Coast to Coast!!

Pacific to Atlantic, Cali to NYC, coast to coast... we made it! And apart from a warning for speeding and a tire shredding at 75mph, it was basically incident free. And to be honest, the only reason we got pulled over is because our van looks dodgy, as do the three dirty moustache sporting lads inside. It was Texas, we were 8 minutes into the night time speed limit (it drops 5mph, 30 mins after sunset) and only 3mph over that. Come on!

Don and Trav have been fantastic companions on our journey across, each bringing their own brilliance to the party. So it's sad days indeed to see the end of Dodgey and the dodgy trio. We've managed to cram a lot into the last six weeks, yet it never felt too rushed. Read on for the final chapter or just check out the US summary at the bottom...

Finishing Up the Southwest

Before leaving Arizona we had one last stop, Pima Air and Space Museum. It's a great museum with plenty of aircraft but the highlight there is being able to go through the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) grounds. They have over 4,500 planes, in various states of (dis)repair, sitting out in the desert! Amazing sight.






In New Mexico we visited White Sands National Monument, which is right next to one of the major US missile test sites. It's gypsum sands are incredibly white and vary rare worldwide. And we just couldn't resist getting our fill of Americana with a visit to Roswell. That's a unique place for sure.






As we blasted our way through the middle, we stopped for a steak in Texas and to see Cadillac Ranch. I decided against the challenge of a free 72oz (2kg) steak, if you eat it in an hour. Figured it be a crap piece of meat and probably half gristle so went for some quality instead. I know, I know... the old me would've just shut up and dominated it. Maybe next time. On the way to St. Louis we stopped in to to see the Oklahoma City bombing memorial, which was very nicely done.








Chi-town!

Then it was off to Chicago where we had the biggest/best two nights of the road trip. It was a Wednesday and a Thursday, yet the place was going off! Cheers for the local hookup Chandon! In between hangovers we also managed to check out the city and head up to the 103rd floor of the 520m (including television antennae) Sears tower. Great view from up there.




Back Where I Started

The last few stops were essentially the first few stops of my American leg, just in reverse. Had one night in Columbus (with the ever hospitable Vetricks again), before checking out DC for a few more days and then ending up in NYC. I managed to get to a few new things and also revisited some old favourites. The second part of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (out at Dulles Airport) was a real highlight, with plenty of cool stuff. And we caught a Mets game in NYC. $5 tickets and the view wasn't even that bad!





USA Wrapup

Well it isn't a continent (despite what a few locals might think) but it sure is a massive country and I spent a fair bit of time here, so I figured a wrapup was in order...

Distance travelled (road trip only): 11,300kms

Amount spent on petrol: US$1685

Most expensive petrol: US$5.20/gal (~NZ$1.81/L)

Cheapest petrol: US$3.34/gal (~NZ$1.16/L)

Nights in van: 15

States visited: 20 (plus we could see Kansas but didn't actually cross the border!)

Best city: Chicago, IL

Worst city: Kayenta, AZ (seriously, don't go there, it's crap)

Best National Park: Bryce Canyon and Zion (too close to call)

Best value booze: shop - Canadian Club 1.75L @ US$18, bar - US$1 domestic beers

Best food: lunch at Barcelona's in Columbus (cheers Tom!)

Worst food: blandest sludge I've ever seen pass as Mexican, or food for that matter (see worst city)

Highest altitude: 3,852m (12,637ft)

Lowest altitude: -86m (-282ft)

Highest temperature: 37°C (98°F)

Lowest temperature: -32°C (-25°F)

Most crazies: LA

Most beggars: NYC

Craziest beggar: "I'm collecting money to pay for karate lessons because ninjas kidnapped my Grandmother." in LA

and finally...

Best dumb question/statement: You decide because I just can't pick a winner.

1) scene: Buying beers at an ice hockey game in Columbus, I have just handed over my NZ licence (complete with English writing on it) to verify my age.

vendor: So where are you from? (yes, that's bad enough on it's own but that's not even it!)

me: I'm from New Zealand.

vendor: You speak pretty good English.

me: (after a long pause, I'll be honest, I was in shock) Thanks.

2) scene: Again handing over licence, this time as ID to enter an Air Force base facility.

ticket agent: New Zealand's a state right?

me: (dammit, this one got me too) Ahhh, no, it's a country.

Well the US has been absolutely fantastic, from coast to coast and back. It was great catching up with so many familiar faces and meeting so many new ones. Huge thank you to everyone that helped out along the way! The country is so diverse, in every respect. It really is an ideal place to explore, with something for everyone. I've met some of the nicest people in the world and also some of the worst, seen some of the most beautiful scenery and some of the biggest dumps and had some delicious food and also some terrible stuff. And that's why I love the place.