Thanks everybody.
Yeah, that's a heck of journey. Not sure I'd be up for tent life, but it would be really cool to see all those great spots - I firmly believe that road tripping is the best way to see/experience an area.
That stop in Brownville TN is only about 45 minutes from me. If you're ever in that area again you're more than welcome to stop in for some beers, a hot shower and the guest quarters....Or pitch your tent in the yard if you like
Ya, tent life isn't for everybody and that is OK. Just getting out there and seeing things is great no matter how you do it. Watching the landscape unfold in front of you as you drive is so amazing. Doing it on a bicycle is also amazing but obviously at a much slower pace. There are so many amazing places to see in the USA (and other countries of course). BTW, I might take you up on that offer next year when I drive back to AZ in the spring. That Brownville TN stop was at a shitty over priced hotel.
Amazing road trip! What were you favourite moments along the way?
Very hard question as I saw and did so many amazing things. Meeting and having long conversations with interesting people, cycling up Mt Lemmon in AZ (35 km of climbing!), going in slot canyons so narrow I'd have to take my backpack off and turn sideways, how much the geology would change in such a small area (100 miles). Just a few off the top of my head. If I answered this tomorrow, I'm sure I would have a different list. One thing I missed out on was camping in the dunes at Great Sand Dunes NP in Colorado. They only give 20 spaces and by time I checked, they were all gone. I still went to the park and hiked the dunes but it would be amazing to sleep on them.
Absolutely epic as others have said. Did you do this with a partner? Do you still have a property in Ontario and if so did you have someone take care of it? Was this all done continuously or did you head back to Ontario at certain times? So many questions but what a journey.
Short version...I went solo. Sold the house and as many things as I could before leaving. The rest of my stuff is in a 12x15 storage locker. I've been living in my car/tent since April with the occasional couch surfing at my mom's or friends.
I did AZ, UT, and a tiny bit of CO in April and May. Came back to Ontario to see my mom and then took off on a self supported bike trip with a friend (72 years old and we knocked off 400 km in 4 days). Then I took off to Lake Placid for a few weeks. Came home and did another self supported bike trip with the same friend (300 km in 3 days). Back to Placid and Gorham NH for 3 weeks and hung out with some friends at both places. That puts me into the end of August. I wanted to get out to Maine but every time I was close and checked the forecast, another hurricane could be coming up the coast.
In the middle of Sept, friends left on a 1 month vacation so they asked me to house sit their place for them which ends this week. Soon I'll be going to head back to NC to visit family. No idea what I'll do after that. Would be nice to find a short term rental till March when I'll take off again.