Trip map here. Nope.

Sorry, Google Maps looks like it doesn't support the amount of way points that we had. I will try and find an alternative and update.

I did have a very nice map, with all of our stops pin pointed. It is frustrating that it no longer exists.

Trip statistics

18 states:
Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Nevada again, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and back to North Carolina.

Vehicle info:
7358.4 miles with an average travel speed of 59.2 mph and an average mpg of 22.8. Average gas price was $3.587. Lowest gas price seen was $3.34 outside Salt Lake City and highest was $5.26 in Death Valley.
Highest recorded speed was 105 mph in Utah, highest officially recorded speed was with a ticket for 83 mph in a 65 mph zone in New Mexico. Among the lowest speeds were the 0 mph while waiting for said ticket to be written.

Major sights:
St. Louis Arch (MO), Geographic center of the lower 48 states (KS), Arches National Park (UT), Canyonlands National Park (UT), Four Corners (UT, AZ, CO, NM), Goosenecks State Park (UT), Natural Bridges National Monument (UT), Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (UT), Bonneville Salt Flats (UT), Golden Gate Bridge (CA), Lombard Street, San Francisco (CA), Sequoia National Park (CA), Yosemite National Park (CA), Death Valley National Park (CA), Boulder Dam (NV), Grand Canyon (AZ), Petrified Forest National Park (AZ), White Sands National Park (NM).

Travel specs:

Highest elevation in travel was 11,158 feet at the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70 in Colorado. Higher elevations may have been made, but were not recorded. The lowest elevation was -264 feet in Death Valley. The elevation in Death Valley drops lower, but we limited our record to drivable areas.
The longest drive of the trip was from the Big Texan in Amarillo, Texas to the Motel 6 in Dickson, Tennessee at 892 miles. We were very surprised that it was a par 4.

Highest temperature recorded was 112 degrees in Las Vegas, lowest was 55 degrees in Mammoth Lakes CA. We doubled the temperature from Mammoth Lakes with our same day drive to Death Valley at 110 degrees.

Much like it must be to choose your favorite pet or child, I find it impossible to choose my favorite place among the many visited during our trip. I choose instead to view the entire trip as an experience, one I hope never to forget. I traveled the country with two very dear friends and only wish that more of my friends could have seen the sights that we have experienced. We took 2200+ pictures, so at least we can share some of it.

Next post will contain detail of the trip itinerary, provided I can get Google Maps to work with me.

James says:

Day 13: Home sweet home! It really doesn't matter where you've been, or what you've seen, there is a lot to be said about being back home. It has been a great trip, and we have seen and done some amazing things. It was so much more than I expected and I am so very glad that I finally did it.
We didn't do Rock City this morning, but only because we had a mix up in its location. Both Google and the GPS put it in Carthage, TN and it turns out that it's a lot closer to Chattanooga. We all decided that the extra 4 hours of driving would have to wait and it gives Kel and I an excuse to take a long weekend trip in the future.
Our trip counter got accidentally reset during the trip, so I'll have to do some manual calculations to get the final mileage, but I do know that it is more than 7300 miles.
Oh what a trip it has been. The next post will be the final one, with trip statistics and notes.
Now I guess those bags aren't going to unpack themselves, so I better get to it. I really don't mind it though, as I always find some trip memorabilia tucked in amongst the packings...

James says:

Day 12: Today was a serious travel day. We did 892 miles, and made it to Dickson, Tennessee. We're about 50 miles west of Nashville. Kelsey did a few hundred miles. We didn't see much worth stopping for, and I think we all have that urge to be back home.
We have about 9 hours of drive time left to do, still a stop at Rock City, and we'll lose an hour getting back to Eastern Time. Still, I plan to sleep in my own bed tomorrow night.

James says:

Another stop without internet, will post this when connected again.

Day 11: We went to White Sands National Monument this morning. It was interesting. It was like the beach in the middle of nowhere, without the surf. The sand is actually gypsum and I had expected it to be powder like. It felt and acted just like beach sand, but tended to be just a bit more fluid.

There is a road that winds through the dunes and Kelsey drove us through it. The dunes are about 20 to 30 feet tall and we had to climb a few to get a view of the surrounding terrain. Walking up the dunes was a bit strenuous and walking down caused some cool looking mini avalanches.

