The Gipper's Guide to America

[The Cysko Kid]

Hey Gip I like the cut of your jib. Any guy that visits all those battlefields is alright by me.

[The Gipper]

@the-cysko-kid said:

Hey Gip I like the cut of your jib. Any guy that visits all those battlefields is alright by me.

I went to Morristown....but also was at the sight of a very much unknown Revolutionary War battle called the Battle of Minnisink. It was in upstate NY, just above the Delaware River. 200 Patriots lost their lives to a group of Tories and Indians.

Also was at the sight where Washington crossed the Delaware on Christmas Eve before the Battle of Trenton.

[The Gipper]

Revolutionary War Battle Sites I have visited:

Lexington and Concord

Boston

Gunpowder Incident (Williamsburg)

Ft. Ticonderoga

Machias (Maine)

96

Quebec

Savannah

Trenton (including Washington Crossing)

Ft. Stanwix

Oriskany

Brandywine

Saratoga

Germantown

Chillicothe

Charleston

Kings Mountain

Cowpens

Guildford Courthouse

Yorktown

Blue Licks Ky.

Arkansas Post

Minnisink

[gftChris]

People criticise americans for never leaving america. While I can understand that to a degree, not seeing all the different cultures etc, it's just incredible to see the vast range of nature and culture that exists within the country - you could not leave and still have 50 very unique holidays.

[The Gipper]

@gftchris said:

People criticise americans for never leaving america. While I can understand that to a degree, not seeing all the different cultures etc, it's just incredible to see the vast range of nature and culture that exists within the country - you could not leave and still have 50 very unique holidays.

I have never heard anyone criticize Americans for never leaving America. Who the fuck does that? And why?

How about this gft: apply the categories I have used and apply them to the UK....or wtf, apply them to the entirety of Europe.

Bust sunsets, sunrises, stadiums, mountain ranges etc. etc. etc.

I mean, why go to the Alps when I can go to the Rockies.

[gftChris]

@the-gipper said:

I have never heard anyone criticize Americans for never leaving America. Who the fuck does that? And why?

How about this gft: apply the categories I have used and apply them to the UK....or wtf, apply them to the entirety of Europe.

Bust sunsets, sunrises, stadiums, mountain ranges etc. etc. etc.

I mean, why go to the Alps when I can go to the Rockies.

People outside America, clearly! And no, that's not a dig. But people do, it's a real thing that happens. I guess you'll have to take my word for it.

Not been to enough places around europe to comment on all of that, but it'd probably go something like:

Best Sunset: Canary Islands

Best Sunrise: Don't recall ever being awake for sunrise (for good reasons at least)

Best Beaches: south of France/northwest italy

Best Patriotic site: differs country to country obviously, but for a few countries it might be Ypres

Best Single Vista: Pick your favourite point in the alps, there are loads with views of mountains, lakes, trees, snow and wildlife.

Most Fun Town: Honestly, London's up there, with Barcelona and Amsterdam

Best Consistent Architecture: Paris, without a single doubt in my mind.

Campiest Attraction: ? Most like a camp? Not much of a camper.

Nicest College Campus that is not Kenyon: My alma mata, University of Birmingham is pretty nice. But winner is probably Cambridge/Oxford, although not strictly speaking a campus

Best Tall Building: The Shard is striking, if not 'nice'

Best Statue not called Liberty: Probably the colossus at Rhodes or Zeus at Olympia, if they were still around

Best Scenic Town Setting: Any of hundreds in and around southern/central europe, through france, italy, switzerland, pick your poison.

Gawdiest Display of Wealth: Monte Carlo - yachts absolutely everywhere and not a poor person in sight. Closely followed by Cannes.

Best Stadium: Nou Camp

Best hiking for the average person: Swiss Alps

Best Lake: Geneva?

Best Mountain Range: Alps

[The Gipper]

Campiest Attraction: ? Most like a camp? Not much of a camper

Campy in this sense means kitchsy, low brow, or weird/bizarre, odd, quirky

Here is a better definition:

"camp: providing sophisticated amusement by virtue of having artificially (and vulgarly) mannered or banal or sentimental qualities; "they played up the silliness of their roles for camp effect";

[The Gipper]

here is a "campy" attraction: 40 foot tall beer cans:

[The Gipper]

Cadillac Ranch

[The Gipper]

[The Gipper]

I don't know about Europe, but here is one I found in Australia. Try to put this shrimp on the barbie:

[gftChris]

Ok, we don't really have those! They're quite american. Nearest I can think of is probably the horse or angel of the north:

[The Gipper]

@gftchris said:

Ok, we don't really have those! They're quite american. Nearest I can think of is probably the horse or angel of the north:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westbury_White_Horse

Is this the "Westbury White Horse? If so, it is not what I would call "Campy". I read The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell, and this white horse is supposedly a commemoration of The Battle of Ethandun between the Saxons and the Danes. In fact this horse has supposedly been there since the days of Alfred the Great. Apparently one of the leaders of the Danes was a fellow named Svein, who rode a white horse and whose sigil was a white horse, so they constructed this "design" on the nearby hillside.

[Bob806]

Wow, somehow I missed this thread. My family loves to travel, camping in particular as we've been camping in 38 states.

