The Texas BBQ trail
 

No it's not, but Luling is, City Market is the mother of all BBQ joints
http://www.lulingcitymarket.com/


Although I admit there are several excellent places in Lockhart as well
Black's
http://www.blacksbbq.com/
Smithy's
http://smittysmarket.com/
and as mentioned before Kreutz (not my favourite though)


If in Fort Worth visit Angelos
http://www.angelosbbq.com/

be aware that many BBQ joints in Texas don't serve beer
(but will be happy to offer you ice tea :td: - talk about cultural clash)

I completely agree. The US national and the various park services are one of the best things in the USA. I'm dismayed by how much of a political football their funding can be, and I always make an extra money donation over the entry price. Everyone who I have ever come across working in a park or for a park service has been very welcoming and they are often very easy to get around and pleasant to visit. I have a lot of respect for all park service people.

The "French" areas are nice too. And most people do speak English.

Why not? Some people would say that Quebec has some of the most beautiful scenery in Canada.

If you want some spectacular scenery, why not drive to to James Bay, about 1,000km to the north? You will see some jaw-dropping sights of natural beauty. You could then drive east for probably another 700/800km and be at the most remote point in NA (at least in the east) as it is possible to get. You will have not other humans around (at least none that you can see or contact) for almost 1,000km.

Well, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but is this not a bit like saying "The UK doesn't do it for me, I met a real w@nk3r in a pub on Leicester Square once. They do have quaint villages, thought."

When we visited Zion National Park (my wife and I) we were overtaken on the way up by a US couple in their sixties (a few decades on us). On the way down we saw a couple sweeping the newly cemented path. We though 'ah parks staff', but then we noticed that they were the same couple that had passed us on the way up. We spoke to them, they said someone had 'vandalised' the cement by attempting to leave their mark (a footprint) in it and they were repairing the damage to the national park. I was impressed by their attitude.

Thanks, will check them out next week.

I find that simply, whatever type of holiday I want, I can have it in the US. There is such a variety, from skiing to beaches and anything in between.

I have friends (ex Pats) that live in the Florida panhandle for amazing beaches, when I was younger I skied in Colorado and Utah, and recently have discovered the National Parks. Last summer I was in Glacier and Yellowstone, and because of that experience I am off to Alaska in a months time. We will take in another fantastic city on our way through, San Francisco.

When my kids were younger, it was great as there were no language barriers, food can be anything you want, from the bland and fast food to some amazing experiences. Basically, whatever you want, you can find. Yes there are negatives, but that is the same wherever you go.

I will still try to get over there every year, but that doesn't preclude the fact that the world is a very big place and there are still many adventures to be had...

I love visiting the US and after my trip to Macedonia last year, it made me really appreciate having the same language (well, almost).

What I don't like about the USA - What I do like about the USA-I wouldn't limit my self to the US, but can see it becoming an "easy holiday option" as I get older when I don't want to struggle with the language issues any more.

I am usless at languages. Been really bad since I was a kid at school. Which was the point of a good education.

I shall look up the locations that you mentioned and try to visit them in a few years time.

I shall have a go, but my trips to that area wont be for a few years.

Reading this thread I notice that a lot of people put the language as an important reason why they holiday in the States. So does that mean these people only take holidays in countries where the first language is English?

Wills has just proved that you get make friends there with about six words of French!

I mentioned this to someone yesterday and the response I got was that although it wasn't the only reason, "I enjoy the pat down you get from the TSA on the way home, better than my partner can manage after a hard day at work." :D Not sure they were being that serious though ;)

No, not in my case (and I suspect most others) anyway, it certainly makes things easier and less stressful but is in no way a necessity.

The language barrier has put me off places like Japan though, where I've heard from various visitors that it has been a pain to get about, due to neither parties being able to speak much of each others lingo and the signage being Japanese only in the main.