Since the epic Conovirus has closed borders around the world, I decided it was a great time to hit the road and explore some of the great sites within the U.S. For 8 days, more than 3,400 miles, and 10 states, I drove from Washington, DC to Portland, OR to explore the good ole U.S.A. There are several cross-country routes to take, but I decided to take the Oregon Trail. The Oregon Trail is also known as “The Great American Road Trip”.

Day 1: I started out from Washington, DC to my first stop on my cross-country trip to Cleveland, OH. The drive from Washington, DC to Cleveland was 6 hours. Spent the night in Cleveland.

Day 2: I visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame located in Cleveland. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has a lot of great artifacts from a variety of artists covering all genres of music. It is definitely worth a visit if you are ever in Cleveland.

After touring the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame it was time to move on to the next destination, which was Chicago, IL. The drive to Chicago from Cleveland was five hours. Spent the night in downtown Chicago at The Whitehall Hotel. The staff at the Whitehall was very friendly and the hotel is close to many restaurants.

Day 3: This day was spent exploring Chi-town. The day started off driving over to Hyde Park to see the Obamas’ residence. While over in Hyde Park had lunch at the Jamaican restaurant, Ja’ Grill. Ja’ Grill’s Jamaican punch is really good but be careful because the drink is strong. Later that day, headed over to Navy Pier to take the Chicago Architecture River Cruise. I highly recommend this cruise because of the spectacular views you get of the Chicago’s skyline from the Chicago River. Spent another night in Chicago.

Day 4: It was time to go further west so this day was spent driving from Chicago to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The drive from Chicago to Sioux Falls is a little over 8 hours. The drive to Sioux Falls from Chicago is not exciting at all. You only see cornfields and huge solar windmills for miles and miles.  This night was spent in Sioux Falls.

Day 5: Started the day exploring downtown Sioux Falls.  The downtown had some very interesting artwork displayed throughout. A very friendly woman informed me that the artwork displayed would be eventually auctioned off. The people were very friendly in Sioux Falls.

Well, a lot of time was not spent in Sioux Falls because we had to get to the Badlands, which is four hours from Sioux Falls. On the drive to the Badlands, we made a pit stop halfway in the town, Chamberlain. Chamberlain is a very small town and it reminds you of one of the towns you would see in a Western movie. But what made Chamberlain worth the stop is the Native American museum, Akta Lakota. The museum tells the history of the Lakota Indians who occupied much of South Dakota before the white man appeared.

The day ended finally reaching the Badlands to camp.

Day 6: Today was an early start. People who camp gets up early because it seems everyone is off to their next destination. I am not a camper but I made the best out of it. It was an enjoyable experience and the campers were friendly.

The Badlands is like nothing in the area maybe that is why they are called the Badlands. The rock formations are very particular it is like something had hit the area many centuries ago.

After exploring the Badlands it was time to travel for one hour and a half to the Black Hills to see Mt. Rushmore. Mt. Rushmore looks much smaller in person as compared when you see it on TV.

Not far from Mt. Rushmore is Crazy Horse. Crazy Horse is the Native Americans’ Mt. Rushmore. The sculpture was commissioned after Mt. Rushmore because the Native Americans in the Black Hills wanted something to honor them. The sculpture isn’t complete because no federal funds are being used. The closest you can get to the sculpture is a bus ride to the base. If you are willing to pay $125 you can get a tour up close to the face of the sculpture. We ended the day driving four hours to Thermopolis, Wyoming where we spent the night.

Day 7: The day began with a three-hour drive to Yellowstone National Park from Thermopolis. Yellowstone was the highlight of my trip. The place is beautiful! I first visited Yellowstone Lake. There is a hill overlooking the lake that offers breathtaking views of the lake and the surrounding area.

We ended up camping right outside of Yellowstone this night. Words of caution if you are camping in a soft tent in Yellowstone even in July prepare yourself for a cold morning.

Day 8: Today was spent exploring more of Yellowstone. If you ever make it to Yellowstone make sure you see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. It is so beautiful from the waterfalls and the deep valleys that look like they continue forever.

Also, Yellowstone has many hot springs and the famous geyser that always erupts, Old Faithful.

Not far from Yellowstone is the Teton National Park in Jackson Hole.

From Jackson, WY it was time to make the longest journey of this cross-country adventure to Portland, OR. From Jackson, WY it is a 12-hour drive. But after a miserable night camping in the cold in Yellowstone, I made the decision I would rather drive all night and take naps in the car then camp in the cold again. So the eighth day, which was the last day, was the longest. Made it to Portland the next morning to a lovely Doubletree Hotel

After driving over 3,400 miles, visiting 10 states in 8 days it was an experience that I would never forget. And the experience gave me a new appreciation of the beauty of the U.S. and the people. The U.S. is a vast country and very different, from huge cites like Chicago to small cities like Sioux Falls, to towns that look straight out of an old western like Chamberlain, and small towns in Wyoming with populations so small that there are more people living in an apartment building in NYC, and to natural wonders like the Badlands and Yellowstone. Like the landscape, the people of this country are different as well. The people I encountered on my cross-country trip were nice and welcoming. The experience of exploring the U.S. from driving cross-country is an experience that I will always remember and makes me appreciative to call this country home.