- roadtrip
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We have just taken the plunge and bought a caravan to tour France. Our first stop (of decent length) is in a beautiful village called Le Bar Sur Loup. We found a great campsite that will let us stay with our dog along the gorges, aptly call Les Gorger du Loup.
Because it is half an hour from coastal towns such as Antibes we are close enough to get to the beach but far enough away from all the commercialism.
Five stars all round
Cute little motel teepees in the middle of Kentucky. I always remember seeing this as a kid and thinking it was the most amazing place. It's near Cave City, home of Mammoth Cave, which is a quirky and kitschy place all in itself. The Wigwam Village is a unique bit of Kentucky history and I've never seen another place quite like it. Apparently, there's only three motels like this still standing in the U.S.
601 North Dixie Hwy
Cave City, Kentucky 42127
(270) 773-3381
www.wigwamvillage.com/
For me, Route 66 conjures up open roads, wide skies and roadside diners. But now, on the outskirts of San Bernardino, it's one dollar stores, bail bond businesses and liquor stores. But in the midst of this rather run-down neighbourhood, is the Wigwam motel, an encampment of concrete teepees, built in 1949. There is something truly amazing about your first glimpse of the green field full of 30-foot teepees, encircling a swimming pool and barbeque area, rather than a campfire. Our double room was large enough to encompass a sofa and TV area, as well as a bed. Good job that there was plenty of space, as the bed was almost 2 ft high so, short as I am, I needed to make a running jump to get into it! Tucked under the sloping back of the teepee, the bathroom is small and basic, perhaps a reflection of the different expectations of earlier customers. This is a motel out of time and out of place. Before you leave, search out the 'Do It In a Teepee!' sign at the back of the site.
www.wigwammotel.com/
2728 W. Foothill Blvd.
Rialto, CA 92376-5333
(909) 875-3005
Affordable motel right on the Highway 101 Pacific Coast Highway. Beautiful setting right next to the sea - you can hear the waves breaking from your room. Perfect stopover when driving the Pacific Coast.
A friend and I drove a budget rental car from Sydney to Uluru (Ayres Rock) after signing to say we would stay on sealed roads and intimating that we'd be staying around Sydney. It's a long way between 'attractions' in Australia's interior so there was plenty of driving.
Highlights included picking up a didgeridoo toting hitch hiker. It turned out he was from Coventry and was teaching didgeridoo in Australia! Also seeing Uluru in the rain. I was so excited because EVERYONE sees it with a blue sky. We camped overnight and saw it with sunshine the next day so we were properly spoilt.
Breaking down and fixing the car ourselves because we didn't want to tell the rental company we were 100's of kms from the nearest tarmac added to the fun.
Opals, a space centre, road trains, sunsets, the Blue Mountains - a great trip.
My top tip would be to start out with a workable plan and be cheerful and eager to change the plan to grasp unexpected opportunities as you stumble across them.
Also, pair up with someone with an opposing body clock. My friend could drive at night and I do early mornings so we covered plenty of miles.
If you've ever looked at films like The Doors and Woodstock, wondering why you can't just hop on one of those ancient Bluebird school buses and just go on a wild trip coast to coast...
...you still can. Green Tortoise buses have been going coast to coast from Boston to San Francisco and back since god knows when, but these days they've got full-on, air-conned sleeper coaches that a rock star wouldn't sneeze at rather than converted bench buses. Around $700+food/parks allowance gets you coast to coast in 14 days - maybe slightly more, or slightly less, depending on which way the driver wants to go - and a whole bunch of new experiences. If you're lucky, new friends too (still emailing mine 10 years later).
Pieces of advice, though:
- bring far more shower gel, soap, and deodorant than you'd ever actually need, and don't be too fussy about where you use it. Or who borrows it.
- use electronic devices sparingly, as there's plenty of places to see - and few places to charge up.
- Much as you'd love to trust the free peace and love vibe, keep absolutely everything somewhere you know it should be and lock the important stuff (passport, med insurance, etc) at the bottom of your bag.
