. People who live here said goodbye to comfort they had in the places they lived before. One of our tour guides on th... Continue reading »
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62
Big Bend - Along Rio Grande Eastwards
The way out of Big Bend is a scenic drive, especially when you don't use the highways ;-) Even after a couple of hours in the car, it looks still l... Continue reading »
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63
Still along Rio Grande
Not much to mention between Del Rio and McAllen. Except that I went to a Starbucks in Laredo (first Espresso after 6 days!) Long distances between... Continue reading »
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64
Hanging out on the Beach
It's really getting warmer, the more South you go. And humidity is raising... The season is quite low on South Padre Island (SPI). Busy times ar... Continue reading » -
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Gulf Coast
Between South Padre Island and Houston is Corpus Christi a good stop at the Gulf. Downtown has some small cafes and pubs and the seafront is nicly... Continue reading »
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66
Closed the loop: Back in Houston
After 13,000 miles in 75 days and MANY great impressions, I arrived back in Houston. I was welcomed with a traffic jam on Hwy 59 ;-) Now, there are a... Continue reading »
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