Canada, US

by Sigrid Foss
(Vancouver, BC, Canada)

Four friends from Denmark, we are planning a road trip through the States and Canada. We are going to start in Vancouver and travel all the way down the westcoast through Seattle, Portand, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, then take a turn to Las Vegas, Grand canyon, Denver and down-east Dallas, Austin, Houston and New Orleans. From there on we will travel to Nasville, Washington, New York and Boston. The last stops in the states will be Boston. From there we will go up north into Canada, Toronto. Then drive through Ontario to see the Niagara Falls and end up a week in Montreal. We have three months in the states and twenty days in Canada on the east side. So if you know anything that we have to stop for and see, museums, parks, special towers, anything, let us know. For now we only planned the cities and a festival in Nasville. We bought a camper van, where we can all sleep and a season pass to national parks. - good routes and roads without the high cost of highway or other tricks? Peace out four ladies.

ROAD TRIP READY REPLY:
Dear Sigrid,
Thank you for the note. We're a little envious about the trip you will be taking! There's no shortage of things to see in all those cities. It would be nearly impossible to share all the sights you could see, so we'll try to offer you a few tips here:

-In most of the U.S. you may drive on the highways at no cost. However, in the Midwest and East, there are turnpikes (such as the Indiana Turnpike, Ohio Turnpike, or Pennsylvania Turnpike) that will charge you a toll.
-You'll see much more beautiful scenery if you stay off the Interstate highways, but you will get there faster on the Interstates.
-In Seattle, some of the major sights are the Space Needle, Ballard Locks, Pike Place Market, and the monorail that runs near many of the tourist attractions. The summer weather in Seattle is very mild and you may need a jacket.
-San Francisco will also be cool in the summer. It's often foggy in the morning and not sunny until afternoon.
-If you are planning on sunbathing, you can do plenty of that in Los Angeles and San Diego.
-Texas and most of the southern U.S. will be quite hot and humid in the summer. You may want to plan fewer activities and some time for rest in the afternoons there because the heat can take a lot out of you.
-While you are in Houston, you may want to get down to the coast in Galveston. It is not as beautiful as some of the California beaches, but it is a nice day trip.
-While you are driving from Las Vegas towards Denver, try to take the highway that goes back and forth across the Utah-Arizona border. You will see beautiful red rock country near St. George, Utah. The town of Kayenta, Arizona is an Indian reservation town, which is a very interesting thing to see. Go into the supermarket there, and you will see signs in the Navajo language!

Those are just a few random ideas. Frankly, with so much time to make your trip and plans to cover so much area, you can't help but have a good time just by roaming around and exploring. Don't be afraid to ask locals what sights there are to see in the area. Most Americans, especially in the smaller towns, are very talkative and friendly, and they love to share what they know about their hometowns. Have a great trip!