Our unexpectedly great American road trip

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Von wom87

In two weeks we crossed four states on our American road trip and seen a number of landscapes directly from the films

We never intended to be in the USA!

Actually, we should have been about 3,000 miles further south when we rocked at the Venice Beach in La and mixed among the masses of hippies, hipsters, tourists and homeless people. I admit that I have most likely inserted myself into the latter with my two-month-old beard, the huge backpack and the worn flip-flops.

In the two weeks since we arrived we crossed four countries on our American road trip and saw a series of landscapes that come directly from the films. We saw everything from snow -covered mountain ranges to steppe grass littered deserts littered with glittering casinos and motels on the side of the road to the empty and quiet cities of the middle west. And it was magical.

our route

Our ship moored in LA, where we spent a few days with friends before renting a car and drove north to San Francisco along the coastal road (Highway 1). La was clogged by traffic at the best time, so we started after 10 a.m.

You could reach San Francisco with a stopover, but we stopped twice and took relaxed days along the coastal road to regularly take photos at breathtaking viewpoints. We stopped in San Luis Obispo and Monterey for the night and arrived in SF early to visit the Golden Gate Bridge.

in SF we met with other friends and stayed three nights, this time with the subway and the city buses, to move away. From SF we drove west through the Eldorado National Forest before we turned south to the Route 395, where we stopped in an (abandoned) city called Bridgeport.

The next day was long, but worth it when we continued to the west via Death Valley to Las Vegas. There are some great roads to drive, including the relentlessly long and straight and then hilly and winding Highway 190 by Death Valley.

One night in Vegas was everything we could afford (so safer) before we went west to the Grand Canyon National Park. We spent an afternoon in the visitor center to explore a few short paths and drive the Desert View Drive, which regularly stopped at viewpoints. We drove north that night to spend the night with Lee’s Ferry so that we could hike and make canyoning the next day.

Two nights was everything we could afford before we drove back to La across the country. In Lee’s Ferry we got a tip to stop on the return trip in the Zion National Park to see a landscape in the "red Yosemite-in-der desert style". We followed the advice and were not disappointed by staying in a dilapidated casino in Nevada for the night before we broke down to La in the morning.

We wish we had another week (or two) because we could have stayed longer in almost every travel destination (maybe not in the downloaded casino), but we cannot complain about everything we could see.

what we have seen

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rules of (American) street

I learned to drive in the UK and went through large parts of Western Europe, North Africa, Tanzanias and even sporadically - and never again - in India. The United States felt very similar to Europe, but also very different. Here are just a few observations.

Americans tend to drive a little slower than Europeans, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is safer or easier. In general, there are more lanes on your streets, but also more cars, so that it is often hectic than on European roads.

There are no radar cameras (I hope) and do not expect to find many roundabouts over there - I saw two in two weeks and was very excited when I did it! I was told that the slower traffic should remain on the right and the faster traffic. However, I saw very few signs of it and often found that the outer two (fast) lanes were full of traffic, while the inside both lanes were almost empty.

In general, American drivers tend to meander between the lanes - to the left and right - and are happy to do that. As a British driver, which is used to the regulated rules of the British streets (similar to those of the London subway), I found it quite worrying at first. In the course of the weeks, concern turned into tiredness and finally, when I gave up, to understand, the tiredness turned into amusement.

It didn't take long to switch to your style. But there are still a few things in which I feel uncomfortable: Can I really turn right with red?

Regardless of the road traffic rules, these challenges, if they are a confident driver, will not impair the enjoyment of the great American road trip. You have seen these streets before - they come directly from the films.

No matter whether you explore your own garden or a new place, discover the freedom of the open street with the best trips from Lonely Planet.

Mission statement: Atlas & Boots 
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