Our next jaunt accros the States.

Since we've retired we've planned to do at least one overseas trip every year.
Last year we 'did' Scotland, and were planning to 'do' the Orkney Islands this year...there's an awful lot of history there, a lot of it from 2,500 years ago.

But a month or so ago when we started looking to organise it, found we'd left it too late!
The Orkneys are relatively small, and you can't just bowl up expecting to get a bed; all accommodation for the tourist season (August / December) has to be booked at least twelve months in advance.
Bugger!

Back to the drawing board.

So...it was mooted we do another USA trip, this time from Oklahoma, perhaps Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.

The last trip we did (Route 66,) around 60% of it was from ideas we'd gleaned from you guys on CHR; you fellas know your own country better than we do.

With that in mind; anybody got any bright ideas about 'must see' museums and points of interest along the way?

Thanks.

jb and She Who Must Be Obeyed.

If you're going to be in Indiana, I would urge you to make the U.S. Nationals event at Indianapolis.....
"Highlighting the schedule once again in 2015 will be the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, the world’s most prestigious drag race, at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, Labor Day weekend, Sept. 2-7."

.

Have you bracketed the timing of the trip yet, and is there a particular focus for this trip? Are you wanting to see automobile & transportation related things, or US history since you're heading to PA/NY and the cradle of democracy?

The timing will be (approximately) 22nd August to 26th September.

We're interested in machinery of all shapes, sizes, and types; from the old single cylinder 'hit and miss' stationary motors through hot-rods to trucks and agricultural machinery of most types.

I've spent all my life driving (and owning,) trucks of all types, I've driven (and owned,) bulldozers, tractors, and drain-diggers too. (Tracked back-hoes I think you call them.)
Aviation and nautical are about the only fields of machinery we've not been involved with.

We also have an interest in history, from the stone age (hence the interest in the Orkneys,) through to the fifties and sixties.

So museums in general are high on our priority list, as well as car / machinery collections and events.

SWMBO enjoys department stores and fabric / clothes shops. (I sit in the car with a book.)

Scenery too comes into the equation...but not so much if I have to walk too far! I'm old and fat and lazy.

So our interests are pretty broad...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rspears

heading to PA/NY and the cradle of democracy?

---

I take it you're being facetious?

Didn't the ancient Greeks and Romans have some input into democracy too?

And wasn't New Zealand the first country to introduce Universal Suffrage?

:) :) :)

Here's one you can check out Steam-O-Rama | September 11th – 14th 2014
If you travel on I-70 through Illinois and Indiana be prepared for for road construction mainly in Illinois though I-70 through Indianapolis is a mess and after this harsh winter it wouldn't surprise me if there was major road work in that area.
When you go through Ohio I-70 passes through the northern part of Dayton and Dayton was once a leading manufacturing center, Delco-Moraine,NCR (National Cash Register), printing and tool and die. This will tell you more Home - Dayton History
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is also right off I-70 at Dayton and it has a large museum of vintage aircraft and it's my understanding that it contains artifacts from Roswell, N. M. though I doubt they are on public display. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base - Home
Most of The National Road (US 40) still exists through much of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois and though not as famous as The Mother Road (Route 66) it is rather quaint and in much better condition than Route 66. National Road - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John if you can back it up a week til after Labor Day(last summer holiday and school start ) , you will miss a lot traffic on the roads and still have good weather plus won't be so hot as end of August--------
I had written out a pretty good scenero yesterday but couldn't get it posted before site crashed-------I'll try again later

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by johnboy

I take it you're being facetious?

Didn't the ancient Greeks and Romans have some input into democracy too?

And wasn't New Zealand the first country to introduce Universal Suffrage?

:) :) :)

---

Probably should have clarified it's the cradle of our democracy. Put into perspective, we only have about 250 years of history free of British rule, and only about 500 years from the first non-native Americans setting foot on the soil so we're the kids on the block....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rspears

Probably should have clarified it's the cradle of our democracy. Put into perspective, we only have about 250 years of history free of British rule, and only about 500 years from the first non-native Americans setting foot on the soil so we're the kids on the block....

