AccuWeather's Great American Road Trip
From State College, Pennsylvania, to Seattle, Washington, AccuWeather's Lincoln Riddle and his wife Holly Riddle drove more than 4,050 miles through 13 states for the TV network's Great American Road Trip. They made some interesting stops along the cross-country journey. Here's a look back at some highlights from the epic trip.
The ideal Florida beach vacation – but in the middle of America?
That was the idea many years ago, and while things didn’t pan out the way some hoped, this oasis set inside a national park is 1,000 miles from Sunshine State beaches, but, at a glance, you’d never know.
Chicago is not as windy as you might think
Chicago may be known as the Windy City, but that doesn't mean it's actually windy there all the time. Here's the real story behind Chicago's famous nickname. Lincoln also paid a visit to the largest free-admission food festival in the world -- the weather was hot, but the eating was good. Lincoln forgot to wear sunscreen and, well, he paid the price.
Most people don’t know what’s going on behind the doors of this Minneapolis lab
The exterior of Orfield Laboratories, Inc., in Minneapolis. The lab is home to the second-quietest place on Earth. (Orfield Laboratories)
(Orfield Laboratories)
After Chicago, Lincoln and Holly headed to Minneapolis, where they visited the second-quietest room in the world. It’s unassuming enough from the outside. But what happens – or doesn’t happen – inside this lab has earned it unique recognition from Guinness World Records.
Unique tent pole monument honors fallen circus heroes
From Minneapolis, it was on to Wahpeton, North Dakota, where a little-known monument honors two circus workers who died in a tragic Ringling Brothers accident more than 100 years ago.
When you see something like this while driving down the highway, how can you not stop?
Just off Interstate 94 in North Dakota, they saw something massive in the distance and couldn’t help but pull the car over for a closer look at “Salem Sue.”
These badlands aren't so "bad"
After leaving North Dakota, Lincoln and Holly stopped at the stunning Badlands National Park just off Interstate 90 in South Dakota. The weather was great and the video Lincoln shot showed this place is not bad at all.
The most beloved roadside attraction in America?
Nearly 85 years ago, the future for this roadside staple looked bleak. But an ingenious marketing idea turned things around – and Lincoln and Holly got a look at what is now a South Dakota icon.
Man’s ‘Enchanted Highway’ saved a small American town from dying
Sculpture artist Gary Greff of Regent, North Dakota. (AccuWeather)
(AccuWeather)
“How can you help keep a small town alive?” Gary Greff wondered when he returned to the North Dakota town where he grew up years earlier. His answer was a spectacle that cannot be missed by those driving by.
Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons
After a brief and unexpected detour into Montana, they figured out where they were going and arrived in Wyoming where they spent a day taking in the sites at Yellowstone National Park. After that, Lincoln and Holly visited Grand Teton National Park where the views were breathtaking but the weather didn't entirely cooperate.
How weather impacts the search for 150 million-year-old dinosaur fossils
On any given day in the middle of summer, in the rugged terrain of the Big Horn Basin, near Cody, Wyoming, you'll find a team of paleontologists digging away on the Jurassic Mile dig site, unearthing treasures from long past eras.
One of Oregon’s most recognizable landmarks
As Lincoln and Holly headed to their final destination, they stopped in Oregon where the anticipation was high – and so were the winds. But there it was on Cannon Beach – the 235-foot-tall Haystack Rock at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.
Great American Road Trip concludes in Seattle
You've probably heard that Seattle's a rainy place, but the day Lincoln and Holly were there, the sun was shining and the weather was beautiful, which made it possible to see all the main attractions, including Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, which was built with the weather in mind, and Kerry Park, which allowed Lincoln to take in stunning views of Seattle's skyline and Mount Ranier.
