Skip to main content

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

Image
By

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:
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grand Loop Road of Yellowstone National Park

By
  Grand Loop Road is a 140 mile loop highway which traverses the interior of Yellowstone National Park.  Grand Loop Road connects all of the major attractions and geological features of Yellowstone National Park along with the entrance roads.  Grand Loop Road is a seasonal highway and despite some conjecture never has been part of the US Route System.   Part 1; the history of Grand Loop Road The majority of history pertaining to Grand Loop Road was taken from the below National Park Service article: Historic Roads - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Yellowstone was declared the first National Park of the United States on March 1st, 1872.  The first real highway to access Yellowstone National Park came in 1873 when a tolled facility was constructed from Bozeman, Montana via Yankee Jim Canyon to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Numerous attempts were made to fund construction of roadway infrastructure during the early years of Yellows...
Post a Comment
Read more

The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

By
Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign.  These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare.  This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade.  We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others?  Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers.  The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California.  Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...
Post a Comment
Read more

California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway

By
From 2017 through to early 2019 I drove the majority of the California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway from CA 89 southwest to CA 99. CA 70 is an approximately 178.5 mile state highway which starts at US 395 near the Nevada State Line and travels west through the Feather River Canyon to CA 99.  CA 70 is often referred to as the Feather River Highway" given it's close association with the river.  Historically CA 70 was previously signed as US 40A and CA 24.  The Legislative Routes prior to the 1964 California Highway Renumbering that made up the current route of CA 70 are as follows: -  Legislative Route Number 21 from US 395 westward to Oroville. -  LRN 87 from Oroville south to Marysville. -  LRN 232 from Marysville to the current junction with CA 99.  CA 70 was even dual signed with CA 99 into Sacramento on what was LRN 232 for a time. The change from US 40A/LRN 21/LRN 87/LRN 232 can be seen by comparing the 1963 State Highway Ma...
Post a Comment
Read more