[College Game]

This summer I am going down to Virginia to buy a motorcycle from a relative. From here I will be making a cross country trip on the 1978 Yamaha 750XS. I am thinking moving through the mid west to California, and then north into British Columbia and spend a few months in Vancouver.

Does anyone have any experience riding (or driving) through the states? It will be in the summer so I will be tramping it in that I will be sleeping either with a bed roll or a small tent. Am I going to get a ticket for sleeping outside, or worse, will I be getting raped by a gay trucker? Anyone know of any good stops between Virginia Beach and California? I know pretty much nothing of the mid west, just like in Canada we have the prairies, and people generally drive through or fly over them.

Cheers,

[College Game]

Also, which states should I skip, and which states / cities are a worth a stopover of a few days?

[thegmanifesto]

College Game,

I am a master of the cross country drive. I did it three times back in my "transport" days.

The Verdict: America sucks.

I thought it would be all these small romantic american towns. Instead its chain joints and fat people.

Here is a list of the good places between the california and the east coast:

New Orleans
Las Vegas
Chicago

That's the list.

Additional tip:

Watch Easy Rider before going.

[Giovonny]

(04-01-2010 12:06 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

College Game,

I am a master of the cross country drive. I did it three times back in my "transport" days.

The Verdict: America sucks.

I thought it would be all these small romantic american towns. Instead its chain joints and fat people.

Here is a list of the good places between the california and the east coast:

New Orleans
Las Vegas
Chicago

That's the list.

Additional tip:

Watch Easy Rider before going.

Frank Sinatra said "there are only 3 cities in America, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago".

The only other places I think are worth mentioning are:

Austin (fun city ,lots of girls)
Dallas
Atlanta (decent nightlife, girls)
Phoenix/Scottsdale (tons of hot girls, very underrated)
San Diego (great city overall)

If I am in "middle America", I only stop at BBQ joints and Big Universities.

[hibachiwoj]

Yeah id go south get to New Orleans and then go straight west, don't go north of Texas and make sure to stop in phoenix. There is a small caveat that I really enjoy the lakes of Michigan and i hear Minnesota in the summer isn't half bad.... but it isn't really half good either.

[thegmanifesto]

One time I was driving from LA to NYC.

First stop Las Vegas. Stayed there three days. Woke up on 4th of July and my steering wheel was melting.

Four days into my trip I had only got as far as Vegas.

Took off my shirt, so I could touch my steering wheel and drove straight, no stops to NYC.

The other weird thing about driving cross country is you realize there is no traffic anywhere.

I once drove from San Diego to DC and I didn't see any traffic until I got to DC.

Another tip:

Things like the Grand Canyon? Better to skip it and by a post card.

"Frank Sinatra said "there are only 3 cities in America, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago".

Frank was right.

"Atlanta (decent nightlife, girls)"

Atlanta is worth hitting up. I had fun there on a southern route trip.

"Phoenix/Scottsdale (tons of hot girls, very underrated)"

It is underrated because of suburban sprawl, guys with tribal tattoos, its a desert with no gambling, and spread out without the benefits of LA. Not to mention its police state.

[Luckystar]

Atlanta can be serious fun...buckhead was outta control when I was there....great strip clubs too...

Texas has a lot of hot girls as I remember...I d hit up Dallas and Austin...and Corpus Christi...there s alotta sexy Texan girls on the beach

[The_CEO]

I wouldn't bother with Minnesota or Michigan in spite of decent summertime lake fun for locals who are stuck there.

If you want to diversify your trip with a mid-west stop, get your fill in Chicago. It's a great city and distinctly mid-western

[College Game]

Come on guys, I think you guys are being too hard on your native land, there has to be something. Maybe I am picturing what the G said, romantic little towns, because I have read too much Kerouoac. How about besides nightlife and vagina? There is more to life and vagina is to be had anywhere really if you know what you're doing.

[thegmanifesto]

"I think you guys are being too hard on your native land, there has to be something."

I am not.

I actually stopped in one town for the night (I was trying only to hit up small towns on one trip) and I went to get a drink and it was a "Dry County".

