After arriving in the USA the break from the road continued (although there was still a fair few miles covered), I met up with Helen and we had a couple of weeks enjoying Southern California and Nevada. First stop was fabulous (and scorching hot) Las Vegas, but they say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas so I'll leave it with a pic to give the general idea!
So back on the road... From LA I set off up the pacific coast highway towards San Francisco. The road and the coastline are well known for their spectacular views, you can only really cruise along and enjoy them though because its fairly busy. Put your foot down for more than a moment and you'll be right behind someone pootling along.
Time to head south. The east coast is way too busy to visit unless you have to in my opinion! First stop was Indianapolis. Famous for the Indy 500. The Hall of Fame is OK, but the best bit is getting taken for a lap of the track. OK, so its by bus but you get the idea!
From Indianapolis, I headed for Nashville. On the way you can visit the town where all Corvettes are built, and check out the museum. I'd like a stingray, a bit like this one...
Time to head east. Leaving Wyoming I took a detour to go and see the Devils Tower national monument. Native american legend goes something along the lines of 2 girls being cornered by a wolf. They prayed for god(s) to save them and the ground shot skyward so they were safe. Then they became stars I believe, which I assume is a good thing :)
This is a rough overall route of the USA leg. It is only point to point of overnight locations so detours to sights etc are not included!
My route west from New Orleans took me through Dallas and on to Amarillo in just a few days. Near Amarillo the Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest in the USA, and would be my canyon of choice for this trip. Unlike the Grand Canyon you can easily drive a nice road down into it and have a look around.
Although I don't think its as spectacular as the Grand Canyon, its still pretty big, and it makes a change to be able to get away from the crowds of the big name attractions.