Hey Aussie,

I want to do the same just in Australia.

Starting out in Perth.

Any tips ?

If you end up in MN, consider avoiding chicago, checkout some of the great lakes. From st paul, can drive across Wisconsin to Upper Michigan. Copper Harbor has great mtb trails...and cross the UP either to the soo locks into canada, over to niagra, or, down the traverse city michigan, and sleeping bear dunes.
Last year some days were bad due to smoke from wildfires out west, even in the midwest.

And if you checkout yellowstone, consider a few days in Grand Tetons. Consider getting a paddle board to checkout some of the alpone lakes. Also an option if you go up to yosemite and glacier national park in montana.

Utah national parks should not be missed. Zion, angels landing and the narrows.

Having raised a couple Aussies, they can be a handful, especially when young. But I think frequent stops so that they can run and pee and shit would be enough.

Personally, I have driven Mich, to Washington twice, and spent 2 weeks in Alaska. At some point in a trip, you can only look at so many arrangements of dirt, sky, water, plants and tree. Which is why when I plan these grand trips, you need to mix it up. I don't think there is much Unique enough to spend the time in Mich. (this from a life long Michiganian) Sure there are beautiful places to be and live, but in an trip around the country, there isn't something that just stands up as truely awesome / memorable.

It's part of the fun / puzzle creating a 6 month vacation, Sure you could spend 6 months, just in the Rockies, and probably still not see everything, and for some people that would be fun, but you wont get the whole sense of America. So to say it again, it really depends on what you want to get out of the trip, is this the only time in the country, is this a long scouting expedition to find places you want to come back to for a a couple of weeks? etc..

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Just Triing
Triathlete since 9:56:39 AM EST Aug 20, 2006.
Be kind English is my 2nd language. My primary language is Dave it's a unique evolution of English.

Be aware that driving from Vancouver to Alaska is not a short trip. I would be interesting, pretty wild for lots of it, but likely take you 4-6 days to complete. You seem to like driving, so that might not be an issue. You could do it faster, but might end up with some LONG driving days. I know you have six months to burn, but Alaska would likely be a full two weeks of that.
If you do go, it will be rainy up until late May. You could come back a bit further west on Highway16 via Prince George and do the Jasper-Banff highway. It is stunning. Go through Calgary, and back into the US via Glacier National Park, and then down to Yellowstone.

If it was me, I would go see Monty for a bit. Put a face to the name. Take the 101/I5 north up to Olympic National Park. Stop in Sonoma/Napa for few days on the way by. Maybe see a Mariners game in Seattle. East to Glacier, south to Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Utah (Bryce,Zion). Love it or hate it, everyone should see The Strip in Vegas once in their life. Then wherever from there.
I like the eastern states. There was a suggestion about the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky which I will second. Go to Cocoa Beach Florida for a rocket launch and hope for some surf-able waves. Back west along the Gulf of Mexico. Stop in Galveston at Schlitterbaun.

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"I keep hoping for you to use your superior intellect to be less insufferable. Sadly, you continue to disappoint." - gofigure

Dav,
Respectfully - are you from Ohio?

I'll clarify my intent of mentioning the great Mitten state, of which I am a native Troll, and current yooper.

If, OP desires to get to East coast, my opinion, as one who drove route 66 in 2001, as part of american solar challenge, as a western michigan aeronautical engineering undergrad; chicago, and east of NM, route 66 can be skipped over.
Plenty to see east of MI, get up to NY, perhaps niagra, canada, etc. out to dc, down to fl coast in the fall. Or, down to Nola in the fall, when the weather turns back to good.

I get that the western natural monuments and National Parks must be a focus. But travel east of the Mississippi is a must, else it is not a complete visit and 6 months is more than enough time to see the US of A. St Augustine,Fl, Charleston SC , Williamsburg Va, old town Alexandria Va, and Boston have neighborhoods and museums that provide a colonial times perspective. The scenic byways of the Appalachians especially towards the end of the 6 months as the leaves turn color are inspiring and if a flavor of the home country of Australia is needed there are plenty of out of the way small burgs with pleasant cafes and museums.

