Among the many trips a camper dreams of, there is crossing the United States coast to coast: the Camper Club Italia organised it and we joined in. We had been talking about it for a long time with friends — some had been there with other organisations or on their own, but always on very limited routes: California, Nevada and Utah — nobody we knew had done the “coast to coast”. Looking at the programme, we noticed it was very extensive but crammed into little time; in short, we would have to rush, but it could be done. After two meetings in Bologna, the club’s headquarters, and one in Bergamo, where we got all the information and the final costs, we decided to go. The cost, everything included (which unfortunately would not turn out to be the case), was set at € 12,500.
Twenty days before departure there was supposed to be an adjustment, up or down, based on the dollar/euro exchange rate, and this never happened — about € 400 in our favour. It was decided to charge everyone the same price for the campers even though they were different sizes, because not everyone could have a small one, so they were drawn by lot. The maximum number of participants was to be 20 campers with two leaders, split into two groups; unfortunately one of the two leaders had to pull out for health reasons, we were asked whether we wanted to set off with just one leader and we all agreed, but the cost of the second person had already been counted and was not refunded to the participants. Many asked for a refund, but there was no reply.
So that I could add more photos and make it quicker to read, I decided to present this trip divided by state; for each group, besides the relevant photos, there will be the diary of the days linked to that state.
Day 113 May 2009
Conclusion
So much effort and so much fatigue for this trip that gave us emotions difficult to describe. Every day was unique, unmissable, extraordinary, thanks also to the commitment and determination of all our adventure companions. What do we remember most? Hard to say. Every place, in its own way, was wonderful. This trip will be memorable.
Our thoughts go, in order, to the impetuous charm of Niagara Falls; to the badlands of the Badlands; to the faces of the Presidents carved into the mountain; to the magnificent Devil's Tower, to the thrilling Old Faithful and to the whole of Yellowstone Park (even though we did not see Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo), to Monument Valley and its delicate arches and spires; to the light filtered through Antelope Canyon; to the legendary Lake Powell with the Glen Canyon Dam; to the superb, the great, the beautiful, the breathtaking Grand Canyon; to the lights, the sounds of Las Vegas; to the very hot Badwater in Death Valley; to the very old and very huge General Sherman and the unexpected snowfall at Sequoia National Park; to the wonderful Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline seen from romantic Sausalito; and finally, to the great New York, its skyscrapers, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bri
dge, the Statue of Liberty (seen from afar). There would have been so many other things to tell that we did not include in this text. Others that we could have mentioned but that are found in all the tourist guides. Still others, like the most intimate sensations and emotions…that can never be described but that will remain prisoners forever within us. Now it is really all over. It is time to return home, see friends again, continue our usual life, waiting for another wonderful trip to enjoy together.
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Day 214 May 2009
From Ypsilanti, state of Michigan, to Utica, state of Illinois, 510 km
Departure at 7:30 Ready to leave, each at the assigned position; the camper following me warns me that my step has remained open. My first thought went to my camper left in Italy: it has the same defect, the step always stays open, the automatic retraction does not always work, and all this also happened to me in America with an American camper. After various attempts to close it, the providential Renato arrived, who with Attilio's help disassembles and disconnects the motor that was supposed to open and close the step. In all, we lost 45 minutes; unfortunately, we could not travel in that situation, it would have been very dangerous. Lunch stop and grocery shopping at the supermarket; among the various supplies purchased, we bought two pillows; the ones provided with the camper were very low and, not being used to them, we bought others. We also found some fabulous meat.
At the last moment, on PL's suggestion, we found a stool to work around the broken step; I tied it to a rope and before getting down I lowered it to the ground like a step, and before leaving I pulled it back up like a drawbridge. Later, many times I forgot to pull it back in and dragged it along, but they immediately warned me of the oversight and I retrieved it. In the afternoon, stop and visit to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (N 41 37 16 W 87 12 30), which runs along the southeastern shore of Lake Erie. Looking at its sparkling waters, you get the impression of seeing a snow effect. It is not a very deep lake, whose inflow is the Detroit River and whose outflow is the Niagara River. The climate is mild and the atmosphere is that of a riverside resort. A few photos and then off; this destination was a bit disappointing, nothing special.
In Sardinia there are similar sights but more beautiful. In Chicago we found a lot of traffic and it slowed the journey; we will arrive at the campsite at 9:00 p.m. Unfortunately, because of the repair to my step and the traffic encountered in Chicago, we accumulated this considerable delay. Lasalle Peru Koa Campsite N 41 23 26 W 89 01 09.
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