I’ve always dreamt of travelling the world, but up until recently these dreams have always involved tropical beaches lined with palm trees. This past week though I’ve had an insatiable desire to travel around the United States.
From visiting famous landmarks like the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon, to experiening a walking down the Las Vegas strip, it all seems pretty awesome to me. I skimmed across a blog post about a family travelling around in a hired campervan, and I think that sounds like a great idea. Travelling around in relative comfort with no stresses & no real time restraints. Just me, my family and our sense of exploration and adventure left to run wild.
I think the place names in America are what really kick my imagination into overdrive though; Oliver Springs, Mule Hollow, Marble Hill, Cedar Bluff, Sweetwater and Jenkins Meadow to name but a few. For me these stir up images of quaint villages made up from log cabins nestled within vast forests, with awe inspiring views across snow capped mountain ranges. I’m sure this isn’t too far from the truth either, as the picture above demonstrates!
I live in Wales, and I’m surrounded by towns with names like Mold and Shotton. Where are the hollows, creeks and springs to liven things up a bit?
This deserves more of my time, and I’ll be reasearching such a trip in more details for sure. Here’s to hoping the American dream is still alive, Cheers!
Hey the NORTH American dream (not just the United States, Canada too!) is still very much alive, and once you arrive here it certainly does not disappoint! It’s funny because above you mention that until recently your dream destinations included tropical beaches and clear blue waters…I was exactly the same until I went to Canada for the first time.
Have you ever thought about including some awesome Canadian sites into your trip? Banff, Jasper, Big White (located in the midst of the beautiful Okanagan desert), Niagara Falls, the Laurentians and the Juan de Fuca straight are just a few on the endless list of incredible sights there are to be enveloped in once here.
I was lucky enough to take part on an exchange Aberystwyth university did with the University of Victoria. Having never been to Canada before I hopped on a plane and travelled first to Houston, Texas, and then to Vancouver. The following day my loyal travelling companion and myself boarded a ferry from Tsawwassen to Horse Shoe Bay, and we found ourselves in the (unanimously declared) most incredible place on Earth. I was completely bewitched by the place and I lost my heart to the country and my future husband I was fortunate enough to meet whilst over there. We were fated to meet in the paradise that is the West coast of Canada! The whole experience changed my life and lit a fire within me that will burn forever.
Douglas and I are still chasing our original dream to return to the West coast and we are halfway there, at the moment living in Ottawa with our young daughters. Life here is very different to the UK, there is way more pressure to excel in every aspect of life (mediocre just won’t suffice in Canada & the States!) but at the same time I am just completely in my element. There is something about the vastness of this continent that calms me down and brings me the most beautiful and incredible sense of peace. Canadians are so full of the outdoors also – something I love. It is a cliche but there are not happy unless they are raking leaves or banging trees for maple syrup! Also the weather is so different… especially if you are from the UK and have never experienced extreme cold or warmth! The winters are harsh, averaging -40 degrees C most days from December through until January with loads and loads of snow! I take my eldest daughter to school in the sledge most days as cars become somewhat superfluous when there is so much snow! Not many folks from back home believe me when I say this but the summers are scorching averaging 30 degrees + humidity most days! In my opinion the summers alone make living here worthwhile!
There are many places in the US we want to visit but at the moment our dream is getting back to BC to live. Another dream of mine is to marry my partner under maple trees on Whistler mountain but I doubt our finances will allow us for a while!
Don’t be too hard on back home…the grass is always greener etc but Devils’ Falls (just outside of Aberystwyth) is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been in my life. Even my friend from Texas was speechless when he saw pics of the falls! Also some of the sunsets I witnessed from the top of Constitution Hill and the seafront at Aber will stay with me forever and I have pictures of them throughout my house! I really do miss Wales, not so much Mold but definitely Snowdonia and the 2 hour drive from Mold to Aber! If you go the following route: Ruthin – Bala – Dolgellau – Machynlleth – Aber the drive is unbelievable, you would have to go a long, long way to beat it!!!!!!!!!!! Even Doug says it is one of the most beautiful drives he has ever done and he has driven all across Canada and the US.
What is incredibly interesting to me is that every Canadian and American I’ve ever met is so eager to visit Britain! They think we rock!!!!
Sorry that turned into a dissertation! Best of luck, hope your dreams come true for you
Zoe
Thanks for the comment Zoe! Some very good points in there. Canada was in fact at the top of my very first wish list along with Australia & New Zealand
I agree that some parts of Wales are totally awesome when the skies aren’t grey, from the Snowdonia national park across to the Llyn Peninsula its just sheer beauty. Definitely some world class scenery to be found, but I get bummed out by the unpredictable weather!
I had a place secured on the Mongol Rally in 2008, 10’000 miles from London to Mongolia in around 6-8 weeks in a sub £500 banger! That’s where my passion to travel has come from. Unfortunately I signed up 10 months before the rally was due to begin, and then found out Becki was pregnant. I’d probably have been broken down in the middle of the desert whilst she was giving birth, so I had to cancel it there and then!
Something similar appeared in top gear recently travelling from the Bolivian Amazon jungle, crossing the high andes at 17500ft, then through the worlds driest desert at Atacama and ending up at the Chilean Pacific coast! If it can do that I’m sure it can manage some Welsh roads 
We still have the ‘banger’ though, a classic little Suzuki SJ410 4×4 built in the early 1980′s. It’s in amazing condition considering its age, and driving that around wales could be on the cards in the not too distant future
My little sister is at Aberystwyth University now, I’ll try and pay her a visit in the Spring. I’ve never ventured that far West! We have surfing buddies with a villa on the Llyn peninsula so we’ll probably tie it in with a short holiday there. They’re based in Loggerheads in North Wales so its empty most of the time. They travelled the world with a 3 year old around 12 years ago, so they are our inspiration really.
I’m sure our dreams will come true, they have to!