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).

Boondocking part one

Boondocking is basically the act of camping without amenities. There are many different terms including; independently parking and dry camping. This can be illegal or legal, depending on where you actually park.

There are a number of sites that put up information about areas where you can boondock without the possibility of being towed. One of these locations was Walmart. By what we found is you are able to boondock in the car park unless the car park was also servicing other shopfronts.

One major advantage we had from other travellers was that we had a plumbing logo on the side of the van from the previous owners. This we described as our 'perfect disguise'. Plumbers are known for working around the clock and if we were to be towed a variety of shops would have to contacted to confirm that we were not working. Even when looking in the windscreen, as long as the curtains were drawn, there would be no sign of a living quarters. Allowing us to push some already blurry lines.

The first night we stayed in a Walmart Supercenter car park, just outside of Philadelphia. This particular night snow fall was predicted and subsequently fell. We slept cold but well, only really disturbed by the snowplow clearing for the following morning.

Mattresses and bedding

Having completed the beds and over stayed our welcome in Boston, the boys were once again off.

We headed towards Philadelphia, which we had decided would be our next major stop. Prior to leaving Boston we had tried to purchase mattresses but were unsuccessful. Due to a slight restriction in height, the mattresses preferably needed to be around 4 inches thick. Having a brief look online we found a store, Mattress Firm, that had exactly what we needed.

We called a number of their locations on our drive to check that they had what we needed in stock. Eventually contacting a store that fulfilled our needs. We managed to get both queen mattresses and two pillows for US$280. The inquisitive manager and assistant even requested to see the van, to further understand how our trip was going to play out.

We reached Philly late that afternoon, just in time to sample a Philly cheese steak and make our way to Walmart (our soon to be favourite pit stop). Walmart has everything the heart desires; from firearms to cheese in a can.

Having already discovered it was going to be a negative ten degrees Celsius night, we knew we needed some warm bedding. Now, we can only presume that all American houses have internal heat, because their bedding does not allow for extreme temperatures. So we had to go for the 'quantity over quality' approach.

We often lost each other to a variety of Walmart attractions. Mark was often found in the gaming section enthralled in a game of Mario cart. Whereas I would just be lost in the magnitude of the store.
Nevertheless, we eventually got what we needed and headed back for our first van night.