More and more people are getting in their cars and driving across the US or across Canada on a vacation trip they may have planned for years. The price of gasoline has been a deterrent, however, the price of fuel is going up regardless of whether you drive, fly, take the train or the bus. Traveling by car allows you to see so much more that we are convinced that this is the best and only way to travel and see the many sites of America. One of the things we discovered is that there are so many different and interesting things to see and do, that we are already planning to do this same trip again.

We depart from Eastern Canada and travel through Windsor and Detroit and on to St Louis. Everyone should see the beautiful arch that marks the entrance to St Louis at least once! We then traveled further south to Texas. We bypassed many states because we had a plan in mind. We wanted to see the Texas Panhandle and Amarillo, Texas. What we got was miles and miles of scorched earth! The fires that swept across Texas really have to be seen to be believed. Miles and miles of blackened grass really tell you how huge these fires can be. We were a little disappointed in Amarillo, so we moved to Roswell, New Mexico.

Roswell, New Mexico, of course, is home to the Roswell UFO museum. This museum began with the cover-up of a UFO crash in 1947 by the US military, or so it is claimed. This is a must stop if you are interested in UFOs.

Next on our itinerary was the White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. With over 250 square miles of gypsum sand, so white it’s blinding, kids slide down the 60-foot sand dunes like huge snowdrifts. This is another unmissable adventure.

There are many things to see in Arizona. We chose the Tucson area for this trip and spent time in Sabino Canyon, Tubac, Nogales, and Bensen. A combination of hiking, shopping for crafts, and a little stargazing in Mount Kitts kept us busy for more than five days. The last part of our trip to the Southwest was a stay in Laughlin, Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Palm Springs.

Laughlin, Nevada is on the Colorado River and we take advantage of the water taxis that will take you along the river to the various casino hotels. There are boat cruises and a line of great entertainment. This area of ​​Nevada is definitely a good deal. Room prices are reasonable as are meals.

Then we visited Las Vegas. Las Vegas is a gaming mecca with more than 100,000 available rooms and millions of people who visit each year for a combination of good times, great food and entertainment, and of course, a little gambling.

Palm Springs is a jewel in the California desert. Nestled in a valley, protected from wind and rain, you can count on good weather for more than 300 days a year.

We spent over a month traveling around the United States, concentrating on the Southwest. The only reservations we made were in Las Vegas and Palm Springs. As seasoned travelers, we find that a cross-country road trip like this is best done in the spring or fall, when all the kids are in school and the lines are relatively short.

Next year we plan to do it all over again, traveling to the northwestern US and then heading south to California.