In mid-July 2021, I drove with my YoungDem friend Syreeta Moore, from San Francisco to Nappanee, Indiana. In front of my current house in Nappanee, next door to where I lived as a child from ages 5 to 11, runs US6. I spent many days sitting on the kerb, counting and recording the number of cars from exotic places like OHIO, who went past. So it was quite natural that I'd want to explore it as far as I could, now that I am a kid of 75. Here are some statistics and facts to begin with:
U.S.
Route 6 is the longest highway ever created,
stretching 3,652 miles from Massachusetts to California.
The Grand Army of the Republic (Memorial) Highway is the present
official name, however, during the late 20s and early 30s it was also known as
the Roosevelt Highway, after President Theodore Roosevelt. Prior to 1926 it was
called (in-part) the Midland Trail Roadway.
The Historic Highway began as an entity in
November of 1926 when the American Association of State Highway Officials
(AASHO) adopted the U.S. numbering system for marking the Nation's main
Interstate highways.
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DAY
ONE: From Lake Tahoe, California, to
Elko, Nevada
FULL
DISCLOSURE: This wasn’t “actually” Day
One, since Syreeta and I had traveled from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe a few days
before, to enjoy that beautiful place and pack and re-pack for the big trip
onward. Because of this, we jammed
across northern Nevada on i80 in order to pick up US 6 in Spanish Fork, Utah,
on Day Two.
Between Fernley and Reno, there is a scenic view pull off, where
one sees a classic view of high desert. Of course the Truckee River is running
through there, as it has been doing all the way from Lake Tahoe.
First stop on the road trip, famous Wigwam restaurant in
Fernley, NV. Filled with photos of Native American activities in the
area, and some nice artifacts as well.
The train depot at Lovelock, NV is closed on Sundays, so no
visit there this year (see the Lincoln Highway Road Trip blog for these
photos). But the pavilion with all the
locks is still there!
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| Syreeta can't believe all the love-locks! |
Quick stop at Thunder Mountain In Imlay NV. What a place! Off exit 145 on i80
East, follow the frontage road. It’s a pleasant 99 degrees in Imlay
today (July 18), but NO humidity. (more photos and explanation on Lincoln Highway blog).
So, Winnemucca Nevada is famous for its brothel district. How do I
know? Because it came up right away in a Google search. So Syreeta and I
decided that we would do just a little exploration. So we turned onto Baud
Street, which I feel is appropriately named (get it? Bawd street?), and there
was nothing there but an empty lot. We discussed the fact that Covid was
probably not good for the brothel business.
Winnemucca State Bank and Trust, opened in 1913. Today it is part of a furniture store! The city of Winnemucca is mentioned in the American version of the song “I’ve Been Everywhere”, recorded by Johnny Cash, among others. “I was totin’ my pack along the dusty Winnemucca Road.”
A favorite watering hole in Winnemucca, which name is based
on the story that goes like this: “On September 19 1900, the story goes, Butch
Cassidy rode into Winnemucca and robbed the local bank” https://nevadagram.com/butch-cassidy-and-the-great-winnemucca-bank-robbery/
There is so much sun and non-arable land in Northern Nevada
that it sure makes sense to harvest the solar crop. We pulled off i80
near Battle Mountain to get a closer look at the miles and miles of solar
panels.
A few miles before we got to Elko NV, we exited to go to the
California Trail Interpretive Center, but it is “Covid closed” right now
because of the high infection rate in Elko County. But we were fortunate
to see the HASTINGS CUTOFF road marker. Using this route in 1840 cost the
Donner Party dearly…
Overnight in Elko, Nevada .
Drove about 340 miles on Day One.
DAY TWO: Elko, Nevada to Provo, Utah
No visit to Elko NV is complete without visiting the Western
Folklife Museum! Relaxing for a minute
in the Pioneer Saloon, part of the Western Folklife Center in Elko NV.
This is where the Cowboy Poetry festival is held late January each year.
