A collection of links that are useful to anyone traveling the US & Canada, either by car or RV. They are weighted towards "Red or Blue Road" travel, ie the back roads, my preferred mode of travel. You might also want to check the "Destinations" Page...
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Travel Information
Factory Tours USA Back in the '50s whenever my father got tired of driving, he stopped at the nearest factory & asked them to give us a tour. Often we were the first (and probably only) tour the company ever gave. Things are a bit more organized these days, but factory tours can be a great way to take a travel break, or in some cases, the entire reason for the trip - this site is a great place to start.
Road Trip America This is one of my favorite travel planning sites. The place to go to plan a Road Trip, find Maps, Books & Travel Planning Information. Join & use the forum to ask about roads, destinations, etc.
Roadside Architecture (Added 10/15/06) "Commercial architecture and related roadside things are two of my life-long passions. When I go off to agility trials on the weekends with my dogs, I try to squeeze in side-trips to check out unusual buildings, mini golfs, muffler men, etc. Since I live in New York City, my traveling range is usually confined to the Northeast but you will find plenty of things from outside this area as well." You can search by type of attraction or state.
Recreation.gov (Added 10/15/06) Quoting from the "About" page: "Recreation One-Stop is one of the E-Government initiatives in the President's Management Agenda to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and customer service of the recreation programs. The Recreation One-Stop initiative is intended to enhance customer satisfaction with recreational experiences on public lands. It will improve access to recreation-related information generated by the Federal government, streamline the systems used to manage that information, and increase the sharing of recreation-related information among government and non-government organizations. The investment will include the procurement of a new contract to integrate the separate National Park Reservation Service and National Reservation Recreation Service with the Recreation.gov website." Choose an activity from the list on the left, then check a state.
The American Southwest (Added 1/28/08) Pretty much what the name implies: "Comprehensive guide to the national parks and natural landscapes of Southwest USA." Hundreds of links to National Parks & Scenic Locations.
Weather Bonk (Added 1/2/08) Weather Bonk uses Google Maps to show weather information throughout the US including overlays of Radar, Clouds & Temperatures. In addition they have links to weather cameras,
The Lighthouse People (Added 8/22/07) If you are interested in photos of lighthouses, or just want to know where they are in each state, this site is a good starting place.
City Data.Com (Added 7/20/07) Looking for information about any zip code or almost any city in the US? "over 43,000 city photos not found anywhere else, hundreds of thousands of maps, satellite photos, stats about residents (race, income, ancestries, education, employment...), geographical data, state profiles, crime data, sex offenders, housing, businesses, local news links based on our exclusive technology, birthplaces of famous people, political contributions, city government finances and employment, weather, hospitals, schools, libraries, houses, airports, radio and TV stations, zip codes, area codes, air pollution, water systems and their health and monitoring violations, professionally written city guides, a forum with over 120,000 registered members and 1,000,000 posts, 5000+ user-submitted facts, 5000+ exclusive local business profiles with photos, comparisons to averages, and more. If you ever need to research any city for any reason, from considering a move there to just checking where somebody you know is staying, this is the site for you."
Half Dome Day Hike - June 8, 2006 (Added 7/20/07) For those thinking of hiking to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park (Yes, it is possible!) this site provides images & describes the hike. It includes some photographs from our 2004 trip to Yosemite.
Hot Air Ballooning (Added 6/20/07) A collection of hundreds of links to sites dealing with hot air balloons.
Wildernet (Added 12/19/06) Wildernet provides links to camping, parks, scenic byways, etc throughout the US. Search by state or activity.
Interactive Radar Map (Added 12/7/06) " These one of a kind, industry-leading maps that you are viewing show weather information from The Weather Channel in conjunction with Microsoft's Virtual Earth Platform, which provides aerial photos, Bird's Eye images, and 3D models for major cities throughout the country."
Trip Tracker (Added 8/16/06) If
you don't want to go to the trouble of starting a web page or even a
blog, Trip Tracker provides a way to
keep track of your trip. From their FAQ: "TripTracker was designed
to help you organize and store memories of your travel experience,
create
eye-catching visual presentations of your trips and share them with
friends and family, as well as the rest of the traveling world. TripTracker
digital
travel journals combine photos, notes and comments of other travelers,
and link all this information with the exact location where it all
took place. Automatic organizing and mapping technologies make it quick
and
easy to create stunning presentations of your trips, so that you can
spend more time on the road.
