Help me plan my massive (US, with some Ca) summer road trip

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Ok, so I’ve been talking about doing one for years now, but I’ve never gone on a serious road trip. I now have a car that I trust - a brand spankin’ new Element. (aka the Red Box on Wheels.) Yeah, I know gas prices suck, but I highly doubt they’re going to ever get better.

I wanna get out of here. Some background, I’m a HS teacher, so time is not really the issue. Money, of course, is. I plan on sleeping in the car as much as I can (so I’m not even paying for campgrounds, if I can get a way with it.) I’ve got some absolute must-sees, and I’m looking for input on more. I plan on visiting some friends along the way, but I’m the only one for the duration of the trip. I’ll be going from Worcester, Ma area, through at least some of Canada, I think. (I’ve got my passport, so I can get back to the US…) I don’t want to drive the same route both ways, and i want to do some thing in each state I pass through. I have a month or more with no pressing matters I need to attend to, so that’s the length of the trip. Oh, and my working budget will be $1000 above gas and “cheap food” (I.e. Eating at nice restaurants comes out of the grand, stuff I can get at supermarkets doesn’t) .

If anyone’s looking at Doperfests along the route (or is looking for an excuse), let me know.

Oh, and I’m somewhat of an amateur photographer, so scenic stuff is a main goal here. I’m equipped for backpacking, so i don’t mind heading off the beaten path. (And my car can go four wheeling, even though I’ve never (really) been.)

Here’s what I’m looking at for routes:
(Out)
Either [Ma -> NY ->Toronto ] or [Ma -> NH -> Vt -> Montreal ]*-> Sault Ste Marie -> Upper Pen, MI -> Wisconsin -> Minnesota (Friend in Minneapolis) -> South Dakota (ND?) -> Wyoming (Grand Tetons, Yellowstone -> Montana (Glacier National Park) -> Idaho -> Washington (Seattle [friend #2])

(Back)
Seattle -> Oregon -> Utah -> Wyoming -> Nebraska -> Iowa -> Illinois -> Indiana -> Ohio -> **Pennsylvania (Friend # 3 in Pitt, may meet me at Cedar Point in OH) -> New Jersey (Brother & family) -> Home ***

*I’m still not sure about how to start out the trip. I have family in Rochester NY I could visit before hitting Toronto, or I could swing up through NH and VT and go into Montreal. I’ve traveled to and through NH and VT many a time, as well as driving to and through NY, so there’s no great draw to any of those for me on this trip. After I get back, I may take a week to hike the White Mountains (in NH) some more or visit Maine - the one New england State I haven’t visited too much.

** I’ve also lived in Pa and NJ, so I’m pretty familiar with those states and may just drive through them, unless someone’s got a great tip for me.

***(I know that there’s at least one more state on the way, but I’ve lived in and / or extensively visited all southern New England states, so I’m not too terribly concerned about “hitting” CT and / or RI)

Well, waddya think? Anyone got some sights to see or sights to stay the heck away from? Places I should plan on spending a couple days?

Thanks in advance for ideas
-Geek

2

As for this part, I’ve heard that Walmart stores allow people to park campers in their parking lots overnight, so that may be one way to go.

3

If you pass through Toronto, I’m sure we could arrange a DopeFest for you. Likewise Montreal.

If you are passing through Sault Ste. Marie, do not miss a chance to go to Lake Superior Provincial Park about an hour north of the city. Truly beautiful. And on our road trip out west, I found that US 2 along the northern tip of Lake Michigan was very nice as well: sandy and duny and pleasant.

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Wish I could help, but you’ll be passing south of Alberta, where I am.

5

Wish I could help, but you’ll be passing south of Alberta, where I am.

6

As far as the UP goes, when exactly will you be coming through? I can answer some specific questions I’m sure.

In general: June will be buggy. Probably not the best time to come through, but not impossible either.

Car-camping in the UP is easy, there’s lots of small roads with pull-offs where nobody will bother you. There’s also a lot of beach camping, too.

Eat a pasty! (or two, or three…)

There’s some really beautiful Lake Superior beach in the UP & northern Wisconsin. I’m sure Lake Superior Provincial Park is beautiful, too, but given that you’ll be on the coast of Lake Superior for about two days, I’m not sure I’d make the detour that Sunspace suggests if you’re short on time. Instead, stop at Whitefish Point, Grand Marais, Munising, Marquette, Ashland WI, Bayfield, etc. and check out the lake in all its glory in different places.

And speaking of that, I’d hit all those places, and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

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Cool! Thanks for the replies so far!

I forgot to add: FOOD PLACES! Gimme good places that are worth the trip! I know I’m trying to do this on a shoestring, but I think that the “best” places are usually the ‘hole-in-the-wall’ places.

As for the UP, I found out about the Blue Spring thing at the state park I’ll bet no one can spell or pronounce. (And it’s right off of rt 2, which is what I think I’ll be following for a bit.)

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If you’re going from Sault Ste Marie to Duluth, 28 is the more direct route. As far as prettiness, they’re about the same. 2 looks like it’s right next to Lake Michigan and therefore prettier, but in reality the two routes have about the same amount of lake views. The trees tend to get in the way.

What is this blue spring you speak of? Chances are I can both pronounce and spell the state park, but I never heard of a blue spring anywhere.

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I’d add another spot to the Sault Ste Marie to Duluth leg - Taquamenon Falls (near Paradise & Whitefish Point in da UP.

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For Canada, I think the western provinces are more interesting, particularly BC. You might want to take a swing up that way as long as you’re in the PNW. In SD, you’ll want to see Rushmore/Black Hills and the Badlands. In WY/MT, take a look at Custer. If you have time for a side trip in MT, find a map that will take you to the Missouri Breaks, some of the prettiest country around and part of the Lewis & Clark route.

11

If the passes and roads are good, and you have the time, take Highway 12 from Montana to Washington, instead of 90. You’ll end up about 100 miles south of Seattle, instead of arriving at Edgar Martinez Drive just outside Safeco, but White Pass has an amazing volcanic cliff just off the road- I think it’s called Lava Rocks- and the sandwich and burrito counter in the Packwood gas station makes fantastic sandwiches.

rechecks MT destination Oh, you’re going up to Glacier… I don’t know north Montana very well, so you might want to ignore that. 12 goes through Missoula, which is rather far from your destination in-state.

12

I’m not familiar with the east-west highways in the Pacific Northwest, but I’ve driven up to Canada (and ridden a bicycle) from here. The Oregon coast, Redwood National Park (make sure you hike Fern Canyon) and Crater Lake are all very spectacular. This is all probably further south than you care to go, but IMHO it’s almost can’t miss territory.

Looking at Google Maps, it looks like it might be difficult to get over to Utah without going pretty far south or noodling your way over to Bend and then to Boise. In any case, even though it’s out of the way, it’s a pretty awesome part of the country.

The Canadian Rockies, Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula are all pretty great also. You can take a ferry from the city of Vancouver BC to Vancouver Island, hang out there, then take a ferry from Victoria to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. I think you need a passport these days.

Unfortunately, most of the spectacular parks in Utah are on the southern part of the state and are probably too far out of your way. However if you do head south, Arches, Zion and Bryce are not to be missed. Both Zion and Bryce are on the west end of the state which makes them even more problematic to get to.

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Thanks again, gang. Always knew I could rely on the Dope.

Great ideas, all! Keep 'em coming.

(And sorry I’ve only been in here infrequently. It’s been one hell of a week. All the more reason to keep thinking “summer road trip.”)

Kitch-iti-kipi - Palms Book State Park.

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I’d hate to see you get to Seattle and then not make it out to the Pacific. By all means head out to the Olympic Peninsula - Stay in a rustic A-frame out at La Push, on / near the ocean, where you can go beachcombing (try Second Beach there), eat really fresh salmon, have a bonfire on the beach (a permit is a few bux), tromp around Hoh rain forest, etc.

Get on US30 heading east from Portland and spend a day exploring the Columbia River Gorge.

If you come back through Southern Wyoming on I-80, get off on Wyo. 130 at Walcott Junction (not long after Rawlins) and head south to Saratoga. Swim in the hot springs there (Hobo Pool). From there, stay on 130 and drive over Medicine Bow Pass (a/k/a the Snowy Range) - one of the first five National Scenic Byways in the US, and a tremendous relief after the moonscape you will have driven through in parts of southern Wyoming.

If you’re at all into trainspotting, Laramie (and other spots in southern Wyoming and across Nebraska) are pretty popular with folks who are into that sort of thing. The highest point on both the original transcontinental railroad and on I-80 are both east of Laramie.

Eat German food at the Amana Colonies, near Iowa City.

We have lots of Cleveland Dopers here who can help with their area and with Cedar Point stuff. I’m a Cleveland ex-pat and am a little rusty on current attractions.

I should point out that there have been prior threads about the merits of I-80 vs I-70. The latter always wins. If you have the time to do it, you’ll have a much more scenic drive taking I-70 through Colorado than I-80 through southern Wyoming. Depends on time and money, of course, but you might want to look into it. You can swing back up to I-80 via I-76 out of Denver if you want to get back up to Nebraska / Iowa.

If you think I-70 is an option, post back here and I’m sure lots of Dopers will weigh in about your Colorado options.

15

At the end of September, I spent two weeks, covering 7,600 miles, 342.26 gal gas, 72.00 food 130.00 replace one blown out tire. I have a 98 dodge caravan with the seats removed. I am planning to travel this winter, allowing $4 gal for gas.

