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Exciting news! On May 2nd, I will be heading out on a two month road trip around the United States. Embarking on a road trip of this magnitude has long been a dream of mine. Having grown up hearing tales of the cross country adventures both my grandparents and parents took, I knew that someday I too would hit the road to collect my own memories and stories. That day has finally arrived.
My primary focus will be to complete a good portion of my ongoing photo project, Past Present Project, but I will be exploring major cities and many National Parks along the way. Aside from seven destinations where I will be spending two nights, I will be staying in a new location every day. I realize it’s extremely ambitious to fit so much into only eight weeks but, the way I look at it, I might not ever have this opportunity again. Why not see as much as I can, right?
Here is a map of my route and a list of all the destinations I’ll be visiting.
I am always open to recommendations! If you live in one of these locations or have visited before, feel free to share the best things to do, any yummy places to eat, and the “off the beaten path” attractions.
I will be sharing my journey from the road on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter — so be sure to follow along and join me as I Say Hello to America in 2016!
Christian, I’m a friend of Lisa Leyland (her parents know my parents… blah, blah, blah… and she lived with my family when I was in fifth grade. She basically rocks.). She outed you and your trip on FB.
If you’re going to Las Cruces, NM, you really should take the time to go to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. There is nothing like it in the U.S. The mineral deposits are crazy!
I’m a NP junkie and have been to many of them. If there’s any way to squeeze them in, I highly recommend shooting into the center of California as Kings, Sequoia (if you’re going to visit the tallest trees in the world, you should really visit their brothers and sisters as they’re the largest in the world), and Yosemite are all clumped together. And they are magnificent. Then again, you might want to plan a second road trip such as this in a year or two and fill in the gaps because Yellowstone and Grand Tetons as well as the other three in Utah are worth a look-see. Especially since you’re a photographer. The vistas and wildlife in Yellowstone and the Tetons are without compare in the U.S.
I envy you your trip, though! Don’t sweat the drives. I took 2.5 weeks to drive up the east coast from Newport News to Acadia National Park a few years ago (with a stop at Steve and Lisa’s house) and hit every Revolutionary and Civil War, state capitol, and National Park I could. It was glorious! The drives were worth every minute.
ENJOY!
Exciting. A road trip of this magnitude is one of my fantasies. An RV is part of the fantasy not shared by my husband. Will you be camping or staying in accommodations? However, I’m not sure I could deal with changing where I stay every night with a chunk of driving almost every day for 8 weeks. Will you be able to change that party of the plan if it proves too much?
A little bit of both for lodging! Motels, Airbnb, and KOA cabins. Yeah, I considered all the driving too, but it was necessary to fit in all the places I wanted to see. On a positive note, I planned on the drives being anywhere from 2-6 hours — so it’s not horribly long drives.