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Aaarg · #1

the trip i'm planning will take me from northern virginia to northwestern oregon (portland area).

i'm planning on just kind of going quickly through everything east of chicago, and from there on out spending more time checking stuff out.

i'll go through the black hills and the badlands and the rockies and the cascades and finally get to the pacific ocean. then i turn around and do it all again.

i plan on doing a lot of hiking and wandering around on foot, checking things out. mostly sleeping in my car or in a tent, eating just enough to keep me going, etc. i guess every few days i might stop at a motel or something. i guess if a town strikes me the right way i'll spend an evening in a bar or something.

i don't know, i'll just kind of see how it takes me.

so what's worth seeing in lakota country and points west?

Esuohlim · #2

Go a little bit farther north and you can see Willie!

It gets you out of GW town that's for sure. Kill two birds with one stone.

Aaarg · #3

Maybe I was going there to kill one GW with two stones?

Mockery · #4

I never did the Northern route because everything I read and looked into made the Southern route seem a lot more interesting for a cross country drive. I still want to try the Northern one sometime though...

Aaarg · #5

I hope to one day follow the Appalachians south, drive across the southern US, through the southwest, and maybe up into the Sierra Nevada before returning.

There's a lot of this country I'd like to see.

Unlike your trip, though, my plans currently involve me going solo, and with a lot less money.

Mockery · #6

Well, at the very least I would suggest checking out the biggest ball of twin in Minnesota:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biggest_ball_of_twine

Weird Al even wrote a great song about it too (on the UHF soundtrack):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big...e_in_Minnesota

Aaarg · #7

Sadly that's probably about how exciting Minnesota gets.

(Not really, they gave us Fargo('s inspiration) and Bob Dylan!)

executioneer · #8

do the oregon trail, try not to get typhoid ;_;

WhiteRat · #9

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaarg

Sadly that's probably about how exciting Minnesota gets.

(Not really, they gave us Fargo('s inspiration) and Bob Dylan!)

Don't forget Prince.

Seriously though, if you want to see some amazing scenery (and don't mind detouring way up North), head up to Duluth and take the North Shore Trail, which wraps tightly around Lake Superior.

b_squared · #10

In Portland if you like gardens they have an awesome rose garden, and Japanese gardens.

They also have a few blocks of downtown closed off for street vendors selling all kinds of local arts and crafts (lots of cool stuff...not just knitted granny shit) If you have time head down to the beach. Cannon beach is beautiful and the town is nice to visit. If you head further south down the coast you can visit the Tillamook cheese factory. And you don't want to miss that.

Aaarg · #11

Well I do love cheese! I'll probably check out some gardens and stuff while in Portland, I don't know. I don't really like city things, too much. Do they have any decent museums out there?

Also I was considering Duluth because somebody I used to know lives there now, but then I looked at a map and figured that may be a bit too out of the way.

b_squared · #12

This is north of Portland (Washington State) but looks close enough to Cannon Beach.

Aaarg · #13

Sweet. I can't wait.

b_squared · #14

They have some great museums. Alot of art. I went to the science museum in 2007 because they had the "Body Worlds" exhibit there.
http://www.bodyworlds.com/en.html
Kinda creepy but interesting. Since the exihibit tours I don't think its there now. There is also alot of coffee houses that have local bands come in and play. I had to stick to kid friendy activities when I was there so alot of the fun stuff I did not get to see.

Aaarg · #15

I saw a similar exhibit in Pittsburgh one day.
http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/bodies.html
Yeah, pretty creepy.

Guitar Woman · #16

Portland sucks pretty bad ;o

SKY PISS AND METH ADDICTS, WHAT A GREAT TOURISM DESTINATION.

Cannon Beach is nice if the weather's decent. A little bit south of where the houses stop there are some great rock-climbing spots.

Also yeah don't miss the cheese factory.

Aaarg · #17

That's probably the first negative opinion of Portland I've heard.

I mean, I live in Washington DC suburbs, so I guess it can't be too much worse than that unless it's Detroit.

Guitar Woman · #18

I guess Portland's just as bad as any other major American urban center, but if I have to live in a violent, drug addled shithole I'd rather it be somewhere south where I'm not freezing my tits off every day.

b_squared · #19

There are alot of people on the streets strung out looking for drugs and cash,( what city doesn't) but I noticed it more in Seattle Washington than in Portland.

b_squared · #20

Just saw this about Portland:

Iditarod, Portland-Style
The Portland Urban Iditarod isn’t quite like the one in Alaska. … Featuring barking humans pulling shopping carts from pub to pub, this annual event (March 14) is almost as much fun for spectators as it is for competitors.