AMERICAN ROAD TRIP 2012 Report, photos: Alex Kudryavtsev (September 5, 2012)

SUMMARY

Travelers (1) Alex Kudryavtsev, 32, Russia, Cornell University PhD student (2) Zafri Hassan, 32, Malaysia, Cornell University PhD student (3) Sihai Wang, 35, China, Cornell University exchange visitor

Goal Visit 12 National Park System areas and several ecological regions in the U.S.

Vehicle Mazda CX-9 (mid size SUV), license# 538PK9 Massachusetts

Duration 27 days: July 17, 2012 – August 12, 2012

Mileage 17,774 km (11,044 miles)

Expenses $5,511, including car rent, gas, camping, motels, park entrance fees

Main destinations Ithaca NY  Chicago  Badlands National Park (NP)  Mount Rushmore National Monument  Yellowstone NP  Teton NP Salt Lake City  Bonneville Salt Flats  Lake Tahoe  Sacramento CA  National Seashore   Yosemite NP  Sequoia NP  Santa Barbara   Las Vegas  Hover Dam  Grand Canyon NP  Meteor Crater  Biosphere 2  New Orleans  Gulf Island National Seashore  Everglades NP  Key West  Great Smoky Mountains NP  Mammoth Cave NP  Columbus OH  Ithaca NY

Approximate route http://tiny.cc/AmericanRoadTrip (Google Maps – ©2012 )

Facebook album http://www.fb.com/media/set/?set=a.10100683548530065.2657252.428742

Suggested citation Kudryavtsev A. (2012) American Road Trip Report. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. American Road Trip 2012 – Alex Kudryavtsev 2

INTRODUCTION

Before finishing my PhD program at Cornell University, Department of Natural Resources, I decided to organize an American road trip. In the last few years my research focused on environmental education in New York City, and I wanted to balance my urban adventures with experiences in national parks. In 2011, I learned from people at Cornell about their trips to national parks, and travel tips related to national and state parks in the U.S. In spring 2012, two people in my department decided to join this trip, including Zafri Hassan of Malaysia who is finishing his PhD on fish ecology, and Sihai Wang who is a visiting scholar at Cornell and a forestry professor from Yunnan, China.

Several things motivated me to do this trip. First and foremost, I was captivated by the idea of visiting several awe-inspiring national parks, monuments, and seashores. I think that the National Park System is one of the best American ideas, and I wanted to experience it firsthand. Second, I was inspired by some travel reports. For example, in 1935 two Russian writers/journalists, Ilf and Petrov, drove around the U.S. from New York to San Francisco and back, which took two months. In their travelogue called One Storey America they recorded images of American life in towns and cities. In 2006, two Russian TV journalists, Pozner and Urgant, did a similar two- month trip to produce a documentary focusing on interviews with local people and showing examples of American democracy in action. Many people drove a U.S. loop, and I wanted to do a similar trip. Third, I love road trips. I used to travel by car in Russia since I was 4 when my grandparents took me on a 5,000 km weeklong road trip from Black Sea though Kazakhstan to Western Siberia. Then I have often traveled by car with my parents in Siberia and in southern Russia. Recently I felt like I was ready to hit the road again. As for my trip companions, Sihai, for example, wanted to see different ecological regions in the U.S. and take thousands of photos that he would use in his ecology lectures in China. As for Zafri, in an email he wrote, “I was particularly influenced by many Hollywood movies about road trip that I watched back in Malaysia and by a couple of friends who uploaded the dramatic view of the west coast on Facebook.”

