Skip to main content

Wyoming Road Trip Days 1 & 2 - Charlotte to Lincoln, NE via Tennessee and St. Louis

In September, when my wife told me that I could use my extra week of vacation to go on a road trip, I at first was surprised.  But then, I started trying to figure out where to go and what to see.  It was too late to plan something for October, and I really wanted to go west.  I decided on Wyoming - specifically Cheyenne.  From Cheyenne, I would visit Rocky Mountain National Park, Wind Cave National Park and Mount Rushmore, and also Devils Tower.  I invited my friend Joe to go along with me.

Day 1: Charlotte, NC to Mt. Juliet, Tennessee:

Route: I-485, NC 16, I-40

Photo Set on Flickr - Wyoming Road Trip Day 1

We traveled just over six hours on this day - this allowed us to break up the trip out over three days but also to see more on the way out.  While Day One was not big on sightseeing - there was some great fall scenery in Eastern Tennessee and the North Carolina mountains.




The color was great!  And it was an easy drive to the hotel for the night just east of Nashville.

Day 2: Mt. Juliet, TN to Lincoln, NE

Route: I-40, I-24, I-57, I-64, US 61, Routes A & J, US 36, I-29, IA/NE 2, US 77, I-80.

Stops: Gateway Arch National Park, Locust Creek Covered Bridge

Flickr Set: Wyoming Road Trip Day 2

A full day of travel and also new roads Western KY to Mt. Vernon, IL and anywhere west of St. Louis.

We hit some fog along the Interstate 69 portion of I-24.

At the Illinois Welcome Center in Metropolis - you can be Superman!

Contrary to popular belief - Illinois is not flat.  On I-57 North, they even have signs to prove it.

If this doesn't prove that Illinois isn't flat - I don't know what will.

The first real stop of the trip was at Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis.  It took a little bit to figure out parking - but it was worth a stop.  Formerly called the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, Gateway Arch became a national park in 2018.

Below this general area is Interstate 44.  In 2018, a lid over the depressed freeway opened - connecting the arch to the old St. Louis County Courthouse via a new park.


After the stop at the Arch, it was time to begin the westward trek to Wyoming.  Construction on Interstate 70 was causing lengthy delays, so we opted to take a more northerly route along US 61 and US 36 to St. Joseph.

US 61 is known as the Avenue of the Saints Highway and is an expressway between I-70 and Hannibal, MO.

US 61 rolls along.

It's a long way to Juarez - US 54 ends in El Paso - but it doesn't go to Louisiana.  Oh wait, they are towns in Missouri.

To cut the corner instead of taking US 61 to US 36 in Hannibal. We took Routes A & J in Ralls County.  It is a nice enjoyable two-lane drive.


AH!

US 36 is a great alternative to Interstate 70.  It's an expressway throughout - and the only traffic lights that we came across were located at Interstate 35.  The landscape, as expected, is rural with numerous farms and bypasses of small towns.



If you want to take a break from the relatively quiet US 36, the Locust Covered Bridge State Historic Site in Linn County may be worth a visit.  The bridge, which is the longest of Missouri's four remaining covered bridges at 151 feet, was built in 1868. In the 1940s, the course of Locust Creek changed and the Locust Creek bridge now crosses dry land.

The Locust Creek Bridge is about a mile and a half north of US 36 in Linn County.  It's worth a stop if you want to break up your trip and stretch your legs.

With the switch back to standard time, sunset came upon us fast.  West of Interstate 35, US 36 goes through a windmill field and it gave a nice backdrop at sunset.


Good Night from US 36!

My first visit to Iowa and Nebraska would be in the dark.  But tomorrow is another day - Interstate 80 West to Cheyenne.

2021 Wyoming Road Trip Site Navigation:

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway

The communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway can all be found along US Route 101 within southern Humboldt County.  The former surface alignment of US Route 101 in Garberville and Redway once crossed the Garberville Bluffs along what is now Redwood Drive via a corridor constructed as part of the Redwood Highway during the 1910s.  US Route 101 through Benbow, Garberville and Redway was modernized by 1935.  US Route 101 would eventually be upgraded to freeway standards in Benbow, Garberville and Redway by extension of the Redwood Freeway during 1966-68.  As the cover photo the original grade of US Route 101 and the Redwood Highway can be seen at the Garberville Bluffs during 1934.  US Route 101 can be seen in the communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Humboldt County .   The history of US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway Benbow, Garberville and Redway lie on the banks of the South Fork Eel River of southern Humboldt County.  D

Patterson Pass Road

Recently on a day trip to the San Francisco Bay Area I traversed the Diablo Range eastbound via Patterson Pass Road. Patterson Pass Road is an approximately 13 mile roadway which starts at Mines Road in Livermore of Alameda County.  Patterson Pass Road eastward ascends over the approximately 1,600 foot namesake Patterson Pass into San Joaquin County where it ends at Interstate 580 near Tracy.  Patterson Pass Road has an infamous reputation as being a dangerous roadway due to the lengthy one-lane section and heavy rush-hour commute traffic. Patterson Pass is one of the earliest documented European paths of travel over the Diablo Range as it was explored during the 1775-1776 Spanish Expedition led by Juan Bautista de Anza.  The 1775-1776 Spanish expedition charted out much of San Francisco Bay which led to the founding of the Presidio of San Francisco and Mission San Francisco de Asis.  Patterson Pass Road between Cross Road east to Midway Road is part of the Juan Bautista de Anza

Highways in and around Old Sacramento; US 40, US 99W, CA 16, CA 24, CA 70, CA 99, CA 275, and more

This past weekend I was visiting the City of Sacramento for a wedding.  That being the case I decided to head out on a morning run through Old Sacramento, Jibboom Street Bridge, I Street Bridge, Tower Bridge, and path of US Route 40/US Route 99W towards the California State Capitol.  My goal was to retrace the paths of the various highways that once traversed the Old Sacramento area. This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page The old highway alignments of Sacramento The City of Sacramento lies at the confluence of the Sacramento River and American River in Sacramento Valley.  Sacramento Valley was discovered by Spanish Explorer Gabriel Moraga in 1808.  Moraga referred to the fertile Sacramento Valley akin to a "Blessed Sacrament."  By 1839 John Sutter Sr. settled in Mexican held