USA in seven days for $700

THINK it's impossible to traverse America on a time and money budget? With the clock ticking, Dean Evans hits the highway in a rental car with 700 greenbacks.

Day 6 ... Arlington Cemetary, Virginia, is the resting place of the Kennedy family and JFK's eternal flame as well as the Tomb of the Unknowns / Dean Evans

WHEN the cop car's light and siren lit up behind me on the freeway, I was a little confused. Why pick out my innocuous Hyundai rental car from the herd of dense traffic, all keeping under the speed limit?

Not only was money too tight for a fine, but every minute spent on the side of an Arizona Interstate was hurting my pace.

The plan was to cross America, on arguably the world's best road system, in less than a week.

That's around 630km a day, from Los Angeles across to Washington DC.

The rules were few and simple: see one tourist attraction each day, drive only during daylight, and spend no more than $100 per day, including car, fuel, accommodation, meals and attractions.

So with 4400km and 13 states to traverse, plus 700 greenbacks, first stop was a car rental at LA airport, where an economy car with unlimited mileage was just $US35 per day.

First stop: McDonald's birthplace in San Bernardino, California. In 1940, brothers Ray and Maurice McDonald opened a barbecue restaurant that evolved into the world's most recognised food brand. 

The original building was torn down in 1972, but in 1998 a museum dedicated to the historical significance of the site was opened. More a collection of memorabilia and photos, it was eerily quiet, albeit fascinating and free.

Travelling north to join Interstate 40, the road that virtually killed Route 66, frequent detours allow easy visits to the Route 66 towns of Barstow, Kingman, Flagstaff and Winslow. The latter, specifically the corner of Winslow and Arizona, is the epitome of a manufactured American tourist site, made famous by The Eagles' 1972 song Take it Easy. Ironically, The Eagles never visited Winslow.

Farther east in Arizona is a more credible stop.

Around 50,000 years ago a meteor the size of a house struck the earth and left a crater 1.2km across and 170m deep, which is now the largest preserved meteor crater on Earth.

A movie and guided rim tour are included in the $US15 entry, and in the lobby is the largest remaining chunk of meteor, the size of a pillow.

The end of day three found me passing through New Mexico and Texas into Oklahoma. It's worth visiting Oklahoma City's memorial, which marks the 1995 bombing. Twelve years on, the street where Timothy McVeigh parked his truck full of explosives is now a reflection pool, and where the Murrah Building once stood now rests 168 individually cast bronze chairs, a poignant reminder of the uniqueness of each adult and child lost. The memorial museum (US$8) is both an emotional and enlightening experience.

The halfway point is just east of Oklahoma, where I joined the turnpike channelling traffic into Missouri, an arrow-straight 160km road devoid of exits or petrol stations. This was the first of three toll booths on the trip, charging $US3.50.

The border crossing into Illinois is easily the most significant, and marked by the deceptively large St Louis Gateway Arch. Dubbed the "gateway to the west", it opened in 1965 and at 192m is America's tallest monument. In the underground visitor's centre is a rather cheesy butstill remarkable 1967 film on its construction.

The highlight is a trip to the summit in the trams: eight small, spherical, five-seat capsules that take a rickety journey to the Arch's viewing windows. The views are stunning over the Mississippi River, downtown St Louis and the Cardinals' baseball field, although the sway from high winds can be disconcerting.

Illinois to Indiana marked the end of day four and like fast food, America's hotel franchises are everywhere. Affordable chains such as Super 8, Motel 6 and Econo Lodge offer not only a good bed and shower, but free wireless internet, making the rest of the world look overpriced and underdone.

Stay out of major cities and most single rates are less than $US50 a night. With petrol around 90c Australian a litre, little wonder continental travel by car is so popular.

Sadly, the food isn't a turn-on. But thanks to generous portion sizes and free soda refills, it's possible to achieve a three-meal day for about $20.

Freshness is not guaranteed.

Day five and I'm east of Indianapolis, and heading across Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, where the scenery is breathtaking. The route passes within 30km of the September 11 crash site of United Flight 93 in Somerset, Pennsylvania.

Day six is an easy trip through Maryland and into Washington DC – with one day to spare. Good thing too, because DC is one of America's most most popular tourist destinations with monuments, museums, headquarters and landmarks.

The National Mall, White House, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam and Korean War Memorials, Jefferson Monument, Smithsonian Museum, US Capitol and Union Station are all within a busride of each other, with most of them located around the Washington Monument.

Entry to the 170m obelisk is free, with a lift to the spectacular viewing floor. This is an ideal way to familiarise yourself with DC, and offers a superb view of the Pentagon in nearby Virginia.

A Tourmobile on-off bus tour is a must. For $US20 it includes not only all the major tourist sites, but the Arlington Cemetery, resting place of the Kennedy family and JFK's eternal flame. The Tomb of the Unknowns has a changing of the guard ceremony, every hour, every day.

Nearby are the memorials to the crews of the Challenger and Columbia Space Shuttles.

After all the sums were done, the trip came in one day and $US56.50 under budget.

And, as for that little highway patrol matter on day one, in the state of Arizona it is illegal to have an "item affixed to windshield" – in my case a portable navigation device.

Thanks, officer.

The Sunday Telegraph