This report will help our team to remember and appreciate our experiences, and maybe it will inspire and assist other travelers. We drove a counterclockwise loop around the country – starting from and ending in Ithaca, New York. The trip took 27 days. The car Mazda CX-9 rented from National Car Rental was almost new (miles out 14,335, miles in 25,379), and had plenty of room for three people and luggage. The trip cost was $5,511, plus food and personal items. During this trip, I shared driving with Zafri. In Malaysia, he used to drive on the left side, but in this trip he soon learned to drive on the right side. I had a New York driver’s license; Zafri had a Malaysian driver’s license. At the same time, during the trip Sihai always made sure that we follow traffic regulations. We used a GPS navigator. We also regularly used an iPhone application called Campwhere to finds nearby campsites, including camps in state or national parks. Before the trip, we made a list of main destinations such as national parks and some cities, and used to calculate distances. However, during the trip we found on Wikitravel and other websites some other great places to visit near the original route, so in addition to planned destinations we also went to Point Reyes, San Diego, Meteor Crater, Key West, and Mammoth Cave. We tried to stay in campgrounds, mostly in state or national parks. We stayed in motels only when camping was not an option – if camps were too far, full, closed for summer, or during inclement weather. In campgrounds, we used a 4-person tent for three people, sleeping bags and pads, and a portable gas stove to boil water. Each person had a flashlight. We would buy food at gas stations where we also filled free hot water for tea/coffee, and we would find better food in grocery stores in towns. Below are the details on expenses, as well as travelogue and photos.

EXPENSES

Total trip cost shared by three participants (U.S. dollars) 5,511.00

1. Car rental total charges 1,988.71 1 month rental (with a discount) 1,035.89 LDW (loss damage waver, 28 days) 252.00 PAI (personal accident insurance, 28 days) 193.20 SLP (supplementary liability protection) 362.60 Sales tax (@ 14%) 145.02 2. Gasoline 1,817.00 3. Camping (17 nights) and vehicle entrance in state/national parks 257.00 4. Motels, inns (9 nights) 709.29 5. Equipment (tent, camp stove, computer/phone car charger, 4G Internet plan, kitchen utensils) and miscellaneous expenses 739.00

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NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM AREAS VISITED

Badlands National Park Mount Rushmore National Monument Yellowstone National Park

Grand Teton National Park Point Reyes National Seashore

Sequoia National Park Grand Canyon National Park 8Gulf Island National Seashore

Everglades National Park Great Smoky Mountains Nat. Park Mammoth Cave National Park

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TRAVELOGUE

Day 0 (July 16, 2012) – Renting a car in Ithaca, New York A month ago, we reserved a car from Enterprise. Today, we went to pick us a car. When Enterprise employees asked us where we go, it turned out that they could not allow us drive west of Mississippi river. They gave a call to National, another renal company, which, luckily, had a similar available car with unlimited mileage. In Enterprise, we were going to pay $4,000 for car rental, which would include pay for extra mileage. But we ended up paying only $2,000 in National, which includes car, tax, and insurances. We unexpectedly saved $2,000. Great deal! Our car is almost new. It’s Mazda CX-9, black color.

I started writing this travelogue on July 16. You will notice that its style is changing because some parts are written in past tense after the trip.

Day 1 (Tuesday, July 17, 2012) – Ithaca Chicago The car was parked near my house. I waked up at 3am, and drove to pick up Zafri and Sihai from Cornell’s Maplewood apartments. We started the trip at 5am from Maplewood. It took us almost 12 hours to drive to Chicago, with three quick stops for gas and food. Tania Schusler, now professor at Loyola University, allowed us to stay two nights at her apartment in Oak Parks, Chicago. Today she is out of town, but she left a key for us in the backyard of her friends’ garden. This evening, we took a green line subway train to Chicago Loop. Visited Millennium Park: Clout Gate, The Crown Fountain, Lakefront Trail, Chicago Riverwalk, Michigan Avenue Bridge, N. Michigan Avenue. A Ukrainian lady, who was on a business trip in Chicago, accompanied us most of the evening. In was late night when we got back to Oak Parks.

Cloud Gate Chicago River

Day 2 (Wednesday, July 18, 2012) – Chicago II Today we explored more Chicago. Willis Tower (a 108-storey skyscraper), Shedd Aquarium. The photo below shows our team (left to right): Alex Kudryavtsev, Zafri Hassan, and Sihai Wang – sitting on a glass balcony outside the 103rd floor of Willis Tower.

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Chicago skyline Alex, Zafri and Sihai on the glass balcony, Willis Tower

Day 3 (Thursday, July 19, 2012) – Midwest drive Started driving at about 4:00am. Took West I-80 to Davenport, then I-80 through De Moines in Iowa, then North I-29, continued on West I-90 from Sioux Falls, crossed Missouri River in Chamberlain, South Dakota. Our first camping was on the right bank of Missouri River on a campground on George Mickelson Shoreline Drive. The evening was warm and pleasant. We installed the tent right on the riverbank. Then there was a 20-min thunderstorm and strong wind. We had to hold the tent so it would not fly away. Luckily, the night was quite, warm and dry.

