First you need to have beaten the Violet City & Azalea Town Gyms. Before you can beat the Violet City Gym, you have to beat Sprout Tower which is to the north of the city. After you do that you can beat Falkner (Violet City Gym Leader). Once you beat Falkner you can use Rock Smash and go to Azalea Town (accessible via Route 32 - south of the Poké Mart).
After passing through Union Cave and Route 33 which is tiny, go into Kurt's house (it's the one with the Apricorn Tree next to it) and talk to the old guy. He will leave for the well. Go to the well and beat Proton to gain access to the Gym.
Once you've beaten the SLOWPOKE Well and the Azalea Town Gym, head west (left). Beat your rival and get through the Ilex Forest. You'll pop out on Route 34. Head north— there is a way to get to Goldenrod without battling any Trainers but I'll leave that up to you.
Once you arrive in Goldenrod City, go to the radio tower's first floor and get the radio card. HINT: the answer to the third question is NO. Only when you get the Radio Card will Whitney talk to you and then leave. You can now challenge the 3rd Gym.
The odd tree is blocking access to both Goldenrod and Ecruteak. The only way around it is via Azalea Town or with the use of an Action Replay.