@the-gipper said:

Here is some food for thought as you plan your summer vacations. Some hints for your travels, all USA (incl. possessions):

Best Sunset: Union Bay, on Lake Superior in Michigan's UP

Best Sunrise: Acadia National Park, Maine

Best Beaches: Long Beach, NC

Best Patriotic site: Gettysburg

Best Trees: California: Redwoods/Sequoias/Ancient Bristlecone pine/Joshua Trees yes!

Best Single Vista: Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah, or Half Dome in Yosemite

Most Fun Town: Las Vegas

Best Small Town: Deadwood, SD

Best Consistent Architecture:

Campiest Attraction:

Nicest College Campus that is not Kenyon: Penn State

Nicest State Capitol building: Montpelier, VT

Best Tall Building: Empire State Building

Best Statue not called Liberty: Mt. Rushmore

Best Scenic Town Setting: Kalispell, MT

Best City Park System: Cleveland

Gawdiest Display of Wealth: Charlevoix, MI

Best Stadium: Ohio Stadium

Best preserved Western Town: Moab, UT

Best hiking for the average person: Dolly Sods Wilderness, WV

Best Lake: Mono Lake, near Yosemite NP ( never been to Crater Lake, yet)

Best Mountain Range: The Grand Tetons

Best Casino:

Best Aquariam:

Best Breakfast/Dinner combination:

Feel free to add your own Bryce Canyon & Arches National Parks..."must sees" if you can

[The Gipper]

@bob806 said:

Wow, somehow I missed this thread. My family loves to travel, camping in particular as we've been camping in 38 states.

A lot of good choices Bob. A couple of things;

I have been around Whitefish Bay and Keeweenaw Bay in the UP, but I don't know where Union Bay is.

I have not been to Long Beach NC, Kalispell, Dolly Sods, or the Capital in Montpelier. Since I am going to Vermont this summer I will try to pop in there.

You also get a big check mark from me on your choices of Acadia....I suspect the sunset/sunrise on Cadillac Mtn. would be awesome. Also on Dead Horse Pt, Mono Lake and Bryce and Arches.

[Bob806]

@the-gipper said:

A lot of good choices Bob. A couple of things;

I have been around Whitefish Bay and Keeweenaw Bay in the UP, but I don't know where Union Bay is.

I have not been to Long Beach NC, Kalispell, Dolly Sods, or the Capital in Montpelier. Since I am going to Vermont this summer I will try to pop in there.

You also get a big check mark from me on your choices of Acadia....I suspect the sunset/sunrise on Cadillac Mtn. would be awesome. Also on Dead Horse Pt, Mono Lake and Bryce and Arches.

I saw you were at Quoddy Head, and I've been there too its amazing (I think it's the most eastern point in the USA).

Union Bay is the name of a campground ( suppose the nearest city would be Ontonagon, MI). It's also funny to me that the best gnocchi I ever ate was in the U.P. Another cool spot in the U.P. is the ski jump at Copper Head- you can climb to the top and see just how high those ski jumpers take off from, it is amazing.

So many beautiful things to see in the USA, but not enough time or money I suppose to see it all (mega millions would cure that lol). I really want to see the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon/Washington someday, along with Big Bend National Park.

[The Gipper]

@bob806 said:

I saw you were at Quoddy Head, and I've been there too its amazing (I think it's the most eastern point in the USA).

It is.

Union Bay is the name of a campground ( suppose the nearest city would be Ontonagon, MI). It's also funny to me that the best gnocchi I ever ate was in the U.P. Another cool spot in the U.P. is the ski jump at Copper Head- you can climb to the top and see just how high those ski jumpers take off from, it is amazing.

The one night I stayed in the UP I stayed in Paradise on Whitefish Bay, more toward the Sault.

I only got as far up the Keewenaw as far as Calumet City. For time reasons I couldn't get all the way up.

But that small peninsula once put out over 50% of the world's copper production.

So many beautiful things to see in the USA, but not enough time or money I suppose to see it all (mega millions would cure that lol). I really want to see the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon/Washington someday, along with Big Bend National Park.

I have not been to the Columbia River Gorge though I have been in Portland a couple of times.

I took my son to a 3 day trip to Big Bend. Winter is the best time to go there. Temperatures are more tolerable. Summer would be unbearable.

[ballpeen]

As far as a sunrise or sunset, they are all pretty much the same.....be it high on a mountain where you might see rise or set a hundered miles away or at sea level where the horizon might be 3 miles away....they are all the same....conditions dictate....the best I have seen all hand some cloud cover. It's a time, moment, and place thing.

[The Gipper]

@ballpeen said:

As far as a sunrise or sunset, they are all pretty much the same.....be it high on a mountain where you might see rise or set a hundered miles away or at sea level where the horizon might be 3 miles away....they are all the same....conditions dictate....the best I have seen all hand some cloud cover. It's a time, moment, and place thing.

While that is true, I think the thing that can set them apart is the setting. In my choice it was really all about the setting. I was on the tip of a peninsula, fairly high above cliffs below me, and with an Island with a lighthouse on it just adjacent to where the sun set.

(Cape Flattery, Wash. with Tatoosh Island just offshore)

[gftChris]

@the-gipper said:

While that is true, I think the thing that can set them apart is the setting. In my choice it was really all about the setting. I was on the tip of a peninsula, fairly high above cliffs below me, and with an Island with a lighthouse on it just adjacent to where the sun set.

(Cape Flattery, Wash. with Tatoosh Island just offshore)

Atmospheric conditions as well - you can get some truly spectacular sunsets if the conditions are right like: