6 States
5 Days
3,675 Miles
65 Hours 5 minutes driving time
57 MPH Average speed
19 Restaurants
6 Bakeries
6 Ice Cream Shops
1 Drink stop
3 Sonic America’s Drive-In (total is now 182 in 24 states)
1 Whole Foods Market (total is now 64)
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012
Though the annual pilgrimage will be later this summer couldn’t drive past Dixon, Illinois. According to my research Jack, Nelle, Neil and Ronald Reagan lived in 16 houses in NE Illinois. Six were in this town on the Rock River.
The lived in this one from 1920 to 1924.
The owners told me to get off their porch. KIDDING! It has been open for tours since his presidency.
Continued SW to Davenport.
You know I have a fondness for old hotels that have been renovated to celebrate their glory days.
Hotel Blackhawk opened in 1915 featuring 11 stories with 400 rooms. During its demise it was even a crack house before renovation in 2009.
The suite showcased an attention to detail in workmanship and décor. In 1920 think the rooms had 2 plasmas, a LCD TV in the bathroom mirror, high thread count sheets and walk in showers?
Wednesday, July 4th, 2012
John Adams wrote his wife Abigail about the celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence:
"the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not."
"I am well aware of the Toil and blood and treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means, and that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not."
It was a decade ago I first sought out the location of Ronald Reagan’s apartment building when he moved to Davenport in 1932 to be a radio announcer for WOC. This morning’s run went along the river and then past this location which is now a parking lot (right picture, center).
It took 5 hours to drive across northern Missouri.
Immediate after crossing the Missouri river into SE Nebraska is the historic town of Brownsville, today doing duty as a tourist destination.
Auburn. There’s a Sonic down the street.
The stars and stripes making the town square of Fairbury more beautiful.
Appealing Hebron boasts of having the World’s Largest Porch Swing. Taking a seat I realized you are at the mercy of everyone else for the speed. And I resisted the temptation to plant a foot.
Sure, only the government entity survives.
Circle through the SW corner of the state near Colorado.
Thursday, July 5th, 2012
Seeing I was reading Bon Appetit magazine the bearded and sunglassed cook at Penny’s Diner spent my breakfast time talking about food.
Took a loop through central Nebraska without seeing another car.
In tiny remote Arthur the hay bale church was gone leaving only the one room courthouse to see.
Ogallala. Not much to look at. But face it. You like saying it. Ogallala. Ogallala.
Elk.
Scotts Bluff National Monument, along the western border, designated the end of the prairie for those traveling the Oregon Trail.
Runza is a beloved regional chain whose namesake sandwich is homemade dough stuffed with a mixture of ground beef, onions and seasoning.
Chimney Rock was used as a milestone for those covered wagons.
Alliance.
Carhenge is one of those quirks I love to see. This exact replica of Stonehenge (which I have also visited) was built in 1987 using 38 vintage American cars.
Middle of nowhere.
To the west of the middle of nowhere.
Friday, July 6th, 2012
“I’ll have one of those.”
“It has chocolate and peanut butter. Is that OK?”
“Oh yeah.”
Head north crossing the border before turning back east to do a loop through South Dakota.
Get pulled over for doing 72 in a 65; got a warning. I avoided the temptation of explaining to Mr. Nebraska State Trooper if you are doing 80 in a 55 in Chicago you get run over. Or how the GPS records the max speed. Yikes.
In north central Nebraska isolated Atkinson grew up next to train tracks. In the back of G.F. Goeke is an old soda fountain.
Hawaiian Delight. It was delightful.
Neligh Mills State Historic Site uses an 1873 mill to show both its history and that of the grain industry in Nebraska.
On a 100 degree day it was something to imagine working in here a century ago.
Norfolk was the hometown of Johnny Carson. The talk show icon donated a truckload of memorabilia to their Elkhorn Valley Museum.
Nebraska radio stations rock. Who would have thunk it?
