Western USA by car

Stovepipe Wells

Nevada, Arizona, California... Three states that are best visited by car.

If you can choose a rental car on several websites, if you can get a discount by booking it while booking a flight, I like to compare the prices on sites like Priceline, where you can name your own price, or vroomvroomvroom.com, for any country in the world.

Like for flights, you need to make sure every additionnal fees are included in the price. And don't assume the smallest cars will be the cheapest.

Note you may have a surcharge if you wish to drop the car in a different place than the pick-up place. The fees might be worth it if you don't want to go back to your starting point. It is impossible to name you price on Priceline if don't drop the car where you picked it up.

I for one had a better deal with a bigger car in Las Vegas. But that meant paying more for the fuel. Choosing a company located outside of the airport also helped getting a better price.

For the insurance, make sure your credit card doesn't cover you before accepting to pay a surcharge. Your own car insurance may or may not cover the responsability too. Check that before you leave on your trip.

Idiot tip : in very warm states, think about the A/C... and choose the color wisely. This idiot, had he thought about it, would not have chosen a black Mistubishi.

In Las Vegas

True you don't need to drive in Las Vegas. The main boulevard (the Strip) has shuttles and a monorail. The traffic lights make you go slowly anyway. But being behind the wheel helps getting away from the bling-bling. Like if you want to go to Red Rock Canyon. Most casinos have a free parking... which is technically for clients. But in Vegas, we're always a client in every casino aren't we?

The Grand Canyon

True also it is possible to book a tour to the grand Canyon. Once again, the car means freedom. It will cost 25 $ for each car to get in the park. The permit is valid for seven days. Then you can beat the crowd for sunrise, leave any time you want or drive from the South Rim to Desert View Watch Tower.

If you plan on visiting some other national parks, you could get a discount on a package ticket. With Zion, Antelope Canyon, Glenn Canyon or Death Valley, all very close, you might want to consider it.

Death Valley

Death Valley without a car? Never. Because it's a desert. Because the fun part is going from one point to another on the road. Because you can't get there with public transportation... or hitchiking.

The price to get in the park is 20 $.

If you go in winter, think about renting a higher car and decide if you need winter tires...

The coast

The West Coast is totally worth it. Road 1goes along the Pacific Ocean in California to merge on Highway 101 all the way to Canada. Small cities along the way might be worth a pit stop. But one must consider it takes more time to drive on that road than on the boring but direct highway.

Note the fuel price varies in every state. It is cheaper to get it in Las Vegas than in San Francisco, for example. Knowing that, you can save depending on your strategy.

A lot of gaz stations will ask you to pay before you start fueling. Paying cash, sometimes, might be cheaper. If you plan on using a credit card, they might ask for an american zip code on the pump or an ID if you pay inside.

New York to Philadelphia Therapy

On the World Trade Center site, the new Freedom Tower
is being built

Some would call it a therapy. Others would say it's a way to make things worst. Going on a first holiday trip outside the city, after a heartbreaking comeback to real life, is a double-edged knife. Like the risk you take to see friends you only knew for the couple of hours you spent together before.

I packed everything, Gilly included, and I threw myself on Highway 91, direction Mountainside, New Jersey. All my eggs in the same basket, I was leaving with the intention of spending the four days of me long Thanksgiving week-end away from home.


Four days between New Jersey, New York and... Philadelphia, where I couldn't care less about Grand Central's charm or the Liberty Bell. I was there, that's all.

What a joy to reunite with my traveling buddies. To escape from the daily life that was not part of my life for six months. To reunite with people who understand. Who allow themselves to dream with me.

What a deception to see time fly away so fast. Even when stealing time from time. Even when pushing away the sleep that would have cost us precious hours together. What a deception to snap my fingers on Friday to wake up on Monday, both hands on the steering wheel again, Highway 91, heading towards Quebec.

On my trip, I managed to see the 9/11 Memorial, going through all the security controls, took a return trip on the ferry to Staten Island, and tasted what is known to be the best cheese-steak sandwich in Phillie. To get it, you have to stand in line at Jim's Steak.

In the end, I still don't know if I won or if I lost going through that "therapy". All I know is my head makes me dizzy again.

Burgers, weeds and bitches

Hollywood Boulevard

Already almost time to leave Los Angeles, where my "stopover" was really short. Holidays are over. Adventure begins.

The angels city, not too impressive, but nice because of its sun, can be summarized in three words : burgers, weeds and bitches.

Because there is nothing like unexpected encounters to bring you back to reality.

