Kerouac set out to hitch the entire length in about 1947 for that very reason. First episode in "On the Road".
Driving directions from my house to Whitney Portal:
Turn left on Rt 6A East.
1/2 mile, left on Exit 12, go 3175 miles Route 6 West to US 395 South (no turn).
In 47.5 miles Turn Right on Whitney Portal Road, to end.
Total Distance 3245.4 mi. Or so.
I guess it's all fate - I read that book when I was a teenager and lived in Germany, not having the slightest clue I'd ever set foot on US soil... now I keep driving on and along US6 almost every year to get to Mt. Whitney and the Sierras...
On the other hand, I also read Charles Bukowski back then, and so far I've not come across much of his America