Photos are automatically grouped into entries which are arranged intuitively
on a map, depending on the location where they were taken. You may
edit or annotate these entries to create a personal journal, or include
tips
and advice for other travelers. If you own a GPS receiver, TripTracker
will display your tracks on detailed satellite maps, and help you share
your trails with friends across the globe."
Yahoo Trip Planner (Added 4/28/06) You can browse public trips here, or, after signing up, you can use this Yahoo site to collect information for a trip, keep a journal, and of course, to keep Yahoo happy, get suggested hotels & entertainment at your destination.
Sun or Moon Altitude/Azimuth Table (Added 4/13/06) Wondering when or where the sun or moon will come up or down anywhere in the world? Quoting the home page "This page provides a way for you to obtain a table of the altitude and azimuth of the Sun or Moon during a specific day, at a time interval that you specify. Simply specify the object, date, tabular interval, and place below and click on the "Compute Table" button. The altitude and azimuth values are tabulated as a function of the standard time of the place requested (daylight time is not used) on a 24-hour clock." Provided by the US Navy's Astronomical Applications Department.
KarmaBum Cafe (Added 3/23/06) If you are thinking about traveling in Europe, either by RV, camping or just looking for ways to keep the cost down, this site has lots of advice & many useful links.
Road Food (Added 9/5/05) If you have not read any of Jane & Michael Stern's Road Food books, they & this site are dedicated to finding great regional meals along highways, in small towns and in city neighborhoods. Use their search engine to find a great place to eat.
Festivals.com (Added 7/20/05) If you are looking for something to do wherever you are in the US (or for that matter, anywhere in the world) this may be the place to start. Type the name of your location in the search field & find out what is happening when.
Road Side America Want to find out where the world's biggest ball of string lives? Tommy the Turtle? Or, how about the world's largest basket? This site lists over 5000 tourist attractions either state by state or searching by name or town. These are the places that help make back road travel the wonderful experience it is.
Lonely Planet (Added 2/16/06) Links & travel information covering the US and the world.
Two Lane Roads Although the 32nd and last issue of Two Lane Roads Magazine was issued in August, 2002, this web site is still being updated, and contains lots of useful information & links for travelers interested in getting off the interstates.
U. S. Highways (Added 11/29/05) From their home page "This web site is intended to be a historical resource, dedicated to the preservation and celebration of the US numbered highway system." A great site to find historic or current information about the "Red Roads" of America.
RVers Online Although this site is also listed on other pages at this site, it deserves to be listed here as well. Check their "Articles, Editorials & Travelogue" menu for a wonderful list of RV travel destinations.
CampNet America Traveler's Journal (Added 1/9/06) "The Journal publishes camping and travel experiences for the benefit of campers world wide!" I don't see any updates after March, 1999 but there are lots of camping articles between 1996 & 1999.
America's Byways Looking for scenic drives? From their site: "The National Scenic Byways Program is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration...America's Byways™ is the umbrella term we use for marketing the collection of 96 distinct and diverse roads designated by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. America's Byways™ include the National Scenic Byways and All-American Roads." You can order a free US map showing the byways from the site.
Firestone Legendary Drives (Added 11/24/07) Click on the state to find Firestone's favorite drives. Good descriptions including roads, points of interest & restaurants.
Road Notes Road Notes has information about Scenic Drives, lots of useful links for travelers, and a forum useful for discussing travel.
Travel Library (Added 1/4/06) A Quote from their home page: "Travel Library - Direct & Official Contact Details for hotels & vacation rentals. Read Users Reviews & Travelogues and share your travel knowledge."
Travel Tips Portal (Added 2/3/06) Thousands of links to travel information, photographs, reviews around the US & world. Links to travelogues & journals as well.
Road Trip USA Although many have been replaced by interstates, this site describes many of the "mother roads" that cross America. Descriptions of the roads state-by-state as well as by attraction helps you plan a "red road" vacation.
