Suggestions For A Road Trip Across USA?

[brigcampbell]

Is that the Columbia river?

[Jeff_Twersky]

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@Terry H a r r i s

A little-known gem sits in southeastern Washington. The Palouse Falls State Park.

Palouse Falls State Park Heritage Site | Washington State Parks

A pic I took when I visited the place a few years back.

I’ll show that to my daughter. She goes to school in Walla Walla.

[Jeff_Twersky]

@brigcampbell

Is that the Columbia river?

The Palouse River, feeds into the Snake River.

Thanks for the Lewis and Clark suggestion.

[Scott_Tallman]

@Jeff Twersky

Too bad the Backyard Brawl is no longer. First one that I remember seeing was in '63.

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh. I rafted the New River Gorge quite a few times when I was much younger. Beautiful place, but unfortunately that will not be on this itinerary. I’ll tell Emma that she should think about rafting there this summer, though.

Planning this has brought back memories of my road trips when I was a teen, as well. I may go back to some of those places I haven’t seen in more than 40 years. Truett’s mention of Independence Pass brought back some great memories.

I was born and raised in Morgantown so a hatred of Pitt is in my blood, although I don’t feel as strongly as many of my fellow Mounties. The continued league expansions in college athletics are causing may of the great regional rivalries to go the way of the passenger pigeon. I do hope WVU and Pitt can rekindle the Backyard Brawl on annual basis, but am not going to hold my breath. I also wish we’d play Penn State again - I was at the last game we played against them in the early 90s.

As for your trip - my only other suggestion is SE Utah. Beautiful driving and many great places in and around Moab - Arches and Canyonlands particularly. Then you could hit I-70 and see CO National Monument and the rest of the great CO suggestions.

[Jeff_Twersky]

Our friends own a B & B in the Valley of The Gods, so we have spent a lot of time in S. Utah. Love that area but we’ll bypass it this time for places that Emma has not been. Independence Pass brought back a flood of memories from my teen years.

Good idea, though. An incredible part of the country.

[Terry_H_a_r_r_i_s]

@Jeff Twersky

@brigcampbell

Is that the Columbia river?

The Palouse River, feeds into the Snake River.

Thanks for the Lewis and Clark suggestion.

That same day my daughter and I stopped in to see the Palouse Falls, we began the morning in Missoula MT, headed south for a short jog and then started west on Highway 12, tracing Lewis and Clark, across Idaho. As Hwy 12 enters Idaho from Montana it’s not long before you pick up the Lochsa River and you follow it for some time to its confluence with the Selway River, at which point they form the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River. You then follow that Middle Fork of the Clearwater River for many more miles, which in turn becomes the Clearwater River for many more miles, ultimately dumping into the Snake River at Lewiston/Clarkston. It’s one of the longest, prettiest, “river” drives I’ve ever taken. Traffic moved nicely on Hwy 12. Very scenic. Lots of these really neat foot bridges across the Lochsa River, all along that portion of Hwy 12.

[Terry_H_a_r_r_i_s]

The Palouse River, as it flows away from the falls and on its way to the Snake River.

[Terry_H_a_r_r_i_s]

I really like Montana, too, and every time I’ve driven that state I’ve loved the drive. There’s always the Wedding of the Waters, or Gates of the Mountains (the Missouri River, just outside of Helena)