I didn't think they existed.

Jumped back in my Lac, even though I was dead tired and bee lined it to the next county.

Positives:

There is actually some pretty nice scenery out the window. Especially if you are puffing weed the entire time.

My view could be skewed on this because I did it three times. Which is at least two times too many. Maybe even three times too many.

[The_CEO]

That huge swatch of land is referred to as "fly-over country" for a reason

[speakeasy]

I have to disagree with G on the Grand Canyon. I went to see it maybe 5 years ago and it was more impressive than I thought it would be. Make sure you see the south rim. That's the postcard view that you usually see in photos.

Also, if you don't like the cities in middle America, there is still a lot of natural scenery and national parks to check out.

College Game, check out this site: http://www.intransit.tv/

These guys take these weird trips. One of them was riding from L.A. to NY on scooters and camping and all that shit along the way. So you might gain some insight as to what you can expect. Just click on the drop down menu and choose the scooter series to watch. One of the guys is currently in Mexico and posting updates. He's vowed to take public transit from L.A. all the way down to the panama canal.

[Kona]

I once drove from VA Beach/Norfolk to Oregon. This is a great trip to take once in your life.

I did it in a Ford Festiva, so it was kind of like a motorcycle.

You'll probably take I-64 west. You can have some fun in a few towns along there.

You go through West Virginia, which has pretty mountains and leafs. It's a toll road as I recall. Don't stop until you get to Lexington Kentucky though. It is one of my favorite places on this planet. The University of Kentucky is there, and there were lots of redneck chicks.

In Lexington, not on my cross-country trip, but in my college days I: 1)Had my first SNL with an Exotic Dancer I pulled out of the club; 2) She was also the first white girl I'd ever banged 3) Heard a man use the word "sombitch" as opposed to son of a bitch 4) Was the victim of a hate crime when some guy threw a trash can lid at me and yelled something bad about Mexicans. (I'm Polynesian) 5) Was Arrested for the first time and spent six days in the Lexington-Fayette County jail after I beat the guy with the lid. Oddly enough, I bonded with the Mexicans. 6) Had to go back for my court shit, and for the guy's I beat, and learned that the justice system is a little different down south.

Then go to St. Louis, which is where I went to college. I can tell you where to go around there. I'm sure nothings changed. They have a big structure called the Arch that they are very proud of. You also may want to go to the pro baseball game there. I don't really get baseball, but the girls love the St. Louis Cardinals. It's always a sellout, and tons of people are there.

Stay out of East St. Louis except to go to the Gentleman's Clubs in Sauget, IL. Go there and get the hell out. There is a strip of maybe ten huge ones right in a row, with their own exit off the highway. I'm sure PT's is still the spot. Tell the girls about the cross country trip you're on. Usually all they get is drunk white guys with nothing interesting to say, so use your wits.

You can take I-55 south down to Memphis after that. On your way there, the county directly below St. Louis is called Jefferson County. In one of the years I was in college, Jefferson County produced more methamphetamine BY VOLUME, not per capita, than the entire states of CA, AZ, NM combined. Go to some bars there and just people watch. You will see some of the most fucked up rednecks you will ever see. Nobody has teeth, and most of them are bleeding from somewhere on their body. Check it out.

In Memphis go to Beale St. Some of the best places in the world to hear music are all in a row. There's always some kind of festival going on, too.

As far as your sleeping situation is concerned, I would not camp out in the rest areas along the highways if I were you. It's one thing if you can lock the doors on a car, but serial killers regularly cruise those things.

That's all that comes to mind at the moment, but a cross country trip is a blast. I wish I still had the patience to do it.

Aloha!

[PartyTime]

(04-02-2010 06:56 PM)Kona Wrote:  

and learned that the justice system is a little different down south.

How did it play out?

[MiXX]

Just a thought, but why don't you share with us a plan to cross country Canada. I'm certain it will be a lot more interesting than US.

Montreal to Vancouver perhaps??

What would that be like?

