Great pictures. Thanks for sharing.
Great pictures. Thanks for sharing.
Time to get this finished up. I made a couple last stops in South Dakota, neither planned, but both close to my route, so why not? I popped into Wall Drug, just so I could say I was there. Their signs clearly work, as the place was crawling with tourists. It's the only store I've ever been in where the greeting card section is directly adjacent to the black powder revolvers. I spent more time in the next place, the Pioneer Auto Museum. It's more like a compound than a museum - dozens of Quonset huts and barns stuffed with cars, trucks, tractors, and motorcycles, plus a whole church, a train station, and more. I only had an hour or so, but one could easily spend the better part of a day there if they wanted to check everything out carefully. It was not crowded (it was over 100F, and none of it is air conditioned), and the guy working the counter was proud to hit the Dixie horn on their prominently-displayed General Lee Charger.
I steered back east, staying off of the interstates as much as I could without losing too much time. Heading south out of South Dakota, I turned east in northern Nebraska and headed toward Iowa. That drive was probably the most empty stretch of country I drove through - few very small towns, few farms, few signs of human habitation. Just lots of pretty good, empty road, which made for a nice drive.
I crossed Iowa the next day, with no really objective except to catch some of the well-preserved remnants of the old Lincoln Highway. In spite of the relatively new signs along much of my route, there isn't much of the old road left that bears any resemblance to what it was. I did find an old cafe (once part of a larger complex with a motel and other buildings, all gone now; the cafe is empty and up for sale), and the last original bridge that can still be driven over.
Across the plains west of the Mississippi, I went through so many towns and small cities that just seem underpopulated. Full of nice old buildings, usually pretty well-kept, but short of people. Coming from the crowded east, it was both pleasant and slightly odd. Still, it made for some good photo opportunities - I'm a sucker for old signage and main streets.
My last stop in Iowa before crossing the Mississippi - my sign that I was heading back toward reality - was a total fluke, thanks entirely to Google Maps. I was checking my route options for the last leg of the day when I saw that I was close to the Field of Dreams filming location. I'm not a baseball fan (at least not since I was 10), but I enjoyed the movie, so I swung over to have a quick look. They've kept it pretty much as it was, aside from a few new buildings off to the side to accommodate the tourists and the MLB field off in the distance, and apparently you can rent the field - there was a beer league team out having a very unserious practice while I was there. It all seemed very much in keeping with the spirit of the film. I crossed the river that night and made my way home.
Overall, it was a great trip, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The Miata was perfect for me, did everything I asked of it, and never missed a beat. I'm already plotting what I can manage next summer, but for now I'm just happy to look back on the drive.
This old thread got a spammy revival but I'll admit, I'm not sure how I missed it the first time.
The unique motel highlighted early on page one just so happens to be near my house of the past 12 years. Out of the hotel, I'm the other side of the tracks less than a mile west and less than a mile south. As the crow flies that makes me about 1 mile from that very busy train track that generally runs from NY to Chicago. But, between me and the track is a very wooded, large County Park and a heavily wooded Country Club. I can only slightly hear the trains and only if the wind is blowing the right direction.
Welcome to the neighborhood. Sorry for the missed connection.
In reply to John Welsh :
Don't feel bad - I was moving fast at that point, so there wouldn't have been time to meet up. Got in late and left with the sunrise. Hopefully, I'll be doing a similar trip again soon (not soon enough - I'd leave tomorrow if I could), and I can plan in a little more time when I pass your way.
In reply to 02Pilot :
Great read, photos. Thanks for posting . Lincoln Highway spelled out as railing support on the surviving bridge, awesome
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