Missouri River Corn farm in Iowa

Day 4 (Friday, July 20, 2012) – South Dakota: Badlands and Mount Rushmore Driving through Badlands National Park, South Dakota. Then visiting Mount Rushmore National Monument in South Dakota. Then we continued driving in Wyoming towards Yellowstone. Using Campwhere, we figured we could drive to Lovell, WY to camp. We did not expect any high mountains on the way. But when we turned in Sheridan from I-90 to Route 14, we soon entered Bighorn National Forest. The road suddenly became very snaky and steep. The elevation was up to 9,430 feet (2,874 meters); we even found some snow in late July. Then we continued on Route 14A down to Lovell, WY. This was the only night we camped for free (the town maintains this free campsite).

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Badlands National Park Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Day 5 (Saturday, July 21, 2012) – Yellowstone National Park Wake up in Lovell, drive through nice towns of Powell and Cody. Arrive to Yellowstone National Park. We drove through most parts of the park following Grand Loop Road counterclockwise. Day: Yellowstone Lake, Tower-Roosevelt, Mammoth Hot Springs (mud pots, pools, fumaroles, geysers), Lower Geyser Basin, and Old Faithful. As we drove through the park, we met a number of bison and black bears – some of them near or on the road. Evening: driving through Grand Teton National Park south to Jackson, Wyoming. From there, turned to Road 22, westwards. Camped in a little campground located on Road 22, near the border between Wyoming and Idaho. Sihai was afraid of bears, and tried to sleep this in the car, not in tent. Next morning, he said he still could not sleep because all night he was expecting a bear to knock the car door 

Yellowstone bison Mammoth Hot Springs

Silex Spring Old Faithful

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Day 6 (Sunday, July 22, 2012) – Salt Lake City We took South I-15 from Idaho Falls. Explored Salt Lake City downtown. Visited their planetarium and mall. From Salt Lake City, we took West I-80. Swimming in Great Salt Lake at Grate Salt Lake Marina. Then we entered a salt desert, a remnant of Lake Bonneville. We realized we did not have enough gas for a long drive through the desert that had few gas stations, so we had to return to fill the tank. Continued driving through the desert. Took photos at a rest area. Entered Nevada. This night, we camped in Nevada in at the South Fork State Recreation Area, which is south of Elko, Nevada. We heard coyotes at night, and saw one in the morning.

Great Salt Lake Desert Sihai and salt desert

Day 7 (Monday, July 23, 2012) – Nevada, Lake Tahoe, Sacramento Driving through Nevada on West I-80. Entering , we were required to pass through the California agriculture inspection station – they did not inspect our vehicle, but asked if we carry any pests, invasive species, or fruit. Swim in and drive along Lake Tahoe. Drive through Sacramento, California’s capital city. Arrive to Samuel Taylor State Park in a redwood forest just north of San Francisco. The weather was cool for July, which reminded me about a cliché phrase, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”

Lake Tahoe Samuel Taylor State Park

Day 8 (Tuesday, July 24, 2012) – San Francisco When we woke up, we found that other campers or wild animals had stolen some food that we left yesterday night on a table near our tent. Nutella chocolate cream, bread and sandwiches are gone. Today we went to Point Reyes National Seashore, which is a home for marine mammals, traditional cow farms, and a unique geology. Point Reyes sits on the Pacific Plate unlike the rest of the U.S., and is slowly moving to the northwest. This is the first time I’ve been to the Pacific Ocean. Point Reyes Lighthouse. From Point Reyes to San Francisco, we took California State Route 1 that goes through some of the most beautiful coastlines in America. Stop by Muir Beach. Bridge. Forts in San Francisco: Battery Boutelle and Fort Point National Historic Landmark. We parked the car, and walked the length of the and back. Late afternoon: checking Pier 39 with sea lions. Night in America’s Best Inn on Van Ness Avenue.