When he told me the story I was gobsmacked. He just thought it was the obvious thing to do. It was the 80s. A different time I think.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

Theee things. 1) The Galveston Schlitterbahn is not as good as the one in New Braunfels. The Galveston park is really small. I also thought the South Padre location was better too. That’s no longer a Schlitterbahn though. 2) Schlitterbahn has really gone downhill since the death of that kid at the KC park years ago and the company's subsequent downsizing and sale. 3) Ironnerd is 60. Not sure how much a water park appeals to he and his wife. And a bonus point: Galveston is a fucking dump.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

I'm partial to the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest states. Get yourself an Annual Parks Pass, then get to driving. Any of the National Parks or Monuments will be worth the trip. If you're into baseball at all, especially minor leagues, there are teams all over the western states. If/when you need to make a pitstop in a city or town, aim for one with a minor league team and catch a ballgame.

You could easily spend 6 months never crossing the Mississippi river. No reason to go east, it's stupidly humid over there :-)

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The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

Ironnerd:

Definitely buy a US National Park Pass. Visit the big 5 Parks:

• Yosemite -- Hike the Valley, the Mist Trail, and in the woods for Sequoia Trees. Climb up Half Dome, take in all the waterfalls, and exit to the east through the Sierras.
• Grand Canyon -- Check out all the viewpoints. Hike to the bottom for a whole different perspective.
• Olympic -- Pacific Beaches, glacier lakes, mountains, rain forests, cougars, and more.
• Arches -- Delicate Arch is a beautiful hike and park is full of arches and other beautiful rock formations and wide-open vistas. Ride a mountain bike in Moab.
• Glacier -- Check out the Many Glaciers area and drive the Rising to the Sun Highway. Ride you bike when allowed. Lookout for the Grizzlies, mountain goats, and big horn sheep.

Also, look at all the other parks, monuments, and whatnot that make up the Parks system. You can climb up a Lighthouse and see where the first successful motorized airplane rides took place at separate sites all within the same morning in North Carolina.

There lots of hiking opportunities on The Pacific Coast Trail, The Appalachian Trail, and Continental Divide Trail, and even old train track trails coming together in the Midwest. You don't have to hike the whole distances, but you get to see some beautiful scenery away from the highways and freeways, all for free.

Drive through Monument Valley in northern Arizona.

Visit the wacky/tackey tourist stuff:

• Cadilac Ranch in the Texas Panhandle
• Corn Palace in South Dakota
• Museums of stuff you did know existed, with most in places you didn't know existed.
• Visit the Indiana High School basketball Hall of Fame in New Castle, Indiana that is beside the largest high school basketball gymnasium in the world.
• All sorts of money grabs of firsts, the biggest, tallest, smallest, and any and all sorts of things, found "just off the highway."

Experience Seattle. Arguably the prettiest city in the world when the sun is out. Visit the Space Needle and you'll see Mt. Rainer, The Cascades Range, Puget Sound, and more all at the same time. Enjoy the great vibe and food and entertainment. Ride the Ferries to wherever in the area.

Bring your gear and race in a small, independent triathlon. Volunteer in another. Feel first-hand how welcoming Americans are to others.

Ride the subway in New York City, The El in Chicago, and the BART in the Bay Area.

Visit old mining areas in northern Minnesota (iron ore), Colorado (gold, silver, copper, and more), in Arizona for metal ores and gems, and in Bisbee, TX.

Cruise on a boat in the Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri, or Hudson Rivers. Sorta like being on one in the Murray River back home.

Boat out to some of the islands: Catalina off the Southern California coast, the Manitou Islands in northern Lake Michigan, Mackinaw Island in northern Lake Huron, of the 10,000 Islands in the St. Lawarence Seaway out east.

Go canoeing in the Boundry Waters (BWCA) of Northern Minnesota or use a power boat in Voyageurs National Park (sorta) nearby. Or visit lakes in Minnesota (there's over 10,000 of them) or possibly prettier ones in Michigan or Wisconsin.

Visit the wine areas in Northern California, eastern Washington, southwest Michigan, the Fingers Region in New York State. Compare to OZ.

Listen to FM AND AM radio to get a sense of the country's politics, religion, agricultural, and more influences through the different parts of the country.

Check out any or all the war memorials in any small town in the country where they honor those who served in various wars with many making the ultimate sacrifice for their country, and others including Australia in WWII.

Attend small town holiday parades for Memorial Day in May, the 4th of July, or Thanksgiving Day in Nov. Alternatively, attend parades for special seasons/occasions including whatever small-town festival or homecoming event is happening. That's the real Americana.

Participant in a State Fair. Iowa and Texas are huge, but any state will do for the uniquely American experience.

