Road Trip Bucket List # 3

U.S. 50 - Coming in at number 3 on my Road Trip Bucket List, at just over 3,000 miles in length, this major east-west coast-to-coast route starts in Ocean City, Maryland and ends in Sacramento, California. For the vast majority of it's length, it is truly a blue highway. Running through remote prairie settlements, rolling farmland, dying mining towns, deserts and mountains in the west, the section through Nevada is known as the loneliest road in America. It is the central most of the cross-country routes,  and probably the least known. In total, it passes through 12 states across the heartland of America.

From it's beginning in Ocean City, Maryland, U.S. 50 is the major route to Washington D.C. and varies from 2 lanes to 10 lanes wide as it gets there. It goes through Cambridge, crosses Chesapeake Bay, through Annapolis and into downtown D.C., turning into Constitution Ave. along the north side of the National Mall. As much as I know I'll look forward to seeing the east in my rear view mirror, I'll most probably stay here for a day or two to take in a couple of museums.

Heading into Virginia, I'll take a side trip to see the Manassas National Battlefield Park where on July 16, 1861, the first major land battle of the Civil War took place. From there I'll continue west into and through West Virginia before entering Ohio just past Parkersburg. Once in Ohio, this should be a rather pretty trip across the southern part of the state as it passes through and by numerous state parks and smaller towns until becoming Interstate 71 entering downtown Cincinnati and exiting the state by the Perfect North Slopes ski area.

I've never been to Indiana so I'm not sure what to expect. One little town I plan to stop in and at least take a picture of the town limit sign is Loogootee. Just can't pass up a town with a name like that. About 35 miles west of Loogootee (its fun to say, huh?), U.S. 50 enters Illinois just past Vincennes. Fortunately, the route doesn't get into any of the big cities until it becomes Interstate-435 and passes around the southern perimeter of St. Louis, Missouri. In Missouri, the route takes a gradual west-northwest angle up to Kansas City. Missouri will be the second new state I'll get to cross off my "States I've Never Been In" list. There's only 14 on the list now so it will be down to a dirty dozen after this.

Kansas is where I'm not sure whether to look forward to or not. I've been through Kansas coming up from the south via I-35 to I-135 and then I-70 over to Colorado. This route has the honor of being the most boring, God-awful drive I've ever had the misfortune to take. To make matters worse, I've actually driven it twice, coming back the opposite way from a different trip - like it was going to be more interesting coming the other way. It wasn't. But U.S. 50, after a few miles of being I-35 coming out of Kansas City, turns into a 4-lane and then 2-lane road after it splits from the interstate in Emporia and takes a gradual south-western route through Ft. Larned National Historical Site (supposedly the best preserved and best restored frontier fort in America,) Dodge City, Finney Wildlife Area & Bison Refuge and then enters Colorado 16 miles west of Syracuse.

Eastern Colorado won't be exactly a real exciting drive; it's just an extension of Kansas until you get to Pueblo, but that's where this route gets really interesting. If you've ever been to Colorado, you know how beautiful it is and Route 50 cuts right through the middle of it - Royal Gorge Bridge (1,053' above the river), Texas Creek, Salida (where I was once caught in a snow storm and had a snowball fight - on the 4th of July!), Poncha Springs, Monarch Pass (11,312' elevation), along the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument, Montrose, and northwest through Grand Junction. There will be a whole lotta picture taking through here and it will probably take a while to get through the state due to all the stopping and giving thanks for the beauty of the landscape.

Coming into Utah, one of my favorite states for vacationing, U.S. 50 merges and becomes I-70 and remains an interstate until over half-way through until arriving in Salina. I'm not feeling much enthusiasm for this stretch, but I have an open mind.

Just a couple of miles after entering Nevada, the route goes by the Great Basin National Park, where I'll be sure to visit and get a stamp in my National Park Book. Just a few miles later comes Wheeler Peak at 13,063', and then the Ruth Copper Pit, one of the world's largest mining pits. Probably not pretty, but worth a looksee. Then, as it crosses the middle of the state, comes miles after miles of what Life magazine in July, 1986, named "The Loneliest Road in America." Crossing large, desolate areas with almost no sign of civilization and few other travelers, it still manages to encounter petroglyphs, ghost towns, alpine forests, desert valleys and goes through the state capital in Carson City and the resort town of Lake Tahoe before entering California from South Lake Tahoe.

In California, traveling west until arriving in Placerville, U.S. 50 is designated a State Scenic Highway. From Placerville, it's not that long of a drive to the end of the route in West Sacramento.

It will be a very interesting, but long trip and I'm sure I'll be ready to get back home and sleep in my own bed again. Time to put the white-line fever back in the box - at least for a while.
 

Road Trips - 5, 4...

Coming in 5th and 4th on my Road Trip bucket list are:

5. The Great River Road - This route follows along the Big Muddy, Old Man River - the mighty Mississippi as it cuts through the American landscape. Growing up, I read all of Mark Twain’s books several times each and dreamed of floating down the Mississippi. On this trip, I’ll be the modern version of Huck Finn.

Created in 1938 from a network of federal, state, and local roads, the Great River Road, commonly abbreviated to “GRR” was created in 1938 from a network of federal, state, and local roads to form one route along the Mississippi from headwaters to mouth. The GRR is supposed to be very scenic with farms, meadows, forests, limestone cliffs, cypress swamps, parks and wildlife refuges lining the road.  There are places along the route that will be a bit grittier with older industrial areas, suburban sprawl, strip malls, casinos, and franchise food joints, but for the most part it’s a two-lane blacktop road through towns other roads have forgotten, crossing and re-crossing the river, far off the beaten path. Off the beaten path – now that’s my kind of road!

