Where2Next? America the Beautiful!
Published Friday, February 19th 2021 - Updated Friday, February 19th 2021Back in 1976, when a college-aged version of myself took a cross-country trip, I planned to visit Jamaica, the home of Bob Marley and reggae. I not only listened to Marley's Rastaman Vibration album over and over, I infused my own guitar playing with the rhythms. On a southbound bus, another young man recommended Negril, where he had just been, as the hippest place to go in Jamaica at that time.
First, however, I had planned to stop to visit my southern relatives, who never failed to welcome our California contingent with delicious food and fun entertainment. Upon finding out at a fish fry that I played guitar, my cousin Donald took me down some dirtroads to introduce me to several guitar players. All those country pickers were lightyears ahead of me, including one bluegrass player who looked a lot like Roy Clark. He brought to mind a John Sebastian Nashville Cats lyric that could have easily could been written about him. "He could pick more notes than the number of ants on a Tennessee anthill."
Not to be outdone, my cousin Steve bought tickets to an outdoor concert featuring Hank Williams, Jr. and 18-year-old Tanya Tucker, neither of whose music I knew much about at the time.
Suffice it to say, I certainly didn't regret thoroughly enjoying a wonderful week with my loving family, but I wouldn't make it to Jamaica until Julie and I cruised there in 2005.
Last week, forays into Italy and Japan similarly sidetracked my intended destination topic of America the Beautiful.
Before I get too sidetracked again, please register for America the Beautiful chapter in our Where2Next webinar series by clicking here.
I included great videos for California, the Rockies and Canada/New England last time, but needless to say, there's much more to see and do. This is a vast country.
As you may have noticed, I love the music of different regions, including American original art forms like jazz, country, blues, rock-n-roll and hip-hop. You can even find some great classical music, if that's your jam.
Cuisines also vary remarkably, and they all have their own strong points that will leave you smacking your lips and adding a recipe to meals to cook when you return home.
Best of all, there are all kinds of wonderful people to meet in different parts of the country. In my experience, the majority are extremely nice and have something valuable to teach us.
While self-driving you can see a lot, the best way to get the most of any region will always be to have a personal guide. If you don't have a country cousin to show you around, why not hook up with a great tour company to show you around? They not only know what to see, but they'll explain what you're seeing. And you will experience the best of each region.
As you probably know, there are some amazing river cruises along the Mississippi, Columbia, rivers you perhaps never thought about cruising and also the Great Lakes.
Remember to register at Where to Next? America the Beautiful!
Wes
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