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

Crescent City Connection (New Orleans, LA)

By
The Crescent City Connection is a massive dual-span steel truss bridge that spans the lower Mississippi River at downtown New Orleans, about 95 river miles upstream from the mouth of the great river at the Head of Passes Light. If counted as a single bi-directional highway bridge, the parallel spans combine to form the single busiest bridge on the Mississippi River and its importance as a linchpin in the region’s transportation network cannot be overstated. While there have been various schemes over the years to construct bridges downriver from Algiers Point, this bridge has been the southernmost bridge on the Mississippi River since its initial construction in the 1950s. The years immediately following the end of World War II were a transformational period in the history of New Orleans. Already one of the great economic and cultural centers of the American Deep South, it was recognized at this time that major changes and improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure would b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old US Route 99 through Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch

By
This summer I had a look into the alignment history of US Route 99 through the Tulare County communities of Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch.  While this slab below might seem like much it is one of the few remaining reminders of how US Route 99 was during the 1920s in Tulare County. 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 Part 1; the history of US Route 99 in Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch Tipton and Tulare were both founded in 1872 as sidings of the Southern Pacific Railroad.  The Southern Pacific Railroad laid the groundwork for development of southern San Joaquin Valley.  Previous to the Southern Pacific Railroad travel via wagon or foot in Central California tended to avoid San Joaquin Valley in favor of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road.  The Stockton Los Ange...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 101 and California State Route 41 through Paso Robles

By
Paso Robles is a city located on the Salinas River of San Luis Obispo County, California.  As originally configured the surface alignments of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 converged in downtown Paso Robles.  US Route 101 originally was aligned through Paso Robles via Spring Street.  California State Route 41 entered the City of Paso Robles via Union Road and 13th Street where it intersected US Route 101 at Spring Street.  US Route 101 and California State Route 41 departed Paso Robles southbound via a multiplex which split near Templeton.   Pictured above is the cover of the September/October 1957 California Highways & Public Works which features construction of the Paso Robles Bypass.  Pictured below is the 1935 Division of Highways Map of San Luis Obispo County which depicts US Route 101 and California State Route 41 intersecting in downtown Paso Robles.   Part 1; the history of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 i...
Post a Comment
Read more