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American Adventures Month
Happy August! As of this writing, Summer is winding down and Fall fast approaches but you know what there’s still time for? An adventure. That’s right, August is American Adventure Month. A celebration of exploration and the incredible diverse landscape of the United States, American Adventure Month aims to get people As we are unabashed car nerds, we thought we’d give you a few ideas for an amazing American automotive adventure.
National Parks
One of the great American accomplishments is our National Parks System. The preservation of such beauty all across the country is an astounding feat that shouldn’t be taken for granted. From snowy mountains to burning desert, these parks run the gamut and show the awe-inspiring diversity of nature in America. We all know our Yosemites and Yellowstones so we’re going to take a look at some of the gems you might have overlooked.
If you’re not afraid of a little August heat, try Big Bend National Park on the Southwestern border between Texas and Mexico. Driving through Big Bend offers incredible views of the park’s iconic rock formations, the Rio Grande, and the desert unfolding in front of you. Need something a little colder? Why not see the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park? Located in Colorado, this park boasts that it has some of the steepest cliffs and craggiest spires in North America. This trail also takes you past some of the oldest rocks in the entire world. Moving all the way to the other side of the country, we have the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. Stretching across the Blue Ridge Mountains, you can see everything from waterfalls and cascades to forests and meadows. It’s also home to Skyline Drive, which runs through the entire national park. Driving on this gorgeous road offers gorgeous views and places to stop your car and stare at the majestic mountains and forests. Speaking of which…
Hitting the Road
Nothing beats a National Park but some of the most gorgeous scenery in the United States can be found on the road. There’s something so peaceful about a view so beautiful that you see vehicles pulling off the road to hit the pull off points and take in a few scenic overlooks. We’ve talked about some astonishing roads like the Pacific Coast Highway, Route 66, and the Great Northern Route. We also wanted to draw your attention to places like the Cherohala Skyway, which is a marvelous mix of natural beauty and human engineering. Located in Tennessee and North Carolina, this gorgeous road was designed to blend in with its surroundings. With its sweeping and gentle road, you may not even need the scenic overlooks to bask in the harmony of this stunning part of the country.
Or if you want something a little more dangerous, let’s take a look at the Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap near the Tennessee/North Carolina border. A stretch of the two lane road on the Calderwood Highway, this Deal’s Gap stretch bears the name because the winding path resembles the mythical creature’s tail. The Tail of the Dragon’s sharpest curves have names like Copperhead Corner, Hog Pen Bend, Wheelie Hell, Shade Tree Corner, Mud Corner, Sunset Corner, Gravity Cavity, Beginner’s End, and Brake or Bust Bend. Many driving enthusiasts look at those names and see a challenge. Be careful though. They get a lot of emergency calls stemming from that road due to the dangerous curves, limited visibility of the Tail of the Dragon. The frequent motorcycle accidents have even created the Tree of Shame, where riders can place their own motorcycle pieces to all the others that did not survive the Tail of the Dragon. While you should still be very careful, emergency response times should be good considering that the authorities frequently patrol the area.
Off the Beaten Path
Let’s take a little trip and bask in the culture and history of the US. Go where car racing history was made at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona, Florida. It was here that prominent American racing figures came together to found NASCAR. Or marvel in the art of the Cadillac Ranch, America’s weird Stonehenge. Cadillac Ranch is an art installation created by Ant Farm, a collective of architects and artists in 1974. It consists of 10 Cadillac cars from 1949 to 1963 buried nose-first in the ground, inclined at the same slant as the Pyramids of Giza. People have been visiting the site for decades, covering the cars in bold graffiti as Ant Farm would want. Taking a spray can to the Cadillacs at Cadillac Ranch has become a rite of passage for those traveling Route 66. And if you want to combine history and natural beauty, head on over to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. An internationally famous destination, the salty remnants of Lake Bonneville make a perfect place for land speed records. Automotive nerds have been breaking land speed records at the Bonneville Speedway since 1896!
Touch Up Your Post-Adventure Paint Job
We love an adventure but sometimes your car comes back looking a little worse for wear. When you’re out driving on the road, you’re bound to get some chips from the small rocks kicked up while you drive. That’s where the Touch Up Pen is your best friend. Our Pen is specifically designed to work on smaller scratches, its chiseled nib tip handling the damage beautifully. And while there’s not much you can do about sun damage to your paint on a road trip while you’re constantly moving, know that your Clearcoat is out there giving your paint job some amazing UV protection (as well as shielding your paint from Get your adventure on while keeping your pristine paint job.
We here at TouchUpDirect love all things cars. From paint chips to surface scratches, to moderate scratches to the deepest scratches, we’ve got everything you’ll ever need to keep your vehicle in pristine condition. Need some help with the touch up process? We’re here to help you get the best possible coat for your vehicle. Between our blog posts and the giant library of instructions we’ve created, we’ve got touch up paint walkthroughs for everyone. And if you don’t want to read, check out the many instructional videos on our YouTube page.
