American Road Trip

American Road Trip

The 2010 Ford F-150 pickup is a typical American vehicle.
It affords its passengers a seat above everything on the road. All
of its features， including blue-tooth stereo， seem perfect ?C
except for gas mileage. At the end of 2011， I drove one from
Miami to Orlando. I had never expected to drive such a vehicle，
but it was the only available car to rent.

From August 2011 through July 2012， I served as a
visiting scholar at Harvard University， and one of the perks of
the job was short semesters and long holidays. So， I made two
long-distance trips with my friends.
My first trip started in December 2011， when we drove
from Miami to Orlando， passing through Saint Augustine to
Interstate 10， and then New Orleans， Houston， and finally
Dallas.
My second trip began in June 2012， when we set off from
San Diego to Los Angeles， Yosemite， and finally San Francisco.
Then we drove north from Salt Lake City to Yellowstone
National Park， and moved southward to the Arches National
Park.

The first trip crossed almost half of the United States from
east to west， and the second traversed it north to south. I was
deeply impressed.
One arena in which the United States excels is its traffic
conditions. The roads might not be as wide as those in China，
but fewer vehicles afford easier access to everywhere. It was
amazing to speed along highways in the South with music
serenading the splendid views along the way.
Another boon for the country is the national park system.
In the West， we visited five national parks： Yosemite， the
Grand Canyon， Yellowstone， the Grand Tetons， and the
Arches， which all feature breathtaking scenery. The most
impressive characteristics are their administrative systems.
Admission is very affordable： less than 20 dollars for a week ?C
far lower than many scenic spots in China. Another thing is that
everything is well-kept， including the camping sites， waste
facilities， and even supporting facilities within the parks， such
as restaurants. We could never forget our“feast” in a
restaurant in Yellowstone， which didn’t cost much more than
outside meals.
The United States has long enjoyed fame as a “melting
pot.”Its vast territory with abundant resources is flavored by a

wide variety of customs and folklores. Boston， for instance， in
the northeast， developed from New England Puritan culture.
Florida in the southeast features bright and beautiful weather
as well as bold and unrestrained people. New Orleans in the
Deep South is a mecca for jazz as well as French delicacies.
Coastal California in the West features premiums in both
natural scenery and cultural environment. The San Francisco
Bay Area is heaven for innova- tion. Utah is strongly flavored by
the Mormon culture， a totally fresh experience for us.
Finally， it didn’t cost much to travel in the United States.
The entire way， we primarily chose 40 or 50-dollar-a- night
motels. When arriving in big cities， we selected hotels using
Priceline bidding. We stayed in a Westin in New Orleans at 50
dollars： Too good to be true！ The price is higher in hotels
around Yellowstone and Yosemite ?C about 200 dollars a night.
Food along the way was affordable： For about 10 to 20 dollars
per person you got a pretty good meal. Oddly enough， we
found the most authentic Sichuan food on the outskirts of Salt
Lake City.
My road trips in the United States remain unforgettable
pages of my memory ?C nice views， delicious food， and
exotic local culture. I hope I get another chance to go there and

cross the country through the North and East.