I'm from Australia but have visited the US several times. The country has so many great stretches of grim Americana - areas that you are surprised support life

I'm from Australia but have visited the US several times. The country has so many great stretches of grim Americana - areas that you are surprised support life and enterprise now or in the past. In California, there's the stretch from Palm Springs down past Bombay Beach to Salvation Mountain (both interesting to see). Between Joshua Tree NP and Mojave NP is the Needles Highway, Wonder Valley, areas with messages written in colourful rocks on the side of the road. Arizona has some interesting roads too with remnants of road-side stalls.