Places to visit while traveling??

[Sneakylittle]

[SamL]

My dad lives in Lowell, Mass...was just there visiting him two months ago.  Anywho, look - you were smart to put your interests in there or else you're going to get people telling you what they like, not trying to predict what you'd like.  Anyway, I've got a couple of places in mind and seeing as I've lived in about forty states....lemme think on it before I give a comprehensive list.  

[Bret]

There's a couple cool areas in NV.  Boulder City is near Lake Mead and Hoover dam.  I play there from time to time ... mountain biking and boating.  For the most part, NV is in the Great Basin which is nowhere near as pretty as other areas close by.  Utah has five national parks for a reason.  if you come this way you MUST see Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, Arches, Capitol Reef and Lake Powell.  Also close is Grand Canyon.  The North Rim is best, but we can't get there in the Winter, so South Rim would have to do.   I play there all the time.  Hit me up and I'll turn you on to the free camping spots.
 

Edited December 7, 2018 by Bret

[Mr. Grinch]

One of the most Amazing Places in the world are the Ice Caves in very northern Wisconsin 

 

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=icecaves+wisc&FORM=HDRSC2

[Guest ~*~Sachita~*~]

I haven't been a ton of places, but I would highly recommend Yosemite. If you can, take a high Sierra hike. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

[MysticSand]

Colorado!! They have this wild national park called "Great Sand Dunes National Park" where you look one way and it's just sand dunes and then you look the other and it's green with a little river and mountains (depending on when in the year you go). It's really amazing. I'm also pretty sure you can pay to stay overnight too and I heard that waking up there to see the sunrise is just gorgeous.

 

The San Luis Valley in CO in general is a really interesting place. It's got some of the highest climb'able mountains and they also have... I want to say mountain yaks. The ones that are native to Mongolia. And it's the only other place in the world outside of Mongolia that creates pretty much the same living conditions.

 

Have fun journeying but be safe!

[SamL]

Okay, I've got three ideas for you that I think are right up your alley.  

 

1. Portal, Arizona.  New Mexico exit 5 off I-10, to connect with NM80 south for twenty-five miles take into the Chiricahua Mountains (named after the Apache chief whose people lived in those m,ountains).  The last 21 miles are dirt road, the population was (last time I was there) under 200 people and it is one of the last places in the United States where dialing three numbers will reach anyone in town.  The lodge, restaurant, post office, gas station, pool table, etc. is all in the only commercial building in town and every night the locals gather in the restaurant to play cards with their neighbors and any guests who show up.  I camped out while I was there and the multiple eco-systems as one went further up the mountains, along with the changing wildlife and flora made this a place I was loath to leave - and so I didn't, not for 8 months.  I was able to hike to both New Mexico and Old Mexico, through the mountains...but plenty of safer adventures await.

 

2. Guerneville, CA. West of Santa Rosa about twenty-five miles is the metropolis called Guerneville (pop. 10,000) in the heart of the Russian River area and nestled in the midst of California's Napa Valley wine country.  From Guerneville, you can visit Monte Rio (please do) Cazedero, and drive the seven miles to the coast from Cazedero where you'll be greeted by leopard seals.  Travelling into Cazedero, you can get to the country store where there are no parking spaces but there are horse hitches.  Incidentally, the Russian River area has been called the last hidden hippie outpost on earth.  I think it's an accurate assessment.  Oh hey, here's an anecdote that will give you an idea... I was living in Cazadero and drove the fifteen miles to Guerneville to go to the Safeway there.  On the way to my car, and only carrying on bag, I noticed a little old lady struggling with a jug of kitty litter so I ran over and offered to carry it for her.  She accepted my offer gratefully and pressed me to wait for her while she went and got me a little something from her purse.  I tried to decline but fell dumbstruck when she placed a huge bud in my hand.  Pulling out of the driveway I picked up a hitch-hiker who was heading a couple miles down the road...he thanked me with a bud.  Then, arriving home, I discovered I had forgotten creamer for coffee.  I wasn't going all the way back to Guerneville for just that, so I stopped at the country store with the horse hitches went in and bought creamer.  All I had was a hundred dollar bill so she went in the back to get change and counted me back to $80 and said, "Hey, I don't have any more cash on me right now - it's still early.  You can come back later to get the $20 or....and she offered me like $50 in weed.  At the store.  Yeah.  All  three of those encounters happened within one hour.

 

3. Oceanside, CA - different from the other two in a big way but....worth a stop.  Unfortunately, I've got a muscular auto-immune disease (nasty cousin on MS) and continuing to type is not going well....so I won't be able to give you much on Oceanside right now but yeah.

[hurtnolivingthing]

Michigan has quite a few gems of beauty: The Porcupine Mountains, The Sleeping Dunes  & Kitch iti kipi to name a few.

 

You mention you're drawn to Cali & Nevada, so Lake Tahoe might interest you.

 

Happy & Safe travels