BBC - Travel - America’s best north-south roads _ Road Trips, USA
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Transcript of BBC - Travel - America’s best north-south roads _ Road Trips, USA
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7/31/2019 BBC - Travel - Americas best north-south roads _ Road Trips, USA
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16 May 2012 | By Ryan Ver Berkmoes, Lonely Planet
Go west, young man! This historic clich still resonates when it comes to road trips. But
whether it is bombing to San Franciscos Bay Area along the often dull-as-dirt I-80 or
trying to find traces of iconic Route 66 amid a tangle of bland interstates, the old
paradigm of thinking horizontal when planning a road trip is simply not the way to go.
Related slideshow: America's best spring drives
Many of the best and most interesting roads in the United States run north to south,
crossing the nations striations and taking you from northern weather and cultures to
entirely different ones down south. As a bonus, these roads pack a lot into routes thatare often shorter than the east to west standbys. For example, New York to San
Francisco is about 2,900 miles by the most direct route, the snoozy I-80. But Chicago to
Miami on the legendary US 41 through Memphis is only 1,400 miles -- and a thrilling
journey from start to finish.
Often overlooked, the old national highways (those with route numbers proceeded by US) offer some incredible north-south
journeys. At times the routes disappear under modern interstates but these are mere interruptions in authentic journeys of
discovery and adventure. Here are some favourites.
US 1 (2,400 miles)
One of the great American road trips, this fabled route starts at the Canadian border in Maine and goes all the way south to the tip
of the nation in Key West, Florida. Along the way it traverses 15 states, including 12 of the original 13 colonies. It hugs
Connecticuts shore, razors across New York City, crosses Washington DC and hits the old south at Richmond, Virginia. Its rural
meanderings in Georgia pass towns that have changed little in decades before it joins the balmy Atlantic coast in Florida andfollows the beaches all the way through Miami and on to the Keys.
US 41 (2,000 miles)
From the tip of Michigans Upper Peninsula, where Lakes Superior and Michigan bracket the road, US 41 follows the latter lake
down the coast of Wisconsin and into Chicago. There it veers southeast and wanders through the dense woods of Indiana and
Kentucky, which abound in pioneer sites, especially ones linked to Abraham Lincoln. In Tennessee, the highlight is Nashville, the
music city, before the road bounces down to Atlanta. In Florida, US 41 links the resort towns of the Gulf Coast before cutting due
east through the heart of the Everglades to Miami.
US 61 (1,400 miles)
From the lake-dotted prairies just north of Minneapolis-St Paul, US 61 follows the Mississippi River through Wisconsin, Iowa and
Missouri, where it passes through Mark Twain country in Hannibal and the urban pleasures of St Louis. Continuing south through
rural Arkansas and Tennessee, the route earns its legendary moniker the Blues Highway as it follows the sinuous course of the
mighty Mississippi through its namesake states Delta Region. Crossing into Louisiana, US 41 ends fittingly at the blues clubs and
other myriad pleasures of New Orleans.
US 83 (1,900 miles)
The sleeper of great US roads, US 83 is anything but a snooze, especially if you want hundreds of miles of driving through
wide-open spaces, little changed since the last Conestoga wagon passed through. From Manitoba to Mexico, the route runs
near-arrow-straight south through North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. The skies are big, the vistas wide
and the small towns offer respite from chain-filled interstate interchanges. In Texas, the beautiful Hill Country is a highlight before
the road hits the troubled yet fascinating Mexican border at Laredo and follows the Rio Grande River to Brownsville.
US 89 (1,250 miles)
No US highway hits more iconic national parks than US 89, starting with Glacier near the Canadian border in Montana. Hugging
the east side of the Rocky Mountains it passes Yellowstone at the Wyoming border and then drops down behind the iconic Grand
Teton. In Utah it passes the mineral-laced waters of the Great Salt Lake and in the south cuts between Zion and Bryce Canyon
National Parks. Over the line in Arizona is the biggest spectacle of all, the Grand Canyon. Although US 89 officially ends at
Flagstaff, you can follow its original route south through Tucson and Saguaro National Park to Nogales and the Mexican border.
US 101 (1,500 miles)
US 101 is easily one of the most famous American highways. The road starts on the Olympic Peninsula across Puget Sound from
Seattle. It then curves around to the Pacific, from which it never strays far all the way south. The views become spectacular at
WITH
Many of the best and most interesting roadsin the United States run north to south.
(Thomas Winz/LPI)
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7/31/2019 BBC - Travel - Americas best north-south roads _ Road Trips, USA
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Astoria, Oregon and never diminish as you pass the giant redwoods of northern California right through to San Francisco. Although
many people opt for Highway 1 south of here, staying with US 101 takes you through Steinbeck Country and Salinas and on past
the historic 17th-century Spanish missions that once lined the El Camino Real. At Paso Robles, hundreds of wineries vie for your
attention before the highway encounters the beautiful southern California coast and follows the beaches through Santa Barbara.
Further on it picks up the evocative name Hollywood Freeway and ends near downtown Los Angeles.
Web linkhttp://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20120516-americas-best-north-south-roads
C - Travel - Americas best north-south roads : Road Trips, USA http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20120516-americas-best-north-sout...
2 5/17/2012 4:13 PM