Being an air travel enthusiast, I never considered driving across the United States until an unfortunate incident forced my ex-fiancé and I to change our travel plans. We had flown into Las Vegas for a business convention one night. The next morning, I turned on the television and discovered that the planes had crashed into the World Trade Centers in New York. It was 9/11, which devastated us and everyone around us. At Caesar’s Palace, all the televisions were tuned to the tragedy, instead of the usual horse races or other sporting events. You could hear a pin drop as everyone watched the tragedy unfold, live. The convention closed early due to the horrific tragedy. They gave us T-shirts as we left the convention center, in memory of the people who perished in New York and Pennsylvania. Fortunately for us, my ex had already rented a van to get around, as rental cars quickly sold out when all the planes were grounded. In Las Vegas, the airport is right on the edge of the city, very close to the Strip. With all the planes shot down, all we saw was the occasional military fighter jet circling around the city from time to time. It was creepy and a reminder of the possible danger to the area. We got out and drove to Los Angeles.

In Los Angeles, our spirits were lifted as we visited the coast, stopping at lovely places like Balboa Island for lunch, Laguna Beach (filled with interesting boutiques and restaurants), and Dana Point, where we stayed in a beautiful beachfront hotel. Later, we went to Burbank and attended the second taping of the Tonight Show, with Jay Leno. The experience was surreal, no one was in the mood for comedy, so the show was moderated. Jay brought out a motorcycle that he was going to auction for charity and Arnold Schwartzenegger, Tom Cruise and others came to sign it. Being in the studio was fascinating, the temperature in the big room was cold, to prevent the many hot stage lights from exploding, one of the producers told us. We had front row seats, because we got in line so early. If you go, make sure you do it well before the indicated time, because it takes a long time to park and the queue to enter is very long.

After leaving downtown Los Angeles, we toured Beverly Hills and Hollywood. I liked Beverly Hills, seeing the beautiful houses was my favorite. Signs were posted everywhere saying wildfires can happen and gave a daily rating of the likelihood of one occurring. Interesting. Some movie stars’ houses were on regular streets like yours and mine. Others were high in the mountains, protected by gates, high walls and ominous “no trespassing” signs. I don’t blame them, with all the crazy people in the world. All the fancy stores were nice, but a shopping spree was out of the question unless we won the lottery and were rich like the Hiltons: an item of clothing could be the cost of a new car or even a house in downtown BeverlyHills. . wow. We drove everywhere, taking pictures, stopping at fast food places like In and Out Hamburgers and Krispy Kreme Donuts. We also stopped at lovely ethnic restaurants for Mexican, Thai and Indian food. Mexican restaurants were my favorites, most were authentic and had large portions.

We drove through the desert, coming back east, we saw the Hoover Dam, which was huge. Because of the tragedy that was happening in New York, everyone was nervous, so we weren’t allowed to stop at the bridge, just drive past it and park somewhere else. It was very picturesque to see the dam, built a long time ago, with Art Deco influence on the bridge and the well built buildings. It was incredibly hot but the heat was dry, not humid. We drank gallons of soda and bottled water to keep from dehydrating. The views of the high mountains and the vast amounts of water pumped out by this powerful dam were truly mesmerizing for this Midwestern girl.

Our next state to visit was Utah, land of amazing rock formations and mountains. We only saw the southern part, but what we saw was impressive. Bright red rocks sticking out of the ground, high mountains, and an endless night sky full of stars. We parked on the side of the road and watched the sky for an hour, deep in the desolate parts of the mountains. Without city lights (or any other civilization, for that matter) we would be able to see everything, including the Milky Way. It was both beautiful and surreal at the same time. Utah is full of natural wonders and incredibly scenic.

Next, we headed to Colorado. It was so scenic going up and down the mountain roads of this colorful and beautiful state. The entire state is a photographer’s dream, especially with all the fall colors. He felt and looked like the Old West to me. We stopped at an old mining town, even had buffalo burgers (made from yes, real buffalo meat, which was good). If we had more time, I would have spent a week there, but my ex had to go back to work from him, so time was limited.

Just east of Denver, everything got incredibly flat. The prairies are desolate and signs of off-road life were few and far between. Whenever we saw a gas station, we stopped at it, because who knew how long it would be until the next one arrived. The people there were very friendly. We spent the night in a charming old hotel and ate at the family restaurant next door. True Americana at its best.

We started seeing hills again in parts of Iowa, which we haven’t been to for a long time. Then came Illinois, where we stopped in Chicago. Having been there many times in the past, we stopped at places I liked such as WaterTower Place, the downtown theater and art museum. There is so much to do and see in this stunning city, just do it during the summer, because the winters there are cold and brutal. Chicago is a big city, with a long skyline as you drive past it. Much bigger than my hometown of Cleveland.

Late at night, we arrived at my house, outside of Cleveland. The trip was a success, although it was marred by tragedy, we made the most of the situation. It took us a week to get home, and someday I plan to do it again, but this time with more free time. If you want to see what America is really like, rent a car (try not to use your own, due to the great wear and tear that this type of travel puts on a car) and plan places to visit before you go. We did this trip unplanned and it was still a success. We drove through beautiful state parks, passed amazing scenery, and met wonderful people. Next time I do this, I’ll buy a brochure at the auto club and plan it to see more places off the beaten path like the Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park, and Napa Valley. Driving is a great way to see the details of our great country up close and personal, so be sure to give it a try.