---

To use 34_40's term: 'I was poking the bear.'

Thanks for the headsup...all food for thought.

I would second the motion for the Air Museum at Wright - Patterson, been twice and I could go back for more!
And the National Road was great too. If you're not in a rush it was a lot of fun to stop and see "stuff" along the way.

JB.. I've noted you are very good at "poking the bear"! Good Job! :LOL:

Start at Houston-Nasa
New Orleans
Mobile Al Battleship Alabama , submarine, CIA stealth plane(kinda like sr71)
Then North to Mongomery,Birmingham, Talladega(Nascar) Huntsville (space stuff) Nashville(Grand Ole Oprey) or
North from New Orleans up the Mississippi River to Mempis (Music-Blues Jazz) also Civil war battlefields then to Nashville
North to Bowling Green Corvette museum and factory ture on north Louisville and the n on to Indy for Indy 500 Museum then east toward Dayton Ohio for Wright Patterson Air Force Museum then north again toward Detroit for motor car stuff, east (maybe even thru Canada)toward Niagra Falls, further east toward Boston for all the early pilgrim stuff and the Paul Revere ride (visit cemetery) have some north atlantic lobster to compare with yours (could make the trip tax deductible??) then down to New York City for stuff there and on south Gettysburg battle field/cemetery, Philidelphia for Liberty Bell crack, side trip toAtlantic City(casinos/shows) then on to Washington DC, either by ferry boat or back tracking a little --------see the sites/museums/monuments----------then work your way down the east coast or go inland a little and do Applilation trail, blue ridge mountains, but work your way to the Kennedy Space center at Cape Canaveral, go inland towards Orlando for Disneyland and a little further to Ocala for Don Garlits Museum then soth on I 75 down the west side of florida to Naples and then east thru the Everglades over to Miami and maybe do some of the Keys but depart from Miami and on return toward home get stops in Rio , San Palo, Buenos Aires,Santiago,Chile and across lower Pacific homeward bound-----and leaving Miami, get a window seat so you can see Cuba-----I'm tired, must be jet lag

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 34_40

I would second the motion for the Air Museum at Wright - Patterson, been twice and I could go back for more!
And the National Road was great too. If you're not in a rush it was a lot of fun to stop and see "stuff" along the way.

JB.. I've noted you are very good at "poking the bear"! Good Job! :LOL:

---

Thanks.
I think. :HMMM:

And thanks people for the information.
I can see I'm going to have to spend some time sitting with maps and coloured pencils.
And please keep your thoughts and ideas flowing...there's no such thing as too much information; and it is appreciated

Sorry John but the Santiago to Auckland flights don't start til December-maybe some other place

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by johnboy

Thanks.
I think. :HMMM:

And thanks people for the information.
I can see I'm going to have to spend some time sitting with maps and coloured pencils.
And please keep your thoughts and ideas flowing...there's no such thing as too much information; and it is appreciated

---

Since you've already established that you plan to begin the "road trip" portion of your trip in Oklahoma heading towards the northeast you need to decide what regions of the widespread US you want to see. One could make the loop across Arkansas/Missouri, down through the central south of Kentucky, Tennessee, the Carolinas, Virginia, and on up; or one could head more northern towards the great lakes region, skirting Canada as you wander into the Boston/New Hampshire/Vermont area. For me, I wouldn't even think about flying out of New York, considering that you're on a road trip. Instead I would think about perhaps BWI, Philly, Boston Logan, or one of the other major hubs in that region. Just a thought, considering your love for huge metropolitan areas with skyscrapers....

Crikey!
I've printed off so many pages of info I had to replace the ink cartridges!
Good stuff people...thanks!

Here are a few things in our area you may want to check out if you want to come to Iowa since you didn't get up here on your last visit. Our state fair is going on until August 23rd, and is ranked 6th in State Fairs in the USA.