[kingkong]

The charming small towns are more in the north. Basically, the areas where germans, poles, and scandanavians settled. Cracker sharecroppers in the south and the plains (heavily scotch-irish) never built nice towns and are still amazed at walmart.

People generally pick a horrible bible belt route to drive.

[speakeasy]

(04-05-2010 06:24 PM)kingkong Wrote:  

Cracker sharecroppers in the south and the plains (heavily scotch-irish) never built nice towns and are still amazed at walmart.

[Peoloom]

(04-05-2010 06:24 PM)kingkong Wrote:  

The charming small towns are more in the north. Basically, the areas where germans, poles, and scandanavians settled. Cracker sharecroppers in the south and the plains (heavily scotch-irish) never built nice towns and are still amazed at walmart.

People generally pick a horrible bible belt route to drive.

This isn't really true. There are a ton of small towns in Texas with character and charm. Many Germans settled in Texas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_German

But for a road trip like this, I'd stick to bigger cities or summer destinations. I did a trip through Northern Africa this winter and had the same idea: I'd visit a lot of smaller cities to get a feel for the country and the culture. It was interesting, but I got bored really quickly. There are plenty of resort towns along the coast from Virginia going south, but if you go all the way down to Florida you have to pass through Mississippi and Alabama on the way to New Orleans, and if you go through Tennessee you have to pass through Arkansas.

[OGNorCal707]

Towns I have never been to, but hear good things about, are Madison, Wisconsin and Boulder, Colorado. Madison is a big town/small city (pop. 300,000) from what I hear it is really chill and laid back, there is good food and local beer, and it's a college town so there are a bunch of hot girls. Boulder is also a college town and is really liberal, people are into the outdoorsy kinda stuff: rock climbing, kayaking, etc., it is also a very pot friendly town and Colorado just got medical MJ. Also parts of New Mexico sound cool, Santa Fe looks pretty beautiful and interesting as well as Taos, NM. I guess some other obvious choices for stops would be: Chicago and Austin, Texas. I might also add that I hear down in Arkansas, there is a really beautiful and remote area called the Ozarks where there are lots of caves, rivers, and waterfalls, I am really into hiking and nature stuff so I want to check it out, but I am sure the people down there are mostly backwards ignorant conservative types, so it probably won't be the best of culture, gaming, or nightlife.

[speakeasy]

The pictures I've seen of Sedona, Arizona look amazing. That would be a small town worth hitting up. I've heard interesting things about Missoula, Montana. Jackson Hole, Wyoming looks beautiful, definitely hit Santa Fe, New Mexico and White Sands National Park. I've heard good about Boulder, Colorado. Don't know much about Utah, but I'd love to see the Bonneville Salt Flats, I think they're the biggest after Salar de Uyuni. As for Texas, everyone raves about Austin. I hear girls in Dallas are pretty hot. Kansas and Nebraska are probably no man's land.

[whosyourdaddy]

There's lots of places to go in the heartland. Of course many of the best places revolve around college towns and resort towns. Don't forget nature destinations. Girls who live in the middle of nowhere can be a trip too.

I recommend you couchsurf so that you get someone who will point you in the right direction at these destinations. Places aren't quite as intense as NYC, California and Chicago, but lots of great experiences to be had. I've been to all of the lower 48 and most major cities/destinations, except some parts of the Deep South (MS/AL).

You can't go wrong driving from Miami to LA. Or the northern route would involve a lot of hiking and nature seeing.

Try to time your trip around big festivals/ events. There is a major rock festival i believe in Manchester, TN, (i can't remember the name of the town). Hit the border in Texas. Sightsee in San Antonio. Do New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Sturgis, SD is home to a big Harley-Davidson event. South by Southwest in Austin is a HUGE event. Lots of big festivals in Chicago in summer. Hit Myrtle Beach and game the chicks in summertime, or try Dewey Beach or the Jersey Shore. Hit a Big 10 football game in the Midwest or a Georgia vs Tennesee game. Lots of hippy festivals in the Western States. Hit lake havasu during spring break and vegas is good throughout the year. Good luck.