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Washington DC
To make my travels around the country easier and cheaper, I purchased an AMTRAK card, which gave me unlimited train travel on the national rail network. These trains are very comfortable but are also...
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Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Through the Couchsurfing website I had arranged to stay with Joe, a friendly guy who shares my appreciation for ska music. Joe was kind enough to come and pick me up at the station after my 24-hour...
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Wisconsin
Jay Bergstrand, a second cousin to my father, has been extremely kind in helping me organise a lot of my trip. He has a strong interest in genealogy and our Swedish family. Through his help I managed...
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Minneapolis
After a few days in Wisconsin, Jay, Joyce and I visited the Swedish Institute in Minneapolis – a grand mansion which used to be the home of a Swedish-American newspaper tycoon. It was interesting to...
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Chicago
My main reason for visting Chicago was to visit a ska music festival with some international reggae and ska bands. Most of my time was therefore spent at the festival venue, an old warehouse in a...
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Denver
I took an overnight train from Chicago to Denver and actually managed to get a full eight hours of sleep sitting up. When I woke up in the early hours of the morning I discovered a completely flat...
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Rocky Mountains
First on my itinerary around the mountains was the Rocky Mountain National park, one of the most visited areas in Colorado. I tried to do some exploring by foot, but because of the high altitude I...
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Salt Lake City
The train rolled into Salt Lake City at 1 AM, two hours late. Luckily, Kristina, another couchsurfer, was there to pick me up at the station and drove me to her parents house where I was staying.Salt...
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Sacramento
Sacramento, the capital of California, has a pretty old town centre. In a record shop I became friends with Brittany who worked there. She later invited me to a party / concert at one of her friends...
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Eugene
Eugene is a quiet, pretty town, with many tree-lined boulevards and a lively university with a beautiful campus. I stayed there for two days with Janee Ahnert, a relative of mine, and her husband...
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Seattle
To many people of my generation, Seattle is first and foremost known for being the birthplace of Grunge music. My guidebook also reminded me that Starbucks coffee, Microsoft and Boeing have their...
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San Juan Islands
After a few days in Seattle, Emma drove me an hour up North to my relatives Barbara and Rich Stockwell in Shelter Bay. I stayed with Barbara and Rich for a day, seeing some beautiful coastal scenery in...
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Friday Harbor
After the visit to the Stockwells I met up with Emma again and we caught a ferry out to the San Juan islands, an archipelago stretching all the way up the Canadian West Coast and into Alaska. Emma grew...
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Saint Helens
Barbara Stockwell´s brother Jim and his wife Vicki have a beautiful house right on the banks of the Columbia river, which separates the states of Washigton and Oregon. I had a very comfortable stay...
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Portland
The next day Jim drove me to my relative Jim Gorter and his wife Becky, who live in the suburbs of Portland. Portland is known for being a very open-minded place, full of environmentally-conscious arty...
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San Francisco
Few places in the world are as talked-about and loved as San Francisco, and the city definitely did not disappoint. I spent a week in San Francisco wandering about town and discovering places. These...
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Santa Cruz / Monterey
Thanks to Glen, I had managed to save enough cash so I could rent a car and take the scenic drive from San Francisco to LA. My first stop was in touristy Monterey where I visited its famous aquarium....
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Big Sur
About half-way between Los Angeles and San Francisco lies the Big Sur, a coastal area which features one of the most scenic drives in the world. The views here were incredible. I felt on top of the...
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Los Angeles
Los Angeles traffic has a notorious reputation, with freeways that have eight lanes going in one direction and marauder drivers zig-zagging past you at lightning speed. Therefore I was slightly nervous...
View ArticleIntroduction
When I was thirteen years old I made a trip with my parents to the United States. The plan was to see the whole of the country in just one and a half weeks. Naturally, that trip was riddled with...
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