EPIC US ROAD TRIP 2017
33 Days. 23 Sates. 7,124 Miles. Epic, Take II
“… the US probably warrants more than one epic once-in-a-lifetime road trip experience. So, and a year-plus after our 9,510-mile Epic US Road Trip 2016, we’re hitting the US road once again. Welcome to Epic US Road Trip, take II, the 2017 edition…”
Image || Day 27 – Fall in New England. Autumnal drives in New Hampshire.

Epic US Road Trip 2017 Introduction
With almost 10 million km² of terra firma crisscrossed by some 6.5 million kilometres of road, the world’s longest & biggest road network, the US probably warrants more than one epic once-in-a-lifetime road trip experience. So, and a year-plus after our 9,510-mile Epic US Road Trip 2016, we hit the US road once again. Welcome to Epic US Road Trip take II, the 2017 edition, 33 days of intense road-trippin’ centered on the pioneering history of the Eastern seaboard’s original Thirteen Colonies (Northern, Middle & Southern Colonies) & leaf peeping the vibrant hues of a New England fall/autumn. But 33 days & 7,100-plus miles meant we also found time for plenty of music; (more of) the steamy Deep South; rural, back road drives; and – whoops! – even a foray (too far) north across the border into Canada. Yes, it was epic all over again. We know of no other way.

Is an Epic US Road Trip still an Epic US Road Trip if it involves Canada? Spilling across the border. Day 30 in a very wet Hartland, New Brunswick, Canada.
– Lonely Planet USA, 6th edition
Epic US Road Trip 2017 In Numbers
Days
Miles Driven
US States
Canadian Provinces
National Park Visited
National Scenic Byways Driven
All-American Roads Driven
Epic US Road Trip 2017 Picture of The Day Highlights Gallery
- Boeing 737 MAX 8. Norwegian flight D81823 from Dublin, Ireland to Warwick, Rhode Island. September 27, 2017.
- Statues fronting the Clerks Office & the facade of the New Haven Free Public Library overlooking New Haven Green. Elm Street, New Haven, Connecticut. September 28, 2017.
- On the approach to the Pennsylvania Memorial in Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. September 29, 2017.
- Amish farming outside Bird in Hand, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. September 30, 2017.
- The northern facade of the White House as seen from Lafayette Square, Washington D.C. October 1, 2017.
- Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s UNESCO-listed architectural masterpiece in the hills outside Charlottesville, Virginia. October 2, 2017.
- Palace Green fronting Governor’s Palace in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. October 3, 2017.
- DOYLE LAWSON – DAY 1 || Doyle Lawson. Bluegrass royalty. Warming up backstage on Day 1. October 4, 2017.
- CAROLINA BLUE – DAY 2 || Carolina Blue on the afternoon of Day 2. October 5, 2017.
- FLATT LONESOME – DAY 3 || The guys & gals of Flatt Lonesome, the penultimate act on Day 3. October 6, 2017.
- DAY 4 || Adam Haynes, fiddler with The Grascals, warming up backstage to kick off Day 4. October 7, 2017.
- The Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, Outer Banks, North Carolina. October 8, 2017.
- A late evening carriage ride on the streets of Charleston, South Carolina. October 9, 2017.
- Oak trees and Spanish moss in Forsyth Park, Savannah, Georgia. October 10, 2017.
- The Old State Capitol as seen from the New State Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida. October 11, 2017.
- The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, Louisiana. October 13, 2017.
- Flatt Lonesome performing in front of the Oldham Theater on Liberty Square as part of the one-day A Lester Flatt Celebration in Sparta, Tennessee. October 14, 2017.
- Sunday funday on Lower Broadway, Nashville, Tennessee. October 15, 2017.
- Urban cowgirls. 5th Avenue N, Nashville, Tennessee. October 16, 2017.
- It’s Fall Y’all! The Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, Tennessee. October 17, 2017.
- On the Tennessee/Virginia State Line, US 33, Hancock County. October 18, 2017.
- Quilting patterns adorning a barn in rural Elliott County, Kentucky. October 19, 2017.
- The distant city of Cleveland as seen from Huntington Beach on the shores of Lake Erie, Ohio. October 20, 2017.
- The Hall of Fame Gallery of the National Baseball Hall Of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, Upstate New York. October 21, 2017.
- Boating on Lake George as seen from Fort William Henry, Lake George, Adirondacks, Upstate New York. October 22, 2017.
- Kancamagus Scenic Byway, White Mountains National Forest, New Hampshire. October 23, 2017.
- The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac overlooking the St. Lawrence River in Vieux Québec (Old Quebec), Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. October 24, 2017.
