Fwd: Road Trip Suggestions???

We have been looking at a fantastic website, the link is in the above titled 'Handy Roadtrip Websites!!!' It is set up by an American author who has travelled every road in the USA... or so it appears... well, in my 'getting to know your computer' I e-mailed him on his blog... with a few questions - and he has e-mailed his response... and now I have figured out how to upload to the blog the e-mail thread!!! I'm even getting into computer speak!!! I may become a blogger yet!!!

----- Original Message -----

From: Jamie Jensen

To: Lindsey D
Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 1:11 AM
Subject: Re: Road Trip Suggestions???

Hello Lindsey & Jay --

Many thanks for writing in to Road Trip USA -- and sorry it took me a while to get back to you.


I'm glad you've been enjoying my website -- and hope I can tempt you to checkout the Road Trip USA book, which has tons more info and ideas and is now on special sale at amazon.co.uk -- end of "hard sell," I promise.


:-)


May + June + July, coast to coast, Boston to the Pacific -- that's quite a trip! The weather shouldn't be a big issue by May / June -- though this winter has been cold and snowy, so who knows what the coming summer will be like. The US tourist season kicks off earnest mid-June, when schools let out and families hit the highways, but (apart from special places like the National Parks) generally it's not hard to find a room, any time of year, so in most places you should be fine leaving it until you turn up.


My main advice on that subject: find a room before you eat dinner -- although it can be tempting to "do some extra miles" after dark, it's risky and also means you won't be able to see anything apart from other cars' headlights...


There are all sorts of moderate/budget priced motels -- and along with the national chains, there are lots of locally owned motels, usually a few dollars cheaper and much more interesting. My favorite "national chain" is Best Western, which is often the nicest of moderate priced options.


Now onto planning. Though my book is structured into routes, I'm all in favor of detours -- starting out on the "Oregon Trail" route, you could head south at Albany NY, drive down the Hudson River valley via the "Big Apple", then follow my Appalachian Trail route to the Amish areas of the PA Dutch Country (and nearby Gettysburg battelfield is very interesting, too), which is lovely country to explore.


Just down the road, Philadelphia is an under-rated city, too -- perhaps the most historic in the whole USA. (Alas, I don't cover Philly in RTUSA...)


Then you could work your way northwest across PA and NY, maybe detouring north to see Niagara Falls (and Buffalo, another neat old under-loved US city). The Rust Belt areas along the Great Lakes are a bit sad (but Detroit and Cleveland et al are great if you like industrial archeology -- on a par with Liverpool for fading glory and characterful populations)


OK, now onto the west! I cover Glacier Nat'l Park in my US-2 Great Northern route (plan your visit around a leisurely drive over the Going-to-the-Sun Road, which takes you thru some of the loveliest Rocky Mountain meadows and past miles of great hiking trails). Glacier has some fantastic old lodges -- great for a drink, even if you decide to camp out and save the $150 a night. All over the western USA, car camping (you can buy a tent and a pair of sleeping bags for the cost of a couple nights in a motel...) will let you stay in the nicest parks (like Yellowstone or Yosemite), which have limited accommodations and are often booked up a year in advance.


OK, so there are some thoughts -- hope these help you plan your trip, and please feel free to write me again as you get closer to lift-off. For now,


Happy Trails,




Jamie Jensen
--
Road Trip USA


===

On Mar 6, 2010, at 12:18 AM, Lindsey D wrote:

Dear Jamie,

I have been looking at your website - and WOW! thanks for all the really interesting information...

My partner and I have booked our tickets and we are coming to America (from the UK) during the months of May, June and July...

We are looking at doing mostly the Oregon trail... but from Boston to the West coast as this is what we were advised by an american friend, in terms of the weather!!!

We want to look at including a few detours though... 1) a visit to the Amish community, in Lancaster county.... and also 2) going up to Glacier National park... could you offer some advice on how best you would do these detours...

I note in an ealier e-mail response to someone you commented on finances... we are planning on $100 - $150 a day... could you suggest a possible chain of hotels that are represented throughout the States - that would fit with that budget...

also we are not planning to book our accommodation, but recognise that the time we will be there are the busiest in terms of tourists!!! would you think that not booking would be problematic... we are hiring a car as opposed to an RV... so will be in motels and hotels!!!

Thanking you again for your advice and assistance...

Regards,

Linz and Jay