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Point Reyes National Seashore Golden Gate Bridge

A steep street in San Francisco San Francisco’s Pier 39

Day 9 (Wednesday, July 25, 2012) – San Francisco II Lombard Street on Russian Hill. Cable train from San Francisco Maritime to Market Street. Fisherman’s Warf. Transamerica Pyramid. Greenwich Street – “the steepest” street in the U.S., west of Leavenworth Street. Painted Ladies on Steiner Street. California Academy of Science – a nice museum in the . Late afternoon: driving though, Stanford University campus, Apple Computers campus, San Hose. Camping at the Joseph D. Grant County Park. By the way, it’s a very nice park in some mountains, great view, pretty cheap, free shower, well-organized, and almost no other campers. Today, we looked back at our trip, and realized that we’ve been traveling already 9 days, but it feels like we started yesterday at most. America is a really tiny country – if you have drivers and don’t stop for sightseeing you can cross it in 3-4 days. In Russia, I could drive perhaps only 1/3 of the country in 3-4 days. But I am sure that Zafri, who is from a smaller country, feels differently about the vastness of the U.S.

Lombard Street Painted Ladies

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Green roof, California Academy of Sciences Stanford University

Day 10 (Thursday, July 26, 2012) – Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park: Tioga Road from east to west (Tuolumne Meadows). The park is impressive to say the least. Today we camped just outside of Yosemite National Park on a highway (California State Route 140) near Merced River in the Stanislaus National Forest.

Tioga Road in Yosemite Alex near Tioga Road

Day 11 (Friday, July 27, 2012) – Sequoya National Park Return to Yosemite. Yosemite Valley, and then driving to the Glacier Point, which has a great view of the valley and Half-Dome. Wawonna Road (Route 41), Fresno, then . We bought some local fruit (peaches, plums, tomatoes) at a farmers market near Fresno. Sequoia National Park: General Sherman (one of the largest trees in the world), black bears. Camping: Three Rivers Hideaway (Sierra Drive, California State Route 198). Today, Sihai noted that every day on this trip we explore something “big”: big city (Chicago), big erosion (Badlands), big stone men (Rushmore Mount), big mountains (Bighorn National Forest), big animals (Bison in Yellowstone), big bridge (San Francisco), big trees (Sequoia National Park).

Yosemite National Park Half Dome from Glacier Point

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Giant sequoias General Sherman tree

Black bear Tunnel log, Sequoia National Park

Day 12 (Saturday, July 28, 2012) – Santa Barbara Drive through Visalia, Hanford, then turn to a smaller road (California State Route 41), which was a scenic drive through California’s Central Valley. From Atascadero we followed U.S. State Route 101 southwards – through Pismo Beach to Santa Barbara, where we spent several hours checking the beach, swimming in the ocean, checking Stearns Wharf, and then State Street and some other places. Evening: find a motel (Motel 6 in San Dimas, Los Angeles).

Pacific Ocean near Hwy 1, approaching Santa Barbara Santa Barbara

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Day 13 (Sunday, July 29, 2012) – San Diego, Las Vegas night Hollywood: the Hollywood Hills, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and neighborhoods near . Drive on 101 and 5 to San Diego. San Diego Zoo. Border Field State Park on the U.S. / border. A quick drive on North I-15 to Las Vegas. Gambling in Las Vegas.

Hollywood Sign Charles Chaplin’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Panda in San Diogo Zoo Pacific Ocean, Border Field State Park

Las Vegas Alex; Las Vegas

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Day 14 (Monday, July 30, 2012) – Hoover Dam Hoover Dam. Driving to Grand Canyon Village. Grand Canyon Visitor Center. The campground in Grand Canyon Village was full, so we camped in Tusayan, a little town just outside of the park entrance. This campground had plenty of available campsites.

Hoover Dam Bridge near Hoover Dam

Food stop in Williams, Arizona Alex, Zafri, and animals in Grand Canyon National Park

Day 15 (Tuesday, July 31, 2012) – Grand Canyon Wake up at 4am. Get into the canyon (Bright Angel Trail) at 5:45am. Hiking down the trail to Indian Village, then down to Colorado River, then back to Indian Village, then going to the Plain Point outlook, and back to the top of the rim. Total hiking time was about 11 hours with plenty of stops for rest, food, and photography. Hiking speed was normal, maybe a bit faster than average. Temperature was ideal: maybe up to +75 Fahrenheit (+24 Celsius), sometime shiny, sometimes cloudy, and only in the evening there was rain and thunderstorm. I was walking faster than Sihai and Zafri, but they caught up on the bottom of the canyon on Colorado River. I collected some stones near the river. Sihai and Zafri were behind, so on the Plain Point outlook I was all by myself; no other tourists during one hour I spent there. This is a really beautiful place. I hand fed a squirrel, which returned a few times to grab pieces of apple. In the late afternoon, on the way up to the rim at times it was rainy and stormy, so we got completely wet. Yet a combination of cool morning, sunny afternoon, and rainy evening made it an ideal day for hiking in Grand Canyon.