Here’s a look at the fireplace alcove at the Western Folklife
Museum’s pioneer saloon. Note the piano!
On our way to West Wendover, the last stop in Nevada, there
was an absolutely beautiful stretch of highway.
A few miles out of Wendover as you enter a bit more into Utah, there’s a rest stop you must not miss… At the Bonneville Salt Flats. This is a huge land feature. The video that shows its extent is the QR code below, which will take you to a Facebook post...
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| use the camera on your smartphone or ipad, and hover over the QR code |
On the way to Salt Lake City, there is a huge Morton salt
plant. First you see, looming near the
i80 freeway, a huge white mountain – – and it is comprised entirely of sea
salt. The salt is harvested in evaporation ponds, and then refined by Morton
Salt among other companies. It is not culinary grade, but it’s used for road
salt, and other industrial purposes.
Just a little detour off i80 on the way to Provo Utah… A last
minute decision and turn…down a bumpy half-gravel road, to great Salt Lake
State Park. What a marvelous place! Enjoy the video (see the QR code which will take you to a Facebook posted video), and get a sense of this
lake, which is roughly the size of Lake Michigan. Next to the Dead Sea, this lake has the second highest saline continent in the
world.
Today, July 19, 2021, global warming is clearly illustrated here…
warning signs at the Great Salt Lake State Park marina…
There are many contrasts between driving in this part of
Utah, then and now…
It’s interesting to drive in Western Utah … someone in the
transportation department has a nice sense of humor!
Overnight in Provo, Utah.
Drove 280 miles on Day Two.
DAY THREE: Provo, Utah to Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Exploring the Brigham Young University campus in Provo, Utah.
First stop is their small but well curated Museum of Paleontology. Here we
could see the field kit that the scientists use, plus we could peek into the
lab where the specimens are prepared for exhibit. My favorite, as you can see,
is the giant ground sloth… pretty boy, methinks!
The museum of Art At Brigham Young University had some very
interesting exhibits when I visited. I was attracted to these three paintings,
one by Dixon, one by Muniz (“Toy Soldier”) and “Sugar Children” by Muniz. The
curators’ remarks are below the images.
Also at the BYU Museum of art, an exhibit about the
background of coal and other early industries in Utah, such as farming.
Finally, we get on US6, the Grand Army of the Republic
Highway!
A stop at Soldier Summit in Utah. The state has done a
great job with this historical sign posting!
On the road again, US 6
between Price and Green River, Utah= a sudden landscape change
Coal was certainly king in Colorado for many years, but here
we see some other energy sources are coming along.
A really beautiful Mesa just east of Grand Junction CO.
We have seen some incredible views today!
Who can resist staying in an iconic hotel at a famous hot
springs resort? The Hotel Colorado,
an 1893 Italianate structure in Glenwood Springs and one of the oldest
hotels in Colorado. is famous for many things:
FAMOUS VISITORS: Actor Tom Mix, his wife and several
production crew members stayed at the Hotel Colorado during the filming
of The Great K&A Train Robbery in summer 1926.
FDR and Teddy Roosevelt were both guests here and probably sat in the same lobby where Syreeta Moore and I enjoyed breakfast.
GHOSTS: Several ghosts are believed to reside there, notably a young girl in Victorian clothing seen playing with a ball, a female that peers over sleeping male guests, and a male presence on the fifth floor. The two suites in the bell towers are frequently reported to be haunted. The elevator moving on its own without passengers, strange smells and sounds have also been reported by guests and staff. In September 2006, CCPI Paranormal Investigations visited the hotel and recorded two areas of higher electromagnetic energy, one in the corridor in front of room 325 and the other outside room 551. The screams of a woman are often heard throughout the hotel, believed to be of a chamber maid who was involved in a love triangle, and was murdered by one of her lovers. The room in which the woman was believed to have been murdered was a guestroom, it has now been turned into a storage room, due to the history of paranormal happenings occurring there…
Food porn from the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs, dining outdoors
of course, because it is so very hot!
