Off to the USA ...

[der_kluge]

You mean there's a difference?

I coulda sworn they were the exact same thing. Endless expanses of nothing with momentary groupings of strange people.

No wait, that's Kansas & Oklahoma.

My bad.

I think you just described Iowa as well. Oklahoma isn't too bad.

Oklahoma - if the wind ever stops blowing, the people will all fall over.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

OHHH-Klahoma-TAYA!

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

We have no exact route planned out, but we have maps and guides and a list of places that sound interesting. I expect, we're going to do the detail planning once we're there, probably with help from my sister and her host family there .

We can save you some time.

List the places you have (maps & guides tend to be made by people whose jobs DEPEND on them bringing tourists to their locations). We can help you out with 'yea, that's cool', or 'its overblown' or 'you realize that's a 23 hour drive, don't you'.

Your traveling to the western expanses of the US. Think really, really, really far apart. Many people living back east or on the west coast don't realize that you can drive for 5-6 hours at a time and pass 6 people. Distance becomes realtive.

If her host family knows CO well, they'll also know the small out of the way spots guides and the like often leave out.

While I know you want to see as much as possbile during your stay, you might be better just covering a small (realitivly) area well, rather than a huge area poorly.

Good, Luck!

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

If you get the chance, drive over to Kansas City, and spend a couple of days there. Eat barbecue every day (the best in the country) (my recommendations: Gates barbecue, and Jack Stack)

Gates ain't nothin'

Truth is the best BBQ will always come from some guy with a shack & a big self-made pit out back & you get your food on paper or styrofoam plates.

You want true BBQ, go on past KC & on down to Warrensburg & try Perry Foster's. (It looks like its about to fall down, but it won't)

That's real BBQ.

Oh yeah. If you won't to pick a fight real quick, just ask 'what is real BBQ, anyway'. The US has several regional variations and even more micro-regional. KC style is one of the more dominant, but I'm more of a southern pork or Texas brisket kind of person myself.

 

[Dagger75]

Man this guy will be spending a week in the car, driving to all of those places. The main advice is a 2 hour drive to go see some tourist thing is nothing. In fact that will be a pretty close drive.

 

[der_kluge]

Gates ain't nothin'

No, Gates isn't the greatest (I give that honor to Jack Stack), but the experience is something to be remembered. It's not everyday you get people behind the counter yelling at you.

 

[reveal]

Whatever you do, for gawd's sake stay out of Nebraska. Trust me.

 

[Hellefire]

I suggest staying on the top or western side of the Rockies. When you come back to visit the East coast, stay on the East side of the Appalachians. If you like Little House on the Prairie, go see the corn states. Of course, Germany is close to Holland, and you can't get much flatter than that. I'd say stick to Colorado, with maybe some Utah, Arizona, New Mexico scenery and tourism sites.

I'll be back in Poland in September if ya want to get together for a beer!

Aaron

 

[The Shaman]

North Dakota is the SUCKY Dakota people! )

Dudette! Don't be dissin' No'kota! Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the Mah-Dah-Hey Trail are awesome! And then there's the Medora Musical...

Did you ever see the episode of The West Wing where North Dakota wants to change its name to just Dakota. The proponents cite the word "south" in South Dakota as the reason that North Dakota gets about 10% as much in tourism revenues...

Back on topic...

The admonition to consider driving distances is so true - my cousin visited from England a couple of years ago, and didn't realize that where my folks lived at the time was about 90 minutes from the closest city. Living 'out in the country' doesn't carry the same sense of distance in the UK as it does in the US!

In Colorado, I'd strongly recommend Rocky Mountain National Park and Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve. If you do decide to take a week or so to cover some ground, go north into Wyoming and visit Grand Teton National Park or go south to New Mexico and visit Taos and Sante Fe.

 

[Shemeska]

That's real BBQ.

Oh yeah. If you won't to pick a fight real quick, just ask 'what is real BBQ, anyway'. The US has several regional variations and even more micro-regional. KC style is one of the more dominant, but I'm more of a southern pork or Texas brisket kind of person myself.

There is no BBQ except eastern North Carolina BBQ. Everything else either isn't BBQ or is an abomination unto God.

I swear, you can cause fights in NC over which -county- has true BBQ since there's so many subtle variations.


But have fun in Colorado. I'll be there for 17 hours in a week or so, arriving there and seeing a friend getting married, then flying back home and sleeping when I can. Little site-seeing while I'm there sadly.