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Texas Chainsaw...haha!
Yeah, we also spent some time poking around in ghost towns, which was a bit wierd - every time we'd walk into an abandoned building we'd half expect to see some redneck fondling a shotgun!
Loads of the shacks still had ancient newspapers pinned to the walls to keep draughts out - the weather's so arid that they don't rot.
I'll put some of those piccies up sometime soon.
Amazing pictures. I spent a week or so in 'small town America', south California 7 or 8 years ago and it was fantastic. Just interesting for the culture shock. One of these days me and Mrs B will hire an RV and do a roadtrip. I may tap you for some ideas on the itinerary, GW. How long did you take on your trip, Chris? We suspect 3 weeks minimum is what's needed. Not sure I could get more than 4 weeks off in one go, let alone afford it :)
Don't do it Beechy, there's stuff and things out there in the hills - in the shadows, waiting, watching...............
Marco.
Sounds fantastic.... Marco!
You ain't from round here, are yo' boy :eyebrows: :lol:
Hi Nick,
We've done this quite a few times both to the US & to Canada. We've always gone for just a fortnight, or thereabouts, but then we've always known we would be going back, so never tried to cram too much in.
We've nearly got an RV several times, but always just gone for a car & motels/hostels/forest service cabins & never regretted it. I'm also convinced it's cheaper that way & you get more time to see stuff, 'cos your not obliged to do the 'housekeeping' stuff you have to do with an RV. Also, you can get a car to places you'd never try taking an RV.
We don't do proper itineraries, preferring to follow the nose & see how it goes - though, of course you have an idea of the main things you want to do.
If we book book accomodation, it's only ever for the first night, at somewhere near(ish) to the airport. One tip, though, you need to have an address for the first night to put on the card you have to fill in for immigration control: X-airport Holiday Inn/Days Inn/Sheraton or whatever usually does it, though! After that we wing it. Late afternoon/early evening we look for a motel - always a family owned place, never a chain. We've only ever had a problem on a national holiday or when in a city, but then we generally stay away from cities!
I prefer to use the old highways rather than the Interstates - you see the real people & places that way. There's a fantastic book called 'Blue Highways' by William Least Heat Moon you should read - the blue ones are the old roads. We only use the Interstates for mad dashes (usually when we've not left enough time to get back to the airport at the end of it all!).
We've found that for the NW USA, it's often cheaper to fly to Vancouver or Calgary than Seattle or wherever.
The next trip we do will be I don't know when unfortunately, and God knows where we'll go - I want to go back to Arizona for a third time, I want to go to Eartern Montana/Dakota, I want to go to Colorado, I want to do West Texas/New Mexico, I want to do the Mississippi from source to the sea................
You should do it - it's fantastic fun. If you want any more advice anytime, just give a yell.
Re. accomodation: I can recommend Bates Motel.................
Thank you for the tips Chris! Agreed on the idea of winging it after the first day. When I went to California we did a week in San Fran and then winged it round the smaller towns thereafter. Generally looking for places with their own local brew-pubs! I discovered Anchor Steam and Sierra Nevada while I was out there and still rate their beers. Had a great day having a personal tour of one of the small-town breweries when no-one else turned up at the allotted time.
The 10 hour flight didn't excite me, but it was worth it when we got there.
We're just waiting for the weans to be old enough to appreciate it and then we're off :)
The best meal I've ever had in the States was in The Beartooth Cafe in Cooke City, Montana, just north of the north entrance to Yellowstone. They had more micro brewery beers than I've ever seen on display anywhere- ever. I got addicted to a beer called Moose Drool
Hehehe... Can you hear them banjos? ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Beechwoods
Chris, truly magnificent photographs - well done. I'd love to tour off the beaten track in America in one of those big motor homes or maybe some big 'daft' American car, and the 'blue highways' sound like just the ticket. The more 'one horse' the town and deserted the road the better!
I also love those old 'Diners'/cafes you see in films off the road in the middle of nowhere, where truckers stop at and the atmosphere seems distinctly bleak and creepy - and Motels like that too, neon-lit at night in the depths of the countryside, and seemingly empty until some weird little man appears from nowhere at the check-in desk... Yes, I have a very strange mind! :eyebrows:
Does anyone remember the film 'Duel'? The roads featured in that film and the Diner there are exactly what I'm referring to. Do such places (or similar ones) actually exist?
Marco.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
Brilliant film....I can just see you as Denis Weaver, Marco..:lol::lol:
http://www.automotiveblogger.net/wp-...6/10/duel2.jpghttp://www.briantroutman.com/Resourc...nnis-weav.jpeg
http://alsolikelife.com/shooting/images/duel/duel1.jpghttp://alsolikelife.com/shooting/images/duel/duel11.jpg
http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/i...s-Weaver_l.jpg
Regards D S D L
PS Or you might witness the local wildlife fighting a duel.............................
http://dvrdiva.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/duel.jpg