Jens takes you on a journey through some of his favourite roads on both coasts of the vast United States. To a large extent, the mystique of North America is the promise of freedom – the freedom of travel, to move around, to soak up landscapes and vanish into the horizon. The United States is a beautiful country, with vast expanses of unspoiled scenery. And, as there’s little public transportation available, you need to explore it by automobile. While the landscapes are as stunning as ever, the freedom on the road has taken a severe beating off late. Speed limits are notoriously low; passing is often forbidden for many miles; and the punishment for violations is severe. On many American roads, it seems as if there’s a police car hidden behind every bush and corner. Once caught, you’re in for a most time-consuming and unpleasant experience. If you get caught driving seriously fast, you might actually end up in jail. One motor journalist was jailed for three days last year – for driving at a perfectly safe 150km/h on an empty highway. Keeping the speed down might not leave much of a driving experience, but it will help you enjoy the scenery along the way. In America, it’s diverse and fascinating. Here are a few of my favourite drives: Living in New York City for the last three years, I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the Northeast. With rolling hills, cragged rocks and raging creeks, the scenery is diverse and ever-changing. The best time of the year is autumn, when the leaves of the trees turn yellow and red in what is known as ‘foliage season.’ One of my most memorable trips last autumn took me from Burlington in Vermont, right on the shore of Lake Champlain, to the small towns of Montpelier and Quechee. The way back led over tight and challenging roads near Camel’s Hump State Forest – a Mercedes-AMG GLA45 served as the perfect companion. A few weeks ago, I drove Blue Ridge Parkway in the Appalachean Range – a road that stretches over 750 kilometres. It covers the states of North Carolina and Virginia – and large parts are right on the ridge, with stunning views to both sides. This trip was done in a brand-new Kia Sorento, with a 2.0-litre turbo engine. It was all about scenery, not about speed, and with its large panoramic roof, the Kia was an apt companion for this marvellous drive – which is best done in spring or autumn. Another spectacular trip leads to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, a small strip of islands stretching way out into the Atlantic Ocean. On the road, it feels like you’re driving in the middle of an ocean – and it’s even possible and legal to drive on the beach. To avoid getting stuck, the tyre pressure must be lowered first. And I recommend that the car be washed thoroughly after a trip on the beach, as the salt water is highly corrosive. On the West side of the country, one of the beautiful choices is Route 66 – stretching all the way from Chicago in the Midwest to Santa Monica in California, near Los Angeles. This one is far from a secret – Route 66 has been a fixture for travellers, ever since a novel by John Steinbeck popularised it in the 1940s and later. Once in California, it’s a great idea to travel on the famous Highway 1 from Los Angeles to the Monterey Peninsula, and perhaps further up to San Francisco. It offers unparalleled views of the Pacific Ocean, and it deserves a full day – perhaps two. But avoid it on the weekends, when Highway 1 is clogged with slow-moving motorhomes and recreational vehicles (RVs). Once in Monterey, the famous ‘Seventeen Mile drive’ passes beautiful properties right on the ocean. As the highway turns east and then northwards again towards San Francisco, you’ll pass the famous surfing community of Half Moon Bay. In San Francisco, it’s a great idea to cross the Golden Gate bridge, and venture north towards Muir Beach, Stinson Beach – perhaps even to Point Reyes with its beautiful lighthouse. Further north, travellers eventually hit Bodega Bay – the town where Alfred Hitchcock filmed his legendary movie, The Birds. The last time I drove on these roads, I was in a Mercedes-AMG S63 AMG – a great long-range travel companion, if a bit too clumsy for the twistier parts of the road. But my all-time favourites in the US are a bit further south. Both of them stretch out eastwards from Highway 1 – the challenging Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, which takes you up high for spectacular vistas of Highway 1 and the Pacific Ocean, between Monterey and Morro Bay; and the Cerro Noroeste road, taking off from Santa Maria on Highway 166, then turning off to Pine Mountain Club as Road 95, with its perfect mixture of narrow curves, medium-to-high speed sweepers and incredible desert views. There’s nothing else like it – and the best thing is that there’s no place for the police to hide either.
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