Mile By Mile (Added 2/8/08) "Road Maps, Road Condition Photos, & Highway RV Travel Itineraries." Most states have links to obtain a free road map.
Route 40 - America's Golden Highway Although the site does not appear to be recently updated, check the "Roadside Attractions" & Diners links for some state by state stops along US 40.
US 50 Coast to Coast Planning to travel "The Loneliest Road?" Maybe it's not so lonely! A state by state listing of the many sights along US 50.
The American West Travelogue (Added 9/5/05) For anyone looking for information about traveling & things to do in the Western US & Alaska, this is a good site to start. Hundreds of pages & links of general & seasonal information.
AAA AAA offers maps, road service, travel planning, and much more. Even if you are not a member, you can use their fuel price finder & travel planning services.
US National Gas Temperature Map (Added 6/24/06) I like this site better than Microsoft's (the next link) since it shows the entire country. It also includes local gas prices & a Gas Price Map for Canada.
MSN Gas Prices (Added 6/24/06) Microsoft's listing of current gas prices. Like most of these sites, they are a little out of date, but it does give you an idea of what is available by zip code.
National Traffic & Road Closure Information (Added 9/5/05) Click on the state of interest to find road & traffic information.
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (Added 1/23/06) The NOAA web site is an excellent source for weather maps, storm warnings and tons of historic and current information. Use the "Today's Weather" box in the upper left to check conditions for your location.
Gorp Although obviously a commercial site, Gorp.com "is your encyclopedic resource for outdoor recreation—hiking, biking, rafting, camping, fishing, and more. With information on attractions, outdoor gear, adventure travel, and national parks and wilderness areas, GORP.com is the web's best place to start your journey into the great outdoors." Scroll to the bottom of the page for lots of links.
National Park Service Home of the US Department of Interior National Park Service. Want any information about a National Park, Monument, or other facility, including a PDF version of the map handed out when you enter a park? You can find your park by state, US map, zip code or alphabetical listing at the Parks & Recreation link.
National Parks Service Entrance Pass Program The site to find out about the different National Parks Pass Programs. You can even purchase your pass online.
National Park Reservation Service If you want to make a reservation at a National Park, this is the place. Includes links to maps, and park information. (NOTE - Many National Parks have a mixture of first come/first served and campsites that can be reserved.)
Park Vision (Added 3/26/07) Park Vision offers many photographs of America's National Parks taken by Patrick Holleran. Check the "Best Pictures" link under Highlight Pages for his favorites.
Virtual Parks Eric Goetze has taken thousands of 360 degree panoramas at some of the most beautiful places in the Western US & Canada. You will need a Quicktime Viewer and a reasonably fast connection to view them. The site also includes some travelogue, low cost maps, prints & wallpaper.
yosemitefirefall.org (Added 2/16/06) A site for those that remember hearing the shout "Let the Fire Fall" and seeing a remarkable sight at Yosemite National Park, or want to know more about an event that ended in 1968.
National Parks Traveler (Added 5/11/07) Kurt Repanshek has produced a blog for those of us interested in our National Parks. His description: "Through this blog I'll explore some of these issues, point out some neat things about our parks, and try to keep you abreast of life in our national parks."
Country Discoveries Country Discoveries is one of my favorite travel magazines. Dedicated to back road travel, it is written by its readers. If you enjoy traveling the "red" and "blue" roads (the non interstates), a subscription is a great way to explore North America. Lots of information is also available at their web site. NOTE: Country Discoveries seems to have disappeared & been replaced by Country & Country Extra. Neither is the same as Contry Discoveries, but check them out!
Cellphone Laws (Added 5/26/08) A list of the laws covering cell phone use throughout the US.
MuseumsUSA If you like to visit Museums, Arboretums, Parks, Zoos, etc this is a good place to start. According to their web site, they list more than 15,400 museums. Type a city into the search field & find out what there is to see.
The Foliage Network I guess this should go here... This is my favorite site for determining when to travel to get photos of Fall colors. In season, it is updated twice a week. Subscribe & they will notify you when the update is posted.
This page is maintained by: vermilye@oswego.edu
Last Update:
May 26, 2008