Oops, did not expect this!
Overnight in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
Drove 325 miles on Day Three
DAY FOUR
Little did we know that the flash flood warning
would affect our trip! Parts of i70 were closed this Wednesday morning because
of mudslides. But every cloud has a silver lining ... we get to wind around
mountain roads near the Snowmass ski resort and see more incredible scenery!
What a day! After the flash flood warnings last
night in Glenwood Springs, we had no idea that this would result in mud slides
on i70. The downside of the two hour long detour was to see some beautiful
mountain scenery, a hapless RV Driver who did not understand the ramifications
of a one lane mountain road, some switchbacks that challenged every driver, the
Continental Divide occurring at 14,500 feet at Independence Pass, some
beautiful alpine lakes and rivers, and some interesting small towns in the
White Mountains.
Overnight in Sterling, Colorado at the end of Day Four. Drove about 350 miles, maybe more, because of the detour when i70 was
washed out…
DAY FIVE: Leave Colorado and on to Nebraska
The OVERLAND TRAIL MUSEUM in Sterling CO is the main reason
to stop in this town. What a jewel of a museum! It’s not often you can go
somewhere where you see one of your favorite childhood toys… The game of
cootie.
At this museum, I particularly enjoyed the Dailey cash store.
The plaque gives a historical background, the video gives you a look around,
and then there’s a close-up of the hole in the floor where the rope came up —
an ingenious storage solution.
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| If you look at this QR code on your phone, you can take a tour of the store! More interesting things at the Overland Trail museum: transportation, then and not so long ago…     The Overland Trail museum has interactive exhibits on the
various phases of Nebraska weather, all of which are relatively unappealing.
However, I was intrigued by the interactive button where a house is blown up by
a tornado. Shades of my childhood in Nappanee Indiana!   The Overland Trail museum also has a barbershop in a separate
building. So, if you want to get a shave on a Sunday, it will cost you an extra
ten cents. Plan your week carefully!  Ah, Nebraska... Miles and miles of farmland, punctuated by
those great cathedrals of the prairies, grain elevators near railroad tracks.    Imperial, Nebraska.
Lunch at the Sweden Crème restaurant. I opted for the chicken sandwich, because
rocky mountain oysters really don’t sound that appealing in the middle of the
afternoon. Or any time.   McCook NEBRASKA….The famous
Sehnert’s bakery, and then on down the road a bit, a Runza sandwich place.
RUNZA definition from Google: A runza
(the dish) falls somewhere between a hot pocket and burger when it comes to the
culinary spectrum; it's ground beef, onions, and cabbage all wrapped in
yeast dough that's then baked. What you get is a savory pastry that's
ideal for a Cornhuskers tailgate or any other meal on the go.   |
Always nice to know that you’re on a road that’s been
appreciated by many, many people. This trip on US6, the Grand Army of the
Republic highway, is proving to be really interesting as it takes us through
small-town America. With many speed traps. I suppose ponies and oxen were not
subject to speed limits.
Overnight in Hastings, Nebraska. GREAT HOTEL: "My Place Hotel" at 200 E 31st St.
Drove 275 miles on Day Five.
DAY SIX
A substantial amount of the basement floor of the Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural history in Hastings Nebraska is devoted to the inventor of Kool-Ade (later called Kool-Aid), Edwin Perkins. Perkins started as a “medicine man” salesman and developed the “ fruit smack” as a precursor to Kool-Ade. By 1929 Kool-Ade was distributed nationally, and the brand grew from there, most notably after Edwin and his family left Nebraska and moved to Chicago in 1931.