Kelsey and I checked out some of the plant life while Dodge watched a short film about the place.

The rest of the day was just a travel day, Kel and I split the drive and we made I to Amarillo, Texas. We stopped at the Big Texan Steakhouse and Hotel for the night. The Big Texan is famous for offering a 72 oz. steak for free, if you can eat it in under an hour. Oh and you have to eat the salad, baked potato, and diner rolls, also. None of us took the challenge, and sadly nobody attempted it while we ate. We all thought that it might be entertaining.

We don't have any stops planned for the rest of the trip, except Rock City in Tennessee. The next few days will be spent rolling miles, stopping when something catches our eye. We've traveled about 5600 miles so far, it will be a nice change to get back on the interstate. We spent all day today on US 70, the same one that runs through Raleigh, slowing down through each town along the way. There is a lot of America to be seen, but that doesn't mean that it all needs to be seen. We did pass some large stock yards today, cool to see, not so much to smell.

Rolling east on I-40 tomorrow, finish Texas, add Oklahoma, and maybe get some Arkansas in.

James says:

Day 10: We started our day with a trip to the "Standing on a Corner" Park in Winslow. It's a nice place and cool to see that the town of Winslow has taken the effort in capatilizing on the opportunity. The park is well maintained, very clean and the gift store across the street plays Eagles music. It was a good start.

We headed off to the Petrified Forest National Forest? Might be National Park. There are many petrified wood shops surrounding the park and we stopped and browsed. We made some small purchases and headed to the park. It was about what we expected, except for the educational additions. We learned about the Triassic Period and how the petrification process works. Simply amazing what 225 million years and a significant drift in the continent will do.

On to New Mexico. We didn't really have much planned in New Mexico for the day, and a speeding ticket was past due, so I killed two birds with one stone. Yep, 83 in a 65.

I know, I know. I turned the driving over to Kelsey for the rest of the day. She did really good and took the speed limits more as a rule and less of a suggestion as I had been doing. It might be better to have her finish the trip home.
We stopped in Las Cruces, NM for the night, White Sands National Monument tomorrow.

James says:

Day 9: Wow, it's been 9 days of spectacular scenery; today was no different. We started with a trip to the Hoover Dam.

There is a new bridge that bypasses the dam and gives no opportunity for viewing. We took old route 93 down to the dam and got some great views. I was struck by the low level of Lake Mead. It is clear by the staining on the canyon walls of the previous levels of the water and the lake now seems to be at it's lowest ever. It is hard to estimate from a distance, but I would guess it to be 50 feet below the high mark. I would also guess that the missing volume is easily equal, probably more than the amount remaining. Nevada and Utah have instituted plans to conserve water, and we did our small part to contribute. As with most of the scenery on this trip, pictures will do no justice to the enormity of it all. Speaking of enormity...
Grand Canyon National Park. Again Wow! We've all seen pictures of it, even seen it portrayed in movies, but no, it has to be seen. It is amazing. The depth of not only the canyon, but the detail in the landscape is awe inspiring. We travelled the South Rim from the central main part of the canyon all the way to the end of the main canyon on the East side, following what has become a dear friend, the Colorado River.

 It seems that we started our foray into the grand scenery with this river and it seems apt that we end it with it. The end viewing point was Desert View, giving a great view of the river as well as the Painted Desert. There is a stone tower there with great viewing access. We spent more time than we had thought we would at the Grand Canyon, and we all agreed that it was time well spent.

We still have much to see, but I feel that the overall impact of what we have seen will not match the grandeur of this area.
We stopped tonight in Winslow, Arizona. If it sounds familiar, think about the Eagles song "Take it Easy". Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona... Yep, that song is now stuck in your head. You're welcome.

Headed south tomorrow, White Sands, New Mexico. If we ever figure out what time it is. We crossed the Pacific/Mountain time line, but Arizona doesn't do daylight savings, so do we add or subtract an hour? Do we have to borrow an hour? Jeez, what's interest on an hour?

James says:

Day 8: We made it through Death Valley, stopping at Stovepipe Wells, Furnace Creek and Badwater. It was hot, desolate and well yeah that's about all it was.

