If you had to choose a 2-3 state area to exemplify the great US outdoors and the most available Kodak moments for RVing which would you chose? Having RV’d in all of the states except Hawaii, I’d personally would pick MT, SD, and WY. Anyone have a different opinion?
I'd pick South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. Wonderful beaches and barrier islands (with warm waters), and the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive through the mountains.
We've only just begun our research...so: Utah was pretty spectacular Arizona: Canyons and the Colorado River California: northern coastal and redwoods Have yet to see MT and only saw one corner of WY. Will correct that this year! B)
One of our favorites is New Mexico. This state is so diverse--snow covered mountains, lakes and streams, deserts of just about every kind, rock formations like no where else and flowers in the desert of every color. Their State Parks are wonderful for RVers. We have never found a bad one. And 'there so place like home--Minnesota.' Forests with thousands of lakes for all sorts of recreation, The Port of Duluth is always a favorite of visitors, Lake Superior with scenic shores of trees, cliffs and water. In all honesty, every place in this country is beautiful in its own way, and is something we must preserve for the future generations.
QUOTE(stonybirch @ Mar 10 2008, 07:13 PM) [snapback]10672[/snapback] In all honesty, every place in this country is beautiful in its own way, and is something we must preserve for the future generations. Well said. Thanks
Not to take anything from any of the other great states, most of which we have not visited as of yet, at this point we are very partial to the Adirondack Park, a park of over 6.2+ million acres located in upstate New York, the states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, our first love, and the Maritimes of Canada.
I have been to most of the states, but not in my RV. Only RV'd in four states so far (California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho). I pick......... Utah for the spectacular National Parks (such as Zion National Park)...... and upstate New York in the Adirondacks. JJ
One thing I have noticed in our travels is the change in geography, vegetation, and wildlife that occurs within miles of a state border. These changes, in conjunction with the local culture tend to make every state unique. Some to many travelers who barrel down the interstate system going the speed limit, or faster, miss out of the beauty and uniqueness each state has to offer. It is this diversity that makes it a treat to us to meander thru all 49 states on the mainland, Canada, and Mexico. Hawaii too has some awesome sights, but a trip there for us is a different type of vacation sans RV.
I almost wrote Utah. Spectacular scenery. But then I thought, "Where else can I go that I can camp near: *The ocean *Pine forests *The desert *Mountains *Rivers All within a 4 hour drive of one another"? Gotta' give it up to Cali. CA, AZ and UT would be my 3. How could you top Yosemite, Sequoia, Lassen & Shasta, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Bryce, Zion, Arches, Canyonlands. (And those are just the big ones!!)
The place we like most in the US is the Oregon-Washington-Montana-Colorado area. The place we like least is in the northeastern United States. But, truly, everywhere in this great country is a good place if you're in an RV and enjoying life!
QUOTE(Joe-n-Doe @ Mar 11 2008, 07:10 AM) [snapback]10683[/snapback] Hawaii too has some awesome sights, but a trip there for us is a different type of vacation sans RV. At Life On Wheels last year in Moscow, ID, there was an RV there with HAWAII License plates. I thought of asking if the "Hawaii interstate" was completed, but found out that the owners stored it on the mainland, but they lived in Hawaii. JJ
QUOTE(DXSMac @ Mar 12 2008, 09:56 PM) [snapback]10709[/snapback] At Life On Wheels last year in Moscow, ID, there was an RV there with HAWAII License plates. I thought of asking if the "Hawaii interstate" was completed, but found out that the owners stored it on the mainland, but they lived in Hawaii. JJ Saw the same in Maine a few years back, was a surprise to see the Hawaii State license plate.
We have been to about all in RV and non-RV travel. All are great places to see and tour. Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, are some of our best inside 48. Hawaii we also love to visit for three weeks at the time them stop off in California and spend some more time on tour. Hard to find a place we do not like to tour. Each time we tour oversees we think, what did we leave the states for, we have it all right here.
For me, this is probably the toughest question (that I am qualified to answer) I've seen in this forum. I read the original question as asking for 2-3 "contiguous" states. The problem that this presents for me is that I cannot seem to not start with Wyoming - Yellowstone with its waterfalls, mountains, and geothermal features is is unique in the world, not just the U.S. Then there is the "Kodak moments" requirement which, to me, eliminates most of the country east of the Rockies. Upstate NY, northern New England, and the Appalachians (especially the Blue Ridge and Smokies) from Maine to northern GA are beautiful but not as spectacular as the Rockies, Sierras, or Cascades. The upper midwest and the south have some areas with rolling hills and forests but these are not Sequoias or Redwoods. To me, only Maine has a scenic coastline on the Atlantic or Gulf Coast. A beach is a beach. Most of our Pacific coast is much more picturesque. Although they have their good points, the states from ND down to Texas are called the Great Plains for a reason. Back in the 80s and 90s when I took alot of pictures, I would take hundreds of shots of scenery during trips out west compared to, at most, dozens on trips east, north, or south. Meanwhile, back to trying to answer the question. As much as I enjoy the Pacific Northwest, the mountains of CO, NM, ID,and MT, and agree that CA has almost everything, I'll go with WY for Yellowstone, UTAH for the geological formations, and AZ for the Grand Canyon and mountain/desert landscapes. I just realized that NV never came into consideration. I've been to Vegas and travelled across the state on both U.S. 50 (The Lonliest Road in America) and I-80, but it is a desolate beauty that just doesn't rank up there with the other western states' scenery. Like I said - tough question. To repeat my vote - WY, UT, and AZ for their many and varied natural wonders. Although they have no "coastlines", they do have shorelines (Lakes Powell and Mead.
