Road Trip USA: Cross-Country Adventures on America's Two-Lane Highways

by Jamie Jensen

Overview

"Majestic mountains, pastoral valleys, and rugged seascapes: Go beyond the interstate and into the heart of the country on America's two-lane highways"--

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798886470185
Publisher:	Avalon Publishing
Publication date:	03/05/2024
Series:	Road Trip USA
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	968
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Growing up along Route 66 in Southern California, Jamie Jensen was immersed in road trip culture at an early age. Back then, freeways were new, cheeseburgers cost a quarter, and every beach had a waterfront amusement park. Family road trips to national parks and historic sites nurtured an appreciation of the USA's distinctive natural landscapes, one-of-a-kind attractions, and unexpected local traditions.

A summer break from studying architecture in college turned into a two-year odyssey driving, hiking, biking, and hitch-hiking all over the continent. Odd jobs became unforgettable experiences. He made hay in the summer heat of the Midwest, crewed sailboats from Cape Cod to Chesapeake Bay, and tuned guitars in a Manhattan recording studio.

A fondness for old road maps and a chance encounter with the 1930s WPA Guides led to an obsessive exploration of the two-lane highways that preceded today's interstate freeways. To spread the word about small-town businesses surviving in the face of anonymous "big box" chain stores and sprawling suburbs, Jamie set to work on Road Trip USA, which first appeared in 1996. Since that prehistoric era of paper maps and pay phones, technology has brought once-distant places ever closer. New generations have been busy reviving old gas stations as microbreweries and turning historic warehouses into farmers markets. Meanwhile, parenting his twin sons Tom and Alex provided Jamie with a good excuse for enjoying minor league baseball games, studying historic plaques, and taking silly photos of roadside dinosaurs and supersized Paul Bunyans.

After a half-million miles spent in search of the perfect stretch of two-lane blacktop, the joy of discovery remains strong. Jamie still feels that sense of adventure every time he gets behind the wheel and heads out on the road.

Table of Contents

Planning Your Road Trip 22

The Great Northeast 23

The Great Lakes Loop 24

The Golden State and Beyond 26

Down South 28

Mountain Majesties 30

Wild, Wild West 32

Pacific Coast 34

Washington 38

Oregon 51

California 66

San Francisco 88

Los Angeles 122

San Diego 132

Border to Border 136

Canadian Rockies 140

Montana 151

Idaho 158

Nevada 166

Arizona 180

Las Vegas 174

Phoenix 184

Tuscon 188

Road to Nowhere 194

North Dakota 198

South Dakota 211

Nebraska 218

Kansas 224

Oklahoma 230

Texas 230

Great River Road 248

Minnesota 252

Wisconsin 261

Iowa 226

Illinois Missouri 271

Kentucky Tennessee 292

Mississippi 296

Louisiana 312

Twin Cities Minneapolis and St. Paul 258

St Louis 286

Memphis 294

New Orleans 316

Appalachian Trail 320

New Hampshire 324

Vermont 337

Massachusetts 346

Connecticut 356

New York 359

Pennsylvania 364

Maryland 378

West Virginia 380

Virginia 382

North Carolina 394

Georgia 406

New York City 362

Philadelphia 370

Charlottesville 388

Chattanooga 405

Atlanta 408

Atlantic Coast 414

New Jersey 418

Delaware 425

Maryland 427

Virginia 430

North Carolina 436

South Carolina 448

Georgia 457

Florida 464

Charleston 452

Savannah 462

Miami 481

Great Northern 492

Washington 496

Idaho 508

Montana 510

North Dakota 524

Minnesota 530

Wisconsin 534

Michigan 538

Canada 547

Vermont 559

New Hampshire 570

Maine 571

Oregon Trail 580

Oregon 584

Idaho 598

Wyoming 608

Nebraska 620

Iowa 626

Illinois 631

Indiana 639

Ohio 646

Pennsylvania 656

New York 657

Massachusetts 675

Portlant 588

Chicago 636

Detroit 644

Cleveland 652

Boston 686

Loneliest Road 694

California 698

Nevada 705

Utah 719

Colorado 728

Kansas 741

Missouri 750

Illinois 757

Indiana 759

Ohio 764

West Virginia 771

Virginia 775

Maryland 780

Salt Lake City 723

Denver 736

Kansas City 736

Louisville 762

Cincinnati 776

Washington DC 778

Baltimore 783

Southern Pacific 786

California 790

Arizona 794

New Mexico 804

Texas 807

Louisiana 821

Mississippi 824

Alabama 828

Georgia 835

Dallas and Fort Worth 818

Route 66 846

Illinois 850

Missouri 858

Kansas 867

Oklahoma 868

Texas 880

New Mexico 885

Arizona 898

California 918

Santa Fe 892

Index 928

Editorial Reviews

"Moon handbooks are always a pleasure to read. The writing is crisp, the research impressive, and the recommendations practical and down to earth."—Chicago Tribune

“The books are more easily readable than other guides. The main attractions are also marked with a special icon and sidebars and boxes highlight special information, making the Moon handbooks one of the most user-friendly guides in terms of visual appeal and organization…the quality is uniformly excellent."—Transitions Abroad

"Far from narrow minded, each Moon travel guide gives itinerary options for a variety of travelers’ budgets—from frugal to lavish. They make books catering to those who love the outdoors, those who have limited time, those staying exclusively in cities and those who’ve fully committed to living abroad. In all, they have hundreds of titles, ranging Bermuda to Budapest, that’ll teach you to embrace a new culture."—Gear Patrol, “The Best Travel Guidebooks for Every Journey”

"Moon handbooks have become known as well-written and exceptionally informative guides."—The New York Times

"Moon guides are perfect for the relaxed road tripper or outdoor explorer."—No Small Plan

"Moon handbooks are known for cannily combining logistical information with cultural background of a country or state."—Los Angeles Times

From the Publisher

Now in full color, the expanded 4th Edition of this travel classic packs 964 pages of trip tips, historical factoids, and accommodation information. In fact, Road Trip USA is so full of detailed highway tours and delightful stop suggestions that novelists as well as tourists mine it for travel data.