From Los Angeles to Nebraska in three days
There are routes by car in the United States that you cannot miss, such as the famous Californian highway "1" that takes us from San Francisco to Los Angeles touring mythical cities like Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo and with landscapes worthy of admiration such as those offered by big sur . The routes by car in the United States, along the east and west coast, are the most visited by all tourists. What is hidden inside the country? To find out, we plan a trip in which we will visit more than 2,400 kilometers in three days . If everything goes well, as a reward, on the way back we will take a plane that will take us back to the city of departure: The Angels.
The plan is to take the road and blanket, to venture on a trip in which only the route is planned. Along the way we will choose scenery, roadside motels and lunch spots almost randomly.
** PREPARATION: **
- Beware of the seasons of the year. We have chosen a difficult season to make this journey. While it's easy to walk California from north to south practically all year round thanks to the climate, Entering the center of the country can become quite an adventure if you don't choose the right route. First, make sure It's not tornado season which are common during spring in these central states. Moving on to another level of less extreme weather, we must take into account The snowfall that occur during this time of year. For this reason, we will avoid reaching Nebraska through the Northern States and we choose the warmest: Arizona and New Mexico . The degrees will descend, drastically, in the meridian of the trip, when we enter Colorado and Kansas.
- Why travel now? The answer is simple: the price of gasoline has dropped drastically and as we go deeper into the heart of the United States, with more relief we can breathe when it comes to shelling out money on car tanks. Traveling 2,400 kilometers will not mean more than 100 euros budget in gasoline.
- Must-have apps that we cannot miss for the preparation of the route: Google Maps for navigation (be careful not to go overboard with the contracted data), ** Trip Advisor ** (in case we have the chance, not to miss any place of tourist interest and not fail when choosing a hotel) and ** Yelp **, to avoid roadside restaurants that can add too much cholesterol to our arteries.
Flagstaff's Volcanic (and Beef) Landscapes
DAY 1: DEPARTURE FROM LOS ANGELES TO ARIZONA DESTINATION
You have to be smart when choosing the right time to leave one of the busiest cities in the world. You will want to avoid rush hours at all costs . Therefore, if you start a trip in the morning it is recommended that you leave at 5 am . From 6 am traffic will start to form and around 8 am, traveling a couple of kilometers can take more than half an hour. If you prefer to go out at night, it is advisable to do it around 9 pm (Midnight can be problematic, since there are many highways in LA that close all their lanes for construction. Find out well before leaving ) .
Our goal for the first day is to reach Flagstaff , a small town in southern Arizona. We will try to divide the 24 hours that this journey takes in its entirety into an average of 8-9 hours of driving per day.
the journey between Los Angeles and Flagstaff It is made pleasant by the diversity of landscapes. Purely volcanic views greet us as we enter Arizona, but don't worry, the last active volcano that existed in this state was at the time of William the Conqueror . The restaurant billboards from the 60's that are placed on the sides of the road give a historical touch to our tour. Another curiosity that quickly passes before our eyes is **a billboard announcing the road "Devil Dog" ("The Evil Dog") **. On your roadtrips through the Americas you will be able to observe dozens of curious names like this one.
Dormant Flagstaff Volcanoes
After a couple of obligatory stops to get gas and stretch our legs, we arrived at Flagstaff . If the budget is tight, you will discover that it is easy to stay in a roadside motel , which can cost between 40 and 50 dollars a night. In Flagstaff, everyone we ask encourages us to visit the riordan mansion and the recommendation does not disappoint. For only 10 dollars we have the pleasure of exploring one of the first mansions of the Old West.
Riordan Mansion
This house was built by the Irish immigrant Riordan family, who in a very short time managed to live the American dream, amassing a generous fortune. The state of conservation of the mansion is enviable , even though the house dates from the year 1904 . Inside we find very advanced instruments for its time, such as a water heater, a kitchen equipped with an oven, stove and toaster and even electricity, a luxury for that time. The good thing about visiting a small and “remote” place like this **is that you can enjoy intimate tours (since there are few visitors) ** and there will be a part of the visit in which you are allowed to explore and touch objects that have more of two centuries. Something that we can boast of, after this visit, is that we allowed to play a grand piano made in 1923.
DAY 1: NEW MEXICO
Leaving Arizona at 8 am on our second day (there is less traffic in this area), a sign warning of the presence of a crater caused by a meteorite impact It manages to capture our attention and the view does not disappoint. The immensity of the desert landscape is altered by a crater over 1 kilometer in diameter and 170 meters deep . It was discovered in the 19th century by the first European settlers, who named it the "Devil's Canyon" . It is one of the best preserved craters on the entire planet. A recommended stop, despite the high price of this tourist attraction: 18 dollars.
On our second day the road becomes harder: fatigue begins to take its toll and the landscapes are more monotonous, but every effort has its reward. We are kings of the road for almost the entire route, because the only thing that crosses our path is dry bushes rolling in the wind , which reveals a typical landscape of Western movies. Although no vehicle can be seen on the horizon, Be careful not to exceed the speed limit. . The only point where we will encounter some traffic will be in the city of **Albuquerque**.
can of the devil
It is recommended to investigate the state of these roads before making the journey, since there could be traces of ice in some areas, but the trip behind the wheel is extremely simple. Nine hours later we hit our second goal: the town of Raton in New Mexico (We already anticipated that there are many curious names on American roads). Do not expect anything interesting in this place that has some 7,000 inhabitants . Raton saw better days in the past, once the birthplace of oil. When the reserves were exhausted in this area, the new rich migrated to another more promising state: Texas.
DAY 3: NEW MEXICO, COLORADO, KANSAS AND NEBRASKA
It's our last day and we decided to leave earlier, about six in the morning. We are aware that today we are going to lose another hour due to the time difference. Today is the most difficult day since we enter fully into States of cold, snow and a lot of wind . As soon as we leave we appreciate that there are sheets of ice on the road and snow on the slopes. That is why, today more than ever, it is advisable to comply with speed limits and drive with both hands on the wheel.
Kansas
It only takes us 15 minutes to get to the Colorado border. The state invites us to make a stop as soon as we enter its land to see the impressive views. To the traffic signs that ask us to be careful with the passing of deer on the road, now joins one of caution bear crossing , since we are crossing the mountains of the State.
The roads that we will travel now will be secondary, so it is advisable have a full tank since we are not going to find the rest of human life for several miles around. If you are looking for a remote place on the planet in which to disappear, these roads will be your destiny . In the four and a half hours it takes us to cross New Mexico From one end to the other, we can count the cars we pass on the fingers of one hand. We barely notice when we pass New Mexico to Kansas : this State welcomes us with a hotter climate, but with winds and landscapes worthy of the film twister . Both hands firmly on the wheel, as the strong winds will test our skills so as not to end up in the opposite lane.
Crossing Kansas is a unique experience. We crossed miles and miles of road from where we saw some barns typical of the area, very occasionally, and we did not get to cross more than a village with a dozen houses.
Sunrise in Nebraska
After nine hours on the road and one stop, we arrived at our destination: the city of Hastings in Nebraska. A small town with snowy landscapes. Before regaining strength and hours of sleep, we decided to explore the surroundings and an hour later we arrived in the city of st paul , made up simply of farms several miles apart. From here we will observe our last sunset. The sun disappears behind the snow. We have achieved it: 1,500 miles in three days. An unforgettable experience.
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Dusk in Nebraska