It was time to leave Denver and start the long drive home. We had mixed feelings about leaving the daughter-that-got-away behind, but we plan to be back. Denver certainly felt like a second home.
Speaking of homes, below is a glimpse into a new and improved kitchen that Tony left behind. This is just a small preview of all the work that he did around the house. Needless to say that our daughter was delighted with our visit.
As we were leaving town two dramas unfolded in our wake; a horrible mass shooting and a devastating fire. Some of the realities of living in Colorado where the grass is dry and the guns come by easy. We drove on.
Before goodbyes and hugs with daughter and Penny we drove to a Covid testing site. We needed to show at the border proof of negative test results taken within 72 hours. We waited at the drive-through line for about an hour and a half, got our nostrils swabbed with a promise of emailed results within 1-3 days, went back to pack up, and headed east.
Because of this 72 hour window, we needed to take our time driving back. We didn’t want to get to Port Huron and sit around and wait. This was a perfect opportunity to take a look at a few places that we would miss when zooming along on the highway.
We left in the afternoon and drove for about five hours to the Archway Monument near Kearney, Nebraska. The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument spans over Interstate 80 and tells the story of the Platte River Valley and the settling of the West.
The Campendium app informed us that we could park in the large parking lot overnight, but even better, we found a small gravel patch near the water and away from the large transport trucks.
The museum looks interesting and was open the next morning, but given the new variant, we chose to skip this indoor activity.
The trails in the area look nice and we had every intention to go for a hike in the morning, but the weather turned colder. We decided to stay inside and have another cup of coffee instead. Next time we pass through we’ll try and stop here again.
We drove for about four hours and stopped for lunch in Avoca, Nebraska. We parked by the Volkswagen Beetle Spider and admired the metal work.
Even the flag was made of metal. Cool.
Three more hours along I-80 and a small detour brought us to Riverside Iowa. The small town’s claim to fame is Captain Kirk’s future birth location.
Yup.
Tucked behind the municipal building is a plaque that resembles a gravestone that commemorates this event.
And the town capitalizes on this futuristic historic fact.
This is the side of the post office
And yes, it looks like they sell stamps of this historic event.
Riverside’s History Centre seems to dedicate itself to this historic event in the town’s far future as well (March 22, 2228). Now that’s planning ahead!
Even the barn quilt is altered accordingly.
It was already closed for the evening when we got there, so we just admired the signs around the small museum.
The USS Riverside.
Hey, it looks like there’s an annual Trekfest. I think the hostages will like this.
We pushed on for another three hours and stopped at a rest stop just before Minooka, Illinois.
One more day to go and no word about our test results yet. Will they send them on time for us to cross the border? What happens if we don’t get the results in time?
We’ll tell you all about that next time, so stay tuned.
It’s always tough to say goodbye when you’re having a good time. Great job on the home improvements, the kitchen looks great! I hope you got your test results back on time. We took a 10 day road trip down the US at the end of November and some issues our test results. We had to stay an extra day and get swabbed again (and pay for a rapid PCR test) due to a delay with our first test results. Go to Walgreens they said… Hope you had better luck than we did.
Thank you! Tony did a great job on the kitchen but I forgot to take before and after photos except for this one. Again, you can relate to our experience! This time is was waiting for the test results…
We had difficulty leaving our loved ones behind too, when we had our one out-of-state trip last year.
We saw the Archway Monument near Kearney, about 15(?) years ago. It’s an interesting site, it would be fun to go back and see how it’s changed over the years.
I have not heard of Riverside, Iowa’s claim to fame. At least they’ve had a long time to plan their tribute since the Captain won’t be born for a few more years. Sounds like a fun roadside attraction.
They certainly have all the time in the world to prepare for the event! i hope we’ll get a chance to stop the Archway again as it does look like an interesting museum.
Tough to say goodbye during these difficult times. Hopefully things will get easier this year. Funny how every little corner of N.A. lays claim to anything to draw in tourists. In Alberta, its the town of Vulcan. Stay well and travel safely. Allan
It sure is hard. Funny coincidence as my daughter and I visited Vulcan when she was a teenagers. It was a fun trip!
Somehow I’ve missed the VW spider in my many times through there. Something for another day… and that looks like a pleasant boondocking site.
I hear that there are other beetle spiders, so keep your eyes peeled for them! That was a very pleasant boondocking spot in a place that I wouldn’t have thought would allow overnight parking. You just never know.
So glad you had such a great visit with your daughter-that -got-away. She will definitely be inviting you back soon!😉 That little town sure knows how to plan ahead. Sounds like fun. And that spider is neat! Penny will also miss you a lot 😞. Can’t wait to hear how your trip continues.
I think she wanted us to stay…there was a lot more work to do 🙂 We miss them both already, but planning the next trip!
What fun diversions. Loved the beetle spider and the town of Riverside. Glad to hear that the tragic events in Denver didn’t affect you or your family. I was thinking of you when I heard about them. Sad for others though.
Very sad and scary for a lot of people. Nature keeps pushing the line.
I hope your loved ones in Colorado are safe from the fire. I’m already excited to hear about your border story. Those things can be pretty fun. I was actually laughing about Kevin Johnston and his attempt to cross the border yesterday. I read so many funny comments about it!
Thank you, they are all safe! I’ve seen the Kevin Johnston story and I can assure you that our experience at the border was very different than his!
Nice!
How nice to know that you get to take your time traveling back home. gives you a legitimate excuse to stop and explore.
nice work in the kitchen, by the way!
I will pass that on to Tony! I am always looking for excuses to stop and explore along the way!
I don’t need much of an excuse to stop and explore either. But doing that cabinet work like Tony – forget about it!
Love all of the classic “roadside attractions!” Terrific post as always!
Thanks, John! We also thought that they were cool 🙂
Always good to have an excuse to stop for a slow look. We miss too many of the small details when we rush I really love the Volkswagen beetle
I don’t know what I did to become ANONYMOUS because it was always me.
Exactly how I feel and sometimes it’s okay to remain anonymous, but I don’t know why this is happening. Is it maybe when you are not signed in to your account?
What a long, but interesting road trip! The Volkswagen Beetle Spider reminds me of the “Maman” spider statue in Bilbao, Spain– they might be cousins! Glad you had a fun time in the US visiting family, and here’s for a safe drive home!
I heard that they have more cousins around the continent; it will be fun to go looking for them all!
What a great improvement to the kitchen! I hope you are staying warm in the cold weather. I loved your pictures! I wonder how they picked the birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk?
Thank you! It looks like the town kind of claimed themselves as the future birthplace 🙂 Here is the link to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverside,_Iowa
Interesting!
I can understand how you felt after leaving loved ones behind. My San Fran kids visited me for the holiday and when they left, I felt a hole in my heart. I kept busy doing laundry which helped. All the best, Muriel
It gets harder and harder every time we say goodbye. I can’t even distract myself with laundry since our washer/dryer will be delivered January 20th. I can try hand washing….