Road Trip From Hell...

[Steve5D]

I'm going to be relocating at the end of next month, from Portland Oregon to Pennsylvania. I landed a photo gig there which is paying quite well, and my expenses are covered. It'll last for two months and then be over. At that point, I'll move to St. Augustine, FL, where my brother and my Mom both have homes. At age 50, it looks like I'll be leaving the music industry for good.

The new gig isn't the point of this post, though.

The point of this is that I'm going to have two to three weeks to make the drive cross-country. I'm looking at this as a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I've got a whole lot more days behind me than I've got in front of me, so I want to make this count.

I've got a tentative trip mapped out, but it could always be open to amendment:

• Portland to Missoula, MT: Going to spend a few days with my old bass player and his boys, do some shooting. 2-4 days
• Missoula to Sheridan, WY: Why? I've never been to Wyoming, and this looks as good as any other place in Wyoming. Overnight stop
• Sheridan to Rapid City, SD: Visit Mt. Rushmore. I want to break out the guitar play The Beatle's "Rocky Raccoon" while actually in the Black Mountain hills of Dakota. 2 days
• Rapid City to Sioux Falls, SD: No reason, really; it's on the way. Overnight stop
• Sioux Falls to Kansas City, MO: Get some B-B-Q. Overnight stop
• Kansas City to Louisville, KY: Visit an old guitar playing buddy, eat too much, drink too much, tell too many lies. Probably do some guitar playing. Maybe go to Churchill Downs. 2-3 days
• Louisville to Wheeling, WV: Maybe check out the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. Maybe sleep. Overnight stop
• Wheeling to Wallkill, NY: Few people know that Wallkill was the originally planned site for the Woodstock Music & Arts Festival in 1969. It's also where my Dad lives. 5 days or so

After visiting my Dad, I'll head off to the new gig.

Because I've got so much time to make this trip, my schedule (such as it is) is supremely flexible. Given that, anyone care to suggest some things to shoot along the way? Anyone care to recommend some inexpensive lodging in any of those cities? I don't need Marriott or Hilton. I'd be satisfied with "The Wagon Wheel Inn" (free wi-fi would be great). I'd also love to find out about some local "greasy spoons" at which to eat. I don't recoup my expenses until I get to Pennsylvania, so I want to be at least a bit frugal during the trip.

Hopefully, I'll have the energy (and time) to edit photos and blog during the trip. At the very least, I'll post photos here.

I'm excited as Hell to make this trip...

 

[tirediron]

Can't help you with the planning, but it sounds like a great alternative! Best of luck with the trip and new gig!

 

[ronlane]

Yeah no help on the planning as most of that is WAY further north than I've been. Sounds like a really cool excursion though, start a thread and share the experiences along the way.

 

[jowensphoto]

I'm most familiar with the east coast leg of your trip, though you'll be further away from the area of WV I know... but according to Google Maps, you'll drive right by two state parks (Bald Eagle and Parker Dam) while driving through PA to Wallkill.

Should you for some reason find yourself in the Eastern Panhandle of WV, Mountain View 24 hour diner is worth a stop (best greasy spoon around!) and you may be interested in Hollywood Casino (aka, Charlestown Races and Slots aka, Charlestown Racists and Sluts... lol). Historic Harper's Ferry is right down the road, about 4-5 miles outside of Charlestown.

 

[Steve5D]

I'm most familiar with the east coast leg of your trip, though you'll be further away from the area of WV I know... but according to Google Maps, you'll drive right by two state parks (Bald Eagle and Parker Dam) while driving through PA to Wallkill.

Should you for some reason find yourself in the Eastern Panhandle of WV, Mountain View 24 hour diner is worth a stop (best greasy spoon around!) and you may be interested in Hollywood Casino (aka, Charlestown Races and Slots aka, Charlestown Racists and Sluts... lol). Historic Harper's Ferry is right down the road, about 4-5 miles outside of Charlestown.

Man, 24 hour diners are the best!

Harper's Ferry could be an attractive stop, as well...

 

[Rafterman]

Man, 24 hour diners are the best!

Then you should be quite satisfied with any Denny's you happen to come across during the trip. Nothing better at 4am after a night of drinki...er...road-tripping than a Lumberjack Slam!

 

[tirediron]

Mehhh... Denny's isn't a real diner; they actually clean the floors in some of the Denny's I've been to!

