Road Trips

Summer is nearly upon us, RealTravelers, have you prepared yourselves? For many of us, summer is the one part of the year we have the time (vacation time, specifically) to set out on those big adventures; the trips we’ve been scrimping and saving for all winter long, like the ants from that famous story involving the lethargic grasshopper, except seasonally and perhaps thematically, the opposite. Yes RealTravelers, the sunny summer travel season is just around the corner and we know that some of you are still knitting your brows together, fretting over where to go in these coming months, what to see, how to see it…

May we make a suggestion? May we make a suggestion involving four wheels (or six to eight, depending on your budget)? We may? Then why not make this the summer you see the great American landscape from the road—the Route 66’s, the I-94’s, the pit-stop greasy spoons, campgrounds, and canyons both grand and not so grand—all from the majestic comfort of an RV?

Now, the thought of maneuvering such a large vehicle can be intimidating, but that’s what makes summer the perfect time to get behind the wheel. You’ll be able to avoid many winter hazards, such as snow or ice, and as an added bonus, you’ll be able to sleep much more comfortably (read: warmly) in campgrounds around the country.

Last summer, RealTraveler, brc, traveled across half the country, making his way with his parents from park to park in their rented RV, lovingly dubbed “Shep”, after its license plate that began with “5HEP”. Setting off from San Francisco, the group traveled from the Bay Area, to Yosemite Park, made some time to stop over in Las Vegas, and even got to see the Grand Canyon. Check out an excerpt from his impressions of, as he puts it, the world’s grandest “ditch”, from the view of a helicopter ride he and his family took over the Grand Canyon:

“We took off over the forest and flew towards the canyon - my parents were facing backwards towards me. I could see the edge coming but my Mum couldn’t - the look on her face was priceless as the ground beneath us dissappeared and we shot over the edge of the canyon - one minute youre 40 metres above the ground - the next minute your 1,040 m above the ground. She nearly twisted the arm rest off the seat.”

“The flight was beautiful - perhaps marred only by the amount of haze in the sky - a factor of being summer - there was thunderstorms around but thankfully they all stayed a healthy distance away. We crossed the canyon, circled around the north rim and re-crossed back again. A truly memorable experience.” (more…)

The mystique of the recreational vehicle feels distinctly American, somehow; there’s a frontiersman-like quality to these neo covered wagons. So, it seems not only appropriate to make your way across this country in one, but almost necessary. The RV is a rolling piece of Americana, and one that can be secured relatively cheaply. Many dealers offer discounted rates for RV rentals in nearly every part of the country. A large Class C-30 type RV can comfortably house up to seven people, and start around $450 to rent plus a small fee per mile. Throw in a couple of bucks for sandwiches, gas, and campgrounds and you’ve got an inexpensive experience you’ll remember for a lifetime.

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What could be more American than the road trip? From the trailblazing covered wagons of the old west to the SUV’s and mini-vans of today, Americans have been criss-crossing this country since its inception with a frontiersman-like thirst for exploration. And while America may be famous for its Grand Canyon, its Hoover Dam, its Time’s Square, its Golden Gate Bridge, it is also teeming with other lesser-known pit-stops that really have to be seen to believe.

Plenty of Room for Your Socks

Having trouble finding space for your three-thousand pairs of pants? Not enough room in your walk-in closet for a giant to walk into? Then you might find yourself in need of a chest of drawers (the world’s largest) like those found by Realtravel bloggers, Teamedwards in High Point, North Carolina. High Point claims to be the “Home Furnishings Capital of the World”, home to a large number of furniture manufacturing operations and outlets. But the true focal-point of the town is its 38-foot tall outdoor, freestanding dresser, complete with two socks (one brown and one argyle) dangling from a drawer, which are said to represent the town’s hosiery industry.

London Bridge Was Falling Down

The London Bridge is perhaps one of the most famous of its kind, but did you know that there are two of them? By 1962, the London Bridge had withstood so much traffic that it was actually falling down. The famous Thames-River-crossing bridge was to be torn down and re-built to better support the ever-increasing traffic in London. The old bridge was put up for auction and bought by Lake Havasu City, Arizona, town-founder, and chairman of McCulloch Oil Corporation, Robert McCulloch. The bridge’s stones were skipped across the ocean, re-joined in Lake Havasu City, and opened to the public in 1971.

I Once Saw a Fish: This Big

It’s four stories tall, as long as a jumbo jet, green with fearsome-looking teeth, made out of fiber-glass, and shaped like a fish—a muskie, to be exact. It’s also the home of the Freshwater Fish Hall of Fame, charged with recording and displaying the world’s records in fishing. Entry is granted through the muskie’s tail, where visitors can then climb to the monster-fish’s mouth that doubles as an observation deck. The scaly museum proudly displays 5,000 lures, 200 rods and reels, 400 mounted fish, and a room filled with outboard motors all located somewhere within its ribcage. The Freshwater Fish Hall of Fame is located in Hayward, Wisconsin and is open to the public year-round.

Check out a few other less quirky (but still interesting!) road trips and destinations we’ve spotlighted in the past:

Big Sur Coast, California
Walking and Cycling Across the United States
Bryce Canyon National Park

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