I expected there would be more people on the Bright Angel Trail, but we met relatively few groups of people, mostly on the upper portion of the trail. At times I ran into park rangers who would always ask me and other people how we are doing. In addition to English, French and German was frequently spoken in the canyon. Before this trip, I read much about Grand Canyon, and eventually I perhaps overestimated the size of Grand Canyon. For example, many websites suggest that one should never attempt go down from the rim to the river and back in one day. This is a long and steep walk, but it is doable. Sihai, Zafri and I have easily done it, and, in addition to that, we also walked to the Plain Point overlook. I have met a few kids and older people who were going down to the river and back to the rim in one day. The Grand Canyon was one of the main destinations of our trip. Grand Canyon is incredibly beautiful, sublime, and awe-inspiring.

In the evening, when it was late, dark, and rainy, we decided to stay in a motel in Flagstaff. When I parked our car in Flagstaff I scratched it; our insurance covered it though. In sum, it was an incredibly great day!

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Zafri, Sihai, Alex near Colorado River Colorado River in Grand Canyon

Near Plateu Point Colorado River from Plateau Point

Squirel begging for food Alex; Grand Canyon

Day 16 (Wednesday, August 1, 2012) – Meteor Crater Drive from Flagstaff to Meteor Crater, about 1 hour on East I-40. Return to Flagstaff, continue on South I-17 to Phoenix. Thai restaurant in Phoenix. Continue driving to Tucson. Interestingly, some state parks on our way were closed for summer, perhaps because few people camp when it’s too hot. We camped in Catalina State Park, where almost all campsites were available. When we were about to put a tent, we noticed a rattlesnake on our campsite. A camp host advised us to stay alert and watch out for snakes, tarantulas and scorpions, but not get scared. We put the tent on another site far from the snake that we found.

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Meteor Crater, Arizona Rattlesnake in Catalina State Park

Day 17 (Thursday, August 2, 2012) – Biosphere 2 Hiking in Catalina Park near Tucson, checking a collection of cactuses. Visit Biosphere 2, an Earth system science research facility. Continue on East I-10. Drive through New Mexico. Going through El Paso, Texas. To avoid dealing with wild/venomous animals, we decided to motel (Super 8) outside El Paso. Our room overlooked another country – Mexico.

Catalina State Park Opuntia, Catalina State Park

Biosphere 2 Ecosystems in Biosphere 2

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Day 18 (Friday, August 3, 2012) – Texas Drive on I-10 from El Paso to San Antonio. After leaving El Paso on East I-10, everyone has to stop at the US Border Patrol checkpoint, which controls illegal immigration and smuggling activities. After a brief questioning, officers asked us to show passports, American visas, and I-20 forms (required for international students). The landscape in west Texas is dry, sometimes almost desert. Little isolated towns that are centered around gas stations. We again realized that today is the 18th day of our trip, but it still feels like the trip has just started. Everyone in our team is still friendly to each other, although sometimes Zafri and I argue about the best route we should take. There are still plenty of great places ahead of us. Since we still a lot of time, we decided to explore the possibility of visiting the Mammoth Cave in Kentucky when we drive up north from Florida. Evening: checking San Antonio downtown, including the San Antonio River Walk (Paseo del Río) and Alamo Plaza. Camping in Palmetto State Park, which is about 1 hr to the east of San Antonio.

Oil pumpjacks in Texas San Antonio River Walk

Day 19 (Saturday, August 4, 2012) – Driving highway 10 Texas/Louisiana Long drive on East I-10. Stopped in Houston for three hours and checked the downtown. In a bakery shop we met a retired man who said hello and then made too many suggestions for places to visit on the way to New Orleans; it was hard to stop him. Continue on East I-10, arrive to Louisiana. Really strong rain as we crossed the Mississippi River bridge. Camping in Bayou Segnette State Park in New Orleans. Late in the night, we took a ferry to cross Mississippi River in New Orleans to go to French Quarter.