I have a 3 In. foam pad to sleep on, an ice chest and a small 2 burner stove for cooking (actually, just brewing coffee). A couple of points:

  1. Take a week’s worth of underwear and socks (all synthetics) and a small bucket to wash the in. Synthetics dry in about a day, cotton is problematic.

  2. I prefer to travel on back roads and never had a problem finding a place to stop and sleep. I just find a quite residential area, but I have used large parking lots and Interstate rest stops in a pinch.

  3. You need to figure out when to shower (how long can you last). Most large truck stops on the interstates have facilities for a small price, just wear a ‘Cat’ baseball cap and a pair of shades and they won’t ask any questions.

  4. Loosen and retighten all the lug nuts before you leave. Tire shops usually overtighten to avoid getting sued, but trust me, if they’ve been on for a couple of years, you may never get them off in a pinch. I swear I almost flipped the car over trying to get my flat off. Also try using the jack to both the front and rear wheels. You will never get a flat in daylight and good weather.

I would recommend a swing down the Pacific coast 101 and over to 1 at least to San Francisco. Walk across the Golden Gate bridge. See an old growth Redwood (makes everything else mere toothpicks. Cross the Mississippi at Saint Louis or downstream while reading Eliot’s ‘The Dry Salvages’. Watch a thunderstorm roll in from the Gulf anywhere along the gulf coast. Bring your passport and take Canada 93 from Radium hot springs to Jasper. Have fun and take lots of pictures because you may never get out that way again.

16

Aha! Big Spring. I have heard of it, though I haven’t been there.

A couple recommendations, though if you’re taking US 2 you won’t hit these towns:

  • If you’re a meat-eater, you should try a cudighi sandwich while you’re in the central UP. Cudighi is a regional version of an Italian sausage, and is generally served as a sandwich, on a bun, with red sauce and onions, mushrooms, and green bell peppers. The best ones I’ve found are at Lowry’s Pasty shop (Marquette) and Tino’s Bar (Negaunee). The ones at Tino’s are more traditional - served on a soft, slightly sweet bun. Lawry’s are huge and served on a crust reminiscent of pasty crust.

Of course, try a pasty while you’re around here, too. Pasties are all over the UP. A general rule of thumb is that the ones made and sold in sit-down restaurants are better than the pasty shops, though the pasty shop ones don’t suck. Eat 'em with gravy, not ketchup.

Both of these are cheap meals - $3-$4 for a pasty, around the same for a cudighi. Maybe a bit more at Lawry’s, but they’re huge there.

  • Showering: The UP is filled with lakes (great and otherwise) and streams. Get some soap that’s easy on the environment and you will have no problem bathing outside. If you want to spend some $$ some night and rent a place to stay, get one with a sauna. It’s worth it.

  • Camping: the rule of thumb in the UP is that if you’re low-key about it, you can camp almost anywhere, even on the beach. The key to beach-camping is to make sure that you leave your car somewhere where it is legal to be parked overnight. That is, if you park in the parking lot of an established beach where it’s posted that the beach is closed at night, chances are that around 2 am the cops will see the car and start looking around for the owner.

On the other hand, there’s miles and miles and miles of beach where it’s free and easy to camp.

Non-beach camping is easy, too. Just pull off on any number of dirt roads and find a nice spot. Chances are nobody will bother you.

Oh yeah, here’s a good online guide to da UP.

17

Old Goat, true dat. I’ve backpacked enough that this trip is going to be “luxury” for me on a number of levels. Good advice on the Cat cap and shapes. I’m lucky in that I’m planning this trip based on a car that most likely will double its mileage. (As in, it will only have 5k when I start.) I wish I had the time to get into San Fran or further south, but I’m planning on hitting my buddy’s 5 y/o’s birthday party at the end, so I only have so much time on this trip. (I’ve made it into Ca - North and South - and Colorado before, so they’re not my priority.)

Athena Thanks again! I look forward to both the cudighi and the pasty. Meat onna bun, or inna crust sounds like my kinda food!

Now, where’s them Dopers from Oregon, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio?

18

The mosquitoes here were awesome, Alaskan in their size, numbers, and voraciousness. Take Deet.

19

Iowa checking in. We lack the spectacular scenary of the places you are hitting on the way out, but if you are taking I-80 back and want to get some photo ops at Living History Farms (our motto: “No really, it’s sort of neat!”), let me know and I’ll fix you up with a day pass. It will be a relief afet driving across the flatlands of Nebraska and eastern Iowa. We have some nice little trails and green spaces. Since the flatness continues for several hundred miles afterwards, it’s actually kind of a little oasis here.

Good local food at Noodle Zoo, or if you want a taste of Iowa, try the Machine Shed (conveniently located just outside Living History Farms, right off the interstate.)

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Only in June. The bugs clear out 'round the first week of July, and it’s heaven through September.