Colorado Cops

We arrived in Denver after camping the previous night in a national park. We had a quick walk around the city before deciding we were going to see a movie that night, while sampling some of the local legalised agriculture.

After the movie we were both relatively tied and decided to have an early night in the van. The movie car lot was reasonably large and empty, so we saw no harm in sleeping there for the night. Often in America if a lot is not available for boondocking it is well signed, this place was not.

At around 11 pm we saw a LED torch light shining through the front windscreen. I got up to see what the commotion was about, as I stepped out to be in sight of the passenger window I found two Policeman with their pistols aimed at me. Naturally in an attempt to not be shot, I put my hands up and opened the door. To my shock the leading cop said, "you scared the shit out of me", to which I responded the same.

He asked how many people there were in the van and if we were intending on sleeping here for the night .To which I explained our situation and also mentioned we were from Australia. The attitude of the conversation changed significantly from this point, he lower his weapon and exclaimed that he has always wanted to go to Australia. After chatting lightly for a couple of minutes, they asked to see out passports. Once our I.D. was verified, he explained that in the part of Denver we were parked in, was in fact Sheridan city, in this small 2 square mile area it was actually illegal to boondock, due to a much higher crime rate. We apologised and said we are happy to move, to which they responded that they were the only city police on duty in the area that night and we could stay.

They continued to ask about the trip; where we had been and where we were planning to go next. Even making sure we had not missed certain hot spots.

We shook hands and parted ways, our only regret being we didn't get a picture of a fake arrest.

Highs and lows

Having spent a lot of time in the city on the journey down to Texas we were in need of some outdoor relaxation. 

We headed down to the boarder of Mexico, where Big Bend National Park was located. The Park has many hikes, camping options and canyons. It also is the home to mountain lions and black bears (which we unfortunately didn't see).

By the time we reached the Park there were no vacant campsites. You can make reservations at state and national parks. For state parks the norm is two days in advance and national parks is four days. This requires planning, which we could not manage. We decided to do a hike and much to my disgust, Mark chose the highest peak.

Having completed our sweaty 16km hike. We headed to the Study Butte RV Park which was located just outside of Big Bend. Arriving to a mixture of locals and travellers enjoying a couple of cold cans, so we were naturally obligated to join. Even comparing sprinter vans with an older couple, eventually concluding that their factory build was slightly superior to our Boston build.

The next day we decided to find a change of scenery and headed North West, to New Mexico. Over the 516 Miles (830 km) we drove we saw a change in scenery and a dramatic drop in temperature. The previous day being 28 Degrees Celsius to our night in Santa Fe (New Mexico) being a low of negative one.

Guns and BBQ

Our first stop in Texas was Texarkana. There was presumably some dispute when naming this town, as the state line between Texas and Arkansas goes directly down the middle. We concluded that there was no leeway given by either side, resulting in the name being a mash of each state.

We were aiming for Dallas as our first major stop in Texas. When pulling into the city we noticed that there was a gun show on at the same time, so we naturally went in for a look. This was like nothing we had ever experienced in Australia, there were multiple people armed with their newly purchased firearms. Some choose to sling the firearms around their necks, others had holsters mounted on their person and some just had them shoved down their pants. All looking too prepared for a shootout. After a couple of discussions with some concerned Americans about Australia's gun restrictions and a reenactment of a Crocodile Dundee scene, we left.

The main thing we wanted to try in Texas was Texan style BBQ. The meat is slow cooked over a wood smoker often for upwards of 5 hours before serving. All products are served fresh daily. When entering the quantities of meat are ordered in pounds and then you order sides; coleslaw, beans, potato salad, green beans or fries. Depending on the actual place, your food may be dished up in front of you or it will taking to your table. Due to the food already being cooked there is a very small wait time and these venues cater for a lot of people.

For the week we spent in Texas we ate predominantly BBQ, ranging from our first stop in Texarkana, Fort Worth, Dallas and Lockhart. All of which was delicious.

State Park Camping

Over the next couple of days we made our way down south. We stopped predominantly in state parks, which have facilities such as showers and toilets, which are always a major advantage. This was a lot more relaxing than boondocking in Walmart car parks, as we would be able to have a fire and enjoy the nature (although often still hearing highway).

We would be 'dry camping' which meant that we didn't require hookups such as power or water, at the campsite itself. In our normally disorganised nature, we were not able to book on the state websites as they required a booking 24 hours in advance. Instead we would arrive and check the numbered campsites for any indication of reservation or current campers. Upon finding a free spot we would fill out the self pay envelop and pay the appropriate amount. For dry camping it was generally $14 US for the night, with an additional charge of $5 per person.

This is where we found that American camping was not like our previous experience in Australia. It was very uncommon for others to camp without hookups or erect a tent. The most common method was with a fully set up RV, housing the same comforts as a small home. Often packed so close to other "campers" that it created a small town.

In true capitalist nature this would end up being quite expensive for the families, probably falling just short of $50 a night. However, these are generally not the only costs. As you are not allowed collect firewood in the park, they would always have it for sale for a premium price. In one place we stopped you even had to pay extra to swim in the lake beside the park.

Lucky we were on the free side of the fence.

