Help Corco plan Labor Day '09 Road Trip

[corco]

So, I' m planning on taking a trip Labor Day 09, and I need some route suggestions.

Here are the parameters:

The first day (Saturday), I will be taking US 20 across Nebraska and Iowa and spending the night in Dubuque.

Now, that leaves me with two days to get home. Here's what I want:

1. Avoid interstates and divided highways as much as possible (ideally I would never travel on an interstate, divided highways are impossible to avoid altogether)(also, once I get to Colorado or the Nebraska panhandle I'm fine with interstates because I can see that stuff anytime)
2. Stay within the states of Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Wyoming, Colorado, and Illinois (any, some, or all)
3. Switch routes as little as possible, allowing me clinch some stuff at least within a state
4. Roughly follow the Mississippi River from Dubuque south to wherever I head west
5. The westerly path must be mostly south of US 34
6. Maximum 800 miles on Sunday, 950 on Monday

Your hypothetical routes are appreciated 

[Bryant5493]

^^ Wow! Happy trails.


Be well,

Bryant

[SSOWorld]

Do you hate Interstates?

[corco]

Not at all, but for a trip like this I really want to see the scenic parts of Iowa/Missouri/Kansas/Nebraska, which you just don't see on the freeways. My objective for this trip is to see cool things, and if I'm just driving out there for the heck of it I'd rather avoid the freeways so I can actually pass through and see some small towns.

[SSOWorld]

oh.

I've found scenery in both - but yeah the small towns aren't there.  I've limited scenic travel to around the home base for now.  anyway....

try this one (though 14 hours is too long for me to drive on one day)
http://tinyurl.com/c7uhoh

[Voyager]

Really...?

[corco]

oh.

I've found scenery in both - but yeah the small towns aren't there.  I've limited scenic travel to around the home base for now.  anyway....

try this one (though 14 hours is too long for me to drive on one day)
http://tinyurl.com/c7uhoh

I do like that. I should mention that once I get to Colorado I'm fine with interstates because I can see all t hat anytime, and once you take that Estes Park hook out it's not so bad at all 

Really...?

What?

This is what I've come up with, http://tinyurl.com/dbw7hr, (following US 61 instead of the interstates where they are close togehter) but I do like what you do through Kansas and Nebraska better, and how yours avoids the cities altogether

[yanksfan6129]

^ If you go farther north in Kansas, then you can check out Mt. Sunflower-a state highpoint that isn't really a mountain.

[corco]

^ If you go farther north in Kansas, then you can check out Mt. Sunflower-a state highpoint that isn't really a mountain.

That's a good point. If I abandoned the route-clinching notion I could take Masterson's route to Minden, Nebr. and visit Pioneer Village (which I've always wanted to check out), then take US 281 south back to Lebanon, see the geographic center of the lower 48, and then head down to US 40 and head west all the way to Denver, stopping at Mt. Sunflower. That wouldn't be too hard to do and would be pretty fun

I do like the idea of taking Missouri 32 across Missouri though, because the squiggliness of the line indicates it's probably a pretty fun drive...if I could figure out how to work both in that would be ideal. Maybe I leave Friday, spend the night in central Nebraska on US 20, and then don't stop in Dubuque...but I did want to stop in Dubuque, so we'll see.

[Chris]

6. Maximum 800 miles on Sunday, 950 on Monday

Wow, that's a lot on one day considering you're not taking freeways. I can't imagine driving to Barcelona in one day not using freeways 

[Voyager]

Yeah no freeways? There's really not that much in Nebraska.

[corco]

Wow, that's a lot on one day considering you're not taking freeways. I can't imagine driving to Barcelona in one day not using freeways 

I'm super good at driving long distances. I pulled 1,500 miles by myself in one day once. The trick is nicotine. Throw a giant wad of chew in your mouth when you get tired and you won't ever fall asleep. Also, the speed limits on the 2-lanes in Kansas and Nebraska are mostly 65 (and on US-20 in Iowa), so it's not like avoiding the freeways costs that much extra time.

Yeah no freeways? There's really not that much in Nebraska.

Someone from California would say that. I would argue strongly that Nebraska/Iowa/Kansas/Missouri are some of the most beautiful and interesting states in the country, you just have to know where to look to find the beauty. It's more of an understated beauty though, not like Mt. Shasta. Frankly, when I'm done with school I want to move to somewhere in that four state region.

[Voyager]

Yeah, those are awesome.

[corco]

Considering you'd be, at best, averaging about 50 MPH on your goal of 2-lane roads (at least east of the Missouri River, and quite likely less if you stop to look at stuff), I think your 800/950 mile days are too ambitious.

That said, taking US 136 across northern Missouri on the return trip is an option for you.  You'd make better time along US 36, but it'll also take you the better part of an hour to get down to Hannibal from Keokuk....

Yeah, I'm sort of realizing that. I've decided, I think, that I'm planning on taking a route that looks something like http://tinyurl.com/d8o4mk , leaving midday Friday, spending the night in central Nebraska, and then swapping Dubuque for Hannibal. That's fine I guess, because I've been to Dubuque, but never Hannibal. That's a lot more manageable of a mileload-there will still be 12 hours of daylight at Labor Day, so I should be able to never have to drive in the dark except on the final day, which is fine because that's close to home.

[Chris]

At 30 miles per gallon, this route will cost you approximatly:  2558 miles / 30 mpg = 85 gallon * $2 per gallon = $ 170 in the US, but approximatly 2558 miles / 30 mpg = 85 gallon * $ 6.5 per gallon = $ 552,50 in Europe 

[corco]

I think I've finally figured out the trip- and it's something significantly different and will take an extra day. I'm going to go this route

http://tinyurl.com/laborday2009roadtrip

clinching US 54. I'll sleep in Ainsworth Nebr., Monmouth Ill., Wichita Kan., and Alamogordo N.M.

If anybody has any cool suggestions regarding the route (or things to see/places to eat on the way!), let me know

[Chris]

In five days? Quite a trip 

[Alps]

In five days? Quite a trip 

I plan to drive about 800 miles to Indy in one day... making it there in time for dinner...