- learn to love veggie food if you can. Really. You can get great steaks in San Fran if you need them (and by the end, boy did I need them).
- be open-minded about everything you see and everyone you travel with, and open to new experiences...
- ...just not any mind-altering ones (bear in mind that in some states, if someone is caught possessing drugs on a road vehicle, and can't prove exactly whose it is, they will bust EVERY SINGLE OCCUPANT. Bad karma, dude.)
Enjoy. Namaste.
Green Tortoise Adventure Travel:
www.greentortoise.com/adventures/cross.country.northern.dream.html
When roadtripping in America, pick up your hirecar earlier in the day to maximise your chance of an upgrade. Most people go for the smaller, cheaper cars so these are usually all out for hire and people usually drop their cars off in the afternoon. The hire car company will never downgrade you - only upgrade you, so you could get yourself a better drive than you paid for.
This worked for me when picking up my motor in San Francisco. I ended up with a car the size of a boat for an authentic American driving experience.
My most memorable road trip was an art pilgrimage from Walter De Maria's Lightning Fields in New Mexico to Marfa, Texas, home of the Chinati Foundation founded by Donald Judd. It is not easy to get to Quemado, New Mexico, the closest point to fly in and rent a car is Flagstaff, Arizona, or alternately Albuqueque, NM. Quemado is roughly situated midway between these two cities slightly south. We instead chose Las Vegas for the cheap flight which adds about 5 extra hours to the drive. If you have time to spare you may want to stay the first night in La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Az, less than 2 hours east of Flagstaff on Hwy180 by the area known as the Painted Desert. It is billed as "The Last Great Railroad Hotel", from the days of the great Santa Fe trains. It's majesty doesn't disappoint and you can also say you were on a section of the famous Route 66. The next day continue east on Hwy 180E changing to Hwy 601E at St. John's, Az until you reach Quemado, NM, from where you will escorted to the Fields. This drive should be a leisurely 4-5 hours. The timing of your trip will hinge on the Lightning Fields as it is only open May 1st-October 31st, reserved through the Dia Foundation. You stay on site for 24 hours in an original homesteaders cabin from the early 1900's situated at the edge of a field in which De Maria has installed 400 stainless steel poles in a grid measuring 1 mile by 1 kilometer. This region of New Mexico has a high proportion of lightning but it is not necessary to still have an enriching, full experience without it (we only saw lightning in surrounding hills). If possible, walk around the field at varying times of the day, even in the darkness of night. Continue east on Hwy 60, then S. on Hwy 25 another 4-5 hours, and stay overnight in Truth or Consequences-which based it's name from a popular 50's radio show-, relaxing in one of the many natural hot springs. The one we stayed in, though full of character and providing us with amusing anecdotes, is not one we would necessarily recommend, but there are many to choose from. Continue on Hwy 25S connecting to Hwy 10SE at El Paso, then Hwy 90S at Van Horne until you reach Marfa, give yourself about 6 hours for this drive. In Marfa stay at the Hotel Paisano, which was home base for cast and crew of the movie Giant and has rooms named after it's stars; James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson. A nice place to stay even without the cheesy celebrity draw. The Chinati Foundation in Marfa houses many of Judd's works, but the centerpiece is his sublime 100 Untitled Works in two former artillery sheds. Artists which include Carl Andre, Dan Flavin, John Chamberlain, Ilya Kabakov and Richard Long, were invited by Judd to conceive and install their work for these specifics spaces which imbue them with a pureness. This is a rough guideline for a trip that we did from Las Vegas and back in 6 days. Depending on time there are many natural points of interest-too numerous to mention- you can incorporate into the trip, if you are adventurous and a true art junkie you can also try to get a better view of James Turrell's still under construction, Roden Crater, NE of Flagstaff, but be warned, visitors are not welcome and you may encounter some unpleasant surprises. The natural beauty of the land in the Southwest, bracketed by some of the most spectacular,thoughtful, and moving contemporary art makes this a venerable feast for those who have been starved by the cynical art market of late.
Is this your business?