Although I am happy to point out the negatives, we always managed to "find" enough wood to build a fire and enjoy the environment.

Bloody Chicago

Over the next couple of days we made our way north to Chicago. Our major stops being Nashville (Tennessee) and Indianapolis (Indiana).

On arriving in Nashville we found that there was a college basketball tournament on. Making the city alive with human activity. After a lively night out touring many of the multi floored bars and venturing to the country music hall of fame the next morning, we went to Indianapolis.

Indianapolis was a very industrial looking city, with a factory almost in the heart. Here we went to the Supercross in Lucas Oil stadium. Which we saw more Monster Energy merchandise then you would hope to in a lifetime, but still had a very enjoyable night.

We booked into a hostel when we arrived in Chicago and then walked to get a much anticipated Chicago Style deep dish pizza. We ordered a medium size, as per the recommendation on the menu saying it would feed two to three people. What came out was monstrously of cheese, a biscuit like base, pepperoni and more cheese. This dish alone could be cause of Americas obesity. Upon finishing two pieces each we retired to the hostel praying to not suffer a heart attack.

The next day we went further into the city to see the famous Cloud Gate artist piece. Which has naturally been 'bastardised' by tourism and is known as the bean. After, we luckily secured the last spots on a Chicago crime tour which covered the lives and notorious activity of characters such as; Al Capone and John Dillinger. 

That night we headed downstairs to an Irish bar for a well deserved drink. We got talking to a local couple that recommended a range of activities of the following day and helped plot some of the remaining trip.

The next day we went on an architectural tour. This meant that we would take a boat up and down the river and also head out into the Michigan lake. This was a fantastic experience. Easily best way to see and understand the city's history; ranging from the fire, to the construction of the first skyscraper and the modern day architectural feats.

That night we saw an act called the Blue Man Group, originating in New York City, the act runs most night all year round. As they dictate in their TV advertisement, the act is fantastic to see, yet hard to explain. It comprises of three men painted/ clothed head to toe in blue. They would often beat drums and interact with the audience. Only ever stopping the show to shame members of the audience that arrived late. Which concluded a great show and a great couple of days in Chicago.

The Trek West to New Orleans

We headed west, as our next major stop was to be New Orleans.

Not wanting to rush too much we stopped in at various places on the way. Two of which were college towns; Athens (Georgia) and Auburn (Alabama). Perfectly lining these up with the weekend and also terribly with spring break. We toured the Auburn University grounds with a friend from Australia. Which houses an NFL stadium that rivals our professional facilities in Australia, seating over 87,000.

After departing from Auburn we headed down the coast to New Orleans. New Orleans was a strange place, kind of a mixture between Europe and America. One local even described it is as "a little third world, but it has its charm". Much like other large cities in America, there were countless homeless people and rubbish in the streets. The most lively area of the city easily being the French quarter, which has countless bars and food options, remaining active all day and night.

Bourbon street, New Orleans

One major advantage with New Orleans that we often found difficult in other cities, was there was a significant amount of free parking a short walk from the city. We stayed in a hostel, to socialise but being able to park closely is always helpful. We chose the front of a construction site, to blend in with our plumber van. We were greeted one morning by a curious construction worker, who wondered if we were indeed plumbers. After hearing the story, he concluded that we had found a perfect spot to park.

After a couple of fun days, we headed north again.

Brushing up on history

After leaving Philly we needed to brush up on some of our American history. When initially driving through Pennsylvania we stopped at the visitor centre. We received an overload of information but were highly recommended a visit to Gettysburg. So we plotted this into our trip.

Gettysburg staged one of the biggest and some say the most crucial battle of the civil war and of course the famous 'Gettysburg Address' by Abraham Lincoln. We settled in for an introductory DVD, narrated by Morgan Freeman (which was never going to be bad). The introduction then leads you to the Gettysburg cyclorama, which is a large painting of the battlefield, first popular in the 1800's. The painting itself weighs 12.5 ton.

One small section of the 360° cyclorama

We had a walk and read through the museum. Once we were informed and overwhelmed, we set off on the driving tour to see some of the famous battlefields. The whole experience took over four hours but it was well worth it. 

finishing the day with civil war inspired burgers and settling in for another cosy night in Walmart, once again reaching negative ten Celsius.

Having risen pretty early the next morning we made our way to Washington DC, stopping briefly at Cunningham State Park for a small morning hike.

For those who are unaware, Washington DC is absurdly expensive, so we decided to park outside the state, in Maryland. Thankfully there is a very effective metro, that will take you into the heart (for a fee of course). We spent the afternoon, walking around and observing Washington's must see attractions. Including but not limited to; the Washington monument, the white house, the Abraham Lincoln memorial and the Thomas Jefferson memorial. I say observed as we had reached our holiday reading quota the day before.

The next day we were back into the reading, visiting the Smithsonian Space and science museum and the Native American museum. Before promptly leaving Washington having become sick of the hustle and bustle of the city.

Initially we felt uneducated not understanding some of the history prior to the trip. However we soon learned that American's know very little Australian history or even cities, which put our mind at ease at a number of occasions.

Having seen a number cultural and historical highs, we needed to see some current lows so we headed to the strippers in a small town, Greensboro (North Carolina).