Re: [Leica]OT: Cross-country trip. Suggestions greatly appreciated.

[Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net>]

Paul Klingaman wrote:
> 
> Dear LUG,
> 
> I have decided to take a trip with my best friend this summer across most of
> the United States(From Denver, PA to Denver, CO; with a pit stop in Boston).
>   And so, I thought calling in the big dogs(members of the LUG) for advice
> would be a good idea.  I'd like to make the "Great American Portfolio" on
> this trip.  I was thinking of avoiding major highways and driving through
> America's backyard to capture the people of this great land on film.  The
> trip will be made in an early model Volkswagon Carmen Ghia.  The budget will
> likely only be a few hundred dollars, and a little extra scratch for a
> T-shirt in every state.  Cheasy hotels will probably be too expensive, so
> camping will probably be the norm.  My cargo list includes: 1 M6 with 35 and
> 50 summicrons, 1 Minolta Autocord, 1 Holga 120s, 1 Olympus Stylus, 2
> flyrods, and a small amount of toiletries and clothing(Carmen Ghias are
> *small*).  Here's where the questions start to roll.  Does anyone have
> suggestions for this trip?  I'm sure many of you out there have done this,
> and hindsight is 20/20.  Have I missed something in my cargo list which I
> absolutely can't do without(aside from film)?  What I'm hoping to attain
> from all this is a compiled list of must-have's, most-see's, and must-do's.
> When it's all said and done(and printed) I'll likely post the images on a
> website for your perusal.  In the interest of saving server space for the
> lug, I would also welcome personal email responses to
> pklingaman@hotmail.com.  Thanks to all who reply in advance and the others
> who have graciously answered my questions, leica and otherwise, in the past.
> 
> sincerely,
> Paul Klingaman
> 

Your doing the right half Baby! I just did the left. I drove a ten ton
truck; Isuzu NPR, flat in the front with a huge windshield, like driving
along in an elevated glass bubble. Your Carmen Ghia experience will
differ don't scrape your but on the highway!
A college girlfriend in the 70's drove a Carmen Ghia and was amazed
there was "cardboard in the engine" when she had it rebuilt. So she sold
the car. 
Tri x was my film choice, I shot 18 rolls. Get a brick of film to match
your car.
Stay off those darn double red roads; interstates. You will see nothing
from those roads, nothing! Might as well take a plane and sit in an
aisle seat. Those single red and grey roads support all four wheels and
you will see the USA in your Chevrolet and not a series of fast food truckstops.
Get a theme, mine was Lewis and Clark as I roughly followed their route
and started @ the same time. Yours could be "Will this car make it?!!!"
Wear those nylon workout overalls type clothes that are super
lightweight and don't absorb sweat or water and can be rinsed out in a
motel sink. And gold chains to match. Nuns, Yuppies and drug dealers all
wear those warmups now. They come in a varity of colors and stripes. 
And a small screwdriver for your M6 in case your focus goes out and a
spare battery lid incase that flies off the front of your camera and
gets lost off the side of the road.
Pulling over the side of the road by far my most used lens was my 90. I
would try to pick up that focal length if I possibly could. Somthing
long. It's a big country and lots of it is "out there."  If You want to
not often get that fence between the road and "out there" in the
picture. I used my 135 plenty.
Learn to speak the language! They get mad when you don't in every state
there are guides to the customs involved. You'll notice a thick colored
line that separates each state followed by a definate change of
landscape. This was purposly desinged to make your trip varied and interesting.
Mark Rabiner