Images of the USA are crystal clear in the mind of every traveller. The country's famous sites are so familiar that they seem to belong to all of us – the Statue of Liberty, the Grand Canyon, the Empire State Building, the US Capitol, the White House, the "Hollywood" sign . . . the list goes on. The USA can also be a land of quiet and calm. You could easily plan a trip that focuses on the out-of-the-way hamlets, remote wilderness, eerie ghost towns, and forgotten byways that are every bit as "American" as its showpiece icons and monuments.