We have crossed the country numerous times, since 1970, and just finished another. After a dismal shooting performance, I drove down to Palm Bay, Fla. to lick my wounds. After a week of rest, we crawled into the pick-up and camper unit and headed out. Destination British Columbia.
Every year, the traffic is worse and worse. This year is typical. Starting out on I-95, in Florida, traffic is heavy 24-7. For this reason, I generally leave 95 and cross to Ocala on route 40. From there, it's back on the Interstate (75, up to 10) until I can turn north on 331 and head toward Andalusia, Ala. We camped at a National Forest campground just south of Andalusia. The Open Pond campground is one we like. Since we are always travelling in the off-season, it's never too busy and the dog likes the trails.
The next day saw us drive through Andalusia and get on Hwy 84 (El Camino Real). This is a great road which runs through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and into Texas. I like the road. Not too busy, with a lot of small towns along the way. This year, we travelled to Winfield, La. and camped at the Gum Springs Campground, another National Forest camp. Now, from here, we usually travel up to Shreveport, where we get on I-20 and drive to somewhere either side of Fort Worth and stay at one of the fine Texas State Parks. On this trip though, it looked like climate change was going to be in our favor so we headed straight north from Winnfield, on 167, got on route 7 in Arkansas, and drove up through that state on 7. We camped at another National Forest camp, the Buffalo River camp. This campground is right on the river and is a great spot. We had the whole campground to ourselves (off-season!) and had a very peaceful night. Route 7 is a twisty, occasionally steep, road which is very scenic. It is a road I would rather travel on the motorcycle or in the Miata, instead of the pick-up, but then I'd be sleeping in a tent! We got on route 65 to cut through the corner of Missouri, then got on I-70 to cross Kansas. We stopped at the Wilson Lake State Park in Kansas. This was another great park to stay in. Again, we weren't bothered by neighbors.
The next day, it was on across Kansas, into Colorado, and north through Nebraska. I joke about climate change, but I've never gone through Nebraska at this time of year, in 70 degree temperatures. We camped near Chadron, Nebraska, then headed into South Dakota. I wasted some time in the Black Hills, after getting surprised by a road closure and taking a wrong turn on the detour. Nonetheless, we made it to I-90, just east of Sheridan Wyoming, and headed for home. It's a long way across Montana, so we camped at Pine Creek, near Livingston. This is a semi remote camp and, not surprisingly, we were again by ourselves. From there, it was just a few more hours to home, where it was still nearly sixty degrees! I don't recall a year when the ground was still unfrozen at this date.
Next year at this time, I'll be heading to SC again. I'll try to take some different routes, will shoot immeasurably better, and will spend the trip home in celebration of my prowess. This in contrast to my moping along this year.
I've crossed the continent, coast to coast, at least a couple dozen times and I always enjoy it. WH
Every year, the traffic is worse and worse. This year is typical. Starting out on I-95, in Florida, traffic is heavy 24-7. For this reason, I generally leave 95 and cross to Ocala on route 40. From there, it's back on the Interstate (75, up to 10) until I can turn north on 331 and head toward Andalusia, Ala. We camped at a National Forest campground just south of Andalusia. The Open Pond campground is one we like. Since we are always travelling in the off-season, it's never too busy and the dog likes the trails.
The next day saw us drive through Andalusia and get on Hwy 84 (El Camino Real). This is a great road which runs through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and into Texas. I like the road. Not too busy, with a lot of small towns along the way. This year, we travelled to Winfield, La. and camped at the Gum Springs Campground, another National Forest camp. Now, from here, we usually travel up to Shreveport, where we get on I-20 and drive to somewhere either side of Fort Worth and stay at one of the fine Texas State Parks. On this trip though, it looked like climate change was going to be in our favor so we headed straight north from Winnfield, on 167, got on route 7 in Arkansas, and drove up through that state on 7. We camped at another National Forest camp, the Buffalo River camp. This campground is right on the river and is a great spot. We had the whole campground to ourselves (off-season!) and had a very peaceful night. Route 7 is a twisty, occasionally steep, road which is very scenic. It is a road I would rather travel on the motorcycle or in the Miata, instead of the pick-up, but then I'd be sleeping in a tent! We got on route 65 to cut through the corner of Missouri, then got on I-70 to cross Kansas. We stopped at the Wilson Lake State Park in Kansas. This was another great park to stay in. Again, we weren't bothered by neighbors.
The next day, it was on across Kansas, into Colorado, and north through Nebraska. I joke about climate change, but I've never gone through Nebraska at this time of year, in 70 degree temperatures. We camped near Chadron, Nebraska, then headed into South Dakota. I wasted some time in the Black Hills, after getting surprised by a road closure and taking a wrong turn on the detour. Nonetheless, we made it to I-90, just east of Sheridan Wyoming, and headed for home. It's a long way across Montana, so we camped at Pine Creek, near Livingston. This is a semi remote camp and, not surprisingly, we were again by ourselves. From there, it was just a few more hours to home, where it was still nearly sixty degrees! I don't recall a year when the ground was still unfrozen at this date.
Next year at this time, I'll be heading to SC again. I'll try to take some different routes, will shoot immeasurably better, and will spend the trip home in celebration of my prowess. This in contrast to my moping along this year.
I've crossed the continent, coast to coast, at least a couple dozen times and I always enjoy it. WH
