I was just reading your blog, and this caught my attention:

“…fly to the US, rent (or buy?) a car”

I know you are a Top Gear fan; have you seen the episode where they do just that?

Thanks again!

West Coast:
1. Oregon – Particularly the northern border of this state that coincides with the Columbia Gorge. I think, in all of the USA, I’ve never seen countryside this magnificent.

2. Washington – Tall trees, beautiful mountains. Even in the rainy season the evergreens in this state are second to none. I’ve been there only once, but I would love to go back.

3. Utah – Believe it or not, Utah has some very breathtaking mountains as well. We only clipped a small portion of the state on our most recent road trip, but I definitely wanted to see more.

Midwest and/or Somewhat Middle of the Country:
1. Colorado – Again, the mountains in this state are amazing. I have some pictures that I could show you of the Rocky mountains that would take your breath away. I recommend driving through this state at dusk or early morning. It’s breathtaking to say the least.

2. Missouri – I may be biased because I’m from this state and have lived here almost all of my life, but I think most people would agree that the Lake of the Ozarks area in southwestern Missouri is very, very pretty. Windy country roads that scale various hills and mountains make for some amazing views.

3. Tennessee – This ranks among my favorite states as well. There’s an amazing stretch of highway that goes through Chattanooga. The Appalachian Mountains here are very, very pretty and worth seeing.

East Coast
1. Pennsylvania – There are some toll roads that lead through the mountains in this state where you’ll look down on either side and notice drops that are several hundreds of feet tall. The areas around Philadelphia are some of the best from my own experience.

2. The Carolinas – These states are absolutely gorgeous. Very pretty countryside, and very nice beaches. Definitely worth seeing at least once. The city of Charleston is a great place to visit!

3. Florida – Most of this state is rather flat and boring, but Miami, Tampa Bay, and the Florida keys are very pretty areas that are worth checking out. My dad has a house in the keys, and I love visiting when I can.

I know this might not give you much in the way of cities to visit, but the United States has some simply breathtaking countryside that is worth seeing at least once in your life. Be sure to bring a camera and lots of batteries ;).

Driving down the east coast in a option. I’ll have to consider that. Personally, I’m not the world biggest fan of high temperatures and high humidity, but apart from that, I’d love to see Florida.

The Grand Canyon is a good tip.

Costa Rica I’m not so sure about. The fact that it attracts a lot of tourists is not a plus in my book.

If you want to go on a real driving trip try a drive down US1. It goes (I believe) from somewhere near Canada/New York (state) and all the way down into the Florida Keys. I forget which states it goes through, but I know you’ll probably see the Carolinas (which are really nice) and the ever-so-wonderful Florida (note, I live here, lol). But in this trip you get the tropical weather along with the beautiful northern states.

If you are going anywhere over near California, I recommend to take a small detour to see the Grand Canyon.

If you want something really tropical, Costa Rica is probably the best place to go. It is built for tourist it seems.