HASTINGS MUSEUM has a sod house
as part of their exhibits about life for new settlers on the plains. Lack of
trees was an issue, so sod was cut from the ground to be used for house
construction. An important point about the roof is that cheesecloth was
sometimes tacked to the rafters inside the house to keep debris and pests such
as mice and snakes from dropping on the occupants. (That could disrupt a meal…)
The Nebraska State Capitol In Lincoln NE was
originally referred to as the “tower on the plains”, designed by architect
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue and finished in 1932 after 10 years. The floor mosaic
in the vestibule represents Cosmic Energy in accordance with the theme of
Nature’s Gifts to Man on the Plains. Beautifully crafted doors depict
agricultural riches. The legislative chamber seats 49 state senators….Nebraska
has a unicameral system.
Onward from Lincoln,
Nebraska, we find ourselves on the part of US6 which is the original highway
between Detroit and Denver, via Lincoln. Then, what a thrill! We get on the
Cornhuskers Highway!
Shoemakers Truck Stop at the
outskirts of Lincoln NE has a mural covering all four upper walls of its store
—the complete coast-to-coast trip! Enjoy the video. In the meantime, we enjoyed
home cooking Midwestern style (lots of gravy, fried foods, root beer floats) in
its dining area, which is bedazzled with relics of motoring in bygone days.
Overnight in Omaha,
Nebraska. Drove 160 miles on Day Six
DAY SEVEN & much of DAY EIGHT: Omaha
Omaha’s Old Market district
is lots of fun, filled with eateries and lots of funky shops. Comments from a
21-year-old: “Great for retail therapy!”
Omaha’s Joslyn Museum of Art features some lovely aspects both inside and outside.
The Joslyn Museum of Art has
the usual pieces that survey various periods, but I was drawn to the art works
with commentary by today’s citizens of color and Native American background.
Use your phone with the QR code to hear the lively speech in the chief’s
original language…
WHAT AN INCREDIBLE MUSEUM! A
must see! The former Union Station, now the Durham Museum of Omaha. Rescued
by citizens after the last train in 1971. The great hall features the original
soda fountain and still serves food and real ice cream desserts, and lifelike
sculptures of travelers of the past by Omaha artist John Lajba provide a way to
contemplate railroad travel of yore.
DAY EIGHT: Omaha into Iowa
So we leave Omaha NE and cross the bridge into Iowa, traveling as so many others before us have done, over the MISSOURI RIVER, also known as Pekitanoui, Big Muddy, Mighty Mo, Wide Missouri, KÃcpaarukstiʾ, and MniÅ¡oÅ¡e…
IOWA crops, yesterday-today-tomorrow. Harvesting the wind
makes so much more sense than oil pipelines and coal mines.
Adair, Iowa was the site of
the first moving train robbery in the West, carried out by Jesse James in 1873.
It must have been well planned, because this was one heck of an off the beaten
path site for us to find!
Outside of Menlo, Iowa,
local muralist Bubba Sorrenson uses the ashes of fallen vets mixed with paint
to create commemorative scenes. He repaints the boulders every Memorial Day and
has done for more than 20 years.
The Menlo Cafe at 502
Sherman St, Menlo, Iowa, offers a great Sunday meal for $12.99 with a choice of
dessert— Syreeta chose the “Better than Sex Cake”, a homemade special in this
family run business. My best eavesdropping skills were put to use, as I learned
from a distant diner with a booming voice just how easy it is to keep mice out
of my barn.
Outside Menlo, Iowa, the
White Rose serving station attendant stood ready to serve you… In a prior time.
He is still there, only now as an effigy in sign form…
Fallen glory in Stuart,
Iowa. The first national bank of Stewart was the victim of a Bonnie and Clyde
robbery in 1934. Now this lovely building hosts a beauty shop, although an
interim tenant was the police station.
In 1995 the Byzantine
Catholic Church in Stuart IA was destroyed as a hate crime, and was rebuilt by
the town as the Saints Center for Culture and the Arts and Museum of Tolerance.
Although the main Museum was not open today, we visited the basement area,
where a baby shower was under preparation; the facility provides public spaces
for rental by the citizens.