At its southernmost point in Louisiana, the land and river begin to merge and you will actually be about 5 feet below sea level in New Orleans. I just might have to spend a couple of days here in one of my favorite cities, toast her with a Pat O’Brien’s Hurricane while visiting Bourbon St. one night and fill up on coffee and beignets the next morning at Café Du Monde on Decatur St in the French Quarter.

Between the St. Francisville ferry and the Interstate bridge west of New Orleans, the GRR crosses the river four times, traveling along back roads past huge live oak trees almost covered in Spanish moss and antebellum plantation homes along Plantation Alley.  Heading north, it proceeds through Vicksburg, where thousands of Civil War soldiers dressed in both gray and blue are resting in eternal sleep and where my great-great grandfather died while living in a cave in the bluffs above the river trying to dodge Yankee canon shot and musket balls. Vicksburg is rumored to be one of the most haunted areas in the world, with witnesses seeing the soldiers still marching and the sounds of bugles, shots and screams coming in the dark hours. Perhaps my relative is one of them. Maybe he’s upset his surviving family left his body there and came to Texas. Maybe I won’t sleep there.

The route next travels through the “The Delta,” the 250- mile-long home of King Cotton, between Vicksburg and Memphis. In addition to the Delta’s historical significance is its legacy as the cradle of musical styles from gospel, blues, and jazz to country and rock ’n’ roll.  On through Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois, through sandy floodplain and fertile prairie, small towns like Hannibal, the home town of Mark Twain and other communities generally forgotten by the hurry, hurry hustle and bustle of “modern” life.

Finally the Great River Road makes its way into Minnesota; through St. Paul and Minneapolis, over a few unpaved roads, through forest, tree farms, and hayfields. The end of the journey will be in Lake Itasca State Park.

It may not be a river cruise on the Delta Queen, but it sounds like fun to me.

4. U.S. Route 20 – The Oregon Trail – Another east coast to west coast route, this is the longest road in the Unites States, covering 3,365 miles.  It is one long, continuous road except through Yellowstone National Park (park roads do not have signage for U.S. numbered highways). The route begins in Boston at Kenmore Square (I’ll start there to ensure I start at the start, but trust me, I’ll be getting out of there as quickly as possible. If I didn’t have to be in Boston, I wouldn’t be) and ends in Newport, Oregon at its intersection with U.S Route 101 within 1 mile of the Pacific. The western end was originally at the eastern entrance of Yellowstone Park, but it was extended from the western side of Yellowstone in 1940.

In Massachusetts, a section of Route 20 runs north–south and is known as Jacob’s Ladder as it crosses the Berkshire Hills between Lee in Berkshire County and Chester in Hampden County.  In parts of eastern Massachusetts, Route 20 passes by Longfellow's Wayside Inn in Sudbury, the oldest continuously operated Inn in America. When Henry Ford purchased the Wayside Inn, he re-routed Route 20 to the south so that major traffic would bypass the inn.

On through New York, Pennsylvania, and into Ohio, my dear wife’s home state, Route 20 follows the southern shore of Lake Erie. Indiana and Illinois are 2 states I’m not really excited about going through because it switches from 2 lanes to 4 lanes and traverses rather large cities and industrialized areas. It is however, the main access road to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, which might be worth a look-see. In Iowa, things start to get better as far as I’m concerned as the road reverts to 2-lane in Moorland and Iowa is not as crowded or as industrialized.

Route 20 crosses Nebraska across the northern half of the state. I’m looking forward to this segment because it passes through numerous small towns and the Department of Roads has noted it for its history and natural beauty.  I’ve driven through the southern part of Nebraska several times and natural scenic beauty is not something in my experience to associate with Nebraska – unless you feel rows and rows and miles and miles of corn, corn, corn are a natural beauty. Evidently the northern half of Nebraska is prettier than the southern half and if so, I’ll gladly revise my current thoughts about this bread-basket state.

I know I’m going to love Route 20 across Wyoming and Montana. My family and I had an absolutely wonderful vacation in Yellowstone N.P. a couple of years ago and spent 2 great days in Casper and guess where Route 20 goes through – yep, Casper and Yellowstone.  I’m excited to visit again. In Montana, the route is known as the Targhee Pass Highway. With the scenery I already know of in those states, a route called Targhee Pass Highway is something I’m looking forward to!

A few years ago, I spent almost a month working an assignment in Boise, Idaho. I liked Boise a lot. Really nice people, clean, and although the city itself isn’t tremendously pretty, just a few short miles out of town is some of the prettiest land I’ve ever seen. In Idaho, Route 20 travels through downtown Boise and goes to and through Rattlesnake Station, Anderson Ranch Dam Road, Cat Creek summit (5,527’), Sun Valley, Galena Summit, Picabo, Craters of the Moon, Big Lost River Valley, Atomic City, Blackfoot, and the Targhee Pass (7,072’).  Who could resist visiting towns and places with names like that?

Into the last state, Oregon, Route 20 continues going through beautiful country – the Oregon high desert, Bend, Santiam Pass, the Cascade Mountains, and finally terminates with at U.S. 101 in Newport.

This route and the east coast route are the only 2 on my list which I will seriously consider shortening and not travel the whole distance. From Arkansas or Texas, it’s a long, long drive up to the northeast and if you’ve been paying attention, you know I’m not fond of the northeastern cities. I may very well drive north and catch it when it enters Nebraska and head west.

Road Trips number 3 and 2 coming up in the next post.