Once we arrive in the US, we take a two-day break to plan the rest of our route. We purchase a Harvest Host membership, which allows us to stay at over 9,000 locations across the US for free on our first night. We also buy a Texas State Park Pass, which pays for itself after just three nights thanks to the discounts it offers. Well equipped, we continue on our way. With an area of over 650.000 square kilometers, Texas is almost twice the size of Germany, but has less than half the population.

We don't stay long in Laredo and continue on to San Antonio. There, we park in a parking lot at the Air Museum, where you can see historic aircraft. We take Uber into the city to the River Walk, a beautiful, lively promenade along the river with restaurants, shops, and lots of atmosphere. Right in the center of San Antonio, a few minutes from the River Walk, is “The Alamo.” Founded by the Spanish in 1792, the mission is famous for the battle of 1836 in the Texas War of Independence against Mexico. The next morning, we visit Mission San Jose. The mission is one of five Spanish missions that are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is often known as the “Queen of the Missions” because it is the largest and most architecturally impressive of the San Antonio missions.

Our first Harvest Host address is the Chapline Whisky Distillery. Here, the finest bourbon is produced in small quantities, and we start tasting before 4 p.m. After all, the saying goes, “no beer before four.” No one said anything about whiskey. Over the next hour, lots of guests arrive and we have some very nice conversations. A few whiskeys and cocktails later, we are well served and head back to our car around 8:00 p.m.

For breakfast, we drive to the Guadalupe River in the state park of the same name. The water in the river is only knee-deep, and families sit in camping chairs in the water while the kids try out various water toys. At this point, we don't know that just three days later, the river will rise eight meters in 45 minutes, a flood wave will sweep everything away, and more than 100 people will lose their lives. It's a strange feeling to have been so close to a place that has been struck by such a tragedy. The water level must have been as high as the top of the surrounding rocks in the pictures.

From there, the journey continues to Luckenbach, a small but legendary town known as a country music hotspot and holding a special place in music history. Although it has fewer than 30 residents, it attracts thousands of music fans every year who want to experience the atmosphere of a traditional, rustic Texan music venue. Founded in 1849 by German immigrants, it became famous in the 1970s when Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and other prominent country stars celebrated Luckenbach as a symbol of the “outlaw country” movement. The town became internationally famous in 1977 thanks to Waylon Jennings' song, Let's Go to Luckenbach, Texas. It's Saturday and there are two open-air stages playing music. We're staying just 1 km away on the lawn of a B&B.

Not far away is Fredericksburg, a town with a rich German-American history. It was founded in 1846 by German immigrants and still has strong ties to German culture and language. Its origins are regularly celebrated with the Children's Festival and Oktoberfest. German surnames are widespread, as is German architecture. A German-Texan dialect used to be spoken here, but it is now almost extinct. We go to the German bakery for breakfast, and the counter with all the goodies looks almost like home. After we've done some shopping at the supermarket, the sheriff suddenly shows up and wants to know what kind of car it is. Apparently, a concerned citizen called and reported that there was a suspicious car in the supermarket parking lot.

We spend the next 10 days in various state parks, all of which are located on lakes. Inkslake State Park has a special feature called “Devil's Waterhole,” a natural swimming lagoon that is popular for cliff jumping up to 12 meters into crystal clear water. Otherwise, the water in the lakes is a good 30 degrees Celsius and murky. But the sites are all beautifully located in the forest with fire pits, which no one really needs when the outside temperature is 35 degrees Celsius. 

So we slowly but steadily continue northeast to Texarkana. Half of the city is in Texas and half is in Arkansas. Hence the name TexArkana. We spend the night in the National Forest and the next morning we are already in Arkansas, nicknamed “The Natural State” because it is rich in forests, mountains, rivers, lakes, and wildlife. With 3 million inhabitants and an area of almost 138,000 square kilometers, it is about the size of Bavaria and Thuringia combined. In Eldorado, we have breakfast in an old historic railroad car. There we are introduced to grits, a cornmeal porridge that is probably part of a typical Southern breakfast.

That's it for Arkansas, and we're on our way to Mississippi, a state one-third the size of Germany with a population of 2.9 million. The Mississippi River, which is 3,700 km long, is one of the longest rivers in North America and forms the western border with Arkansas and Louisiana. At a welcome center, which, incidentally, can be found at every state border, we pick up free road maps and all the necessary information.  

Mississippi is considered the birthplace of the blues, which originated from the spiritual songs, work songs, and suffering of the African American population in the Mississippi Delta. We are now on the Blues Highway, also known as Route 61, which runs from New Orleans to Minnesota. Inevitably, the road takes us to Clarksdale, a city famous for its rich musical tradition and often referred to as the “Hometown of the Blues.” The place looks like it's fallen out of time. Many buildings stand empty and are falling into disrepair. We can stay overnight at the Visitor Center and from there conveniently explore the old town. However, there isn't much going on at this time of year. All the blues festivals take place in October. But the Ground Zero Blues Club, co-founded by Morgan Freeman, is a place that keeps the history and spirit of the blues alive. A band actually plays here in the evenings, and we get a little glimpse of what goes on here when it's season. “The Crossroads” in Clarksdale is now a popular photo spot. According to legend, Robert Johnson, one of the most famous blues musicians, met the devil at the so-called Crossroads in Clarksdale and made a deal with him to improve his skills. This symbol is deeply rooted in blues culture and represents the myth and legend surrounding the blues. Whether the devil still makes deals there today is unknown. All we know is that someone else is making deals in America right now...

