America Awaits You!

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31984, 10 May 1969, Page 20

America Awaits You!

America—-with all its immense variety of natural wonders, of great cities and homey small towns, and of outgoing hospitable people—awaits you.

It’s all yours. And you can start planning in the knowledge that it will cost you much less than you think.

The United States Travel Service says that the image of the United States as a free-spend-ing, big-tipping, overcharging society is completely false. You can take it fast or slow, by plane, rail, car. or even river raft, from the glossy entertainment world of Los Angeles or Las Vegas to the awe-inspiring beauty and grandeur of the natural parks. The challenge of the Grand Canyon, one of America’s great national parks, draws hikers and climbers from all over the world. A mfle deep, four to 14 miles across and 217 miles long,, the canyon exposes the oldest rock known, spanning two billion geologic years.

It can be snowing on top, but deep in the canyon, carved by the Colorado River, flowers bloom in eternal spring. Want to see a rodeo in Stoney Burke country— North Dakota? Scores of rodeos are held through Dakota each American summer, attracting top contenders from across the nation. That’s the kind of thing you can take in if you try some of the leisurely ways available to see America. Like a raft trip? From April to September' there are raft trips down the Colorado River, the Salmon River in Idaho, the Rogue River in Oregon, and the St Croix River bordering Minnesota and Wisconsin. Prefer a train excursion? Northern California offers these trips through redwood forest country on the “skunk” train, so-called

because it used to reek of gas fumes and fish cargo. Horseback? All year round there are group camping trips organised by such groups'as the Sierra Club, of San Francisco, the National Campers Associa-

tion, of Buffalo, and Ameri- I can Youth Hostels, of New York. New Zealanders with goldpanning in their blood can pan their way around the West and in Alaska. The best thing about goldpan-

Inlng is that the area is always great for camping—and fishing, too. ' In 1967, film individual travellers made ISfim trips while exploring the globe in the quest of pleasure, knowledge or business.