Southwest USACumbres & Toltec RailroadMesa Verde National ParkMonument ValleyColoradoColorado SpringsDurango & Silverton RailroadPikes PeakBlack Canyon of the GunnisonBryce Canyon National ParkCanyonlands National ParkColorado National MonumentGeorgetownDenverColorado Ski TownsRocky Mountain National ParkZion National ParkMidwest USAColorado Ghost TownsFort Laramie National Historic SiteWyomingGrand Teton National ParkYellowstone National ParkLittle Bighorn BattlefieldMontanaMontana Ghost TownsGreat FallsHelenaCanadaGlacier National ParkMexicoSan DiegoPalm SpringsLos AngelesJoshua Tree National ParkCalifornia Ghost TownsDeath Valley National ParkValley of Fire State ParkCapitol Reef National ParkDead Horse Point State ParkArches National ParkUtahSalt Lake CityIdaho Ghost TownsIdahoGrant-Kohrs RanchIdaho CityWallaceOld Mission State ParkCalifornia MissionsCalifornia CoastKings Canyon & Sequoia National ParkEastern SierraYosemite National ParkGreat Basin National ParkCarson CityVirginia CityRenoNevadaCrater Lake National ParkOregonCentral Oregon CoastMount St Helens National Volcanic MonumentWashington StateSpokaneSeattleOlympic National ParkHawaiiSan FranciscoSan FranciscoGold CountryWine CountrySacramentoCaliforniaLassen Volcanic National ParkRedwood National ParkNorthern Oregon CoastAstoria & Fort ClatsopMount Rainier National ParkJuneauSkagwayCanadaDenali National ParkAnchorageAlaska WildlifeAlaskaNevada Ghost Towns

The West

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Click on Map above to explore the South

- The best scenery in the USA. Just look on the map at the number of National Parks & Monuments, and there are some not on the map because we haven’t visited them yet.
- The best ghost towns in the USA.
- Some of our favourite cities (but also one or two of our least favourite).
- Hawaii because it is so different from the mainland USA.
- The coast, not just in California but the whole Pacific coast.
- Long, straight, boring roads through the desert or through and endless forest of tall pine tress where all you see is a narrow ribbon of sky above you.
- The trashing of the desert in places by 4x4s, quad bikes and motorbikes.
Our View
We like 5
But not 5

This is rugged territory with many active and extinct volcanoes. Huge mountain chains such as the Rockies, Sierra Nevada and Cascades that wend their way through these states creating a tremendous contrast to the flatness of neighbouring areas. The South West USA looks out to Latin America, the East to Europe  and the Midwest looks out to, well, the Midwest. These western states are different not just because of their terrain but also because they are looking out firmly on to the vastness of the Pacific Ocean.  This is partly geographic but also a question of heritage. Here the European and American Indian heritage found elsewhere in the USA is augmented by strong Asian, Polynesian and Russian influences.

We really like the West and have visited it more times than any other region of the USA. As a result we have more than 100 pages on the West and conversion of these to the 30th Anniversary format will take some time. For the time being, many of the pages on the West will still be in the old format with smaller pictures. Please excuse our disarray during remodelling!

 

© Mike  Elsden 1981 - 2025

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