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Thai Airways doesn’t have around the world flights, unless, of course, passengers team up with Star Alliance. The bottleneck for THAI is the US. THAI flies to both New York (direct non-stop from Bangkok) and from Bangkok to Los Angles. The question is: how do you connect the two dots between LA and NYC across America. It's quite simple—drive, which is the subject of this week’s Travel Feature.
Just the mention of driving across the United States will frighten most travellers away but what people don’t realize is that making the drive is quite simple to do. In fact, sometimes it’s even easier than arranging connecting flights or making other ground transportation arrangements. Imagine this: You can disembark from your THAI flight and step into a rent-a-car at LAX, the airport in Los Angeles and deposit the vehicle at JFK International Airport in New York City and hardly run into any red lights or stop signs en route; and, if you didn’t have to stop to refuel, you could make it all the way without the need to stop whatsoever, and without paying one cent to toll charges.
American author John Steinbeck, in his travelogue Travels With Charley, had this comment to make about Interstate Highways. "When we get these thruways across the whole country, as we will and must, it will be possible to drive from New York to California without seeing a single thing."
He was, of course, right. The aim of Interstate highways is to emphasize more rapid, uninterrupted transportation than other road networks. But to drive America is not to get from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible. You want to travel to see America, and you can still do this on Interstate highways by exiting those points of interest along the way that you fancy. Take a side trip and rejoin the highway later.
One of the real advantages of renting a car is that you can step into your vehicle in either LA or New York without having the need to find transportation into town. And for hotels, if you have your own wheels, you can shop around for the best bargains.
The Interstate highway is a remarkable system of roads in America. It is a network of highways (also called freeways) and is a separate system within the larger National Highway System. The entire system has a total length of 46,837 miles (75,361 km). They are owned, built, and operated by the states in which they are located. The system serves nearly all major U.S. cities and in many cases passes through downtown areas without the need to stop for red lights or intersecting roads.
The system was established in the 1950s during Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) have defined a set of standards that all new Interstates must meet. These standards have become stricter over the years such as speed limits and controlled access roads.
Speed limits are actually determined by individual states. Rural limits generally range from 65 to 80 mph (105 to 130 km/h) typically with the lower limits in the more populated northeastern states and the higher speeds in the western states. Urban interstate speed limits are generally 50 to 65 mph (80 to 105 km/h) across the country.
Odd-numbered routes run north-south, and higher numbers are farther east. Even- numbered routes run east-west, and higher numbers are farther north. For example, I-5 runs up and down the West Coast, with I-95 on the East Coast.
For our cross-country travel, we have three choices of Interstates that go from coast to coast: I-90 in the north; I-80 across the middle; and, I-10 across the south. One that goes nearly the length from coast to coast is I-40, located between I-10 and I-80. There are several more east-west Interstates that branch off from the three and still more that branch off from north-south Interstates. An Interstate map is a necessity to sort out the tangle of US Interstate highways.
In the north, I-90 runs from Seattle, Washington, to Boston, Massachusetts. It’s the longest of the Interstate highways and runs 3099 miles (4986 km) between Boston and Seattle.
Now the big question: which route would I take?
Most often I have taken the southern route, and that was usually determined by the weather. Winter is not the season to drive across northern America. But then too I do like driving across Arizona and New Mexico. The Painted Desert is beautiful, and if I am with friends, I like to visit the Indian reservations that stretch for hundreds of miles. And perhaps visit the mesas. Another delight is I-10 that follows close to the Mexican boarder where the food, even in the smallest roadside restaurants, is superb. Mexicans do know how to cook.
And who wouldn’t like to drive across Texas where big is really big. Then what excitement to cross Louisiana and enter New Orleans.
I find the I-40 through the central states the less interesting but it’s the one I take if time is important. There are, however, some fine cities to visit along this route.
Until last fall I had never driven the northern route along I-90. I drove it this time and was astounded by the wide-open spaces—especially Montana. And yes you can see vast ranches with endless herds of cattle. Other than open spaces there are some interesting sites along the way. I wanted to see Mount Rushmore, the stone carvings of four American presidents. It was well wroth the stop, as was the windy city of Chicago and Pittsburgh where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers flow into the Ohio River.
For those who like statistics, the highest point on the Interstate Highway System is at the Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel on Interstate 70 in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, at the Continental Divide (elev. 11,158 feet (3401 m)). The lowest point is on Interstate 8 at the New River near Seeley, California (elev. -52 feet (-16 m)).
Next week we will take a drive along the famous Route 66.
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USA, more than big cities
Out West the saloons are real
Stopping for a view of
the Grand Canyon
Waiting for a
gunfight soon to begin
Gunfighters put on
a show for visitors
Entering the State
of Wyoming
Everything in Texas
In Montana snow even
in the summer
Entering Oklahoma
Big is Dallas, Texas
Mexican musician
ready to play a tune
The famous arch
in St. Louis
Gettysburg,
a Pennsylvania landmark
To enter New York
City first comes the
Lincoln Tunnel
New York City where the
Interstate begins and ends
The only place
the Interstate doesn't go
Open, empty roads
in America
This is LA but every
city has one
A sign that needs no introduction
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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Q. Dear Harold Stephens, I was planning to travel to Thailand at the end of this month with my wife and two young children, but I have heard that the monsoon rains have already started, early. What is so conflicting is I also read that there is a shortage of rain in Hua Hin, the Gulf of Thailand resort area. Can you explain? Clive Johnson, Philadelphia, PA. USA
A. Dear Clive, It is true there have been rains in Bangkok and the area in the last few days, but you must remember, the rains in Thailand are not like the rains in Spain, and the rest of the continent. When it rains in Europe, the rains may last days on end. In Thailand, it’s over in an hour or two, and the air is swept clean and fresh. We must also remember Thailand is a vast country, and while there may be a dry season on one coast, it could be raining on the next. Thailand is also under two monsoons, the Northeast and the Southwest, and each blow independent of each other. —HS
Harold Stephens
Bangkok
e-mail: ROH Weekly Travel
Note: The article is the personal view of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the view of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited.
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Next week we cruise
along Route 66
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