We left Stuart and its
promise of a strictly modern hotel, and ambled along the White Pole route until
we came to historic US6.
In Dexter, Iowa, a few short
miles down the road at 426 State St. is the world famous Drew’s Chocolates.
This family run business has persisted for 92 years, and shipped its handmade
confections all over the world, including to soldiers in many wars. It still
ships… and they are delicious sweets! Google them and order now!
The Jasper County Historical Museum in Newton, Iowa, features a special section on the history of the washing machine, in particular the Maytag brand. I hope you enjoy the video, and also the picture of the wringer washing machine similar to the one that my mother used in the 1950s. To my knowledge, she didn’t have all of those fancy attachments that you can see in another photo here.
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| use the camera on your smart phone to go on a washing machine tour! |
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| this is a lot like the one my Mom used... when I was 5 or 6 years old. |
Also from the Jasper County
historical museum, a long stretch of dinosaur tracks. If your name is Maytag,
you can probably afford to give this as a present to a family member. This is
not likely to be allowed now…
WOULD YOU SLEEP OVERNIGHT IN A JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL? I rarely rave about a hotel that I've stayed at on a road trip because, well, there is usually not much to rave about. But the Hotel Grinnell in Grinnell, Iowa, is an exception. It is so spectacular that I'm seriously thinking that it is worth flying back to the region to stay a few more nights. It's in a college town, and well-priced to boot. Here is more info (from their own description...).
" Notwithstanding the Steely Dan classic, Hotel Grinnell is a school you want to
come back to. Our imposing, granite building was erected in 1921 to nourish the
young minds of Grinnell, Iowa, as the city’s junior high until closing in the
late 70’s. Nearly 40 years later, it has been meticulously updated and designed
as a modern, eco-conscious boutique hotel, eatery and event destination. What
stands today is a study in contrasts. Old meets new. Classic style meets
contemporary comfort. Playful character meets a serious dedication to
hospitality and service. The hotel is upscale in style but laid back in spirit,
with details large and small offering a nod to our academic history. Little
things like chalkboards in all rooms and “Not Now” school ties to dangle from
your door when you want to crash after a big night or cram for your big
meeting. And big ideas like our Periodic Table lounge and a gymnasium-style
ballroom complete with hardwood floors and the original basketball court
markings. And because we think art is an essential part of a well-rounded
curriculum, you’ll find over 300 pieces of original artwork throughout the
hotel. Not one is duplicated; after all, that would be cheating! The industrial
glass used in the showers honors Grinnell’s industrial heritage, and locally
produced steel was used for the bed frames. All of the contractors who
renovated the building were from the area, and every tile was set by Angela’s
husband. The school’s original maple floors were restored and refinished, yet
they still show signs of students’ foot traffic and scratches from moving
desks. Located in the old gymnasium, the ballroom kept the hardwood floor
complete with the original basketball court markings. Clever allusions to the
hotel’s old-school heritage include chalkboards in all rooms, “do not
disturb" signs resembling men’s neckties, room key card sleeves that
resemble hall passes and the wooden red apples given to each guest at check in.
A lounge and patio named The Periodic Table (PICTURED BELOW) serves up
cocktails like the “Kinetic Energy” and “Spontaneous Combustion.” It's also
where breakfast is served. The food is yummy!
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| Such yummy food! |
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| Wonderful comfortable bedrooms |
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| The Periodic Table |
Overnight in Grinnell, Iowa. 187 Miles driven today, which was Day Eight.
DAY NINE : Iowa to Illinois
Brooklyn, Iowa, known as the
COMMUNITY OF FLAGS. features this display at the side of the main entry into
town. Then, around the corner is this marvelous mural of US6 through Iowa!
Scenic byways indeed!
Ambling through Iowa, we discover all kinds of important things, like the
boyhood home of actor John Wayne In Brooklyn— not the Brooklyn in New York, but
Brooklyn Iowa.
