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Topic: East, West on Rt 2 (Read 2 times) previous topic - next topic
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East, West on Rt 2
Yahoo Message Number: 48035
There was a message on the board at the beginning of the month which I saw while at work and thought I would pick up at home to save it then couldn't find it. It referred to taking Route 2 from east to west, it mentioned that the route was longer than it seemed.
Could someone help me out? I did a search both in the message area and the external searchable database without any luck. Was I just seeing things? This is the route I want to take this summer coming up.
Thanks in advance if anyone remembers it.

Donna
Re: East, West on Rt 2
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 48036
"Donna"  wrote: It referred to taking Route 2 from east to west, it mentioned that the route was longer than it seemed.
... This is the route I want to take this summer coming up.

Donna, I can't help you with the message number, but the most complete description and commentary that I've read on Hwy. 2 is on Jamie Jensen's book, "Road Trip USA -- Cross-Country Adventures on America's Two-Lane Highways".  (ISBN 1-56691-396-9)

Jensen calls this route "The Great Northern"; part of the introduction to the chapter states, "Though many come close, no other cross-country route takes in the variety and extremity of landscape that US-2 does.  Dubbed the Great Northern in memory of the pioneer railroad that parallels the western half of the route, US-2 is truly the most stunning and unforgettable, not to mention longest, of all the great transcontinental road trips."

The book provides specific information (addresses, phone numbers where appropriate) on every town and its population, tourist attractions, geographical features, snippets of local history, and road conditions. Jensen's route descriptions also include comments on eating places and lodging along (and just off) the route -- there are occasional references to RV accommodations, but motels, B&Bs, and other overnight stops are his main references.

I've traveled much of this route (from the UP of Michigan to the middle of Washington) and it *is* a long one!  It's not a particularly fast or "straight-shot" route, especially making many of the stops to "see and do", but there's much to see and enjoy -- and yes, some "snoozer" sections! --  along the way.

The book is available from Amazon or several other online sources; you will want to compare book prices and shipping costs, as these do vary.  Have a great trip!

Joan
2003 TK has a new home
East, West on Rt 2
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 48043
It referred to taking Route 2 from east to west, it mentioned that the route was longer than it seemed.


 Donna, are you talking about US-2 that runs from Maine to Washington State?
 If this is the "Route" 2 you're talking about, we driven the portion from where it begins in Everett, WA to Minot, ND.  That portion is a good, two-lane highway.  My U.S. atlas shows that the portion of the road from Minot to past Bemidji, MN is a 4-lane road.  It then goes back to a 2-lane road with some short sections of 4-lanes.
 Some people say it's a boring road, but we didn't find that to be true for us.  There are many towns along this highway, too, that have city parks where you can park your RV overnight -- usually dry camping, but sometimes there is electricity and/or water available.
 Someday, we want to take this road all the way across country -- like we did US-50 during the summer of 2003 (well, at least as far as Indiana where we headed north for the Fall Escapade).
Linda Hylton
East, West on Rt 2
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 48044
Jamie Jensen's book, "Road Trip USA -- Cross-Country Adventures on America's Two-Lane Highways".  (ISBN 1-56691-396-9)


 I'll second Joan's recommendation of this book -- it's the one we used when we made our cross-country trip on US-50 in 2003.

Linda & Earl 2004 23.5'  Red TK From Quartzsite, AZ
Linda Hylton