Bayou Segnette State Park, New Orleans Mississippi River in New Orleans

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Day 20 (Sunday, August 5, 2012) – New Orleans Drive to Algiers Point, park the car. Ferry to French Quarter. Walking several streets, including Bourbon Street and Royal Street. Food. Return to Algiers Point. Drive to the Lower Ninth Ward, a neighborhood devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Weather is sunny and warm. Take East I-10. Sometimes it’s raining very strongly in the afternoon, and we can keep only 40 or less miles per hour. From Pensacola, turning to Santa Rosa Island (Gulf Island National Seashore). Swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. Nice and sunny. Then again a strong thunderstorm and rain; we take road 87 to return to the mainland. Motel near Crestview.

Canal Street Jackson Square, French Quarter

Front steps in the Lower Nineth Ward Zafri. Gulf Island National Seashore

Gulf Island National Seashore Clouds. Gulf Island National Seashore

Day 21 (Monday, August 6, 2012) – Driving to Florida south Drive from Crestview to Everglades City: East I-10, then South I-75, then road 41/90, and County Road 90 to Everglades City. Captain’s Table hotel (E ).

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Day 22 (Tuesday, August 7, 2012) – Everglades National Park Morning: a boat tour to mangroves starting from Everglade’s Gulf Coast Visitor Center. We saw an alligator, an osprey, and different other birds. Early afternoon: a bus tour in the Shark Valley Visitor Center. Here we encountered numerous alligators, and enjoyed a great view of Everglades from an observation tower. Afternoon: driving to Key West, the southernmost point of the U.S. contiguous states. Hotel Sunset in Key Largo. The climate is tropical.

Mangroves in Everglades National Park Osprey in Everglades National Park

Alligator Shark River Slough from an observation tower

Southernmost point in continental USA Sihai taking photos from the car

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Day 23 (Wednesday, August 8, 2012) – Snorkeling Snorkeling in Key Largo. Along with about 30 other tourists, we hopped on a boat near Holiday Inn Key Largo. It took us to the only living coral reef in the U.S. in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, which is also the first underwater park in the U.S. We were snorkeling about one hour: observing corals and fish. Then driving through Miami and Miami Beach, taking North I-95, driving to Georgia. Motel (Econo Lodge) in Kingsland.

Zafri. Snorkeling trip near Key Largo Snorkel boat

Day 24 (Thursday, August 9, 2012) – Great Smoky Mountains Drive on North I-96 through Georgia and South Carolina. Take North I-26, go to North Carolina. Cherokee, North Carolina. Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The observation tower on the summit of Clingmans Dome. on the border between of South Carolina and Tennessee offer spectacular view of Great Smoky Mountains. Camping in Cades Cove, which was our first camping in a national park.

Mountain Farm Museum, Great Smoky Mountains NP Elk

Zafri, Sihai, and Alex on the observation tower Sunset in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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Day 25 (Friday, August 10, 2012) – Mammoth Cave Drive the Cades Cove loop: old village and traditional agricultural landscape. Drive through Tennessee to Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. Mammoth Cave is the longest cave system in the world. We took a 2-hour Historic Tour, which travels two miles in Mammoth Cave. Camped nearby in Mammoth Cave National Park.

Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains

Sign in Cave City nearby Mammoth Cave U.S. Route 31W

Historic tour entrance, Mammoth Cave National Park Mammoth Cave

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Day 26 (Saturday, August 11, 2012) – Columbus, Ohio Tour of the New Entrance, Mammoth Cave. Drive to Columbus, Ohio. Check the Ohio State University campus. Columbus downtown. We found very delicious calzone on N High Street. Take East I-70. Camping in Dillon State Park in Ohio.

New Entrance, Mammoth Cave Columbus, Ohio

Day 27 (Sunday, August 12, 2012) – Drive to Ithaca Drive from Dillon State Park to Ithaca, New York, which took about 10 hours. Before dropping off Sihai and Zafri, we stopped by a Wegmans supermarket to buy food. We returned the car to National next day. What a great trip.

Amish buggy in Pennsylvania

THE END