Rick Christopherson said:
For a country as large and diverse as the U.S., the list of things to see and do could get pretty long. Because you mentioned taking a train, I assume this would be a fairly lengthy trip, because I'm guessing that it would probably take a week to cross the country by train.
I mentioned that because some friends of ours did it a couple of years ago, and they said it provided a very nice, relaxing break part-way through the trip, with some nice views. I think they went pretty much non-stop from New York to San Francisco, on a sleeper train, and it was around 2 days/3 nights IIRC.
Rick Christopherson said:
One thing I would put higher on the list is to get off the train for a bit and drive through South Dakota. In my opinion, it is one of the most geographically diverse states in the whole country. It has so many different things to see that it would be hard to list them all. That is why it would be better to drive through there, so you can stop off at all the different areas. Some of them are like being on a different planet, including the "giant heads" [big grin] of Mount Rushmore.
I have also considered driving, but that would take a LOT longer!
Rick Christopherson said:
Then of course there is the Grand Canyon. I've only been there once as a kid, so I don't know the best way to see it. When I was 12, we took a month-long cross-country camping trip to the entire Western U.S., so we just pulled off at a single "scenic overlook", and that was about it. (My mom joked that Mario Andretti was driving, and we were on the clock for every stop made.)
We've got that covered - Grand Canyon tour by helicopter, from Las Vegas!
Rick Christopherson said:
In terms of cities to see, I would put Washington DC higher than New York. The number of tourist attractions and places to visit is much higher. You could spend a week in DC and still not see everything.
TBH I'd not considered Washington, but there are a couple of things there I'd really like to see. I think I'll look into that a bit more.
Rick Christopherson said:
As a woodworker, as long as you are going to be in California, you may want to stop at the Gamble House (designed by the architects Green&Green). It is interesting to see even if you're not a woodworker. In case you didn't know, the scenes for Dr. Emmet Brown's house in the "Back to the Future" movies were shot at the Gamble House.
Interesting, I'll look into that, too.
Rick Christopherson said:
Las Vegas is incredible to visit, but you'll realize just how much more there is to see there if you don't even think of it as a gambling town. Simply walking around, day or night, is entertaining in itself. For example, the Bellagio fountains run every 15 minutes at night (every 1/2 hour in day), and sitting on the railing drinking a beer watching them can be very relaxing. Many of the larger hotels also have outrageous exterior attractions to watch too. (some are best seen in the day, and some are best seen at night.)
TBH I'd always hated the thought of going to vegas, as I've no interest in gambling, but my sister & her boyfriend have been a couple of times & loved it. We'd be going for the attractions rather than the casinos (though we'll probably go in one just to say we've done it!).
Rick Christopherson said:
Of course you could never see everything, but these are some of the tings I would focus on because they are centralized and can see a lot of things within a narrow region or time.
Very true. How much we can see will depend primarily on how long we can stay for, and that depends on how far we can stretch the budget...
Wooden Skye said:
I second Mount Rushmore & Yellowstone. Growing up in Colorado, there are such great things, if you come in the fall looking at the aspen trees change color is a sight to see. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is amazing. You could go to Mesa Verde and look at the Cliff Dwellings, go to the Four Corners monument, can be in 4 states at once. Another thing would be going to Niagra Falls. Another place that is great is Lake Powell in Utah.
I hope you and your girlfriend can dedicate enough time to truly make it a trip of a lifetime. There is just so much to see.
Thanks. Kate's just mentioned Yellowstone as being somewhere she'd like to go. I really don't know how we're going to fit everything in!
DaveZ said:
Dave, that's fantastic. I'd found the official ticket site, but it just had a blank section under 'upcoming shows'. Now I know why!
greg mann said:
Johnny, I have great empathy for you and your girlfriend. I lost a wife to metastatic breast cancer in 2005. About ten months before she passed we took a six week trip through the western states and part of British Columbia. She was a real trooper and actually got stronger for the first month. I remember climbing to the top of Multnoma Falls on the Columbia River. All these folks were huffing and puffing and she just roughed her way to the top. I think she got a kick out of surpassing all those "healthy" folks. Even though she knew her condition was terminal she enjoyed the trip more than anything she had ever done in her life.
One word of caution. Like your girlfriend, Debra had tumors in one lung as well, and toward the last two weeks she became uncomfortable at high altitude. Many of the places mentioned are absolutely beautiful but do be aware that it may be difficult for her above eight thousand feet or so. I wish for you the best trip possible and my heart goes out to you.
Thanks Greg. Sorry to hear about Debra. Sounds like you had a good trip, with lots of great memories I'm sure.
Appreciate the heads up about altitude, I hadn't thought of that.
On a general note, would I be correct in thinking that all the 'touristy' bits of the US are pretty much wheelchair friendly? She doesn't need it most of the time, but on her bad days she can't walk across the bedroom without help. Having said that, if her current round of chemo is successful in shrinking the tumours back, then she might be good for a couple of months.
What are motels really like? If we do end up hiring a car & driving for some of the trip, that would seem like a good type of place to stay, but over here we only ever see them portrayed on TV as being really seedy dives full of criminals & other types of lowlife scum....
