The BTW Resource Page

Books

Our local library was scanned from top to bottom. We read a lot of stuff, but here is a small list that we remember.

The Most Scenic Drives In America - Readers Digest (we are taking this along)
The New Roadside America - Doug Kirby et al (we are taking this along)
Tour Books for each of the states by American Automobile Association (www.aaa.com) (we are taking them along)
Coping with America - Peter Trudgil
On the Road, A life on the Road, Kuralt's America - all by Charles Kuralt
America The Beautiful - Readers Digest
The National Parks of USA - James Murfin
Roadtrip America - Jamie Jensen

Its kind of hard to remember all the books we read, but theres just too many of them around...

Internet Sites

This section is a the comprehensive set of web pages that we were researching as the story unfolded. Some of them were suggested by other folks. But we did take at least a peek at most of the sites. A small comment on the right says what we think of the sites. As all lazy folks, we were not zealous enough to write all the things that were going on in our heads. Thus the comments might be pretty stunted - however the list of sites is pretty comprehensive.

General Sites

www.statechamp.com Lists facts about states

www.gorp.com/gorp/location/us/us.htm Information on attractions statewise

www.gorp.com Great outdoors page. Real information about outdooring.Real nice site. Must explore it fully. Also has links to great sites

www.travelhealth.com Health related stuffon travelling...

www.roadsideamerica.com A list of off beat attractions... Yes its from the same publishers from the book

www.byways.org A list of byways searchable by state features etc These folks send you an US map about the bywasy listed.

www.lonelyplanet.com Lonely Planet guides to most countries.

www.americasbestonline.com America's Best Online - the best zoo -etc

www.travel.org Destination guides and information state wise

www.nps.gov The national parks site - has a comprehensive list of all national monuments in America.

Staying And Eating

www.hostels.com/hostels FAQ and guide to hostels across the world

www.hotelnet.com/v0000001.htm Travel-info. This site is being updated

Travel Tips And Safety

www.intellicast.com Weather forecasts for US cities

cdc.noaa.gov/USclimate United States Climate Page

www.artoftravel.com Art of Travel: from a book mostly on international travel. How can you keep yourself safe on travel...

freetraveltips.com/Index.html Free Travel Tips for all kinds travel

www.exitguide.com Free Hotel Motel Discount Coupons @ exitguide

www.exitinfo.com Free Hotel Motel Discount Coupons

www.grouptravels.com/usa_can/index.htm Very good travel info on USA and Canada. Has a good faq and set of resources.

Tripping Across America And Travelogues

www.koransky.com How did Andy Koransky do his trip across the USA? One of those no nonsense sites.

www.princeton.edu/~rcurtis/safeman.html + others Not much impressionalble.

www.math.grin.edu/~gay/roadtrip.html Travelogue: Road Tripping across the USA

www.roadtrip99.com Travelogue: RoadTrip 99

www.henrysworld.com/roadtrip Travelogue: Henry's trip across USA

www.roadtripamerica.com Travelogue: Road Trip America

www.ourtrip.com/travelogue/usa_index.htm Travelogue: at ourtrip.com

www.travel-library.com Travel Library lots of good travelogues. A must for any travel at all.

www.worldwander.com WorldWander destination guides

search.muzi.net/Travel/Travelogues/General_Information Muzi Net Information

www.americanroadjournal.com/MainPg/ARJMF.htm American Road Journal

www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Studio/8290/travel.html On The Road Again. Great travel advice.

Information On USA

http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/us.html USA in a nutshell from the CIA fact book.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/dest/nam/usa.htm The USA destination guide at Lonely planet. Good concise reading. Again a must for new travellers into the country.

Regional Destinations

According To State

In this section we list a set of destinations that we were looking at as we researched our route. The section is listed state wise. It contains destinations, scenic drives on and around the route we planned and not any of the other states

Pennsylvania: PA

Pittsburgh city

Ohio: OH

Cities Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus
Ohio Ballet (Akron)
Cincinnati Ballet (Cincinnati)
Polaris Amphitheater (Columbus)
Drive: Ohio River Scenic Route

Illinois: IL

Chicago city - waterways
Donley's Wild West Town (Union)
Raging Rivers (Grafton)
Illinois State Fair (Springfield)
Scenic Canoeing: Rivers - Fox, Kankakee, Confluence Loop
Drive: Shawnee Hills
Drive: Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Route
Drive: Ohio River Scenic Route

Indiana: IN

Amish Country
Haunted Castle
Marengo Cave
Drive: Ohio River Scenic Route
Drive: The Indiana National Road
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Iowa: IA

Bluffs Greyhound Racing
Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad
Ingersoll Dinner Theater
Adventure Land (Des Moines)
Walnut Creek National Wildlife Refuge Iowa
Drive: Loess Hills Scenic Byway, Grant Wood Scenic Byway,
Drive: Woodlands Scenic Byway, Western Skies Scenic Byway