- On Autoroute 85/the Trans-Canada Highway in Quebec, Canada. October 25, 2017.
- Entering the covered bridge in a wet Hartland, New Brunswick, Canada. October 26, 2017.
- Fall foliage off the All-American Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, Maine. October 27, 2017.
- Nausette Lighthouse, Eastham, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. October 28, 2017.
- Thomas Street, Providence, Rhode Island. October 29, 2017.
Epic US Road Trip 2017 Day-by-Day Overview
NEW ENGLAND / NORTHERN COLONIES || Connecticut
DAY 01 110 miles || T.F Green Airport, Rhode Island, to New Haven, Connecticut
MIDDLE COLONIES || Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland & Washington D.C.
DAY 02 312 miles || New Haven to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
DAY 03 098 miles || Gettysburg to Lancaster, Pennsylvania
DAY 04 149 miles || Lancaster to Atlantic City, New Jersey (via Amish Country & Philadelphia)
DAY 05 201 miles || Atlantic City to Washington D.C. (via Lewes, Delaware & Annapolis, Maryland)
SOUTHERN COLONIES || Virginia, The Carolinas (North Carolina & South Carolina) & Georgia
DAY 06 206 miles || Washington D.C. to Richmond, Virginia (via Monticello, Virginia)
DAY 07 240 miles || Richmond to Manteo, North Carolina (via Williamsburg & Jamestown, Virginia)
DAY 08 003 miles || Outer Banks – Manteo, North Carolina
DAY 09 003 miles || Outer Banks – Manteo, North Carolina
DAY 10 038 miles || Outer Banks – Manteo, North Carolina
DAY 11 032 miles || Outer Banks – Manteo, North Carolina
DAY 12 274 miles || Manteo to Wilmington, North Carolina
DAY 13 192 miles || Wilmington to Charleston, South Carolina (via Myrtle Beach, South Carolina)
DAY 14 285 miles || Charleston to Macclenny, Florida (via Savannah, Georgia)
THE SOUTH || Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi & Tennessee
DAY 15 397 miles || Macclenny to Mobile, Alabama (via Tallahassee, Florida)
DAY 16 167 miles || Mobile to New Orleans, Louisiana (via southern Mississippi)
DAY 17 480 miles || New Orleans to Fort Payne, Alabama (via Meridian, Mississippi)
DAY 18 142 miles || Fort Payne to Sparta, Tennessee
DAY 19 121 miles || Sparta to Nashville, Tennessee
DAY 20 070 miles || Nashville
DAY 21 198 miles || Nashville to Knoxville, Tennessee
KENTUCKY & THE GREAT LAKES || Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan & New York
DAY 22 307 miles || Knoxville to London, Kentucky (via Maynardville & Sneedville, Tennessee; Coeburn, Virginia; Jenkins & Hyden, Kentucky)
DAY 23 376 miles || London to Dayton, Ohio (via Sandy Hook & Olive Hill, Kentucky & Greenfield, Ohio)
DAY 24 393 miles || Dayton to Erie, Pennsylvania (via Michigan & Toledo & Cleveland, Ohio)
DAY 25 430 miles || Erie to Lake George, New York (via Cooperstown, New York)
NEW ENGLAND / NORTHERN COLONIES & CANADA || Vermont, New Hampshire, Quebec & New Brunswick (Canada), Maine, Massachusetts & Rhode Island
DAY 26 143 miles || Lake George to Montpelier, Vermont (via Ticonderoga, Crown Point & Westport, New York & Burlington, Vermont)
DAY 27 213 miles || Montpelier to Franconia, New Hampshire (via Barre & Chelsea, Vermont & Lincoln, New Hampshire)
DAY 28 253 miles || Franconia to Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
DAY 29 326 miles || Quebec City to Woodstock, New Brunswick, Canada
DAY 30 330 miles || Woodstock to Bar Harbor, Maine
DAY 31 244 miles || Bar Harbor to Portland, Maine
DAY 32 280 miles || Portland to Hyannis, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
DAY 33 123 miles || Hyannis to T.F Green Airport, Rhode Island (via Providence, Rhode Island)
In The Rearview Mirror
