From the Pizza Coast to the Burrito Coast, Our First Trip Across The USA In The New Bus.
YES, we’re stoked. That raw, ‘butterflies in your stomach’ kind of excitement you get when you’re about to embark on something completely new. Kind of like when we first set out 3 years ago as nomads, it feels like we’re once again jumping into the axis mundi… or Pandora’s box? We’re never sure which or if they’re really one in the same?
Road trips never get old, don’t you agree? Driving across the USA from coast to coast, there are literally dozens of routes to take… all ready to deliver an incredible journey of suckling pigs, neon lights, folk art paint jobs, and more.
So, the other night we got out our maps, markers, and commenced upon a billion Google searches on destinations in our path from one coast to the other. From boondocking spots to crazy old eateries and whatever offbeat places we could note in between. Oh and by the way, all this travel dreaming along with cocktails, made for a pretty awesome adventures all by itself!
The USA Coast to Coast
Through The Great Smoky Mountains, right across the center of the U.S, and over the Rockies, we’ll be exploring many stretches of highway uncharted in our travels. We’re swooning over all the ‘heartland’ grub on our route, the majestic scenery and roadside finds… couches on the front lawn, rummage sales, and fried chicken… sign us up!
Not to mention that this will be our first big trip in the bus. And we can already tell that things are going to be different. Our ‘new’ Cheddar Yeti 2, a 1978 Wanderlodge BlueBird bus, is packed with game changing facilities, providing more opportunities to get lost along the way.
A single tank of fuel gets us about 1200 miles. This means less worrying about where or when we’ll need fuel up. Then, the off-grid power options on this ‘bird can light up a small village, which allows us to boondock for longer periods of time, even in hot as hell weather. And, as you can imagine, we have more storage for food, supplies, and likely some unnecessary stuff, too.
But, the real game changer, is having a tow car. Our previous planning efforts centered around if we could walk, take public transit, or ride our bikes to the places we wanted to visit while in town. This limited our sightseeing, exploring, and chores (laundry and grocery shopping), to around a few mile radius.
Already, we’re seeing our adventures open up. Jeanette is officially a New York City driver; happily inducted into the horn happy, finger waving, school of cut throat driving tactics. And next, instead of white knuckling The Blue Ridge Parkway in the bus, we’re planning on cruising the through the scenic mountain range on a day trip in the Honda. Camera, check. Picnic, check. Too bad the Honda isn’t topless!
We’re shoving off from Clarksboro, NJ around mid March and planning on reaching the sunny shores of California in June. Just in time to catch Lake Shasta full and warm on the toes.
We usually don’t go drive than 55 mph and about 200 miles in any given day. At that speed, we’ll have time to ‘bird watch or hang out the window to photograph the scenery. Drivin’ slow ain’t just for old folks anymore. So, don’t miss our up to the moment instagram shots and facebook posts!
Here’s our rough itinerary:
March to April
- Clarksboro, NJ
- Baltimore, MD
- The Blue Ridge Parkway
- Asheville, NC
- Great Smoky Mountains NP
- Nashville, TN
April to May
- Bowling Green, KY
- Louisville, KY
- St. Louis, MO
- Lawrence, KS
- Colorado Springs, Co
May to June
- Somewhere between the Rockies and the Pacific Coast Highway…
Lets keep in touch!
So, along the way we’ll keep y’all updated with our Road Trip whereabouts via Facebook, Twitter and our Newsletter.
We’d love it if you’d drop us a line if we’re nearby, leave a roadside suggestion below or just say Hi! To our East coast family and friends, we’ll miss you guys big time!
And away we go!
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