a) Washington State
i) Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier is located about 2.5 hours' drive North East of Vancouver City. It is famous for its magnificent range of mountains (snowy white during winter and flush with flora and fauna during summer). I like this national park so much that I visited it 5 times at different time, and even camp overnight!

Camping at Mt Rainier is an unforgetable experience. It was freezing at 5Celcius at night and do remember to get all the right gears before you embark on one. Check out the official Mt Rainier website http://www.nps.gov/mora to see how to book a camping site.

b) Oregon State
i) Crater Lake
Crater Lake was formed as part of volcanic activities that sunk the whole land forming the big crater. Years after years, water from rain forms the lake. Either in summer or winter, the lake offers superb view of the wonder of the world.

See the small island in the middle of the lake? That was formed after the whole crater sunk, and a small aftermath of volcano erupted in the middle of the crater bringing the small island up.

It was a great experience driving along the rim of the crater and stopped by different viewpoints. Every view angle of the crater is beautiful with its amazing blue color. My second visit to the lake was at the end of winter (somewhere Mar) and some snow still remains on the rim. During summer, I can see boats moving on the lake. That is kind of activity which you can engage or do a little hiking down the lake.

ii) Mt Hood
Located just 2 hours drive from downtown Portland, Mt Hood stands up as a landmark visibly most of the time from Portland (Oregon). Starting November each year, the mountain turns snowy white gradually as winter approaches and become popular skiing destination starting end Dec or Jan.

From Portland (OR) or Vancouver (WA), I can see the mountain just at the east where sun rises. The journey to Mt Hood is great during winter when it was snowing. From drizzling rain, I can see pieces of ice and later on snow on the windshield. It could be dangerous though, so remember to bring the snow chain. Experience hooking up snow chain is another challenges for beginners. Luckily there are some good souls helping us with that. Imagine doing that with heavy wind blowing and snows falling!

Mt Hood is the perfect skiing resort for all levels of skiing/snowboarding. There are packages for beginners at US$100 for 3 lessons from reputable instructors and different difficulties of slopes. You can choose either skiing, snowboarding or combination of both. Do remember to browse the official Mt Hood website to check the snow condition (the resort might be close due to extreme weather or insufficient snow falls).

iii) Redwood National Park
The park is famous for gigantic trees you can hardly imagine. As you drive into the heart of the national park, the landscape changes with super tall trees appearing along the journey. I enjoyed the drive through the bottom of a giant tree...imagine that! Do take your time to stop and do a little hiking. It just amazed me and feel me so tiny among jungle of gigantic trees.

iv) Bend
When you are in Oregon, do not miss out Bend. Land where 3 Sisters Mountain are situated, it also hosts a large Lava Butte which is the remains of historic volcanic activities. Join in to the spectacular scenery is Painted Hills (bottom left) and magnificient rocks where rock climbing enthusiasts hang around.

The memorable experience which I encountered was driving in the middle of the black lava from previous volcanic eruption. It was so beautfiul against the backdrop of snowy mountains.

c) California State
i) Los Angeles
Places to visit is aplenty in Las Vegas. Must-go places including Disneyland & Universal Studio. Live in the world of animations, movie & cartoon-characters and visit living city of many celebrities.

There are 2 main parks in Disneyland. To cover most of the areas for these 2 parks, 3 days is usually sufficient. There are many motels nearby which you can stay (good source will be travel website like Expedia). The motels normally sell tickets to Disneyland as well at a discount, so do remember to check with the receptionist.

In Universal Studio, the most memorable experience is watching live simulation of movie-making. During that time, the title is Water World where there are speedboats, explosions and high jumps just in front of me. WOW~!! That was how movies were made!

d) Nevada State
i) Las Vegas
I drove from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. From a grand city of Los Angeles, the view along the journey changes to brownish desert with no plants and very light traffic. After about 6 hours of driving, a brightly lit city surfaced out of nowhere. That's is Las Vegas! A city alive in the middle of the desert!

Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. A casino and entertainment city indeed! With every step from the street to hotel lobby, sound of slot machines is everywhere. A city that never sleeps entices visitors with tonnes of never ending entertainment.

I tried my luck on some slot machines but hmm..I was just not lucky :P But I still enjoy walking on the main street of Las Vegas where it was always crowded. If you have lots of money, you will not be bored as the city is full with entertainments and shows.

e) Arizona
i) Grand Canyon
This is a must-see when you are in Arizona. The canyon was created after millions of years by the famous Colorado River and the wonder of the wind shaping the rocks.

From the viewpoint, I can see the Colorado river flows through the Canyon. If you have the stamina, you can try to hike down the canyon or take a water rafting tour. However, do bring along lots of water as it was very hot during summer which causes dehydration. I also visited the visitor centre which provided great information on the canyon.

a) Rotorua
Land where the famous The Lord of The Ring movie was made, the country is indeed up to its name for sceneries.

Rotorua is one of the geothermal hotspots in Northern Island of New Zealand. I arrived at Auckland airport and in 4 hours' drive, I can see signs guiding to Rotorua and smokes coming out from left and right of the road welcoming me. Upon getting down from my car, there is a strong sulphuric smell which I can barely tolerate. But after a while, that had become nothing and replaced by my enthusiasm to explore the area. There was boiling muds everywhere in the middle of the Rotorua city.

A must-visit place in Rotorua is Wai-O-Tapu. With entrance fee of NZD25 per person, experience the wonder of geysers in a journey of 2 hours hike! Main attraction in Wai-O-Tapu is Lady's Knox Geyser which erupts daily at 10.15am. If you arrive Wai-O-Tapu later of the day and miss the Lady's Knox Geyser, just keep the entrance ticket and come back the next day for that.

b) Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove
Located at the east of of North Island, Hot Water Beach & Catheral Cove in Coromandel unveil an amazing view of the Pacific Ocean. The night before my adventure to the attractions, I stayed at YHA backpackers' hostel at Whitianga. This is a hostel with great sea view, kayaking and ping pong game facility. Along our journey to Catheral Cove, there was a sign indicating best spot to view sunrise but argh...I was too late. The sun was already up on the sky!

There are still aplenty stuffs to be seen and do though. Do check out the tides at the hostel before you depart to Hot Water Beach. There are prime time when tides are low and you can dig a hole at the beach and pamper yourself in it as warm water surfaces. It is usually in the evening and early morning.

I parked my car and took almost an hour's hike to the Catheral Cove. I took a cool picture with the Cove as the background, and it was exactly the same as featured on many travel websites.