Yes, I'm back east from a trip out west! My husband and I drove from our home in Brooklyn, New York to the Denver, Colorado area, and back, in the past two weeks. Approximately 3,700 miles round trip! The sign above by the roadside welcomes us home with the words: "Welcome to Brooklyn -- How Sweet It Is!" Check out this link to see more imaginative signs our borough president had installed around Brooklyn, NY.
We traveled along Interstate 80 both west and east, armed with our car's GPS and a AAA "triptik" and tour books to guide us.
We were welcomed by many states along the way!
Our trip began as we waved "goodbye" to New York City as we drove through New Jersey. We looked forward to seeing beautiful and interesting sights along the way, and we were excited to ultimately see our children and grandchildren who live in Colorado.
The road did not disappoint us! Above are the beautiful verdant green, tree-filled Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania.
A farm in Ohio...
...and Illinois...
...corn fields in Indiana...
...wind turbines in Iowa...
....and cattle and corn fields in Nebraska.
We sadly saw much of the effects of the heartland's summer drought along the way....fields, and fields of burned out corn...
...and cows and cattle with little grass to graze upon. On radio and TV news the talk was of farmers selling off livestock as they could not feed them, and of taking a loss on this year's crops. An elderly woman at a rest stop in Nebraska told us this was the first summer she can remember where they could not make hay due to the drought. Prices are sure to eventually go up from the effects of this weather disaster.
Thankfully, many farms along the way did have irrigation devices watering the fields, so all was not lost.
...and the sight of corn, lying like a carpet, as far as the eye could see was amazing to me!
We saw many areas of road work and a couple of traffic jams, but for the most part, our trip was long but uneventful. We did it in three days, staying one night in Indiana on the way west and east, and the second night in Nebraska both ways.
One very common sight on Route 80 was this truck, in double and triple tandem! The economy must be moving if there was so much freight being delivered.
All of my photos were taken from the moving car, going 80 miles an hour for the most part, so I was glad that so many came out well. This was one of my favorite photos from the somewhat deserted NE corner of Colorado on US 76 when we diverted from US 80 to go towards Denver. It's just a little blue shack in the middle of nowhere!
The road could be sparse and boring at times but my husband and I had fun talking, singing, munching on snacks and fruit, listening to music on the radio and watching America go by our windows. It's a wonderful way to see our beautiful country!
One thing I loved taking photos of as we passed them were old and new barns and farmsteads. Next post I'll show many of my favorites!
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52 comments:
Ha! The little blue shack on Highway 76! My daughter broke down RIGHT BY that on one drive home from Nebraska during her college years. We had to drive from the Springs to go help her out. So funny you photographed that.
Lovely trip and great photos, despite the moving vehicle. Many, many miles. I've only ever done about half that, so I'm quite impressed. Thanks for sharing your road trip to my home state and back to yours! ♥
I don't know what I am more impressed with - your driving 3700 miles or the gorgeous scenery on the road. We really live in a wonderful country with all sorts of different things.
sandie
Great shots from a car going 80! That's cool that you captured all the welcome to state signs. Love that. Glad you made it there and back safe and sound!
Beautiful photos of your drive across the country! America the beautiful!
Yikes that's a lot of miles! Love the pics!
Pat - A drive across the country is something I never had an interest in, but you do make it look and sound so appealing.
I love seeing travel photos like this and can't wait to see more!
Beautiful scenery and so much variety in our wonderful country. Looks like a great road trip! I,m sure it was fun being with your family, too!
What a lovely trip and you did capture the country well in your snapshots.
The Professor and I have driven coast to coast a couple of times and all over, up and down, too. It's always a delight to see our amazing country!
Wow... That's a lot of miles by car!! Beautiful shots!
XO Kris
That is why we call her America The Beautiful! Your photos are so stunning. I really this land and am glad to call it home! Thanks Pat for the share. Hugs Anne
Best thing I ever did in my life was to drive across the USA. Will never forget it.
It was the trip of a lifetime and nothing could ever beat it.
Lovely photos.
Welcome home.
Welcome home Pat! WONDERFUL images! Oh, but I'm getting all teary-eyed looking at all this, feeling sort of home sick. Especially that view of the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. :o) It is so sad the drought affecting so many farms, it's heartbreaking. Food prices are high enough, one can't help but wonder come year's end how much the grocery store prices will be post-harvest. My parents took a cross-country trip across America when they were engaged. I would love to follow in their steps one day. A cross-country trip on a Harley Davidson motorcycle--that's the dream! ;o) BEAUTIFUL post! ((HUGS))
You should label the pics "America At 80 MPH". They are a great snapshot of the country, love the farm in the last one! Nice to get away for a while, always nicer to come home:@)
How amazing!! What a road trip!! Wow!! It's one of those iconic things isn't it - a road trip in America is like no other!!! The country was built on road trips!! Wow!! It's such a shame about the drought and I do hope the rains come soon! But there is lushness still and haunting beauty of these huge huge farms!!
