It’s Been So Long!

It feels good to be on the road again!

We are finally able to cross the border so we left the ex hostages behind to fend for themselves and headed west to reunite with our daughter after three years.

The crossing to Michigan was uneventful and the border guard showed very little interest in our documentation and proof of vaccination.

We zipped through Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska, leaving behind 1300 km of asphalt.  We stopped just past Omaha at a rest stop for a very good night sleep.

The highway where deer and truck tires go to die a violent death, offered speed and distance, but very little for the soul, so the next day we opted for some sightseeing. We headed south to see a couple of places that looked interesting.  Hey, we need to stay true to our back roads reputation.
Just off Highway 80 there is a large area of the Platte River that is one of the largest migration stops of the Sandhill Cranes, considered to be a top bird watching place.
In the spring about half a million of them stage in Nebraska, and in the fall they usually stay for the night on their way south.
We stopped at one of the viewing platform,
but there were no cranes to be seen
There were large chattering groups flying in formation high above us.  We will try and come back in the spring.  In the meantime, we had breakfast while watching the clouds change and kept on driving south.
We drove past grain operations that looked like sorghum
and corn
Flat prairie land
with no one in sight except for some abandoned structures
until we reached the centre of the earth
Well, the geographic centre of the United States that is, or more precisely the lower 48.
We walked around for a few minutes and examined the stickers on the sign, left by past travellers.
We liked this van sticker!
There is a small chapel on the grounds
but it doesn’t look like there is a lot of activity there.
The views stretch in each direction
and it certainly feels like the centre of the earth.
Or perhaps the middle of nowhere.  I guess it depends on your perspective.
We stopped by the roadside plaque to read about the gory story of the two brothers who were both shot by a single arrow, but survived.
and then stopped at the windswept Willa Cather Memorial Prairie
the fields just go on forever.
Somewhere along the way we crossed into Kansas.
We drove on into the setting sun
until we could see the mountains in the horizon.
Within a couple of hours, 2259 km after we left, we were in Denver hugging our daughter and finally we got to meet Penny!

59 thoughts on “It’s Been So Long!”

  2. johnrieber says:
    Reply

    Thanks for taking us along! People may not realize how flat the middle of the US is, and then you drive right into majestic mountains – it’s a country with a wide variety of landscapes and sightseeing opportunities!

  6. petespringerauthor says:
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    I remember two of these places on our travels from when I was a kid. If there were ever any opportunity to see wildlife (particularly birds), my dad was in. As kids we heard the words “I just want to check out this refuge,” too many times to count. I remember being in Nebraska to see the cranes, and I also recall visiting the geographic center of the Unites States.

  9. Johanne says:
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    Finally, welcome back to the US of A! We did something similar in reverse this past August in Toronto, meeting our granddaughter Antoinette in 3D for the first time! She turns the Big 2 tomorrow. Btw, the pyramids you saw in Nebraska and elsewhere are sugar beets. Harvesting these is hard work apparently. Lots of full time RVers who need the money work at these farms. Frances McDormand’s character in ‘Nomad’ did this in SD.
    Also, if you want to see sandhill cranes, stop by San Antonio in New Mexico (not Texas) at the Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. I understand they’re there til end of the year. It’s a fabulous spectacle! We’re in Truth or Consequences NM now, about 60 mi south of the Bosque.
    Enjoy your family in Denver! Be extra safe… Colorado is on Covid fire right now! /johanne @ RedbirdRV

    • backroadsandotherstories says:
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      Haha, thanks! Let me know if you are passing through Sarnia! I suspect that the cranes we saw up high were making their way to NM. We are very careful, but are also pleasantly surprised to see that most people were wearing masks in a store we went into. I hope NM is okay now.

  12. Rebecca says:
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    Wow, what a road trip! From your neck of the woods to as south-west as Colorado, you covered a LOT of distance! I like how you chose to drive over and see more on land than simply fly over. Hope you enjoy your time in the US!

  14. Jim Borden says:
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    what a wonderful way to end your trip!

    that would be something to see all of those birds at once.

    and I agree that the back roads are more interesting than the highways

    and what a great play on words – center of the earth (U.S.) vs middle of nowhere 🙂

  16. Julia says:
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    I always love to see the mountains rising from the plains when we’ve headed home to Colorado from the trips. Driving into Denver with the sunset behind the mountains is beautiful, as your pictures show. Penny is a very cute dog.

  20. kayak2016blog says:
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    Interesting, how your photos of central US flatness parallels those in my blog from yesterday! I, too, have visited the “middle of nowhere” – and there’s another one, that is the center of the US when you include Alaska and Hawaii. And maybe a third, that is the center of population in the US. Any excuse for an area to feel special? But definitely an excuse to get out of the vehicle and stretch the legs! How long do you expect to be on the road? (I’m out for a six week trip myself.)

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