The Great Cross-America Road Trip?

Greg Chappell asks: "I'm about to undertake a great American tradition of road tripping from Massachusetts to Washington State. I've got a moving company to tote my stuff on my one-way journey, and a handful of friends brave enough to venture by my side. Have any slashdotters recently attempted such a trip? What are the best solutions for on-the-road email, cellular, and Internet access? Where are those attractions, parks, and museums across the US that every road tripper needs to see? What's the best technique for planning such a trip, other than the usual websites? I've got no limits on the places I can visit or the distance I can travel. Any advice you can toss my way would be greatly appreciated!" People interested in this article, might also want to check out the older version of this topic. Also, what travel devices (no, not the laptop, think smaller) should no geek leave home without?

what you need

[oyenstikker]

tent
sleeping bag
ground pad
plastic/tarps
good water filter
several pocket knives
spoon
paper towels
toilet paper
small kerosene or propane stove
cooler
a few good books
dishsoap
toothpaste
toothbrush
buy food along the way

Sorry guys, but sometimes its best just to leave the electronics out of it.

No internet

[benh57]

You don't need internet access on the road. A digital camera might be nice, but once you get "out there" you realize that life goes on without 'net access. It's almost liberating being "disconnected" for a while! (this is coming from a true geek)

Dear Schmuck

[m_evanchik]

The whole point to a road trip is to get away from it all.

Ditch the "connectivity". Talk to people you meet. Go to a local bar, get drunk, try and get laid.

Jeez.

Actually, one great icebreaker is a digital camera.

But the best icebreaker is confidence and friendliness.

Remember that you don't have to worry about making a fool of yourself. That's why you are traveling.

must-see sights - Wyoming!

[Tumbleweed]

Okay, you _need_ to go through the Grand Tetons and through Yellowstone Park in western Wyoming. Enroute, you should pass by Devil's Tower (you know, that place in Close Encounters of the Third Kind? Strangely, all the aliens I saw there looked like prairie dogs!). And enroute to Devil's Tower, on the South Dakota side, you might as well see Mount Rushmore, since it's so close. Do not speed on the Wyoming side of the border in the area. (personal experience)

Depending on how much of a straight line you don't want to make, perhaps the cliff dwellings in southern Colorado would be worth your time (having to go through the Rockies down from Wyo is nice, but the Grand Tetons are the most beautiful mountains in the lower 48 United States - the rockies are nothing in comparison, though they are quite nice). The big grey cloud sitting on the horizon is Denver - feel free to drive around it. *cough cough* There's a great raptor (the bird kind, not the dino kind) in Idaho that I forgot both the name and location of. Feel free to drive REALLY FREAKING FAST through eastern Oregon or eastern Washington. Same for eastern Colorado if you go through there. And don't bother to stop in South Dakota for anything except Mount Rushmore - it's like the far side of the moon, basically.

Get a nice big road atlas with detailed maps of each state, and pay attention to the 'scenic routes' marked thereon. They're not kidding, most of the time.

If you go through Oregon and then up into Washington, go all the way to the coast and go up Highway 101 along the coast. Among the most beautiful and peaceful areas you'll likely ever go to. If you go far enough south in Oregon, check out Crater Lake. Very nice.

In Washington State, make it up to the San Juan Islands. In Seattle, take the Underground Tour in Pioneer Square. See the city skyline at night from Alki in West Seattle. Go to the Arboretum. Eat at Copacabana at Pike Place Market (have the lomito soltado or the paella). Spit at the Microsoft campus in Redmond (across the lake from Seattle). Ride the Ducks! (look it up when you get there). Ride the Monorail and go to the observation deck of the Space Needle. Oh yeah, walk all through all levels of the Pike Place Market before you eat at Copacabana. Earlier the better.

I suggest you bring your passport and go up to Vancouver, BC (last time I was there, after 2001-09-11, they were requiring passports - this may have been lifted). Go eat at the Afghan Horseman. Best food you'll likely have. Also try the place a few doors down at the Mongolie Grill. Or the same block - Sheba, an Ethiopian place. That's one great block for food! While you're there, go shopping for CDs - cheapest place in the world to (legally) buy CDs. No joke, no exaggeration - the exchange rate is _schweet!_ While you're in Vancouver ('The Couve'), check out the zoo - it's great. Note: if someone walks up to you in downtown Vancouver asking if you have a 'loonie', don't be worried - a loonie is a Canadian dollar. (there's a Loon on the coin). Their two-dollar coin is, naturally, a 'Twoonie' (sp?).

Oh yeah, back to Oregon, Portland specifically - stop at Powell's Books with access to lots of monetary units - this is undoubtedly the best bookstore on the West coast. I could live there.
Fun street in Portland: Hawthorne Street.

Back to Seattle - Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe on the waterfront. Freaky stuff, not for the squeamish (real stuffed heads and unwrapped mummies, etc.)

Other places to eat in Seattle: Tup Tim Thai near Seattle Center - best Thai in Seattle (arguably).

Depending on timing, if you'll be in Seattle during Labor Day Weekend (Sept 30 - Aug 2), you MUST attend 'Bumbershoot', a really great festival with lots and lots of food, music, and other entertainment. Attend as much as possible, and expect crowds and light rain (or sunshine). Carry a bumbershoot (umbrella). Check out the events at www.bumershoot.org [bumbershoot.org] . Don't park near apartment buildings - that's for the people who live in the area. Fork over the dough to park at a lot you cheapskates!

Best Chicken Teriyaki in Seattle: 'Nasai Teriyaki' - a few locations in Seattle. My favourite: 'Domeburger' - this is a little dive near where the Kingdome used to be - great chicken teriyaki sauce. Yum yum. Great gyoza (pork dumplings), too!

That's all I can think of for now. Have a great trip and take lots of pix!