 

[Steve5D]

Denny's??

Man, I have a difficult time with "chain store" restaurants.

I'd rather eat in a real diner with a blue "B" in the window than eat at a Denny's...

 

[amolitor]

Remember that if you see it from the highway and it's a photographically awesome thing, it's already on flickr 150 times.

The interior of the USA is photographically very very rich. I would plan to take at least some time, it doesn't really matter where, to execute the following program:

- day 1, drive around small roads and byways, off the main highways (see the first line of this post). Take notes, shoot some stuff. But here's the important thing.
- during day 1, plan what you'd do if you could drive over it again, with more time on your hands
- day 2, drive BACK OVER those roads and byways, at least the better ones, and shoot again
- maybe even repeat on a day 3, wait for the right sky conditions, better light, a new idea

There will be so many things you see that you'll want to shoot, that you'll think 'aww man, that would have been perfect in the morning light', 'that would be perfect with some clouds', 'that would be perfect if I had time to hike up to that vantage point' or whatever that it's a shame not to give yourself the time to go back and get what it is you want.

 

[JacaRanda]

If you are passing through Kansas City, my vote is for Gates BBQ Gates Bar B.Q.. However my moms choice would be Arthur Bryant's Gates Bar B.Q.. If you are there for more than one meal, try them both and let me know your thoughts.

Good luck on your trip, I am sure you will have a great time.

 

[Steve5D]

Remember that if you see it from the highway and it's a photographically awesome thing, it's already on flickr 150 times.

Hehehehe... yeah, that's a good point. I'm not all too worried about that, though. If it's something that's photo worthy, it really doesn't matter how many other people have photographed it...

The interior of the USA is photographically very very rich. I would plan to take at least some time, it doesn't really matter where, to execute the following program:

- day 1, drive around small roads and byways, off the main highways (see the first line of this post). Take notes, shoot some stuff. But here's the important thing.
- during day 1, plan what you'd do if you could drive over it again, with more time on your hands
- day 2, drive BACK OVER those roads and byways, at least the better ones, and shoot again
- maybe even repeat on a day 3, wait for the right sky conditions, better light, a new idea

Not really sure that I'm gonna' have that kinda' time. Some of my stops are going to be just overnighters, some will be two or three days. I will, at some point, have to accept what I can get before moving on...

There will be so many things you see that you'll want to shoot, that you'll think 'aww man, that would have been perfect in the morning light', 'that would be perfect with some clouds', 'that would be perfect if I had time to hike up to that vantage point' or whatever that it's a shame not to give yourself the time to go back and get what it is you want.

Well, unfortunately, time is a finite thing. While I plan on making my way off the beaten path, I don't want to get so far off the path that I get off-track, either...

 

[Steve5D]

If you are passing through Kansas City, my vote is for Gates BBQ Gates Bar B.Q.. However my moms choice would be Arthur Bryant's Gates Bar B.Q.. If you are there for more than one meal, try them both and let me know your thoughts.

Good luck on your trip, I am sure you will have a great time.

I would love to check out two different BBQ joints, but you linked to the same one twice!

 

[JacaRanda]

If you are passing through Kansas City, my vote is for Gates BBQ Gates Bar B.Q.. However my moms choice would be Arthur Bryant's Gates Bar B.Q.. If you are there for more than one meal, try them both and let me know your thoughts.

Good luck on your trip, I am sure you will have a great time.

I would love to check out two different BBQ joints, but you linked to the same one twice!

See, I am biased towards Gates. Here is the link to Arthur Bryants. Arthur Bryant's BBQ in Kansas City

Dang, it just hit me hard. Wish I was having some now. So many memories of my dad bringing home a rack, wrapped up in the red colored paper with steak fries and pickles all over the place. It would be the only white bread I would eat now, all soaked up with Gates juices. I'm feeling it bad.

 

[JacaRanda]

Oh this is even better.

 

[bentcountershaft]

There's a small steak house in Jeffersonville, IN, directly across the river from Louisville called The Cast Iron Steakhouse that I can recommend. It's on Market St. They don't appear to have a website but google and yelp and the like can get you there. Also, if you're into high cholesterol food you should have a Hot Brown somewhere. They were invented at the Brown Hotel in downtown Louisville so that wouldn't be a bad place to start. When are you planning on doing this?