|| NEW ENGLAND || Rhode Island (RI): Warwick (T. F. Green Airport). Connecticut (CT): New Haven, Merritt Parkway. || MIDDLE COLONIES || Pennsylvania (PA): Gettysburg, Journey Through Hallowed Ground Byway, Lancaster, Amish Country (Bird In Hand & Intercourse), Philadelphia. New Jersey (NJ): Atlantic City, Jersey Shore & Cape May (Cape May-Lewes Ferry). Delaware (DE): Lewes. || SOUTHERN COLONIES || Maryland (MD): Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway, Annapolis. Washington D.C. Virginia (VA): George Washington Memorial Parkway, Arlington, Monticello, Journey Through Hallowed Ground Byway, Richmond, The Colonial Parkway, Williamsburg, Jamestown. North Carolina (NC): Outer Banks Scenic Byway, Roanoke Island (Manteo), Bodie Island (Nags Head & Kill Devil Hills), Wilmington. South Carolina: Myrtle Beach, Charleston.|| THE SOUTH || Georgia (GA): Savannah. Florida (FL): Jacksonville, Macclenny, Tallahassee. Alabama (AL): Mobile. Louisiana (LA): New Orleans. Mississippi (MS): Meridian. Alabama (AL): Fort Payne. Tennessee (TN): Sparta, Nashville, Knoxville, Maynardville, Sneedville. || SOUTHERN COLONIES || Virginia (VA): Coeburn, Country Music Highway. || KENTUCKY & THE GREAT LAKES || Kentucky (KY): Jenkins, Burdine, Hyden, London, Sandy Hook, Olive Hill. Ohio (OH): Greenfield, Dayton, Toledo, Cleveland. Michigan (MI) Pennsylvania (PA): Erie. New York (NY): Cooperstown, Lake George, Ticonderoga, Crown Point, Westport, Essex. || NEW ENGLAND || Vermont (VT): Burlington, Montpelier, Barre, Chelsea. New Hampshire (NH): Connecticut River Byway, Lincoln, Kancamagus Scenic Byway, White Mountain Trail, Franconia, Littleton. || CANADA || Quebec: Quebec City, Trans-Canada Highway. New Brunswick: Woodstock, Heartland, Saint Stephen. || NEW ENGLAND || Maine (ME): Eastport, Lubec, Bar Harbor/Mount Desert Island, Acadia National Park, Acadia All-American Road, Portland. Massachusetts (MA): Cape Cod (Provincetown & Hyannis). Rhode Island (RI): Providence.
National Parks || National Scenic Byways || All-American Roads

Day 32, the penultimate day, on Route 6 in Provincetown, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, approx. 3,600 miles from Long Beach, California, or about half the distance driven over the course of the 33-day, 7,124-mile road trip.
Getting There
Day 1 || September 27 2017
Route || T. F. Green Airport, Warwick, Rhode Island to New Haven, Connecticut.
Miles (Kilometres) Driven || 110 (177)
Posted From || New Haven, Connecticut
Today’s Highlight || Hitting the road
Making waves right now in the transatlantic sky, it was Norwegian who were tasked with the responsibility of getting us across the Atlantic to the road trip starting line. And they did a rather good job of it too. I’m well impressed.

NORWEGIAN || Boeing 737 MAX 8. On board Norwegian flight D81823 from Dublin, Ireland to Warwick, Rhode Island. September 27, 2017.It’s 15 years now since Norwegian’s first domestic flights in 2002. I’ve flown with them before, from Oslo to Reykjavik, Iceland in 2013, around about the time they won the first of their 5 consecutive best low-cost airline in Europe awards (they are also on a three-year run of being voted the world’s best low-cost long-haul airline). Going from strength to strength, seen here is one of their new, greener, quieter, US$100 million Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, this one so brand spanking new that the Wi-Fi antenna hadn’t even been installed meaning we had no access to the airline’s innovative and industry-leading free Wi-Fi for the duration of the 6 hour 40 minute flight. Taking the keys to the first their new toys in July of this year saw Norwegian became the first European airline to fly the single-aisle, 189-seater MAX 8, 110 of which they have on order and which they will use to service future low-cost long-haul routes, the first of which was their transatlantic service that began in May 2013. This service has been aggressively expanded of late to usher in what is being called a new era of low-cost transatlantic travel, one that is seeing Norwegian not only eat into the market share of the jaded offerings of established transatlantic carriers like Aer Lingus, but also the pilot numbers of complacent Ryanair. In hoping to open the skies to everyone, Norwegian are hedging their bets on people not minding a long-haul flight on single-aisle aircraft to minor airports (Norwegian themselves use the word ‘smaller’) in return for low fares, the cheapest transatlantic flights ever seen. There were certainly no objections here.Keep up the good work, Norwegian.
– Travel industry expert Henry H Harteveldt commenting on use of the 737 MAX 8 by Norwegian as part of its aggressive expansion of long-haul offerings using smaller single-aisle aircraft.
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