Since I really didn't feel like drowning in a sea (!) of tourists and since I didn't want to fill my schedule with thousands of activites, I spent the day walking from Venice Beach to Santa Monica, with a small walk in town afterwards.

At lunch, I met two young Americans who started the discussion. First advice : eat a burger from the In & Out restaurant. A must do in California for any tourist. Not the walk on Hollywood Boulevard. Not an excursion in Beverly Hills. Not a LA Kings game. A burger! They were funny, the kids.

Their second advice : see a "doctor" who offers his services on the beach and can write you a prescription for "therapeutic" marijuana. "Get high on the beach, get hungry, and then, get a burger at In & Out. It'll be the best burger of your life..."

Hum! What an advice. But I'll still think about it. Can I? At least, they didn't recommand "Botox on the beach"... (That exists)

And what about that guy I met on the bus where the funny driver was called Zeus? His girlfriend, the woman who drove the other bus, the girl passengers... all bitches according to him. One cannot say he was full of nuances.


Welcome in Los Angeles!

In another subject, special greetings to Caroline, a friend I had not seen for 12 years. Saw her on Hollywood Boulevard for a coffee.

Now, I don't know when it'll be possible to access the internet again in the kiwi's country. It is possible I'll need to go in a McDonald's (yuk!), where wi-fi is free, to read my messages.

The Hardest part is Leaving

I San Diego Bay

I already have packed a lot memories. Saw a flight of pelicans. The Pacific Ocean. Palm trees everywhere. Sun in February... With the pictures and the notes that go with them to make sure I remember everything.

After three days, I'm using the wi-fi connexion on the coastal train between San Diego and Los Angeles, along the ocean, for a first assessment. First conclusion : the hardest part is leaving.

Leaving from my house to take the plane, a moment I was looking forward to, well thought, that couldn't be otherwise. But I now realize that the next six months will be filled of neverending goodbyes. Departures. We must know how to leave a city just to embrace the next one. Be confident enough to decline the invitation to go out, the night before that departure, even if a group of sympathetic Quebecois just got in the hostel. And say the last goodbye to the travelers you leave behind, those you bonded with sooooo fast.

I have been the one who stays, for three nights, while others where leaving. I became the one who left, while others stayed. And I realized I took no picture of these new friends.

In two days, I'll be the one who leaves again, on a flight to Oceania.

In the mean time, I'll need to be disciplined so my nights get longer. Just saying...

Gilly is coming out

Pacific Beach, San Diego

Here it is. I cannot hide it anymore. I'm not really traveling alone. With me, a very small gorilla you can see on the picture. Gilly (I'm not the one who chose the name) decided to follow me in my adventures.

After getting out in Newark Airport, he went for a stroll on Pacific Beach, which has a view on the ocean of the same name.

Follow him! He could be anywhere, at any time.

On a more serious note

Like I wrote, my round-the-world trip has started. With the face I have, some will understand why the border patrol asked if I have a criminal record. And why, in the airport, in a "random" check, security chose to search my luggage. At least, this time, they closed it well afterwards.

On a short flight to Newark, I could appreciated New York's skyline and the Statue of Liberty. For a guy who is always eager to get somewhere, for once, I felt like I had time. I surfed on the wave.

Then, I left for San Diego, where rain took over the citizen's joy. It stopped right when I landed. I'm not making it up. From the sky, we could see the pouring rain on the city. In fact, getting in San Diego on a plane is very special because the airport is right in the city. When you go down, it's a little bit like you're gonna crash in some skyscrappers.

Once I got to the hostel, I got that normal doubt I was expecting. Living out of a suitcase for six months...  I got in a hostel room with a strange smell, where others had already marked their territory. Maybe I'm too old for that.

I slept on that. Asking myself if it was a good thing to start my trip in the States.

But after spending almost the whole day on a near empty beach, under the sun, not too warm but just enough, letting the Pacific Ocean calm me, I was zen. In the end, I needed an easy break from Quebec. Nothing too different or too disturbing. Just a break. Like a holiday before the adventure. In a country where I understand the language and where I can be understood too in spite of my accent.

One down. 180 to go...

San Diego

A simple word to confirm I got in San Diego...

Even if I brought my own computer, it didn't seem like the wifi was working. So I went back to the old time, when I was using the hostel computer, without any french accent on the keyboard.

My round-the-world trip has started. First real day to come. (And I will correct that post as soon as my computer works...)

Add : (Just needed to talk about it... Now it works)