Missouri: MO

St Louis city
Mount Pleasant Wineries (Mount Pleasant)
Kansas City
Missouri State Fair (Sedalia)
Mark Twain National Forest
Drives: Skyline Drive, Sugar Camp Road
Drives: Crowley`s Ridge Parkway, Great River Road

Nebraska: NE

Fort Niobrara
Soldier Creek
Chimney Rock National Historic Site
Henry Doorly Zoo
Drives: Western Trails Scenic and Historic Byway

Kansas:

Kansas State Fair (Hutchinson)
Dodge City - cattle town
Wiichita city - Museums-on-the-River

South Dakota: SD

Badlands National Park
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Wild Water West Waterpark (Sioux Falls)
Ranch Amusement Park (Black Hills)
Drives: Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, Spearfish Canyon Highway
Drives: The Native American Scenic Byway

Nevada:

Las Vegas
Good drive: Red Rock Canyon
Lake Tahoe
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Ruby Lake
Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge
Drives: Lake Tahoe Eastshore Drive, Pyramid Lake Scenic Byway

California:

Drives: Death Valley Scenic Byway (Rt 190), Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road

National Landmarks

Here is a list of United States National Landmarks. This list was obtained from National Parks Service. We then sorted out the stuff that lies in and around our approximate route. Its gross but gives a good comprehensive list. As always we are not sure what we will be visiting...

Note: The list is sorted on the state names on the right and then on the name of the area within a category.