Columbus born Andrew Higgins built 40,000 LCVP (landing craft vehicle, personal) for the Allied efforts. These wooden landing crafts were constructed in New Orleans anywhere they could find manufacturing space which was usually the street. This memorial includes sand from the D-Day landing beaches.
Another day ends in America’s heartland.
Saturday, July 7th, 2012
Who came up with the idea to fry dough and stuff it with fat and sugar? Then sugar the top?
Downtown Lincoln’s Haymarket District.
The traditional picture in front of a state capitol.
Located midway between Lincoln and Omaha the Strategic Air and Space Museum has 2 hangers documenting the use of aircraft by the Air Force.
For an impressive entry you are greeted by a Blackbird; the second I have seen. This reconnaissance plane could fly up to 85,000 feet and over 2,100 MPH. To handle the heat the shell is titanium and engine parts include gold.
Hanger A includes hardware used from WWII to the Korean War.
Highlights included:
The B-36. Also known as the Peacemaker this was the largest plane every built.
The B-29, AKA Superfortress, is probably the most well-known bomber.
And the B-17 has to be the most iconic aircraft of WWII.
To a political/history geek (ahem) the U-2 would be identified with the 1960 crash in the Soviet Union creating a political firestorm for the great Dwight Eisenhower.
Hanger B features less notable aircraft, prototypes and a few from other countries.
What a fantastic facility. It has to be one of the 3 best aircraft museums I’ve visited.
Who would have thought Omaha has a legendary seafood restaurant? And that is in an industrial area along the freeway?
Joe Tess Place has an old school dining room. That’s Grilled Salmon.
This intricately landscaped block was the location of Gerald Ford’s birthplace.
Thank goodness. This state doesn’t have enough bakeries.
Downtown Omaha provoked an evaluation of old/renovated/new/trying/pride.
Looks like Freedom Park is long closed. That explains why the access road was scattered with gravel and sand and there was no signage.
As an old movie buff a visit to Boys Town was triggered by that Oscar winning 1938 movie starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney. It was much larger than I expected.
The Hall of History included a display on the movie which included Spencer Tracy’s Oscar.
Don’t you just love this? Over the hump of the railroad tracks you wonder what the town has been like through the decades.
Continued along the NE quadrant of the state.
This is half of downtown Lynch. That theatre was built in 1954. Think they have stadium seating? Dolby digital? THX?
Driving westbound along highway 12 the usual trip habit of head swiveling back and forth trying to take in all the outstanding scenery while listening to an audio book it dawned on me why I do this. It’s a love affair with America. It’s why I drive tens of thousands of miles. This compulsion to see every nock and cranny is driven by a yearning to look at a U.S.A. map and know what it is all about. How the terrain is. What the towns are like. To be able to sense the ripples of time. To imagine all the past self-reliance, individual liberty and people taking risks to make their families lives better.
After pulling over seeing the population had been changed made it more humorous.
Maybe a divorce?
This is Fort Randall Dam in south central South Dakota.
After clicking this picture I paused to take in the scenery, not a common occurrence always being in a rush. As a cooling stiff wind roused the senses I stared northward to the hills then some white caught my peripheral vision as my gaze shifted to the right down the hill to a small cemetery with a white picket fence and white tombstones contrasting with green grass amid the scorched golden prairie. Then a hawk hovered directly above its wings motionless as it glided in the wind feet back and eyes peering to the brush for dinner.
Continued trekking eastbound through southern South Dakota.
Sunday, July 8th, 2012
Starting the day in SE South Dakota the route went south, through Nebraska and around Sioux City, Iowa to get to South Sioux City, Nebraska for breakfast at the roadfood.com sourced Crystal Café housed adjacent to a Shell station.
After eggs and toast tackled their towering Sour Cream and Raisin Pie.
It took 6 hours to drive across Iowa. It looked like this. And I loved it.
Out of hundreds of town square courthouses I’ve admired Hampton, Iowa must have the most visually appealing clock tower.