Kelsey got to drive for awhile, but there isn't much else to say about it. I guess like Four Corners, at least we can say we've been there. The temprature got to 110 degrees before noon, so I was glad that we were leaving for Las Vegas.
The trip to Vegas was easy, the scenery was getting boring by now, but every once in a while something would catch our eye. We were able to see the city from 20 miles out coming into the valley. Made our way up and down the strip a couple times in the vehicle as it was still at hovering around 100 degrees.
Finding our way to the hotel, we were pleased to find that it had a free shuttle to the strip. We napped some of the afternoon away and then took the shuttle to the strip as the sun started to set. We couldn't talk Roger into going, but Kelsey loved it. I felt that it was too crowded and noisy.

We went to the MGM Grand, New York, New York, Tropicana and Excalibur. They all sit across from each other at an intersection and have pedestrian bridges from one to another. Kelsey loved it, I thought it was to crowded and noisy.

Stopping to get something to eat made us miss our planned return shuttle, so we had plenty of time to take in the sights while waiting for the next one. We wandered in and out of casinos and shops and Kel found a refrigerator magnet. I thought it was too crowded and noisy.

Boulder Dam and Grand Canyon tomorrow.

James says:

Day 7: Yosemite! We made the trip from the bay through the valley to Yosemite National Park. We came in the south entrance to eliminate backtracking in the park. Our first stop was the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias. No false advertising there. The trees are huge, and I'm afraid that the photos won't give anything close to a fair representation of the immensity of some of these trees. I am so glad that the decision was made to stop logging these colossal specimens.

Since we started at the south-east corner of the park, and due to the road layout, we had a long drive through the park to our destination on the middle west side of it. We travelled north through the scenery, a welcome sight of lush forest of old growth timber. The drive was enhanced by streams, waterfalls, rock formations and great views of elevation changes.

I was especially impressed with the numerous long tunnels carved through the mountains. The inside of the tunnels were left in natural most of the time and it added to the feel of the park. The valleys seemed to have so much more definition with the addition of trees. We were high enough at times for there to be snow right beside the road, but I couldn't convince anyone to engage in a snowball fight besides Kel.

The waterfalls were spectacular, falling from great heights. As the water fell, it sometimes took on the appearance of smoke or spider web because the wind would reshape the flow as it fell. The tall falls tended to be mesmerising. The smaller falls were great to view, but I feel that without hearing the splashes and gurgles they lose a lot of their beauty.
Due to the elevation changes, it wasn't far between snow covered peaks and green meadow valleys. The water was surprisingly cold; I had expected a chill due to the elevation of the source, but even by the valley it was no less than frigid. Luckily I only waded in ankle deep.
The park took most all of the day, and was worth it. The only downside was the fact that the two lane roads can get backed up with traffic, making it hard to sightsee while driving. It is a constant barrage of scenery and I did enjoy it.
We stopped at Mammoth Lakes, Ca. for the night. Death Valley and Vegas tomorrow.

James says:

Day 6: We made our first stop at Bonneville this morning. It was impressive in size, but there wasn't anything going on.

I know you'll ask, so yes, I did taste it. Tastes just like salt. The salt must evaporate the moisture out during the day because the surface was covered with small salt growths. It made the surface crunchy to walk on. The salt packed similar to snow and took some effort to clean off our shoes.

Most of the day was spent making our way across Nevada. The scenery was somewhat softer than Utah with less formations and more hill type mountains. We still had a fair amount of elevation changes but seemed to end up about where we started by the time we reached the California border.
We started our descent in California and at times it was quite dramatic. We made it through some of the valleys, covered in fields of growth. Most of it seemed to be alfalfa, but one field was sunflowers and it was a sight to see.
We kept on and made it to San Francisco! We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge just as the fog was rolling in, so we didn't get to see the top of it.

We drove around the city, drove down the famous crooked part of Lombard street, and took in the various sights. We saw the street and cable cars, but didn't get a chance to ride any of them.

The place was crowded and the day was getting long so we headed for a place to spend the night. Found a place just south of the San Francisco airport, right on the bay. Great view down toward the city and the planes land across the bay, so we get to see them land.

Yosemite tomorrow.