Name of the Area                                  State 





NATIONAL BATTLEFIELDS


Wilson's Creek                                     Missouri      


Big Hole                                           Montana       


Fort Necessity                                     Pennsylvania  








NATIONAL HISTORIC SITES


Fort Bowie                                         Arizona       


Hubbell Trading Post                               Arizona       


Eugene O'Neil                                      California    


Fort Point                                         California    


John Muir                                          California    


Manzanar                                           California    


Bent's Old Fort                                    Colorado      


Lincoln Home                                       Illinois      


Herbert Hoover                                     Iowa          


Harry S. Truman                                    Missouri      


Ulysses S. Grant                                   Missouri      


Grant-Kohrs Ranch                                  Montana       


Fort Union Trading Post                            Montana-North Dakota


Knife River Indian Villages                        North Dakota  


James A. Garfield                                  Ohio          


William Howard Taft                                Ohio          


Allegheny Portage Railroad                         Pennsylvania  


Edgar Allen Poe                                    Pennsylvania  


Eisenhower                                         Pennsylvania  


Friendship Hill                                    Pennsylvania  


Hopewell Furnace                                   Pennsylvania  


Steamtown                                          Pennsylvania  


Minuteman Missile                                  South Dakota  


Golden Spike                                       Utah          


Fort Laramie                                       Wyoming       








NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARKS


Tumacacori                                         Arizona       


San Francisco Maritime                             California    


Nez Perce                                          Idaho         


George Rogers Clark                                Indiana       


Chaco Culture                                      New Mexico    


Pecos                                              New Mexico    


Dayton Aviation                                    Ohio          


Hopewell Culture                                   Ohio          


Independence                                       Pennsylvania  


Valley Forge                                       Pennsylvania  








NATIONAL LAKESHORES


Indiana Dunes                                      Indiana       








NATIONAL MEMORIALS


Coronado                                           Arizona       


Jefferson National Expansion Memorial              Illinois-Missouri


Lincoln Boyhood                                    Indiana       


Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial   Ohio          


Johnstown Flood                                    Pennsylvania  


Thaddeus Kosciuszko                                Pennsylvania  


Mount Rushmore                                     South Dakota  








NATIONAL MILITARY PARK


Gettysburg                                         Pennsylvania  





NATIONAL MONUMENTS


Canyon de Chelly NM                                Arizona       


Casa Grande                                        Arizona       


Chiricahua                                         Arizona       


Hohokam Pima                                       Arizona       


Montezuma Castle                                   Arizona       


Navajo                                             Arizona       


Organ Pipe Cactus                                  Arizona       


Pipe Spring                                        Arizona       


Sunset Crater Volcano                              Arizona       


Tonto                                              Arizona       


Tuzigoot                                           Arizona       


Walnut Canyon                                      Arizona       


Wupatki                                            Arizona       


Devils Postpile                                    California    


Lava Beds                                          California    


Muir Woods                                         California    


Pinnacles                                          California    


Colorado                                           Colorado      


Florissant Fossil Beds                             Colorado      


Great Sand Dunes                                   Colorado      


Yucca House                                        Colorado      


Dinosaur                                           Colorado-Utah 


Hovenweep                                          Colorado-Utah 


Craters of the Moon                                Idaho         


Hagerman Fossil Beds                               Idaho         


Effigy Mounds                                      Iowa          


Grand Portage                                      Minnesota     


Pipestone                                          Minnesota     


George Washington Carver                           Missouri      


Little Bighorn Battlefield                         Montana       


Cabrillo                                           NM-California 


Agate Fossil Beds                                  Nebraska      


Homestead NM of America                            Nebraska      


Scotts Bluff                                       Nebraska      


Aztec Ruins                                        New Mexico    


Bandelier                                          New Mexico    


Capulin Volcano                                    New Mexico    


El Malpais                                         New Mexico    


El Morro                                           New Mexico    


Fort Union                                         New Mexico    


Gila Cliff Dwellings                               New Mexico    


Petroglyph                                         New Mexico    


Salinas Pueblo Missions                            New Mexico    


White Sands                                        New Mexico    


Jewel Cave                                         South Dakota  


Cedar Breaks                                       Utah          


Natural Bridges                                    Utah          


Rainbow Bridge                                     Utah          


Timpanogos Cave                                    Utah          


Devils Tower                                       Wyoming       


Fossil Butte                                       Wyoming       








NATIONAL PARKS


Grand Canyon                                       Arizona       


Petrified Forest                                   Arizona       


Black Canyon of the Gunnison                       CO            


Channel Islands                                    California    


Joshua Tree                                        California    


Kings Canyon                                       California    


Lassen Volcanic                                    California    


Redwood                                            California    


Saguaro                                            California    


Sequoia                                            California    


Yosemite                                           California    


Death Valley                                       California-Nevada


Mesa Verde                                         Colorado      


Rocky Mountain                                     Colorado      


Voyageurs                                          Minnesota     


Glacier                                            Montana       


Great Basin                                        Nevada        


Carlsbad Caverns                                   New Mexico    


Theodore Roosevelt                                 North Dakota  


Badlands                                           South Dakota  


Wind Cave                                          South Dakota  


Arches                                             Utah          


Bryce Canyon                                       Utah          


Canyonlands                                        Utah          


Capitol Reed                                       Utah          


Zion                                               Utah          


Grand Teton                                        Wyoming       


Yellowstone                                        Wyoming-Montana-Idaho








NATIONAL PARKWAYS


John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway           Wyoming       








NATIONAL PRESERVES


Mojave                                             California    








NATIONAL RECREATION AREAS


Glen Canyon                                        Arizona-Utah  


Golden Gate                                        California    


Santa Monica Mountains                             California    


Curecanti                                          Colorado      


Bighorn Canyon                                     Montana-Wyoming


Lake Mead                                          Nevada-Arizona


Cuyahoga Valley                                    Ohio          


Whiskeytown Unit Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity        California    








NATIONAL RESERVE


City of Rocks                                      Idaho         








NATIONAL RIVERS


Mississippi National River and Recreation Areas    Minnesota     


Ozark National Scenic Riverways                    Missouri      


Niobrara National Scenic River                     Nebraska-South Dakota





NATIONAL SEASHORES


Point Reyes                                        California    








NATIONAL WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS


Missouri National Recreation River                 Nebraska-South Dakota








AFFILIATED AREAS


Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial      California    


Chicago Portage National Historic Site             Illinois      


Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor Illinois      


Chimney Rock National Historic Site                Nebraska      


International Peace Garden                         North Dakota-Manitoba


David Berger National Memorial                     Ohio          


Benjamin Franklin National Memorial                Pennsylvania  


Delaware & Lehigh Navigation Canal National Heritage Corridor Pennsylvania  


Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church National Historic Site Pennsylvania

BTW Tips For The Traveller

In this section we list a set of notes that we made along the way on our research. Reading through this gives one a perspective of how we went through. Also we expect that the notes will be of help for similar projects. Most of these points were jotted down when we were going through the sites mentioned in the section before.

A good idea to keep track of all the days - when driving we can update this. Should we go digital for this ? or just on paper.
Get AAA membership. Now !
Driving west into sunset can be a problem.
No grocery store for miles !! * Carry water at places !!
Park car only on firm groud - otherwise if it rains in the night it will get stuck by morning.
What is a solar shower ?? * Plan for bad weather - what do u do if you are stuck at a place though didnt want to stay there that long.
Do we need a smaller/simpler camera ? Related is do we need a nice backpack for our current camera ?
Keeping our cell-phone charged: is it a good idea to see the car adapter ?
Do we need a tarpaulin over the top of our tent to save ourselves from rain
You get to see/do/get better photos by getting out of the car
Try to get special photos - for example panoramic multiple pics.
Popular canyons have lots of visitors !! Bryce, Zion in utah for ex. At these places pick non-weeknds and non-holidays
Look for spcialities of the local place - book THe new roadside america might be helpful. For ex Museum of Questionable Medical Devices :-) http://www.mtn.org/quack
If you are sleeping in the car: with windows open mosquitos can be a problem. with windows closed suffocation. so we need to do something for that.
Mosquitos can be a problem in motels too - a good idea to have a Kachhua chaap agarbatti with us !!
Telling someone where you will be going and when is a good idea. If you are not in that area on time then things can be started... Its particularly easy to get lost in the desert.
We need to have a good compass * How to poop in the wilderness ? Check out for shitting stations where u go
Light coloured clothing help identify insects and ticks when travelling Also long sleeved and long legged clothing.
We will need telephone cards/access to call local chambers of commerce and then to call the bed and break fasts for stay. Cell phone may not work.
Getting internet access (for ex at a local lib) would be good. * Should we get a CB (citizen's band) radio ??
Econo hotels:

Motel 6: 1-800-466-8356
Super 8: 1-800-800-8000
ECONO LODGE: 1-800-553-2666

Get at least two pairs of goggles/Sun glasses - you will need them.
Becoming a member of a half-price club might save you hotel charges.

Entertainment Club 1-800-853-0539
Encore 1-800-638-0930
Quest 1-800-638-9819

There are also coupon companies look at

http://www.exitguide.com
http://www.exitinfo.com

Talk to locals/park rangers about camping sites.
Try looking at the yellow pages (both online and print) for hotel deals.
Carrying a survival kit when not near the car is a good idea - A pocket knife, matches, survival candle, trash bag, emergency poncho, a length of thin nylon cord, a space blanket, a whistle, and a couple of candy bars, compass, should be the bare minimum.
Learning about the local plants - what are edible etc - can help
Should we buy a lock for our CRV spare tire in the back ? Good idea.
Its a good idea to buy the National Parks Pass if we are planning to visit many national parks. Visit www.nps.gov for the same.
When driving in the sun, having a long sleeve shirt is a must. Or else you will sunburn your hands.
When you put things in the cooler put the ice in zip lock bags so that the water stays inside and doesnt dirty the entire cooler.
When you are travelling to remote areas probably taking a gas tank is a good idea. Also a can of water

Go Back

www.statechamp.com	Lists facts about states
www.gorp.com/gorp/location/us/us.htm	Information on attractions statewise
www.gorp.com	Great outdoors page. Real information about outdooring.Real nice site. Must explore it fully. Also has links to great sites
www.travelhealth.com	Health related stuffon travelling...
www.roadsideamerica.com	A list of off beat attractions... Yes its from the same publishers from the book
www.byways.org	A list of byways searchable by state features etc These folks send you an US map about the bywasy listed.
www.lonelyplanet.com	Lonely Planet guides to most countries.
www.americasbestonline.com	America's Best Online - the best zoo -etc
www.travel.org	Destination guides and information state wise
www.nps.gov	The national parks site - has a comprehensive list of all national monuments in America.

www.hostels.com/hostels	FAQ and guide to hostels across the world
www.hotelnet.com/v0000001.htm	Travel-info. This site is being updated

www.intellicast.com	Weather forecasts for US cities
cdc.noaa.gov/USclimate	United States Climate Page
www.artoftravel.com	Art of Travel: from a book mostly on international travel. How can you keep yourself safe on travel...
freetraveltips.com/Index.html	Free Travel Tips for all kinds travel
www.exitguide.com	Free Hotel Motel Discount Coupons @ exitguide
www.exitinfo.com	Free Hotel Motel Discount Coupons
www.grouptravels.com/usa_can/index.htm	Very good travel info on USA and Canada. Has a good faq and set of resources.

www.koransky.com	How did Andy Koransky do his trip across the USA? One of those no nonsense sites.
www.princeton.edu/~rcurtis/safeman.html + others	Not much impressionalble.
www.math.grin.edu/~gay/roadtrip.html	Travelogue: Road Tripping across the USA
www.roadtrip99.com	Travelogue: RoadTrip 99
www.henrysworld.com/roadtrip	Travelogue: Henry's trip across USA
www.roadtripamerica.com	Travelogue: Road Trip America
www.ourtrip.com/travelogue/usa_index.htm	Travelogue: at ourtrip.com
www.travel-library.com	Travel Library lots of good travelogues. A must for any travel at all.
www.worldwander.com	WorldWander destination guides
search.muzi.net/Travel/Travelogues/General_Information	Muzi Net Information
www.americanroadjournal.com/MainPg/ARJMF.htm	American Road Journal
www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Studio/8290/travel.html	On The Road Again. Great travel advice.

http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/us.html	USA in a nutshell from the CIA fact book.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/dest/nam/usa.htm	The USA destination guide at Lonely planet. Good concise reading. Again a must for new travellers into the country.