The Vast Midwest

A relaxing and hot bike ride along the Cedar River
before starting another long day on the road

Political commentators sometimes refer to the Midwest as ‘flyover country,’ a vast prairie between major US cities on each coast.  We felt that way on our 2016 road trip with our Airstream going from Oregon to MA and back, viewing it as ‘something to get through.’ 

Somewhere in western NB

This time we feel differently.  Yes, we still have to get through it, but we are approaching it with a different attitude and a different route.  The Interstate highways of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and some of Indiana drove us crazy and dinged us with tolls every few miles.  So we opted for the two-lane back roads, which were often predecessors of the Interstates. 

Indiana, near IL border

The Westcott Home in Springfield OH, part
of our inadvertent  Frank Lloyd Wright Tour

This opened up opportunities for detours and stops that were never part of our itinerary.  One was a walk through 'Millionaires Row' and another Frank Lloyd Wright home (the Westcott home) in Springfield, OH, followed by a lunch stop at a western revolutionary war battlefield and a historical site for Tecumseh, the great Indian leader.

And following a night at a delightful Indiana campground far from the freeway, we landed in another Springfield, the Illinois state capitol and the home of Lincoln.  

Lincoln's Home, complete with many original
furnishings.  It was an eerie to touch the same
handrail he did as we ascended the stairs. 

It was never on our itinerary, but we are so grateful we saw Lincoln’s home, museum/library, offices, and more.  Up until now, we knew about slavery in an abstract sense, the kind taught to us in elementary school.  The museum made it real for us.  

Outside the Lincoln Museum
and library

As a bonus the next morning, we visited yet another Frank Lloyd Wright home, (the Dana Home) circa 1904.  It was one of Wright’s first major commissions. His benefactor had no budget constraints, and the home was huge, complete with a bowling alley and barrel ceilings in two rooms.

The Dana Home

From there, we proceeded on leisurely back roads to La Porte City, IA to visit Kathy’s college friend and one who was indirectly responsible for Kathy and me meeting 44 years ago.

The last two days have been the most relaxing drives of our five+ weeks so far, following Highway 20 through the Midwest.  (Highway 20 goes from Boston MA to Newport, OR.) Although the extreme heat, humidity, and mosquitoes are oppressive, we are fascinated by how the countryside changes (and grateful for an air conditioned vehicle).  It’s a very subtle transition from the hills and forests of the Allegheny Mountains; to the cornfields of Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa; to the rolling prairie wheat fields of western Nebraska; to the rocky buttes and grasslands of Wyoming.  But it happens.  And now that we’re in Wyoming, we feel almost back home--in the West--our comfort zone.

Wetlands in northern IA

It’s also fascinating to us how we can drive for miles and miles through vast nothingness, then come upon small towns with museums, public swimming pools, skate parks, and free camping (often with hookups) in their city parks or fairgrounds.  This free camping seems to be part of the Midwest hospitality ethos, and compared to the East, everyone is so nice.

No more cornfields as we approach WY

Every tiny town seems to have an historical museum and library.  Indeed, we’ve passed more museums in the past three days than McDonald’s, and certainly no Starbucks.

We often wonder, ‘Why do people live here?’  It’s certainly not where we would live, with its heat, humidity, brutal winters, flatness, and mosquitoes, lack of mountains and oceans, and big city amenities. But then, we didn’t grow up here and haven’t the connections to the land or its people.

Our free campground in the Douglas, WY city park on
the banks of the North Platte River

"WHAT WE CAN, WHILE WE CAN!"