Fair Dates - Iowa State Fair

The strategic air and space museum is in Ashland Nebraska and is definitely worth the drive.

Ashland, NE | Strategic Air & Space Museum

Since you're into Ag and equipment you could cruise over to Moline Illinois and check out the John Deere world head quarters and take a plant tour.

https://www.deere.com/en_US/corporat.../pavilion.page

I'm sure you're getting info over load now. :LOL:

Heading through Missouri? Most have already been to Branson (appears that way in my home town as the summer traffic is all heading there) but its beautiful that time of year and you can see more museums, shows etc than you could see in 3 days, dip down to Eureka Springs Arkansas aka Lil Switzerland both are great drive and the scenery is awesome, Eureka isn't very commercialized like Branson. If you or the misses gets car sick nix the above and head up KS, but a bucket list for everyone ought to be the Speedway Motors Museum in Lincoln NE, the worlds supply of car everything is there, most of the floor in the 3 story museum is granite & marble so they can wipe the drool up easily! Best of luck Matthyj

Thanks for the input folks!
Sorry Mathyj and Ryan; but we're going the other way.

Due to what you people have told me, we've pencilled out a rough draft of our itinerary:

From Oklahoma on I 40 to Nashville and Dayton, on to Knoxville, then I 81 and I 78 to New York area, (which cuts out Indianapolis too,) but it's still just a rough draft at the moment, and subject to change and any time.

Dayton will give us both the USAF Museum and the Corvette Museum. Spend a couple of days there I reckon to take it all in.

25 Things to Do in St. Louis

St. Louis Car Museum & Sales - Home

Home - Kemp Auto Museum

Museum of Transportation - St. Louis

Home - city museumcity museum

I don’t understand your itinerary. It’s fine from OK City to Nashville on I-40 but then Dayton to Knoxville doesn’t make sense. From Nashville go north east on I-65 to Bowling Green, home of the Corvette museum, and from there to Louisville, home of the Kentucky Derby if you’re interested in horse racing, and from there you have two options. Going north on I-65 will take you to Indianapolis and from there I-70 to Dayton or I-71 from Louisville to where it merges with I-75 to Cincinnati and on to Dayton.
What’s in Knoxville? It’s the gateway to The Great Smokey Mountains and Dollywood is on the way to the Smokeys, but other than that I’m at a loss. There is a very nasty hair pin curve about in the middle of the Smokeys and the road will take you to the end at Cherokee, North Carolina and unless it’s changed over the years it’s nothing but a tourist trap.
From Dayton you would head east on I-70 and through a small portion of West Virginia to Pennsylvania . I-70 merges with I-76 just a bit south east of Pittsburgh and just a bit east of Bedford, Pennsylvania I-70 splits from I-76 and I-70 goes southeast toward the Washington DC area while I-76 goes east toward the NYC area. You will be at the edge of the Pocono Mountain range travelling through Pennsylvania and the scenery is gorgeous IMHO.
There are other routes but this keeps you mostly on Interstates. If you travel some of the back roads in Kentucky and Tennessee don’t be surprised to possibly seeing some older gentleman sitting in his rocking chair on the front porch with a double barrel 12 gauge shotgun cradled in his lap, ‘shine country, and it’s been my experience that their not real friendly either.
When you get the time go to Map Quest and bring up the Interstate system, it's fairly thorough.

Map scales can be a killer if one fails to note the changes in scale from state to state, page to page in the Road Atlas, and it can really screw up the plan - look at Delaware, Rhode Island or New Jersey and then Arizona, New Mexico or Texas! Consider that the combined North & South Islands of New Zealand are about the area of Colorado and it brings yet another perspective to the planning that's a mind game.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rspears

Map scales can be a killer if one fails to note the changes in scale from state to state, page to page in the Road Atlas, and it can really screw up the plan - look at Delaware, Rhode Island or New Jersey and then Arizona, New Mexico or Texas! Consider that the combined North & South Islands of New Zealand are about the area of Colorado and it brings yet another perspective to the planning that's a mind game.