In Oxford, we make a detour to the University of Mississippi, known as Ole Miss. In 1962, James Meredith became the first black student at the University of Mississippi. His enrollment led to considerable tension and violent clashes, as racial segregation was still prevalent at that time. The events surrounding James Meredith are a significant milestone in the civil rights movement in the US. There are also films that deal with these historical events, such as “Mississippi Burning” and “The Butler,” which address the era of racial segregation and the struggles for equality. It is definitely worth a visit. The huge campus area and the architecture of the buildings alone are worth a stop.

That's it for Arkansas, and we arrive in Mississippi, a state one-third the size of Germany with 2.9 million inhabitants. The river of the same name is one of the longest rivers at 3,700 km. 

We leave the interstate and turn onto the Natchez Trace Parkway, a scenic, historic road that stretches 444 miles from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee. The road follows an old trade and hiking route used by Native Americans and is now a popular destination for cyclists, hikers, and nature lovers. Along the route, there are many beautiful campsites, all of which are free of charge.

We arrive in Nashville, the capital of country music and lively nightlife! This fascinating city in the state of Tennessee offers a perfect blend of cultural highlights, musical history, and exciting nights. When the sun goes down, or even a few hours earlier, Nashville comes to life! The famous Broadway Street is the heart of the nightlife. There is something for everyone here. We dive into the fun around five in the afternoon and keep going until 11 p.m. It's Saturday night and everyone is out and about. The alcohol is flowing freely and after 8 p.m. you can only move very slowly through the crowds. We find two nice bars that aren't too crowded and where they play good country music to our taste. But at some point, we've had enough and drive back to the campground. 

From Tennessee, we continue on to Kentucky, which has a landscape similar to Upper Bavaria and is famous for its bourbon whiskey and the most famous horse race in the world. In addition to bourbon, there is also wine, and we set up camp for the night on the lawn of the Travellers Cellar and enjoy a wine tasting. The wine is served in plastic cups. Unfortunately, we didn't enjoy any of the five varieties on offer. For our taste, it was almost undrinkable, but the place we stayed overnight was nice and quiet.

On our way, we pass Mammoth Caves, the longest known cave system in the world. Of the 300 miles or so, new sections are constantly being explored and opened to visitors. We take a one-hour self-guided tour, but it doesn't really impress us. The dimensions are truly gigantic, but to see stalactites, stalagmites, and underground rivers, you probably have to book an intensive tour lasting a good 2-3 hours. Unfortunately, these were all booked up for days in advance, although the group size of around 50 people would probably have put us off anyway.

In Perryville, we stay with Dennis, a friendly Harvest Host member. Nearby is the Perryville Battlefield, the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War, known as the Battle of Perryville on October 8, 1862. The battle was exceptionally costly in terms of casualties and one of the bloodiest in the western theater of the Civil War. Within a few hours, there were over 8,000 dead and wounded.

In Daniel Boone National Park, we head to Twin Knob Campground. There we take a few days' break from driving. The grounds are huge, and we use our bikes again to cover the 1.5 miles to the beach. However, with the air temperature at 35 degrees Celsius, the water at a good 30 degrees is not exactly refreshing. 

We continue north and spend the night at a nice Harvest Host with its own organic maple syrup production. Located at 1,000 meters, we have a view like in Upper Bavaria, and at night it cools down to a pleasant 20 degrees Celsius.

Our last stop before reaching Washington, D.C., is Shenandoah National Park. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the state of Virginia, it is only about 75 miles west of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1935, it is particularly known for its picturesque landscapes, dense forests, waterfalls, and wildlife. Skyline Drive, one of the most famous scenic roads in the US, runs over 170 km through the park with over 70 viewpoints. However, these don't really offer much more than a view of endless forests and valleys. We didn't find anything spectacular about it, and apart from squirrels, we didn't see any wildlife. About halfway along the drive, we stop for two days at the Green Meadows Campground. Right across from us is someone with a Tesla Cybertruck, and since I've never seen the (ugly) thing up close, I go over to ask about it. After all, everyone asks us what we're driving. We even took it for a test drive around the campground, and I have to admit, apart from the styling, the technology is incredible. The car found its way around the site completely on its own, including reversing into a parking space at the end of the test drive. Even if we don't want to admit it yet, this is probably what the future of driving will look like in a few years.

Now we're off to Washington, D.C. You'll find out what we experience there in the next blog.