Stars and stripes
United States of America
United States of America
Stars and stripes
The second country on our trip consists of two parts for us – Alaska and the “rest”. The rest is called “The lower 48” in Alaska, meaning the 48 states south of Canada. Alaska has an immense importance for our journey, as it was crucial for the decision to make this trip along the Panamericana. The sign in Ushuaia, in front of which we stood in 2014 and which read that there were still 17,848 kilometers to Alaska, gave us this idea back then. What awaits us in Alaska? Salmon, grizzly bears, breathtaking mountain landscapes and the highest mountain in North America. We are curious whether all our expectations will be fulfilled.
It’s a different story with the “rest” of the USA. Here we agreed that we really just want to drive through. We have both been to the USA a few times and have already seen highlights like the Grand Canyon, San Francisco or Yosemite National Park. So we actually want to drive right through, to states that you normally don’t choose for a 3-week trip to America. North Dakota, Idaho, Wyoming sound less exciting than California, Arizona or Oregon. Eternally long straight highways through nothing, every now and then an intersection or a small town with a few motels and a diner, like in the movies.
Two tourist highlights are still on our wish list, Yellowstone National Park and the Black Hills. And after that it doesn’t really matter, Mexico in November is the destination. Due to the visa rules of the USA we would only have 4-5 weeks to cross. Let’s see how the red route line on our travel map will look like in the end….