kimilseung

Thanks Bob, for letting me know, interesting how diverse the US is.

But this has got me reminiscing on UK camp sites. So a challenge, does the US have any of those free pub camp sites,were you just get a bit of grass on the assumption that you will end up buying a pint or two? Like the Wasdale Head Inn in the Lakes or the Bridge of Orchy Hotel in Scotland (I dont think its even their land, they just agree to not get you moved on if you have a pint)

petitefrancaise

are you serious?

You mention Terlingua but not Big Bend? Big Bend is magical, camping up in the crater is like being in the stars. Or camping down in the village with the sound of the Rio Grande going by. Officially designated one of the least light polluted places in the Northern Hemisphere and you talk about a gaudy tourist trap? Suffice it to say that you and I won't be holidaying together!

Maybe we should start a thread about our favourite places to vacation?

Bob

Now that would be great! I don't think I've heard of anywhere doing that around here

scrubbedexpat097

Oh I like Big Bend, I've visited many many times. It's full of tourists!

Terlingua is not a tourist trap. Terlingua has a tiny population with maybe 3 places to eat and a few seedy hotel/motels but it has character that appeals to us old hippy types.

And no, I'm sure we would never agree on vacation destinations. Last minute roadtrips with no pre thought out destinations are usually our best vacations.

Bob

If you're into quirky and random and ever find your way up this part of the country on a road trip...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catego..._Massachusetts

Check some of those spots out, especially Dogtown, MA....it's an old abandoned town that's a pretty cool ghosty type place with folks who were involved in the Salem Witch trials.

Abandoned Places in Massachusetts (MA)

That's a good site, for finding weird abandoned buildings. The state hospitals, one in Worcester at least, are really cool and a bit spooky.

scrubbedexpat097

Cheers Bob

One of these days we will head in your direction!

Bob

I want a road trip down south too, I'm sick of the midwest road trips...perhaps we can have a cuppa somewhere in the middle one of these days

scrubbedexpat097

Great idea...roadtrip

Pulaski

AdobePinon

Not that I know of. Not sure if OP is really thinking of camping, but something many folks don't know is that you can camp for free almost anywhere in National Forest / BLM land, which gives many options in the west. If you choose a developed campground, then yes, you will usually pay - in my experience anywhere from $3 to $20 a night. I do both. If I'm staying put for a while, I'll usually set up in a developed campground. If I'm in transit, I'll usually just pull off down a dirt forest / BLM road and camp sunset to sunrise - even in the middle of summer this can be ok, although many would find AZ/NM/UT/NV too hot.

AdobePinon

OK, let's talk about this bit. You might think about merging a lot of that into the outbound, and taking a more southerly route through NM on the way back. Trying to take into account your small town interest, which is not really my interest... Silver City - White Sands - Carlsbad Caverns - Roswell might provide a framework. You'd also be passing close to the first designated wilderness area - the Gila.

Up north, there's a lot going on. On the small town theme, if you're going to hit Santa Fe, which is worth doing, you should probably add Taos too. Note that if you try and do the Easy Rider thing, Taos Pueblo will charge you for entry, and then charge your camera some more. Santa Fe is considered on the more European end of US cities - continental that is, not UK. People generally come for the architecture, food, art, and Native American stuff.

It's about three hours from Santa Fe to the Colorado border. Depending on the way you go, you'll likely be in either Pagosa Springs, or Alamosa. The latter is in the San Luis Valley. Most people don't consider it too thrilling, but if you like small towns and Americana, there is quite an assortment of bizarre stuff spread around the valley, including crazy folks with UFO viewing towers, a crocodile farm, a spring fed outdoor swimming pool in the desert, a few hot springs, and a strange assortment of artwork and religions in the tiny town of Crestone. The other reason to visit that valley though, is the Great Sand Dunes - the tallest sand dunes in the country. I even ski those dunes from time to time in the summer. If you find yourself going a bit further north from Alamosa, Salida is another great town to visit. (That would also open up going west to Aspen through Independence Pass, and on to Grand Junction. I wouldn't spend much time in Aspen though.) There are also two steam trains in the area - The Cumbres and Toltec from Chama NM to Antonito CO, and further west past Pagosa, the Durango and Silverton that goes between those two places in CO. Both were originally part of a much larger network. As mentioned somewhere before, Durango is a fun town worth stopping in, and spending a night or two. Excellent assortment of breweries too. The drive from Durango to Ouray via Silverton is one of the most scenic out there, in my opinion. (Instead of returning to Durango, you could opt to go to Telluride and back down to Cortez (or west to Moab) before continuing west. Just east of Cortez is Mesa Verde - a must visit if ancient dwellings are on your radar. If you can't make that, try and work in Chaco Canyon in NM on your way back. Then you've got a few hills, then mostly farmland until Utah.

