Best around the USA trip

[tarpon85]

Sorry I am new to this and this has probably been covered before. I have 20 years of RV experience of all types. I am now in a position to take a lot of time off and tow my 28 Flying Cloud around the country.

Has anybody put together a consolidated " best" route around the country route plan? Obviously any plan can be customized but nothing like lessons learned.

Tom

[Piggy Bank]

What are your goals to see and do?
Hit all lower 48 states, national parks, visit friends and relations, MLB ball parks, hit all cities in "I've been everywhere man", follow a band as they tour, pfish and hunt in season, Lewis and Clark route, Oregon Trail, Santa Fe Trail, Trail of Tears, Appalachian Trail, or just trailer?

[TinTin]

How about the American Saltwater Tour: Start in Blaine Washington, finish at the northeastern tip of Maine. Stay to the roads closest to the water. Give yourself six months.

[mandolindave]

Hitting the meccas, and historical hot spots of american genres.

Brief description. so far

Virginia- The Crooked Heritage trail- Country
Kentucky- Rosine- Bluegrass
Tennessee-Nashville, Memphis - Country, Blues, Rockabilly
Mississippi- Delta Blues
Lousianna- Dixieland, Cajun
Texas- Texas Swing

[Arcticfox]

Tagging in as this might be interesting.....


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[mandolindave]

The Golden Circle is a loop trip that includes three awesome National Parks, that goes through Utah and Arizona. ( great for hikers and photographers ) Plenty of free campsites in BLM lands.

[mandolindave]

Do you see a pattern here in my ramblings. I have read about some trips that were plotted to hit every state in the least amount of time, and or shortest mileage.

My point is that doing everyone state in one trip, can turn into a drive buy, where you see and do very little but drive. Take human bites?

[tarpon85]

Thanks for all the responses. Basically my developing plan is something like this:

I will be starting from Richmond VA. I thought I would head south around late March. I have spent a lot of RV time on Hilton Head SC (actually owned a spot at the Hilton Head Motor Coach Resort). Great place and mainly spent beach time to keep my teenage daughter at the time willing to come with us. This worked out great at the time and kept my daughter with us. Probably would like to stop at Myrtle Beach SC. this time. Charleston SC is also a great destination for those who have never been there. At this point would probably want to start
West. Not a big fan of FLA but always wanted to go to Key West. It is just a huge drive to get there. Love the Smokies and could do some fishing. Always wanted to go to the Ozarks. Ultimately want to get to the US Southwest before the big heat sets in. Could then head North and hit the Grand Canyon, Montana, Wyoming (big sky country) Then work up the Western coast at least to Seattle. Lower Canada is not out of the question, Vancouver Etc. Moving East back to New England during the hot weather. Hitting VT, New Hampshire and Love Maine. Already done Nova Scotia (and Loved it) Finally working back to Richmond through New York, PA.

Grew up on the East Coast so no need to ht New york City and DC. Want to avoid those areas at all costs. Spent My whole career in those areas. Love NYC and DC but spent months there,

As you all know, this is a big country. Never been to the Ozarks. Then there is the whole Rockies in there somewhere. No Rush on the trip and could stop for awhile in super areas.

Missing a lot of the mid US but at the risk of offending some, there is a lot of open space in the middle of the US with not a lot of things to see.

I am a retired engineer and handyman and thinking about using my work truck as a tow vehicle stocked with tools and do so give back long the way. Have plans to talk to Habitat for Humanity to see what their thoughts are.

In a nut shell, leave VA in late March and be back by October. A lot to see and can't do it all. Just wondering if anyone has tried a similar quest?

Love the feedback. Must see places would be good to put on the list. May work it out so my 87 year old fantastic mother and other relatives could do some legs of the trip. Many airports across the US to meet people. Also, In the event of an emergency back East, will keep a back-up plan to just park the rig somewhere and fly home.

Don't know how to deal with mail at this point. I think there are forwarding services available.

First opportunity to do something like this and I'm not getting any younger. Too many friends passed away much too early after retirement and want to avoid that. At the risk of TMI, divorced now a sole daughter solid in a new RN career. Now seems the time to see the country. spent years traveling around the world on business and pleasure and have missed some fantastic US state and National parls not to forget about the national forest service land which is vast.

