You might consider hosteling as an inexpensive lodging alternative during your travels (for those occasions when there are no local Mudcatters to put you up). There's variability in the level of comfort and beauty from one location to another, to be sure, but we recently stayed in a hostel in San Francisco that overlooked the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay for just $22.50 apiece per night - and that included linens, towels and a continental breakfast, plus a two-minute walk to the water's edge!

It's certainly worth a visit to the Hosteling International website here to check things out before you travel. And by all means, do make the investment in a good travel atlas of the States. It will help immensely in your planning!