Is life a highway, or is the highway life?
Either way, we’ve compiled a list of parts of the country every driver needs to experience.
If you are still working on your New Year’s Eve Resolutions, then how about seeing some of the country you helped protect? One of the things that makes America so special is her spectacular natural beauty. We love hearing about veteran truck drivers that get out into nature to see the country that they helped save!
Although we’re the first to caution drivers to keep their eye out for rough weather, VIT loves the beauty this nation and that truck driving offers! To help find some of these wonders, Veterans In Trucking has compiled a bucket list of must-sees of America’s 4 million miles of highways:
Seward Highway in Alaska
According to drivers, these are the most beautiful mountains you’re ever going to see. It’s Alaska so watch the weather, but if you can time it right enjoy a trip filled with a countryside full of animals and beaches. And this state boasts some of the best birding on the planet. If you’re into that, then bring your binoculars and keep your eyes open for some of the aviary wonders of the world and sights almost no other human being gets to enjoy!
101 Highway Through Oregon & Big Sur
This is very likely the most beautiful road in the world! Please be warned that it can be narrow, that there are a lot of twists and turns, that the speeds can be short to test your endurance… but if you’ve got the time (and the nerves) this is truly the experience of a lifetime! You could stop every fifteen miles for the entire stretch and it would impact you forever. Redwoods, Big Sur, sea stacks– it’s endless beauty.
I-70 through Utah and Colorado
Like most of the roads on this list, watch the weather on this one, but the beauty of moving from the arid, rugged beauty of Utah with its rock arches and endless, cerulean skies into the majesty of the Rockies is an experience we think every single American should have! Arches isn’t right off of here, but if you have the time consider spending your reset there. We have personally been through this area in the Spring, and it can be treacherous! But if you can catch this natural area in the fall as the leaves change, we know that you’ll never forget the experience!
Big Sky From 191 to Yellowstone
So, drivers should know this highway is curvy, but it’s hard to beat the gorgeous groundwork of one of America’s great natural scenes. We love this stretch of highway for the potential to see wildlife and because Yellowstone is one of the greatest places on earth. Definitely seeing this part of the country should be on every driver’s bucket list.
7 Mile Bridge of Key West
We’ve heard there are crazy drivers on this road– from Key West partiers, to 4-wheelers testing the limits of their sports cars. But if you’re an ocean-lover there’s really nowhere like this over-the-water experience. The ingenuity involved is truly spectacular. Drivers talk about the thrill of the extreme coasting of the mounts of Appalachia and then dipping their toes in the Gulf of Mexico in the very same day. If the geographic diversity of America is what you’re after, than running this route at least once should definitely be on your bucket list!
Drive Badlands Loop Road (Highway 240)
Grit. Determination. Individual-spirit. Standing on the crest of the forever-shifting and eroding crests of the Badlands, one can’t help but wonder at the tenacity of the early Americans that conquered this terrible terrain. If you run this route be warned that, “Badlands Loop Road (SD 240) is a spectacular way to see the North Unit of Badlands National Park. This two-lane paved road is appropriate for all motor vehicles but does include several steep passes and sections with reduced speed limits. Drive carefully, as wildlife is common along the Loop Road.”
I-25 Through Colorado
Take the 1-25 up from New Mexico through Colorado. Drivers get extra points for taking this road to see the great Hot Air Balloon Festival of Albuquerque. This road also offers a tour through all the major cities in Colorado and some spectacular sights of the Rocky Mountains.
Swan Falls Road, Western Heritage Historic Byway, Idaho
The extraordinary beauty of the state of Idaho is one of the secrets of the United States. We love this route for its claim to beautiful gorges and great birds of prey. If you’re okay with another winding road, than check this out next time you get the chance to take a load through this area.
US 90, Louisiana
Food. We love the South for its emphasis on slower living and hospitality, and in particular we love the food of New Orleans. If you’ve got the time to pass through– make sure you stop for Creole, Sunday brunch, and Second Lines Parades. If you haven’t seen New Orleans, then you haven’t seen America.
Looking for more inspiration?
Try the Route 66 portion that runs through Kansas– It inspired the movie Cars. Because after all Life is a Highway.
