Overview

This is a quick write up of my cross-continent road trip. I was alone for most of the 57-day trip, with all miles driven solo except the leg between Phoenix and Las Vegas. Most of the trip was unplanned and spur of the moment. I had a few key dates to hit, such as a scheduled border crossing and an airplane arrival & departure, but beyond that, I mostly just drove until something caught my eye. I had a roughly compiled list of things to see/do across the country and I plotted a rough course between them and that was really the extent of my preparations. Motels and permits and reservations were scheduled the day before if not the day-of and acquaintances were usually warned of my arrival with less than 12 hours notice. Many miles were traveled on the interstate but when I could and deemed it worthwhile, I would take back roads and scenic highways. To that end, this trip took me along many famous routes such as highway-90 across the American South, running along the gulf of Mexico for a lot of the way; part of Route-66 including the old road through the Arizona desert long since abandoned and rerouted; the 1/101 from Sunny San Diego to Rainy Lincoln City about halfway through Oregon; the Newton B. Drury scenic parkway; Highway-12 through the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest in Idaho; and Highway 93 through the Canadian Rockies.

I was in a total of 22 states and 3 Canadian Provinces and I camped/hiked/visited a total of 25 state or national parks/forests/monuments. The final odometer reading was 10,817 Miles, however this does not include miles driving “around-town” by other people while I was staying with them. In all, I estimate the total miles to be around 13,000 which is a bit more than half the circumference of the Earth. My car broke down to the point of non-movement twice, and I hit one deer in Minot, North Dakota. I had a homeless man try to steal my sandwich, accosted by Police/Authorities a half dozen times, and received one parking ticket. I slept under a roof about 2 thirds of the nights. This includes in my car, in a motel, and at the homes of family and friends. The rest of the nights were spent camping, mostly in a hammock whenever I could. My longest single day drive was 737 miles, which some may turn their nose up to on account of being low, however I was rarely trying to go anywhere in particular and had no desire to spend 12-14 hours driving as fast as I can. After about 8 hours, I usually had to stop for some extended period of time.

Interactive Map

Here is an interactive, mostly accurate map of the trip. The limitations of Google’s map maker would not let me get too precise. The Burgundy markers are places I spent the night to give an idea of distances traveled per day.

List of Superlatives

I finalized this list the day after I returned, trying to think of the most common questions people asked of me after I came home. The >> & > indicate runner ups in that category. >> means much greater and > means slightly greater. This does NOT indicate a last place finish in this category.

• Worst Traffic: Houston >> Atlanta > Los Angeles
• Worst Drivers: Los Angeles >> Houston > Atlanta
• Nicest People: Arizona >> Atlanta
• Rudest People: Los Angeles
• Best Skyline: Lewiston, Idaho >> Houston, Texas
• Most Boring Drive: From Houston to San Antonio to El Paso >> Anything in Indiana
• Most Scenic Drive: U.S. 101 Through Redwoods > WA SR-26 >Highway 93 > U.S. 12
• Nicest City: Newport Beach, CA >> Seattle >> Calgary
• Favorite City: San Francisco
• Least Favorite City: Phoenix
• Grossest/Worst City: Portland, OR >> Lake Charles, LA
• Best Thing I Ate: Pastrami Sandwich and Salami in my Car at Horseshoe Bend
• Worst Food: This Cajun Restaurant in Lake Charles > Kosher Pizza, LA
• Best Milkshake: Peter’s Drive-In, Calgary > Hubbard Ave. Diner, Madison
• Most Attractive City: LA > Chicago > SF > Minneapolis
• Biggest Disappointment: Texas
• Biggest Surprise: Alabama
• Best Parking Lot to Sleep In: Walmart
• Best place to stop for #2’s: Staples

Costs

Many people are curious about costs, so I will dedicate a section to it. In total, I spent $6,305.44. However, this includes many car-related costs that I do not think should be included. There is no question that road trips take a toll on a car and vehicle related costs should be taken into account for any one planning something similar. But, I do not think my experiences accurately reflect that. My car catastrophically broke down twice and I hit a deer. So to avoid the headache of calculating the total cost of these damages, I subtracted car related costs (BUT KEPT GAS COSTS) including repairs, oil changes, and parts. After this my total cost for the 57 Days was $4,054.80. The breakdown is as such:

Some Notes on Costs: “Things” includes souvenirs and gifts; “Tourism” includes items such as Tickets, Park Fees, etc.; and Camping is mainly made up of permits. Many of these costs could be lowered, but at the cost of enjoyment, in my opinion. For instance, the Food category includes many trips to local restaurants – this could be cut down in favor of more self made meals but at the cost of enjoying the local cuisine. Things could obviously be reduced had I not bought gifts for family or so many t-shirts for myself. Really, the only cost I could have decreased and still ended the trip as happy would be Hotels. Some nights, I was admittedly quite desperate for a bed and shower and was hosed by rather absurd prices. Conversely, I saved untold fortunes staying with friends and family. For instance, all my nights in Atlanta, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Seattle were spent in this nature. This fact makes it difficult to estimate holistic costs for a similar trip to an area/country where I cannot take advantage of free beds. In all, I think the $4,000 was a fair price for the nearly two month Trip.