James says:

Day 5: We made it out of Utah today, but not before enjoying some more of the scenery. Heading west, we set out for Goosenecks State Park. The park showcases a point in the San Juan River that winds back and forth. The rivers winds for more than 6 miles yet covers less than 2 miles of distance. It is viewed from above, so you look 1500 feet down into the canyon to see the river. Pretty impressive...and a bit scary.
We then headed for Valley of the Gods, a site with more sandstone formations. The entrance access road was more than any of us wanted to risk, and we were able to view and photograph most of it from the surrounding roads. As we left heading for Natural Bridges National Monument, the road seemed to run directly into a bluff. As we got closer it, we found out that the road actually climbed the bluff using a series of switchbacks. Adding to the thrill was the fact that the road was gravel,and rarely more than a lane and a half wide. We climbed about 2000 feet vertically and only made about 75 feet of forward progress. The similarity to Goosenecks was not lost on me.  Nearing the top, we were able to gaze back upon Valley of the Gods. Great view.
Natural Bridges was another great park. There are 3 stone formations that nature has sculpted into large stone bridges. The park is laid out in a 9 mile loop that gets close enough to each bridge so that only a short hike is needed to view them, somewhat longer to get to them. We more more than satisfied with the viewing. A big plus of the park was that we learned a fair amount of the geology of the area and it helped in explaining the differing features, formations and terrain that we had viewed over the past days.
Off again to Glen River Canyon and our old friend the Colorado River. More great scenery, extreme elevation changes and those friendly speed limits. Through the canyon, we headed for Salt Lake City. I thought that it would be nice to be back on the interstate, but it was clear the the scenery was pale in comparison to what we had been seeing. It's good to make some miles though, and we were able to make it to the Nevada border before quitting for the day. We found a pretty good deal in Wendover, Utah/Nevada. The town straddles the border and its easy to discern where the border is by the casinos. The casinos have good hotel prices, and since none of us are big gamblers, we took advantage of a decent room and dinner.
Tomorrow is a stop at Bonneville, followed by a sprint across Nevada.

James says:

Todays update will be posted as soon as we get some internet.

Day 4. We left Colorado, heading for Utah. The morning trip was easy and uneventful. The scenery is beyond description, and the texture of the terrain seems to change every 30-50 miles.

Our first stop was Arches National Park and it was stunning. I had heard that it shouldn't be missed, and I was not at all disappointed. The arches were amazing, but all of the formations were not to be missed.

Balancing rocks, sheer walls of sandstone a thousand feet tall, yet only about 100 feet wide, stretching for a couple thousand feet in length. Columns of stone reaching skyward, all seeming to have a boulder perched on top. As much as you wonder at the beauty of each of the formations, you equally wonder at the method of forming such an awkward design. I'm sure that the Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote cartoons were filmed here.

We left Arches and headed south toward Canyonlands National Park. More beautiful scenery made the ride easy. The Canyonlands take you through the rugged terrain toward the Colorado River. The terrain is exactly as described, following canyon walls up and down toward the larger canyon that the Colorado has carved. Sheer walls with foundations of fallen stone, ranging from pebble size to bus sized. Bus sized boulders tend to make you think about how bad an idea it is to have a road beside a wall of stone that tends to drop bus sized boulders. The park itself was geared more toward hikers and we decided not to do any of the longer hikes.

We headed south again, headed for Four Corners, the only place that 4 US states touch. It wasn't very exciting, but we all left feeling satisfied that we had been there.

We have gone from the flat rolling landscape to jagged steep mountains then to softer hill type mountains. Along the way there have been flat prairies punctuated by large sandstone formations, immense rock formations in all shapes and sizes seemingly randomly dropped as a decorators afterthought. Cliffs and canyons that modify the elevation by thousands of feet. Bluffs, buttes, washes and rivers. Free ranging cattle and horses (no fences, so they may be anywhere). I almost feel a sensory overload to it all.

Roger and Kelsey found us a great place to stay in Bluff, Utah. The motel was full, but they somehow managed to get a house that the motel owner had. We are staying in a very nice two story renovated house that was built in 1850. Luckily it's had some upgrades since then, but still has a lot of old architecture and style in it. I am amazed just walking around in it.

Tomorrow we head northwest toward Salt Lake City.

James says:

Oh, some things I'd forgotten... We did reach 105 degrees coming through Kansas, with a night time low in the mid 80's. Ugh.
The temps in the Rockies would vary about 20 degrees in about as many miles. The temp at 11,400 feet was in the low 60's and down at 5000 feet it was in the upper 80's! AC on, AC off, back on, back off....
The GPS is the best tool to have on a trip, but a road atlas is still needed for changes and planning.
We wash the windshield and headlights at each gas stop and try to scrub off some of the bugs from the front of the vehicle, but it's getting somewhat ugly. I do remember plowing through a cartoonish swarm of bugs in Kansas, but this is almost beyond reason. Maybe I'll get a picture at the next gas stop, that should be a keeper for the photo album.

