Our Cross Country Trip in 2003

We spent a bit over 3 weeks going from Oakland to Ithaca:

Map below shows our approximate route in black:

After a brief breakfast with Charlotte's parents, we arrived at the Great Basin National Park on the Nevada/Utah border. We spent three days camping in a rustic and empty national park.

We went through Utah, stopping briefly to see the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, then drove through Idaho, reaching Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the evening.

We spent the morning at the Grand Teton National Park and camped for several days at Yellowstone National Park.

Our longest drive was between Yellowstone and Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, on the Montana/Alberta border. We camped there for several days, spending a day boating and relaxing in Alberta.

After two days of driving, we went through North Dakota, pausing in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, a sparse and wonderful grasslands park. We arrived north of the Badlands that night.

We spent a good bulk of our time in the Black Hills of South Dakota, staying in the Custer State Park. We visited Mount Rushmore, Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Park, and the most awesome of all, the Crazy Horse Monument. We paused briefly in the Badlands National Park at the peak of summer heat.

We spent two nights in Iowa (and buying gas across the Missouri in Nebraska), visiting Ames, Des Moines, Iowa City and the Amana Colonies. We also spent a few hours at the surprisingly interesting Herbert Hoover's Birthplace in West Branch, Iowa.

We then drove through the so-called heartland of America-- Illinois and Indiana, arriving in Cincinnati to stay with family. We jumped over to Kentucky to get beers. Finally, we arrived at Govind's home of Hurricane, West Virginia. We also briefly toured the New River Gorge National River. We then high-tailed it to Ithaca, via the Fort Necessity National Battlefield in southeastern Pennsylvania.