---

This is one of the better maps I found MapQuest Maps - Driving Directions - Map

Google has the best mapping system generally available on line in the states, in my opinion.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NTFDAY

I don’t understand your itinerary. It’s fine from OK City to Nashville on I-40 but then Dayton to Knoxville doesn’t make sense. From Nashville go north east on I-65 to Bowling Green, home of the Corvette museum, and from there to Louisville, home of the Kentucky Derby if you’re interested in horse racing, and from there you have two options. Going north on I-65 will take you to Indianapolis and from there I-70 to Dayton or I-71 from Louisville to where it merges with I-75 to Cincinnati and on to Dayton.
What’s in Knoxville? It’s the gateway to The Great Smokey Mountains and Dollywood is on the way to the Smokeys, but other than that I’m at a loss. There is a very nasty hair pin curve about in the middle of the Smokeys and the road will take you to the end at Cherokee, North Carolina and unless it’s changed over the years it’s nothing but a tourist trap.
From Dayton you would head east on I-70 and through a small portion of West Virginia to Pennsylvania . I-70 merges with I-76 just a bit south east of Pittsburgh and just a bit east of Bedford, Pennsylvania I-70 splits from I-76 and I-70 goes southeast toward the Washington DC area while I-76 goes east toward the NYC area. You will be at the edge of the Pocono Mountain range travelling through Pennsylvania and the scenery is gorgeous IMHO.
There are other routes but this keeps you mostly on Interstates. If you travel some of the back roads in Kentucky and Tennessee don’t be surprised to possibly seeing some older gentleman sitting in his rocking chair on the front porch with a double barrel 12 gauge shotgun cradled in his lap, ‘shine country, and it’s been my experience that their not real friendly either.
When you get the time go to Map Quest and bring up the Interstate system, it's fairly thorough.

---

Ken: Thanks for your input.
That makes sense.
At the moment we're (read She,) undecided as to whether to head for Cape Cod as our penultimate destination; or go the other way to have a peek at the lakes area, before flying out of NY.
What would the panel recommend?

(Haven't had a chance to look at any maps today; we're hosting a neighbourhood get-together this evening and its been all go all day!)

Why are you stuck on flying out of NY? Driving to either of the major airports in NY (JFK or LaGuardia) is going to be the low light of your whole trip, and taking public transportation from the outlying areas will cost you dearly - think Auckland times six. I would strongly consider flying out of one other major airports in the NE region, like Boston, BWI, Philly, etc.

FWIW, those folks in the Cape Cod area, New England and especially Massachusetts, have a language all their own and are quite hard to understand.
Flying out of NYC sounds good to me, all of the major airports are a challenge though I found flying out of Reagan, DC, to be not as much of a hassle as Atlanta or KC.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NTFDAY

FWIW, those folks in the Cape Cod area, New England and especially Massachusetts, have a language all their own and are quite hard to understand.
Flying out of NYC sounds good to me, all of the major airports are a challenge though I found flying out of Reagan, DC, to be not as much of a hassle as Atlanta or KC.

---

Ken, I'm thinking of navigating TO the airport, not the airport itself. You've got miles and miles of very dense population to drive through, and for what I would consider zero benefit. They're flying from the east coast to LAX to catch their homeward ANZ flight. Why not fly out of a city that's not ten million plus people crammed into one of the most complex metro areas in the US?

I think a lot would depend on where the rental is turned in. Most of the large metro airports are a pain to get in and out of if for nothing else the sheer number of people in the area and yes a smaller hub would make more sense only if the had the necessary flights without stops with added delays.

John go back and read my post #12--------ForgetLAX you already been out there---------and after Nashville/ Bowling Green ( Corvette) gp on north to INDY----If you can balance out the trip timing.date to get there on Sat/Sun for qualifying at National Drags---I can probably get you access to a pit area hospitality -----from Indy ( also INDY 500 museum) east toward Dayton for the USAF then north to Detroit area,at west end of lake Erie BIGGGGGGGGGGG water park slides rides etc then east Niagra Falls east to Boston area for USA historic stuff, LOBSTER, Cape Cod, south New York

Johnboy, someone mentioned something about turning in the rental:eek:......am I naive to assume this trip is going to be made in the newly transformed Billings school bus???:D:D:D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rspears

Why are you stuck on flying out of NY?

---

That was mooted because I didn't realise there are other airports that could handle planes big enough to fly to LA!
I was thinking that the smaller regional airports would be about the same size as New Plymouth.
I tell ya; there's a whole lot I don't know about your country.
It's bloody huge for a start!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rspears

Driving to either of the major airports in NY (JFK or LaGuardia) is going to be the low light of your whole trip, and taking public transportation from the outlying areas will cost you dearly - think Auckland times six. I would strongly consider flying out of one other major airports in the NE region, like Boston, BWI, Philly, etc.

---

That sounds like a better idea to me.
Thanks.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NTFDAY

FWIW, those folks in the Cape Cod area, New England and especially Massachusetts, have a language all their own and are quite hard to understand.

---

Yeah...well...we'll be totally incomprehensible to them too then.
Kiwis speak an English language that is not always understood by the English...or the Americans! :HMMM:
Ask Roger!

But I'm a Patti Page fan from way back: "You're sure to fall in love with Old Cape Cod."
From that song alone the place has always intrigued me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by randyr

Johnboy, someone mentioned something about turning in the rental:eek:......am I naive to assume this trip is going to be made in the newly transformed Billings school bus???:D:D:D

---

Randy: the bus is now converted to rhd, and would be awkward to drive in right-hand-drive traffic, besides; last time we shipped it out of the States the shipping company lost it.
It turned up some time later in Singapore!
So I sure as shootin' don't want to chance that again!

John--consider other routings into/out of USA other than LAX

Air New Zealand has a promotion going at the moment that if we fly from LAX we get free flights to LAX from various points within the States, and free flights from Auckland back to New Plymouth.
We're going to see the travel agent today; hopefully we can avail ourselves of these freebies.

I love it when I can save (quite) a few hundred dollars!

Ok, I understand that line of thinking, but LAX isn't where you want to go and its 3000 miles from east coast-------------you have done Chicago to LAX ( rt 66 ) trip and your $$$/Mile/day might be more economically spent by flying to a point more toward the area you haven't seen--
Houstain Intrenational will get you an arrival point near NASA headquarters and after your journey east/north from there you could swing south and leave from many international east part of USA , even as far south as Miami, Fl and make a couple layover stops South America before west to New Zealand--------Maybe I should think about being a travel agent? not with internet cheap flights UGGG

Air NZ doesn't fly direct to Oklahoma City, and although Ok City is not our destination itself, we have many friends we made in Perry and Billings Ok, the area the bus serviced in it working life, and we wish to play catchup with them.
Also; the fella that drove us over most to Rt 66 last time has agreed to chauffeur us again this time.
He and his missus are a very nice down-to-earth couple, and very easy to get on with.
Neither of them are pretentious; nor do they throw hissy-fits!

So that's why we'll fly in to Ok City.

We've been to see the travel agent this morning; and it appears that we can fly out from San Francisco on our return to God's Own and still take advantage of the cheap internal flights.
So that's what we'll do,
Should be all good.

jb, we were typing at the same time! Did you settle on an east coast airport to get you back to San Francisco to catch your Air New Zealand flight back home?

We fly from Barnstable Hyannis airport (Cape Cod,) to Logan International airport in Boston, then on to San Francisco, from there to Auckland, and then to New Plymouth.
Let's hope our luggage keeps up with us!

I'm gonna be a cot-case when we get back home.

Good for nothing.

(Although there's some that would say that about me now!
Beat you to it 34_40, you bear-poker you!)