South Amana, Iowa. A man named Henry Moore spent years making miniatures of homes, farms and barns of the Amana colonies. It’s an interesting and very rustic museum. Things I observed: there were loads of dead crickets on the floor, which led me to contemplate future food sources (I understand that roasted crickets are both crunchy and nutritious); the dour 2nd amendment advocate who is at the entry desk of the museum…remind me that sometimes it’s not wise to engage in conversation with folks like this; and last but not least, model cows who were laying on their sides in the exhibit led me to believe that they died of heat stroke. It is really hot here. Why the settlers of the Amana colonies chose this place, I’m not quite sure…
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| some of these cows died of heat stroke, I'm sure! |
Iowa City is lovely, with a
pedestrian mall in its middle and lots of evidence of creativity everywhere you
look.
Iowa City was recently
recognized as a UNESCO City of Literature, and it is well known for its Iowa
Writer’s Workshop which continues to hone the skills of great writers, In the
area near the very good Prairie Lights bookstore, there are lots of bronze
plaques in the sidewalk that are tributes to literary greats with ties to Iowa.
Surely you’ve heard of Kurt Vonnegut? At the bookstore you can purchase a $3
guide to all the sidewalk plaques which has short biographies of the writers.
Thirty miles east of Iowa
City on US6 is the town of Wilton, home of Wilton Candy Kitchen, a national
historic site which was founded in 1860 and is said to be the oldest
continuously operated ice cream parlor in the world. I had a vanilla strawberry
phosphate and chicken salad sandwich. And, Um, butter pecan ice cream…
Time was getting tight near
the end of our drive on July 26, so we did not stop in Walcott adjacent to i80,
where the world's largest truck stop is located. The off-ramp was filled with
trucks! It's like a small city, with every possible convenience needed by these
terrific drivers who keep our nation's goods moving...
Overnight in Moline,
IL. 133 Miles driven today, which was
Day Nine.
Coolest souvenir of the trip….
Entry pass to Mississippi River visitor center of the Rock Island Arsenal, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers.
ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Moline,
Illinois. My dad was field-commissioned as a tank battalion commander in World
War II. I think he must have been in a Sherman tank. It’s huge — you can tell
by Pippi’s size in comparison. Interesting display of armaments!
Rock Island Arsenal is a great place to view the workings of the largest roller dam in the world, and the largest project on the Upper Mississippi River. It was completed in 1933, and the Park Ranger’s talk is extremely interesting! Enjoy the video!
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| Use the camera on your smart phone or ipad to view the video |
Geneseo IL, a town founded
by Abolitionists, has a great historical museum in a double-Victorian house
with one of the best docents we’ve encountered on this trip. The museum is
chocked full of items from the 1850’s onward, but of particular interest is the
basement which was a station on the UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, a route taken by
fugitive slaves on their way to safety in Canada. The slave hidey-hole was discovered
there in 1999, along with handcuffs, shackles, a nursery rhyme book and a vial
of arsenic…
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| the hidey-hole on the Underground Railroad |
We love these small towns on
US6, and occasionally find something that’s a bit amusing…
LAST STOP ON THE ROAD TRIP…
LaSalle, Illinois, where we took a ride on a canal boat pulled a mile down the
I&M canal to the Little Vermillion aqueduct. Moe the mule is a kid
favorite. The canal, built in 1848, was part of a vital link between the Great
Lakes and the Mississippi River. In this era, LaSalle was bigger and more
important than Chicago.
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| Go on the canal boat with us... your iphone or ipad hovering over this QR code will take you there. |
FINAL DESTINATION IS
NAPPANEE, INDIANA – We drove 265 miles
today.
10 days on the road to get
to the place where I will now put in 10 hard weeks of work for the local
Democratic Party in this red red part of the rural Midwest. 2368 miles, from Lake Tahoe CA to Nappanee, IN.
A brief drive to deliver signs for redistricting reform lets me know that I am
in rural northern Indiana once again…   |