Bill Bryson got an earlier shout out for Australia feel. He also wrote two good books worth buying for American walkabouts and driveabouts: "The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America" and "A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail", to get a feel of away from the city America. (and in the spirit of Bill Bryson, I wrote a book about a triathlon journey in all 50 states that may provide you with some additional ideas about what to experience during visit here: "Triing: A Journey of discovery, challenges, and camaraderie while racing in 50 states and the continents beyond" Available on Amazon).

And just maybe, grab some grub at a small-town store and head to the local city, county, or park/forest preserves. Eat, walk, listen, dream, fall asleep for one of the most relaxing, cheap, and delightful days of your journey.

And finally, as long as your spending money into the country's economy and not causing any issues, there's no need to apologize as you will be a net positive for the immigration and homeless metrics.

Well, except to come visit Music City. I'll take him out on the town.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Go to Burning Man!

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Eliot
blog thing - strava thing

skip Oklahoma if possible. That said, if you happen to go through Stillwater, OK, LMK.

Try to be in New England in the fall. If you come to Maine, go farther north than Portland. Even a little up the road to Freeport you could do a little hiking; Camden has nice hiking and doesn't add a lot of time if you've made it this far.

Others are correct about Utah.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

I don't see the point in crowds and kitsche....

1) Don't go to any tourist attraction during peak season.

2) Don't go to any tourist attraction that isn't a genuine interest.

3) Don't stay in RV parks or private campgrounds.

4) Avoid National park, National Forest and State Parks on the weekends.

5) Linger on the back roads and small towns- in the darkness. (See image below)

6) Venture into the light only on a mission.



https://images.app.goo.gl/WNXFsmTWGQAkofj97

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/

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Proud member of the MSF (Maple Syrup Mafia)

I will bow to your knowledge on the quality of the locations (never been, want to go), but...I'm not far from 60, and I still like waterslides. Who says he isn't young at heart?

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"I keep hoping for you to use your superior intellect to be less insufferable. Sadly, you continue to disappoint." - gofigure

Check out these unlikely gems. Pure American beauty.

https://www.unlikelygems.com/

I’m not sure that works.

https://www.instagram.com/...rce=ig_web_copy_link

I don't know if it was said before but I'd put Jasper and Banff on the list. Also...reservations can be hard to get unless you book months in advance, but if you can be flexible and arrive mid week the parks that aren't super busy (so...not Yosemite) will usually have non-reserved (first come first served) slots.

If you need a break from the RV, Tu Tu’ Tun Lodge in Gold Beach Oregon is a very relaxing place with fantastic food and wine. And a gorgeous location.
https://www.tututun.com/

After the Olympic Peninsula, Seattle, head across I-90 to Cle Elum and up 97 over Blewett Pass to Leavenworth/ Wenatchee. Up to Lake Chelan and across Highway 20 the North Cascade Highway through Winthrop. Continue on to I-5 and up to Vancouver and Whistler. The Sea to Sky Highway is spectacular. Yeah, I kinda really like the Pacific Northwest!
You will have an awesome adventure!!!!

You're lucky HUAC is defunct with that un-American attitude.

I didn't go to a water park til my mid-thirties....you can bet your ass I'll be going in my 60's

For route planning the best app is RV Life Trip Wizard. It will give routes based on the size of your motorhome. It has information and reviews on thousands of campgrounds and RV parks. It shows many points of interest and gas stations. It is not a free app though.

Next would be RV Parky. It’s free but limited. It was some of the features of Trip Wizard but reviews are less plentiful and sometimes outdated.

You already got lots of ideas of places to go. Getting a campsite is not as easy as just showing up. Many places, especially near major attractions will require reservations.

Driving a motorhome is not like driving a car. They’re taller, wider, longer and weigh more. Depending on length you may need to know about tall swing and allowing more space when turning so you don’t run the middle into curbs or rocks.

You’ll need to know how to hookup all your utilities. I highly recommend an inline water filter to keep bad stuff out and a pressure regulator may be needed in some campgrounds. Disposable gloves are good when emptying your sewage tanks.

Join irv2.com and ask questions there as well.

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Don

Tri-ing to have fun. Anything else is just a bonus!

I have driven west to east twice when my children were teenagers. Driving around Australia is something I will do when I am older.

My only advice would be to consider buying a 4 wheel drive as many of the sites are on unsealed roads.

My first AirBNB in LA I mixed up the last two numbers of the address. I could not work out why the code for the lock box was not working. Luckily no one was home.

We are not going to tow a vehicle. Will buy ebikes if we need them. We plan to boondock where possible to reduce the cost.