Living the American Dream With a British Twist - Part 4
Note: This article originally appeared in the May 2009 newsletter.
"It doesn’t seem possible that it is nearly a year since we set foot on American soil to start our traveling adventure. In these twelve months we have driven 7,500 miles in the RV and 12,000 miles in the Towd (Tow Car) and visited 20 States. We all agree that we were lucky to have found Media Camping as our Dealer, because not only is Media Camping Center a dealership, but they are also genuinely interested in our well being. We are also glad that we opted for the Fleetwood Discoveries and even through Fleetwood’s recent troubles we have received nothing but 100% warranty back up to the inevitable small faults that occur on any manufactured goods. The Discovery Owners Club (DIOC) was also a high note of our trip and the friendship and advice at the rally was second to none, and we will certainly be returning for more.
"The reason I mention this is because firstly we are here to enjoy the great sights and people of America and this has been made possible, rather than our time spent on worries of getting there or what happens when this goes wrong, and we have really enjoyed our trip so far.
"The diversity of this country is amazing, and coming from a country half the size of Texas with a population of 61 million, one fifth of the entire population of the US I think its vastness that continues to inspire us to want to adventure all the more. We have seen many amazing sights – The usual like Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, the architecture of Chicago, the Henry Ford Museum, and of course Las Vegas, but here are some examples of “off the beat” attractions or journeys that will stay in our memories for ever. Wherever we travel we arrive in communities where everyone get excited about our travels and ensures we see the best of where they live and we always get an open invitation to return.
"Route 66 – “The Mother Road” is a must for the traveler who wants to see what weird and wonderful things humans are capable of creating. The old road weaves it was alongside the much faster I-55, I-44, and I-40, and is clearly marked with historic route 66 signs. At the famous Cadillac Ranch we met some filmmakers who were completing a documentary in Polaroid Film (something else that is soon to be only history). We thoroughly enjoyed sightseeing all the oddball sights such as Catoosa the blue whale, the World’s largest Catsup bottle and Meteor Crater, and were equally moved at the Precious Moments Chapel and Oklahoma Memorial. The highlight of the trip was arriving in Albuquerque NM for the International Balloon Festival (Our home of Bristol in England is famous for making Balloons). We all of course had to stand on the corner at Winslow Arizona.
"The Grand Circle – We are fortunate to have traveled extensively, but we all agreed that this trip is a must for everyone. There is nowhere else in the world were you will experience such diversity of scenery; From the giant stacks of Monument Valley, to the colorful sands of Bryce Canyon and Red rocks of Zion National Park. Driving over the hump back ridge of the Grand Staircase Escalante and through natural red arches and tunnels carved into the mountains. Every turn brings a new awe-inspiring sight. That combined with the ancient habitations of Native Americans at Mesa Verde and outposts of the first American Pioneers, you can really get to understand what hardship and toil they went through (particularly when we had to turn the generator on instead of plugging in whilst dry camping!!).
"Baja California Mexico – Tourism is sadly marred by the headline violence of the Drug Gangs, which is very sad, because our experience in Mexico was fantastic. Being our first trip to Mexico we only ventured into Baja California to through Tijuana to Ensenada.
The obvious concerns about another countries' strict laws; Insurance worries were soon put to rest at the incredibly busy border in Tijuana, when Harry pulled the Towd into the Customs Officers car! Luckily it was old and she just laughed it off – Welcome to Mexico. The border crossing at Tecate where we returned is much easier and quieter.
"We were lucky to have arrived the week of the World-renowned Baja 1000 race. The Baja has attracted many famous people from the Eagles to Al Capone who had a Hotel and Casino in Ensenada. We were certainly impressed by the beautiful stretches of Pacific Beaches we had all to ourselves (and the RV parks right on the beach), the amazing Sunsets and of course the Cactus Soup – Yummy!
"San Diego and Palm Springs – These two stops come to mind because they were the exact opposite to what we had all pre-conceived. San Diego was a surprisingly wonderful diverse city, and we thoroughly enjoyed having Afternoon Tea at the Coronado Hotel (where King Edward met Mrs. Simpson), and watching the Christmas Boat Parade, and given access to all parts of the USS Midway.
"The diversity of Palm Springs struck us as we were expecting a Desert retreat of Snowbirds, and found a rich and diverse mix of retirees, crafts, arts and culture, topped with an amazing snow capped mountain backdrop enabling us to have a snow fight in the desert.
5 star luxury to dry camp fun – Our travels have brought us to a variety of Campgrounds, National State Parks, Casino Resorts, as well as the odd overnight in Wal-Mart’s and other dry camp amenities. We have stayed in the best and the worst, and paid top dollar to no dollar. That is another wonderful part of RVing. If you don’t like it, then just move on. In all the snowbird resorts of Arizona there are so many activities and entertainment to keep you occupied for months, and wherever you go you can always be reassured of a potluck dinner to meet with the other RVers. I think the something that surprised us all was when stopping at some Casino resorts for $9 and then given 5 x $5 vouchers to cash in at the Casino – We could soon make a living at this!
Museums from Chocolate to Poo! – Yes you can expect to see chocolate in the chocolate exhibition at the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit, glitz and even the designer at the Liberace museum, in Las Vegas, but it was a bit of a surprise to stumble (not tread) upon the exhibition of Poo at the Natural History Museum in Mesa AZ. Luckily the largest exhibit was that of a blue Whale and not of the many dinosaurs on display.
Wildlife – It’s not just about natural beauty and man made wonders, we share this planet with some quite amazing creatures and RVing brings you so much closer to sharing their natural habitats. We were amazed to have seen the Cicada Fly (that only appears every 17 years) – how amazing is that coincidence and have course from Giant Bull frogs in New Hampshire, Desert Tortoise in Arizona and Cougar and Elk in Utah
"As mentioned all this continually wants us to adventure even more. We are driving up the West Coast this spring and into British Columbia and hopefully onto Alaska. Keep an eye out on our photo site" http://www.flickr.com/photos/brits_ontour/sets
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