Tag Archives: road trip

Stopovers

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*This post is part of a series about a road trip completed in 2015. For the first post in this series click here.*

When I lived in Alaska, driving six hours from point A to point B without stopping seemed like the norm. There was beautiful scenery to look at and many animals to keep an eye out for. Nowadays, I find it difficult to drive such a stretch without stopping at least once. Perhaps the highways on the east coast do not provide enough visual stimulation to keep my interest. Or my stamina behind the wheel is waning, who knows?

I usually plan a stop in advance for most long car trips. For instance, my favorite stopover on my NC to DE trip is Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR just north of the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel. The refuge visitor center is secluded, offers a dog walking area, clean bathrooms and is never busy, unlike the highway rest stop less than a mile away.

Planning Stopovers

When I planned my summer road trip I wished to maximize the amount of time spent at my destination. This called for extended travel days at the beginning and end of my trip. I carefully looked for places where I could stretch my legs and get in a little bird watching.  Ebird was an essential tool in this part of my research. Their hotspot tool enabled me to find high-density locations nearest to my route.

Planning for safe highway rest stops with dogs is a little more tricky, but there are quite a few websites that provide listings for free dog parks and pet-friendly rest stops along the major US Interstates.

I wrote about my stopover at Mermet Lake WMA already, but I would like to share my favorite photo again, a stunning Great Blue Heron.

Great Blue Heron
Mermet Lake SFWA
June 2015

Unplanned Breaks

In the case of a road trip, it is always a good idea to keep an eye out for a great opportunity. Unexpected photographic inspirations or unique roadside attractions can pop up without notice. Sometimes traffic, or a lack thereof, allowed me to observe the weather or animals from the road without fear of causing an accident. I was able to slow down to a stop on the road or pull off on the shoulder to snap a few photos along the way.

The photos below were taken with my iPhone 5c. The photo on the left was the result of bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-70 in Missouri. The construction work never seemed to end. Occasionally a deserted stretch of highway would allow me to drastically slow down for a quick picture. The photo on the right is from Montana on the way to Devil’s Tower. I wonder if X marked the spot to something spectacular? 🙂

As luck would have it, I came across a small herd of Pronghorn on a secluded byway in northern Utah. Here I was able to stop in the middle of the road for 30 minutes to observe them without worry of oncoming traffic.

As a rule of thumb

  • Always keep a watchful eye on the rear view mirror and the road ahead. I usually check every few seconds. If you have multiple people in your car, designate the look out and rotate.
  • If I cannot pull completely off the road I usually put on a blinker or my emergency lights to alert other drivers.
  • Do not be rude to people who stop to ask you if you are alright (in fact thank them!). You would not want to discourage them from asking the next person who may actually need help.
  • Heed road signs that specify no pull-offs and minimum speed limits.
  • On most highways there are usually exits that would allow you to turn around every mile or so. Consider this rather than slowing down or stopping in heavy traffic areas.
  • If you know of a roadside photo opportunity in advance, consider using Google Maps and Street View to research potential pull-offs.
  • Be prepared for weird (or nasty) looks from passers-by. 🙂

Reminiscing: Road Trip 2015

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I never truly presented my thoughts, impressions and photographs from my 2015 cross-country road trip. At least not to the extent I wanted. In reality, I left little time for blogging while I was on the road. Wi-fi hotspots were few and far in between for the majority of my destinations. Cell coverage was deplorable; more about that later!

I wish to devote some time to a collection of posts highlighting destinations, lessons learned, travel tips and photography from 29 days on the road by myself with a dog for company. I hope you will indulge me:

The Whole Trip

In total I would drive nearly 8,000 miles, visiting:

  • 5 National Monuments
  • 4 National Parks
  • 3 National Scenic Highways
  • 10 National Wildlife Refuges
  • 2 State Parks
  • 3 Wilderness Areas
  • 3 Wildlife Management Areas

I hiked more than 40 miles of trails.

I lost 15 pounds on the trip!

Spent 2 nights in a hotel, 22 nights camping and 4 nights with friends.

Added 71 new species to my bird list.

Still wished I had stopped for that camel ride in Montana. 🙂

The Bare Necessities

The total trip costs less than $1800, making the trip come in at around $60 a day! Although, this includes some extra costs like a new backpack, some camping gear and a new tent mid-trip. Gas prices were averaging between $2.50-$2.75 per gallon, although gas around Yellowstone NP and northwestern Wyoming was a bit higher averaging $2.90-$3.10 per gallon. If gas prices remain low in the coming years, I would love to re-run a portion of this road trip!

I booked all of my lodging in advance through the respective state parks or on recreation.gov. While this may have been unnecessary for about half of my lodging options, not having to worry about whether a campground would be full when I got there was worth the effort. Many of the larger state parks and national parks allow reservations up to 6 months or a year prior to your selected date. While most leave some sites available for walk-ins, they are on a first-come-first-serve basis. Prior booking for Yellowstone NP-WY, Badlands NP-SD and Custer SP-SD was a wise choice as each was full when I arrived. On the flip-side, there were 2-3 nights where I wish I could have been more flexible and if I had the proper change, probably would have foregone one reservation to stay closer to one of my destinations (more on that later).

In the Beginning

The first planned stop of the trip was a guilty pleasure, of sorts. The Parthenon: in Nashville, TN. I never knew it was there until watching the first Percy Jackson film. It was in the back of my mind and since I needed to crash somewhere in TN or KY the first night, I though why not?

The full-size replica sits in Centennial Park, southwest of the city center. A walking trail encircles a small lake and the Parthenon. Given my arrival at 0630 in the morning, the park was quiet and parking easy to find off 25th Avenue. The numerous squirrels delighted Ari (my Ibizan Hound) to the point of craziness. I thought he would break off my arms! A few runners and bikers would pass us on our circuit. A brisk walk in the morning was just what I needed to gear up for a very long day of driving ahead!

Parthenon, Centennial Park, Nashville, TN