Would be great to rendezvous with some Airstream clubs/trips along the way.


Tom

[SCOTTinNJ]

Sounds like a great trip for the right reasons. Why not plan a few key stops to keep you on schedule but otherwise play it by ear and give yourself flexibility?

[Piggy Bank]

As someone who lives in THE smack dab center of the US, may I suggest considering both temperature and humidity when planning your route.

The Ozarks (Missouri, Arkansas and any areas east of a vertical line north/south that intersects Manhattan KS) can be hot, sticky, and humid in the summer after June 1. West of that line will be arid so no humidity as a factor for enjoyment of the outdoors. By July the humidity is set in, and is there day and night.

Camping in hot sticky weather is not what I enjoy, unless a lake or swimming river is involved. And even then, the nights can be are pretty sticky for cooking outside and sitting out, depending on the daytime high temperatures.

But lakes are best for swimming once they heat up to that just right temperature. Usually end of June through end of Sept. I really recommend Beaver Lake in NW Arkansas as the best Ozark area swimming lake and also Striper Bass fishing. It is a very clear lake, has some Corps of Engineer campgrounds, and is not too far off the Interstate in Springfield MO.

[mandolindave]

If I were to take a six month road trip, my mission would be to never say, " It's too far out of the way "

I would suggest New Orleans, and Cajun Country, Austin Texas, Sante Fe NM, Grand Canyon is a given. Bryce, Zion, and Canyonlands National parks in Utah.

My brother taught me about BLM lands. I would never have realized how many GREAT free camping spots there are. Some have fences or cattle guards and look like private property or ranches. ( Some BLM land is leased to cattle ranchers , but that doesn't prohibit you from camping there.) Through the years, people have found so many gorgeous places to camp in BLM lands. Look for tire tracks and fire pits. Know that many really cool spots are next to impossible to get to if you are towing a trailer. Consider side trips without the trailer.

In early June, I would start to head north towards Yellowstone.

[64airstream]

What a great idea. You can even weave a few mini-loops into the overall trip. I remember reading about the original motorcar loop of national parks, maybe portions of the Lincoln Highway, a winery trail in California and another in the New York Finger Lakes, lighthouse loops in the coastal areas, the possibilities are endless.

We've started taking 2 to 3 week versions of tumbling through the countryside and finding the most interesting part of AS traveling is the people you meet. Friendly people seem to be drawn to the shiny aluminum and it makes a great conversation starter. Kind of like Steinbeck and Charlie's truck camper...

Keep us posted,

Roy and Marie

[NavyCorpsman]

From Where you are, Blue Ridge Parkway, Smoky mountains, Nashville, Memphis, Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas (Our Favorite), on to Route 66 at Tulsa, to Texas, New Mexico, and the Grand Canyon. North to Monument valley then south to Tucson and saguaro....No Interstate rides unless necessary. There is so much to see on a slow drive on a back road. The people are nicer too.

[B_Pi]

There is a couple, Jim and Debbie, who have a blog - the dreamstreamers. They have been full timers in a 25' AS for 7 or 8 years now. Their slogan is "Chasing 75 degrees" and we have chosen to do the same as best as we can. It just makes sense to go where the weather is nice. Planning around the particular climates of differing regions is interesting too. Humidity, tornadoes and other seasonal weather variations are something to keep in mind while traveling. I'm from So. Calif. and until we traveled this year, had never had to take shelter from a tornado as we did in Mississippi. There are no storm cellars in trailers and they really can get to rocking in the wind. Don't go away too far or too long with your awning out! Humidity isn't something we like much either and travel around it as much as we can.
Don't forget to leave time for the unexpected, unplanned places you find a strong attraction to. And I would add this, don't drive further than a comfortable 1/2 day drive or so and stay at least two nights so your travel is not too much like a job. We have arrived at the decision whereby we usually drive not more than one full tank of gasoline - about 250 miles and often a lot less. We like to stay a minimum 2 nights but typically 3+ while making our way to a particular longer stay. We are full-timers and simply have no schedule to keep. Of course, on long runs we have stayed at Walmart etc.
This has also been a wonderful opportunity to connect/reconnect with friends and family who we haven't had time to visit with often over the working years. My wife was able to spend more quality time this Spring than she had in her entire life with two sisters in two different states, simply because we stayed put for 2 months in each state. I also was able to visit with a good lifelong friend who moved 1700 miles away after high school and happened to be only 40 miles away from my wife's sister's place. I kept the trailer at his place with full hookups, and my wife spent a lot of her time at her sister's house. We would spend time variously with these people and it was great.
As much as I love the land, nature and the beautiful places, I want to enjoy old friends, family and new friends too.
Best wishes on your travels.

