The 100 Best Affordable Vacations (16 page)

A trip shouldn’t be aimless wandering. It needs a goal, a purpose, an excuse to take you off the main routes and fill your mind with memories. Here are three ideas around which to structure a road trip.

Lake Superior Route.
Circle one of the world’s largest inland seas on a fascinating two-nation vacation that will cover more than 1,100 miles. Tip: Remember to bring your passport, as you’ll need it to reenter the United States. Going clockwise from Duluth, Minnesota, you’ll hit Thunder Bay, Ontario, home to one of the largest populations of Finns outside Helsinki. Have a bargain meal of Finnish pancakes or smoked salmon at the
Hoito Restaurant
(314 Bay St., 807-345-6323). You’ll love the lake scenery along the north shore, then stop to gawk at the giant Canada goose statue in Wawa, Ontario, and finally watch ships slip through the locks at Sault Ste. Marie. Back in Michigan, consider a side trip to car-free Mackinac Island, if only for free samples of fudge at its famous shops. Then it’s across the Upper Peninsula, with sites like
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
(906-387-3700,
www.nps.gov/piro
) and into Wisconsin, for a detour to the
Apostle Islands
(715-779-3397,
www.nps.gov/apis
).

North of Superior Tourism Association,
920 Tungsten St., Ste. 206, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5Z6, Canada, 800-265-3951,
www.lakesuperiorcircletour.info
.

Pacific Coast Highway.
This route can take you all the way from San Diego to northern California—and beyond. Pick a section or drive it all. Central California offers Santa Barbara, the unforgettable Big Sur coastline, and Monterey. You can get your fill of sightseeing at places like San Simeon’s
Hearst Castle
(750 Hearst Castle Rd., 805-927-2020,
www.hearstcastle.org
) and San Jose’s
Winchester Mystery House
(525 S. Winchester Blvd., 408-247-2101,
www.winchestermysteryhouse.com
). And everyone, it seems, wants to stop at San Luis Obispo’s
Madonna Inn
(100 Madonna Rd., 805-543-3000,
www.madonnainn.com
), many to take a peek at the waterfall urinal in the men’s bathroom.

North of San Francisco, you’ll find dramatic coastline at
Point Reyes National Seashore
(415-464-5100,
www.nps.gov/pore
) and fun strolling in towns like
Mendocino
and
Fort Bragg.
If possible, drive the route north to south, so you can have an unobstructed view of the ocean.

California Travel & Tourism Commission,
P.O. Box 1499, Sacramento, CA 95812, 877-225-4367,
www.visitcalifornia.com
.

Pony Express National Historic Trail.
Wending from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, this 2,000-mile trail passes through several distinct geographic zones: the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, the Salt Lake Desert, and the Sierra Nevada.

RULES OF THE ROAD

 Put someone in charge of music and bring plenty of it. If your car doesn’t have a plug for an MP3 player, get a radio transmitter. You don’t want to be stuck listening to the same CDs again and again and again.

 Bring a cooler packed with water and healthy snacks. But don’t neglect the unhealthy ones, too. Part of the charm of a road trip is nibbling on Swedish Fish, beef jerky, or boiled peanuts.

 Make plenty of stops. If a historical marker or an unusual store catches your attention, pull over and take a look. But limit your visits to obvious tourist traps. They can break a budget quickly.

 If you’re going to play DVDs for younger travelers, at least pack a few about the area you’re visiting. An educational video about the Oregon Trail has much more meaning when you’re actually driving the route.

 Pull over when you’re tired, or switch drivers. It’s not a race to a finish line. The going is the goal.

Pony Express riders typically covered about 75 miles a day—you’ll be able to do that before lunch, and still have time to explore the
Pony Express Home Station No. 1
(106 S. 8th St., 800-752-3965) in Marysville, Kansas; the original barn forms part of a museum open mid-April to October. Consider finding a motel in Kearney, Nebraska (rooms at the Microtel Inn & Suites run about $75; 104 W. Talmadge Rd., 308-698-3003,
www.microtelinn.com
) or keep going—you’re the driver.

You’ll want to hit places like
Chimney Rock National Historic Site
(308-586-2581,
www.nebraskahistory.org/sites/rock
) in Bayard, Nebraska, which once signaled the start of the wide-open frontier, and you’ll feel that way even now. Soon the flat plains will give way to Wyoming’s mountains. Plan to stop at the
Fort Laramie National Historic Site
(307-837-2221,
www.nps.gov/fola
), an early 19th-century former fur-trading post turned military outpost, and then make sure to visit the road trip icon,
Little America travel center
(Exit 68 off I-80, 888-652-9042,
www.littleamerica.com/wyoming
). Once just a giant truck stop, it’s now a destination itself, with a motel and restaurants. Rooms run about $80.

For a real adventure, detour on to Utah’s
Pony Express Trail National Back Country Byway
(800-748-4361,
www.byways.org/explore/byways/68993
), a route that traces well-maintained gravel and dirt roads across endless vistas of U.S. Bureau of Land Management property, skirting the southern edge of the Salt Lake Desert. Be sure to top off your gas tank before driving this desolate 130-mile byway. After that adventure you deserve a good night’s sleep. Head back to I-80 and West Wendover, Nevada, which has chain motels and a few casinos.

Stop next at
Sand Springs Station,
near Fallon, Nevada. Look for historical markers and ATVs climbing a 500-foot dune. Bunk down in Reno at a bargain hotel like the
Hawthorn Suites
(2050 Market St., Reno, 775-786-2500,
www.hawthorn.com
) for less than $70, or check for last-minute deals at a casino hotel. Before turning in, enjoy a memorable meal at the
Santa Fe Hotel
(235 Lake St., 775-323-1891), which serves Basque cuisine. A family-style lamb chop dinner runs $14.

Now, it’s on to California and
Old Sacramento
(916-442-7644,
www.oldsacramento.com
), where you can commemorate your journey with a photo in front of the Pony Express Statue at Second and J Streets.

Pony Express National Historic Trail,
324 S. State St., Ste. 200, Salt Lake City, UT 84111, 801-741-1012,
www.nps.gov/poex
;
XP Pony Express Home Station,
www.xphomestation.com
.

see new york on the cheap

NEW YORK CITY

And New York is the most beautiful city in the world? It is not far from it.

—
ESSAYIST AND POET EZRA POUND, “PATRIA MIA” (1912)

18 |
New York is the city that best captures America’s go-go spirit. And not surprisingly, it also ranks as one of the country’s most expensive destinations—but it doesn’t have to be. Many of its less known attractions are cheap or even free. So is walking the streets—as long as you keep your wallet securely in your pocket. Here are some favorite New York values: