Driving from a family visit back to Seattle, and then home to San Francisco. We purposefully balanced interstate travel with as many days of exploration and as much "side road" travel as possible. While this trip was somewhat time constrained, we still tried to limit driving to no more than 6 hours per day. The last part of the route was influenced by our need to pick up a car in Seattle and drive it back to San Francisco (otherwise we would have spent more time in Yellowstone and then driven more directly back to SF).
Warrenville, IL
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Sweet spot to visit, near Chicago. We have family here.
Urbana, Illinois, United States
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Champaign-Urbana is a lovely area of IL. Again, we have family here so that was the draw for us. But this is a university town/area, and the food/music scene is fun whether or not you have relatives or folks to see.
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Been coming here for more than 40 years. Worth a stop if you like good breakfast burritos or biscuits and gravy. Cool local connection to the newspaper scene (hence the name). Walking distance to the Urbana food co-op where we bought groceries for our trip.
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Very complete museum about the area and the impact of the Prairie on the development of the US. This was the first place I have seen an exhibit focused on the Covid pandemic, and tying it to historical epidemics and health issues globally and in the US, and how the people of this region addressed all of it.
Orion, IL - Lana's hometown! Tiny and sweet, with a very nice post office
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If you like very small towns in the middle of corn country, this is a particularly nice one. Our draw was that it is the hometown of a dear friend, but the main street (with a post office of course) is a fun wander. Otherwise, move along, not much to see here.
Pleasant Valley High School, Mark's hometown high school!
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Another personal stop, just over one of the many bridges linking IL and Iowa.
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Nice hotel to visit Des Moines from. Excellent location for walking into downtown, exploring the river and bridges, etc.
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See my review. Excellent coffee, really nice people, very interesting neighborhood (Ingersoll Historic District). This was another recommendation from a traveller friend
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See my review. This is a WONDERFUL museum - well worth the stop. We spent 90 minutes, but you could spend 30 minutes or 3 hours. Beautiful grounds, nearby attraction of a Danish windmill. This is one of the largest Danish populations in the US.
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We wanted to visit Nebraska, and this was our best shot! Good local Mexican food in South Sioux City. The city itself looks quite depressed, and there is clearly a lot of poverty, but the food was excellent and the staff was really nice.
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See my review. Totally worth your time, and a great way to see Sioux Falls
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Good local beer, outdoor seating, nice vibe, decent food.
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Short stop to see the falls. They are impressive! This is a pretty park with a nice cafe (taht we did not go to). We spent 15 min, but it could have easily been more.
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The Aktá Lakota Museum & Cultural Center opened in 1991 on St. Joseph's Indian School campus. My parents used to donate to St Josephs, and I was interested to see how this museum would address the intersection of Indian culture and catholic culture. Turns out, they did a pretty good job of telling a complex story. There was one part of the exhibit about "Destroying Native Culture" (the years before 1956) and one part about "Supporting Native Culture" (the years since 1956). They told the story of the change in thinking and a growth in consciousness that has led to St Joseph's including a significant percentage of Native educators, native celebrations and history, and a partnership in supporting Native youth that does not strip them of their culture but instead celebrates it. I spoke at length with one young Native man at the Museum and was impressed by his experience. I am sure there are multiple perspectives on this facility and the history of St Joseph, but the Museum is worth a visit. Plan to spend at least an hour (we spent more than 2).
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See review. The hills in this park are amazing. Stay in the Cedar Pass Lodge if at all possible. The hikes range from short boardwalks (15 min) to full day cross park treks (10 hours). Mosquitos were brutal due to higher than average rain. Definitely plan a day here. Dusk is the best time IMHO.
Badlands Loop Road, Interior, United States
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This is the road through the interior. Drive it first thing in the AM or last thing before (or just at or after) sunset, for fewer people and more wildlife
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See review. Stay here if you can. Very posh for a cabin.
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Favorite park other than Glacier. Gorgeous hikes, bison roaming free, lots of options to drive or walk or hike depending on your interest or capability. As we found everywhere, the rangers are kind and knowledgeable and really love their corner of the world. Plan to spend at least 2 hours total in the park, but you could easily do a day.
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This is the drive through Custer. DON'T PET THE FLUFFY COWS! 1 hour
What a wonderful 24 days that was (Part 1 and Part 2 combined). We feel very lucky to have been able to take 3.5 weeks for the journey, and look forward to doing it again without the time constraint. We would spend more time in South Dakota for sure, as well as Wyoming.