Talking about the Great American Road Trip
After he safely returned to State College, Lincoln sat down with the hosts of the podcast Everything Under The Sun and talked about the moment he lost his wedding ring -- and then found it -- and some other moments that didn't make it on TV or into the stories on AccuWeather.com. Listen to the full episode below.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Travel
AccuWeather's Great American Road Trip
By Staff, AccuWeather
From State College, Pennsylvania, to Seattle, Washington, AccuWeather's Lincoln Riddle and his wife Holly Riddle drove more than 4,050 miles through 13 states for the TV network's Great American Road Trip. They made some interesting stops along the cross-country journey. Here's a look back at some highlights from the epic trip.
The ideal Florida beach vacation – but in the middle of America?
That was the idea many years ago, and while things didn’t pan out the way some hoped, this oasis set inside a national park is 1,000 miles from Sunshine State beaches, but, at a glance, you’d never know.
Chicago is not as windy as you might think
Chicago may be known as the Windy City, but that doesn't mean it's actually windy there all the time. Here's the real story behind Chicago's famous nickname. Lincoln also paid a visit to the largest free-admission food festival in the world -- the weather was hot, but the eating was good. Lincoln forgot to wear sunscreen and, well, he paid the price.
Most people don’t know what’s going on behind the doors of this Minneapolis lab
The exterior of Orfield Laboratories, Inc., in Minneapolis. The lab is home to the second-quietest place on Earth. (Orfield Laboratories)
After Chicago, Lincoln and Holly headed to Minneapolis, where they visited the second-quietest room in the world. It’s unassuming enough from the outside. But what happens – or doesn’t happen – inside this lab has earned it unique recognition from Guinness World Records.
Unique tent pole monument honors fallen circus heroes
From Minneapolis, it was on to Wahpeton, North Dakota, where a little-known monument honors two circus workers who died in a tragic Ringling Brothers accident more than 100 years ago.
When you see something like this while driving down the highway, how can you not stop?
Just off Interstate 94 in North Dakota, they saw something massive in the distance and couldn’t help but pull the car over for a closer look at “Salem Sue.”
These badlands aren't so "bad"
After leaving North Dakota, Lincoln and Holly stopped at the stunning Badlands National Park just off Interstate 90 in South Dakota. The weather was great and the video Lincoln shot showed this place is not bad at all.
The most beloved roadside attraction in America?
Nearly 85 years ago, the future for this roadside staple looked bleak. But an ingenious marketing idea turned things around – and Lincoln and Holly got a look at what is now a South Dakota icon.
Man’s ‘Enchanted Highway’ saved a small American town from dying
Sculpture artist Gary Greff of Regent, North Dakota. (AccuWeather)
“How can you help keep a small town alive?” Gary Greff wondered when he returned to the North Dakota town where he grew up years earlier. His answer was a spectacle that cannot be missed by those driving by.
Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons
After a brief and unexpected detour into Montana, they figured out where they were going and arrived in Wyoming where they spent a day taking in the sites at Yellowstone National Park. After that, Lincoln and Holly visited Grand Teton National Park where the views were breathtaking but the weather didn't entirely cooperate.
How weather impacts the search for 150 million-year-old dinosaur fossils
On any given day in the middle of summer, in the rugged terrain of the Big Horn Basin, near Cody, Wyoming, you'll find a team of paleontologists digging away on the Jurassic Mile dig site, unearthing treasures from long past eras.
One of Oregon’s most recognizable landmarks
As Lincoln and Holly headed to their final destination, they stopped in Oregon where the anticipation was high – and so were the winds. But there it was on Cannon Beach – the 235-foot-tall Haystack Rock at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.
Great American Road Trip concludes in Seattle
You've probably heard that Seattle's a rainy place, but the day Lincoln and Holly were there, the sun was shining and the weather was beautiful, which made it possible to see all the main attractions, including Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, which was built with the weather in mind, and Kerry Park, which allowed Lincoln to take in stunning views of Seattle's skyline and Mount Ranier.
Talking about the Great American Road Trip
After he safely returned to State College, Lincoln sat down with the hosts of the podcast Everything Under The Sun and talked about the moment he lost his wedding ring -- and then found it -- and some other moments that didn't make it on TV or into the stories on AccuWeather.com. Listen to the full episode below.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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