James says

Day 3. We made it to the geographic center this morning. It was about as expected, just a simple monument, but it was well taken care of and the locals do care about it.

We stopped in town so that Kelsey could buy a souvenir shirt. Quaint probably sums it up.
Headed back out, still on the back roads for awhile, but the speed limits are ridiculously friendly. towns are posted at 50, everything else is 60+, mostly 70. We found many stretches to do well better than that, straight roads are the standard and while the terrain is relatively flat, it is rolling. We could crest a hill and see 5-7 miles of deserted straight road. Roll on.
Made it to Colorado low on gas. The prices are cheaper in Colorado, and a dime a gallon adds up...to $1.30 a tank. Yeah, real budget buster, but it was the principle of the something something.. Anyhow, it's a good 10 miles into Colorado before a gas station. We finally got to one and the car quit at the pump. I have never had better luck in timing. After a refill, it took a bit to get it started again, but now I know where bone dry is!
We made good time toward Denver, I do have to note that the land before Denver was quite flat, flatter than Kansas. Seeing for miles is an understatement. As we approached Denver, we started getting our first glimpses of the Rockies.

Wow! Rolling through Denver brought the mountains up close. Beautiful scenery. Spectacular scenery. It really has to be seen, as pictures can only hint at the dramatic impact of the views.
Again the speed limits were more than friendly. More than once I had to back off the 75 mph limit, especially on the 6% downgrades. I-70 is really a nice route and we ended the day following along the Colorado River for 20 miles or so. The interstate winds along the river, cutting through tunnels at times, giving some great views of the canyon.

We stopped at Glenwood Springs, and it looks like we get to follow it some more as we head off toward Utah tomorrow. I am loving it!


Kelsey says: Geographic center was amazing. They had this adorable little chapel that reminded me that we were probably more in the bible belt than we were back home.

They also had this abandoned motel type thing in the back that I wanted to explore but time called us away. I did get this super awesome shirt from this little tiny store that was a grocery/deli/hardware/souvenir shop. It had probably been around since the early 1900s.

James says:


Day 1. Left on schedule and headed out toward St. Louis. Ran into some rain just about at Winston Salem, and it stuck with us on and off through the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia.

It made the driving a bit frustrating as well as ruining any scenic opportunities. West Virginia will be remembered for their toll booths every 10 miles or so. $2, $2, $2...really?
The weather had cleared by the time we reached Kentucky and we took in the scenery of massive horse farms and even more massive cornfields. We stopped for the night in Shiloh, Illinois about 30 miles from St. Louis. Dinner at Outback and off to sleep.

Day 2. Great nights sleep. Headed for the Gateway Arch at about 7:30, was there by 8:15. Keley and I rode to the top (Roger had already been) and were thrilled by the view. The Arch is more impressive then I had thought.

There is a nice museum at the base and we enjoyed some time there. 

Back on the road, headed for Lebanon, Kansas, the geographic center of the lower 48. Yeah, it's not much, but really, Kansas only has so much to offer. We thought it would be nice to take some of the back roads, those long straight 2 lanes that you've probably seen. Yeah, that was good for about 20 miles, but damn, those things go on forever.

The cornfields in Kentucky have nothing on the monsters in Kansas. We did see a large group of massive wind turbines, but aside from that, the state seems to be just a rather large field. We were still about 60 miles away when we decided to put Lebanon off until tomorrow. A slightly extended search brought us to Concordia, Kansas. Now let's see if we can find something to eat..

Pre-trip

James says:

Getting ready to take one of those "trip of a lifetime" trips. Cross country USA times two! Middle America from Raleigh to San Francisco, southern route on the way back.

The vehicle is a 2011 Chevy Equinox with 570 miles on the odometer. The participants are me, my daughter Kelsey and my neighbor Roger. We moved away years ago, but he's still my neighbor, cause you just don't find neighbors like this much.

We leave tomorrow morning. Our first major stop is planned to be St. Louis, I hope to be within a couple of hours by tomorrow night.