Ah, Utah. I could spend months just tooling around southern Utah. It may all look the same, but stop and get out of the car. There's always something unexpected going on. You may consider first a detour north to Moab. If you like rocks, four wheeling, or mountain biking, this is one of THE places to be. If you don't like any of that, you'll want to skip it. Close by are also Arches, and Canyonlands National Parks. Arches will be super busy as you'll be there in the middle of the annual German migration. Canyonlands is often overlooked, but can lead to some truly spectacular hikes in the Needles district, or some great drive-by viewing at Island in the Sky. The Maze may sound tempting, but it's a long way out there. Turning around and heading south, there is Monument Valley over the border in Arizona. I've always felt it was a bit overrated. Back in Utah, another beautiful drive is Highway 95 from Blanding to Hanksville. One of my favorite roads anywhere. No towns out that way, but the scenery is spectacular, and the night sky is one of the darkest in the country - well worth spending a night out there to see IMHO. (Here's a great site for identifying areas with dark skies.) You'll see some amount of traffic on that road during the day - all tourists. They're all gone after dark, and I've been known to just throw down my sleeping bag at the side of the highway. This is also Edward Abbey country - the setting for Monkey Wrench Gang. There are ancient ruins all over the place, sometimes just yards from the highway. You'll pass the top end of Lake Powell, before heading further west. Capitol Reef comes up soon. Takes a bit of an effort to explore that park, but stop for the fruit picking if it's open. You can then head over Boulder Mountain with its spectacular scenery and views, before moving on to Bryce Canyon and Zion. Bryce can be a fly-by if you want, but a longer hike is well worth it. Zion requires a bit of time to really see anything - most of it is by shuttle bus, and it really needs some hiking (sometimes in waist-deep water) to get to the good stuff.

Hope that helps a little....

themadpooper

You mention Massachusetts a lot, have you not lived anywhere else? I say that not to slag you off but I'm pretty sure it was you who was telling me to get at more at the fact I've only lived in 3 states in 10 years. Just saying

Pulaski

"Getting out more" is a state of mind - specifically "recognizing that there are a lot of things happening that you wouldn't choose to do and/or aren't even aware of". Merely bouncing around the US does not mean that you have got out more.

Bob

Yeah, I've lived else where.

So what.

I'm not trying to generalise the whole country to fit my tiny little impression of the whole country, which you manage to do, a lot.

I was suggesting something fun and quirky that I know about locally to someone who likes road trips and likes to see quirky places. It wasn't to the OP, who wasn't going to be hitting this part of the country.

Colin Robinson

Thanks again everyone! This really is a GREAT forum!

Chocolatebabz – you’ve sold me! I can’t wait to get to Texas and have a biscuit the way you describe them!

Wintersong – I really will try to avoid the touristy, well-beaten track but there are some things I just HAVE to see and if I have to be surrounded by the teeming masses to do so, then so be it, but I will run away again as soon as I can! Thank you for your suggestions and advice which I have taken on board and if I do get near the Bay area, I will message you and hopefully, we can meet up? But WHITE gravy??? SURELY you jest???

Ddsrph – I will have a look in the “Goodwill’s” to see what I can find by way of basic tent and sleeping bag (as that’s really all I would need – just somewhere to lay down straight and sleep) but if I can’t find anything before I get to you and you can find your stuff, I would be most grateful – thank you! And North Cumberland State Park is noted – I LIKE $8!!!

Petitefrancaise – I looked at RV’s but they were HUGELY expensive to hire, plus, apparently, you have to pay to even park them up overnight anywhere? So it’s just me and a car and the road…… The thing I find annoying is that most of the campsites, motels, hotels and airbnb places I have found charge the same amount for one person as for 74535 people! (A slight exaggeration, but you get the point?). Travelling as part of a group and accommodation would be really cheap, but on my own, the costs seem frightening?

Again, thanks to everyone!

Colin