Just relax and let the hooks do their work. ([info]pdxgroucho) wrote in [info]damnportlanders,
@ 2008-02-29 01:36:00
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Cross country advice
So the roommate and I are talking about a roadtrip... we're wanting to hit yellowstone, rushmore, and get lobster in maine. other than that, any must sees?

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[info]thatsassylassie
2008-02-29 01:49 pm UTC (link)
If you're going all the way across, go east along the south (route 66) and definitely hit Graceland and Nashville. Plenty great stuff to see in the south. Then come back westward along the north. If you go to South Dakota, Wall Drug is better than Mt. Rushmore IMO. There is plenty of tacky Americana to be seen through Kansas and Missouri as well. This has some good info: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/

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[info]_fool
2008-03-01 02:54 am UTC (link)
graceland was pretty interesting, i agree. didn't take much time though--couple hours at best.

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[info]lokidecat
2008-02-29 01:59 pm UTC (link)
Only 800 miles to Wall Drugs. (hehe)

Anyways. I'll have to think about this. i've done the trip back and forth twice. I do remember quite a bit of goodness.

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[info]girl_on_a_stick
2008-02-29 01:59 pm UTC (link)
If you're going that route you'll also see the Tetons (even cooler than Yellowstone IMHO) and you'll go right past the Badlands, totally worth the stop.

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[info]_fool
2008-03-01 02:55 am UTC (link)
seconded--i've been twice and tetons are way cooler than YS. YS has the "okay, i've seen a geyser and that same funky blue and orange hot spring i've seen a zillion pictures of" cachet, but the tetons are glorious and you can soak in them for days. even if you don't hike, but especially if you do.

moab is really pretty on that axis as well, and arches is another great day-stop in that area.

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[info]locuswarm
2008-02-29 02:53 pm UTC (link)
nope...I think you pretty much have america covered

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[info]schnamara
2008-02-29 02:59 pm UTC (link)
This probably only goes if you like animals, but I recommend the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, NE. It's really cool! It's definitely on the top 10 list of best zoos in America. It's also literally across the street from Rosenblatt Stadium (where the NCAA College World Series are played), so depending on your timing, you could catch a game too!

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[info]viperine
2008-02-29 05:06 pm UTC (link)
yes! i used to live in Omaha..that Zoo is freakin' awesome..it is rated the best in the country for kids..but, i consider it the best for anybody..the bug house, Liad Jungle and the new Desert are so indescribably awesome..

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[info]derumi
2008-02-29 05:40 pm UTC (link)
Lied Jungle is awesome, and makes the Henry Doorly Zoo year pass worth every penny. Of course, the 90F+ temperature during the 20F- winter weather is a big part of it.

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[info]rensarockstar
2008-02-29 03:01 pm UTC (link)
How much time are you taking for the trip? I'm planning my own for July.

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[info]acadiabaird
2008-02-29 03:33 pm UTC (link)
badlands right near rushmore, and devils tower on the other side of the state. who'd thunk South Dakota could be so cool?

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[info]diffuse
2008-02-29 03:37 pm UTC (link)
no that's it.

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[info]viperine
2008-02-29 05:04 pm UTC (link)
i agree, the Badlands of South Dakota are awesome..and nearby is Carhenge of Nebraska..and near that is white water rafting..and in Iowa there are really really cool Amish and Mennonite communities with awesome general stores of cool stuff they made, which sounds like boring craft stuffs, but i actually got the best pair of thigh high stockings i have ever bought there :P

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[info]adamisahippy
2008-02-29 05:10 pm UTC (link)
In the same town as Rushmore is the Crazy Horse memorial (dude's face is as big as all of rushmore!) and Jewel Caves (3rd largest caves in the world).

If you're going to be in Milwaukee, the (now decommissioned) PBR brewery was the biggest in the world when it was built, and the fences around it don't have barbed wire.

Niagara Falls?

If you go in the summer, hit Cedar Point.

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[info]grain_damaged
2008-02-29 05:39 pm UTC (link)
Grand Cayon if you're down that way, plus Zion and Bryce are totally worth the effort to get to.
Photobucket

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[info]purty286
2008-02-29 05:43 pm UTC (link)
Just down the street from Mount Rushmore is The Cosmos. It was pretty neat. I think it's mostly optical illusions but the demonstrations they do are pretty cool.
http://www.cosmosmysteryarea.com/

Also nearby is Bear Country USA. It's wear you drive through the park and the animals can come right up to your car. http://www.bearcountryusa.com/

When you're in Maine you should check out the town of Freeport. They have a really neat L.L. Bean store and a few other shops.

If you're near Boston at all go to Salem and visit the Witch Museum.

Niagara Falls. If you can, visit on the Canadian side. It's better.

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[info]derumi
2008-02-29 05:48 pm UTC (link)
Really need to see everything along Interstate-90 in South Dakota:

Crazy Horse (unfinished, but already more impressive than Rushmore, in my opinion)
Mt. Rushmore
Wall Drug
The Black Hills
Corn Palace
Car Museum (I forget where, but they have a Tucker)
Also, multiple places to stop and look at fossilized trees, prairie dogs, bison, etc.

From I-90, you can probably take I-29 to Omaha (Henry Doorly Zoo, Malcom X's birthplace) and then Kansas City (barbecue, City Market, Boulevard Wheat ale, barbecue).

Also, really need to avoid Interstate-80 in Nebraska. It covers most of the boring areas (the sand hills) of the state, unless you manage to catch the Sandhill Cranes stopping by.

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[info]derumi
2008-02-29 05:52 pm UTC (link)
Get some Manhattan clam chowder in NY and some New England clam chowder in New England. Also, get a New York-style pizza in urban New York/New Jersey.

Barbecue in KC. Buffalo burgers in South Dakota. Omaha steak in Omaha.

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Yay, road trip!
[info]magn0lia
2008-03-01 12:58 am UTC (link)
Seconding Wall Drug and the Corn Palace as being at least as good to see as Rushmore (tho I enjoyed the Black Hills a bunch, the old dudes' faces in the rocks didn't do much for me). I really dug Devil's Tower too.

My 2004 cross-countries adventure is documented starting here; you can click "next" to browse through the days or jump ahead using the calendar view. If I were doing it again I'd spend tons of time west of the Rockies and then zoom through from the Badlands to the atlantic ocean. (And about the same coming back through Canada, with a little more time around the Great Lakes.) I adored the area around the Tetons and much of western Idaho too (unexpectedly!). In Missouri and Kentucky I went in a lot of neat caves. I dug big ferries we took in Delaware, New York, and Ontario. So much fun stuff to see!

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[info]winnebagos
2008-03-03 07:58 pm UTC (link)
Glacier National Park.

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