[Msmoto]

I drive lots of miles, love to just cruise along, listening to old radio shows or audio books, but primarily I do three week trips with specific locations, such as Route 66, a place I have friends, or another venue which has great appeal.

If I were headed out for six months I believe I would do a huge Internet search, watch tons of travel videos, then decide where I want to spend my stops. A three full day stop would be a minimum as I like to meet the people and do some snapshots. My experience suggests to me, just being in a small town anywhere and interacting with the people for several days is as good as seeing great natural sites, e.g., Grand Canyon, etc., and can be mixed in to a tour to add a real picture of the USA.

Do your research and when planning begins another thing you may wish to check out is guest accommodations of forum members as this would add to the overall personal interactions of your trip.


Ms. Tommie Lauer
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[karenjude]

Some friends of ours travel with their Airstream to do Habitat for Humanity builds. Here's a link to the thread with information on how to participate.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f161...ers-85884.html

[Jaxon]

Originally Posted by tarpon85

Don't know how to deal with mail at this point. I think there are forwarding services available.

Would be great to rendezvous with some Airstream clubs/trips along the way.

Tom

First off, you’re going to have a blast! Second, don’t stick to an agenda... a general idea of the state and maybe attractions perhaps but leave the specifics to what fires you up at the time. Anotherwords, how you feel in the Smokey Mountains may be different than time spent gazing out at the Caribbean from the coast... Also, from keeping an eye on the forums, you’ll for sure find a rally or two to join up with and you never know what places you’ll learn about from those there that may send you off to a new location for a few days. Or weeks...

We sold our house in Austin, TX & everything in it several years ago and took off on the road. Traveled all over the country with only the homes of friends and relatives being the real “specific” locations we knew we’d have to go to. Everything else was up for grabs. We did have trips and places mapped out for at least a month or two ahead and pretty much decided where to go, on the go.

We use Escapees Club (Escapees RV Club), as our mail forwarding service and in 5 + years, we’ve not had one problem with them. They also have RV parks around the country that are good to use with great prices. They’re very easy to use and when you call from say, Tucson, AZ and ask them to forward your mail to you, you’ll get it within 3 days. 4 max. They can overnight (for more $$), if you need.

Take your time, Tom, now that you have it. Remember, every day is Saturday, every night is Friday...

[NavyCorpsman]

Something I have found very useful is to write or EM the State tourism department that I plan on going to or through. They are a great resource and will send a 2 pound package of places to see and things to do. Some have provided RV parks and camping sites as well.

[westcoastas]

This sounds like a great adventure Tom - please keep us up-to-date on your travels! I think Msmoto made a great point and I agree - taking the time to immerse yourself in the small towns can be as rewarding and memorable as viewing the big parks. Right now we're sitting down to a nice lunch in Springdale, UT just outside of Zion. We've visited Springdale a couple times now and have become friends with the shop owner at a great clothing store (Simply Birkenstock) in this small town. Taking the time to just sit inside a restaurant (Wildcat Willies) street window, eating good food and watching travelers drive by is a wonderful luxury - not being in a rush to keep a schedule. We love to meet and talk up new friends who can give a better feel of the local scene better than a brochure.

Oh, just an aside - yesterday we met a woman in the campground office who was scoping out Snow Canyon for a future visit. She said she had a nice 40-foot RV and said a couple couldn't live more than six months out on the road due to the space and amenities restrictions of an Airstream. It's nice to read of the many who have and are proving her wrong every month and every year that goes by. Let us know how it goes Tom!

[m.hony]

There is a YouTube blog by a couple from Alabama who have traveled extensively with their Ford 250 and 25' Airstream all over from Key West to Bar Harbor to Alaska to the Grand Canyon. Watch some of their video reviews. Do a YouTube search for The Walkabout Group or The Long Long Honeymoon. I will someday visit some of the places they recommend.