[viXit]

I started reading at around nine this morning and with a few breaks I only finished at 2.
I loved each and every picture so much that I saved a few in full res to make them wallpapers.
AMAZING AMAZING THREAD!

The smile on your parents’ faces says it all!

[Mile_Breaker]

Wow ! This should surely figure in US tourism sites !!! Such extensive write up with beautiful captures of cross country travel. The smiles on your proud parent's face tells it all how much they have enjoyed the journey. Extremely well planned ! Kudos !

[klgiridhar]

I have only one word to say - EPIC!
Thanks for sharing it with all of us.

[Rubbertramps]

Wow. This is an amazing travelogue. I appreciate your patience in creating such a huge travelogue. Amazing pictures.

[naveenroy]

That was a great roadtrip! You know what I loved the most - seeing the smiles on your mum and dad! Nice to see that they enjoyed the trip and didn't have any problems at all - especially that they were able to get their regular sleep hours.

[Route66]

EPIC! An amazing travelogue. Thank You!

Most people think American holiday is visiting NY, Las Vegas and San Francisco. But as you correctly said, correct way to see America is to do road trips. I did Los Angeles to Vegas to Grand Canyon (South Rim and Sky Way) back in 2012. It is one of the best road trips i have taken. You refreshed a lot of memories. Thank You.

[drive.click]

This is an Epic travelogue guyfrmblr !!

Amazing, jaw dropping pictures. Simply loved your photography. I especially loved your pictures of Valley of fire, Canyonlands National Park, Arches National Park, Capitol Gorge, The Monument Valley.

I always loved Europe and would always plan to visit it again and again, but you just added USA to my bucket list. Despite having a valid visa, I never intended to be here, but you just changed that for me. I think before visa expires I should plan (or rather just follow your plan).

It will be great if you could share the equipment and technique used for your photography. Thank you for sharing !

[sup?]

Woah! Amazing travelogue. I really regret not going on a lot of road trips when I was studying there. Hopefully, some day I will go and do these trips that you have done.

[foggy1]

Excellent travelogue and thread guyfromblr - I had not logged into team-bhp in eight years and this was the thread that finally made me sign back in. As a fellow guy from Bangalore who has shared your passion for road trips this was such a good read and it took me back to my childhood and the love for cars and roadtrips that I still have with my father. A lot has happened in eight years and I moved from India to the USA and after reading this article my interest in road trips has re-ignited. I loved your photography as well and these pictures really do justice to how beautiful this country is. Some of our fondest memories and road trips have been in Europe south of France around the A8 - Monaco- Nice- Cannes primarily because it was so scenic. This thread has made me realize the importance of route planning within the US as well rather relying on Waze to explore hidden gems and create new memories.. Overall a great post! Thanks for putting this out there in the world!

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

My aim was to make my parents experience the vast, natural landscapes of the American Southwest and I believe I could achieve it.

You sure did my friend. Good on you.

It was a relief to come across your travelogue. The only thing I have been reading about the USA, in the last few months, has been around protests, covid and poor leadership.

What a beautiful country! A land so diverse in its terrain and beauty. As you say, its the smaller, less explored pockets that are to be explored. I try and do the same thing whenever I go on holiday.

I have visited the USA only once. One that one trip, I went to small town Williams, Arizona. The few hours I spent there was enough to get me thinking about retiring in that small town. Sheriff on horse back and what not. Makes me think that a lot of the USA is more isolated than villages, even compared to India.

Look forward to your next marathon road trip.

[Chillout]

Epic isn't the word, looks like I missed to see a lot of places. Your travelogue is an eye opener for lots of folks and will help them plan and explore a lot of places which people typically miss out.

[SJM1214]

Wow! I appreciate your patience and the time spent in putting together this 4-page long travelogue with so many photos. Many thanks for that.

[guyfrmblr]

Thanks everyone for your kind words!

Originally Posted by mankuthimma

We used to fondly call it as "Beppu-Takkadi-Service" ( BTS ) during our bus-conductor games at home.

Hahaha, even we used to have such funny names for BTS in my school which I'm unable to recollect now.

A ride in route no. 131 passing through M G Road was nothing less than fantasy at that time. The first row of window seats in double decker were the best ones.. to be able to touch the trees and also see how the head of the bus turns first whenever the bus has to take a turn. I used to still take that double decker bus even when I started working since my first office was in Domlur adjacent to Doopanahalli.

You just beautifully summed up the double decker experience. Those drivers used to be experts in turning that behemoth in the narrow turns that were found all over Indiranagar. There used to be a lot of 90 degree turns between CMH road and Doopanahalli and it was a treat to watch the driver making precise turns without reducing the speed. The final U-turn at Doopanahalli was the king of all turns. If the same thing is done today, I'm sure that there will be 20-30 two wheelers under the bus. Whenever we used to travel on Old Madras road, my eyes were always set towards the BTS Depot 6 where they used to park all these double deckers.

Originally Posted by srishiva

Thats one great travelogue. I guess you missed Colorado and New Mexico on your south west trip.
Having lived in Phoenix and Denver and travelled across the 4 states, its really so much different and something unique to US. The drives, the stay at motels is lovely. Yellowstone is one other thing thats very specific. Hope you can visit there.

I have heard a lot about the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Even Wyoming, Washington, Oregon and Montana are in my todo list. I have seen the pics of some wonderful landscapes in those regions. I never got a chance to explore the Northwest. Will definitely do it in future.

Originally Posted by Arbind Ray

If some video clips of your travels are available I'm sure readers would love to see these if your stills are anything to go by...

I saw your video clips in YouTube and they are awesome. Thanks for sharing it. Unfortunately I did not record any videos during our drive. I definitely regret not taking a GoPro for this trip.

Originally Posted by drive.click

It will be great if you could share the equipment and technique used for your photography.

I used my humble Sony a6000 mirrorless camera with the two lenses (16-50 mm and 55-210mm) that came along with it. I did not use any technique. Just casually captured the scenes that I thought were worth capturing

[dgoyle]

My! My! My! What a lovely travelogue and visual treats!
You reminded me of my trips in the buses at Delhi and Poona (back then it was). These busses were very good timepass. The Mudrika route in Delhi was a favorite. I carried water and sandwiches and used to get off where ever I wanted. The round trip used to be two hrs ex AIIMS in 15 paise. In Pune, I read my textbooks perched on the top front seat of the double-decker from Bhairoba Nala to Deccan Gymkhana. To and fro, at times 6 trips in a row, many times many days in a row. The conductors were very supportive I must say .
Coming back to the present, this effort of yours truly deserves a 5-star rating. do add the itinerary as I have tried twice to document but each time getting lost in the photographs. I know the third time shall be the same.
I also have in mind traveling to the US for a road trip. My base is likely to be Rochester. This narration shall be very useful and I may disturb you on some future date for your recommendations.
Wishing you the very best.

[baskar]

What a wonderful travelogue. This should surely deserve a place in US tourism website. Such details , clear photos, crisp and engaging narration with tips and interesting facts. The entire story underpinned by the love for your parents. This is travelogue at its best.

I have also traveled to US many times , lived there for some years but never seen such beautiful places save the usual city tourist attractions.

Truly deserves 5*

Thanks for bringing such a wonderful experience and made us virtually travel thru all these places.