Glad you and hubby had a safe and fun trip! Take care
x
This was fun! I can't wait to see more of your trip. I think it's wonderful to see America the "old-fashioned" way ... car trip!
I hope when you got settled in the car you yelled "Road Trip" I've always wanted to take a road trip like you just did. Your pictures are great. The poor cattle and all the burned out corn.
Thatcher must have been à wonderwel trip Pat, i love all your photo' s you took along the way. It is nice when you. Can drive on at 80 miles , and have fun and can sing with the radio. That's what we do when we drive to Spain every year,. It is not half so far as what you drove in three days but it still takes almost two days. But isn't it nice to be back home again.
It's just amazing to me to see the different scenery along the way. Love the wind turbines in Iowa.
I am SO glad you showed the photo of the tandem trucks. I have tried and tried to describe the triple tandem UPS trucks we saw in Montana to people and they look at me like I'm crazy. Now thanks to you Pat, I have proof.
Sam
Lovely countryside photos...enjoyed seeing all the state welcome signs, too...
Hi Pat, We always travel on road trips because of our poodle Cheri'. She goes where we go. Smile.
Your photos are awesome and very familiar. We have traveled to every state in the US. I enjoyed each photo so much. I have missed my visits to you but I'm back...AGAIN HA!
Hugs, Jeanne
PS: Congrats on being grandparents to be once again. Our grands are the most wonderful blessing.
Don't you just love road trips...just the two of you? Thanks for sharing a few of the sites with us...from one state to the next.
I'm smiling at the Brooklyn signs! Very unique.
I feel like I just made this road trip....only on I70. If you ever drive it through Kansas you need to stop in Abilene at the Brookville Hotel for their famous Chicken dinner. http://www.brookvillehotel.com/
You can also see the World's largest ball of twine. (c;
On our trip out to Colorado two weeks ago we were so surprised at how many more Wind Turbines had been added....there were hundreds. You know they are big but when you pass the parts HANGING off a semi truck you are still surprised.
That was quite a drive you undertook. I know some people who rarely get out of their BIG cities back east are stunned at the MILES of open spaces out here. Wish you could see the wheat fields in Kansas right before harvest in June. It is a stunning sight. So much beauty in this country.
Calling by as another participant from Outdoor Wednesday interesting to see the photos of your recent road trip. Wind turbines are sadly a familiar but necessary evil here also.
Love this post, Pat! My husband and I did the same trip twice in the past two years, but I wasn't as skilled as you in getting those shots out the car window.
Great photo's, Pat, looks like a fantastic trip. Long but good :) And to think I am dreading an 8 hour drive to college!
I'm so glad you had a good trip. Thanks for sharing the pics. Yes if you can't afford to feed your herd then you have to sell often for a very cheap price as so many are doing the same. It is better than the cattle losing form or starving. Heartbreaking if you have bloodstock for breeding purposes.
That's a lot of driving Pat I am impressed with the photographs taken from your car. Loved all the welcome signs.
what a dream trip!!
I love road trips and this one sounds great
fantastic photos
I have been itching to go on a road for the longest time, want to go down south, but my poor knees would probably be locked in place, not to mention how bathroom stops I'd need to take! Beautiful scenery, Pat. How much gas did it take? xo
Pat, I'd say you got some amazing shots speeding by. This is a terrific post. I love seeing the sights of everyday America. Thanks for sharing your trip. Look forward to more.......Sarah
That was a big trip! I'm like you -often taking my pics while whizzing by! Feel for the farmers who have to sell off their cows:(
That's a long way to go to visit family but a very picturesque one. Thank you for the ride through the states. Great shots from a fast moving vehicle.
What an advenuture you two had! And, thanks for photo sharing with us. We got to see so many sites with you. Hope you had a great trip and glad you are home safe.
What gorgeous pictures! I love all the farms and Barns, they are all so beautiful. I wish I could Just sit in a car and someone would drive me all around the country! lol Every State. Grace xoox
What a beautiful country we live in, and your pictures are always a delight.
You've got quite the eye...
=)
What a great trip to take while you have the time and energy. Couples we know often seem to make a trip from Western Canada to the Maritimes and then they return home through the US or vice versa. I can imagine how happy you were to reach your final destination each time but in the meantime it sounds like you had a wonderful road trip! Looking forward to your next post.
Wonderful photos from your trip, Pat! Although I'm glad I didn't have to drive all of those miles, your photos are wonderful. So many sad things with this years drought! What a shame about the cattle farmers.
I love love love those kind of trips. Great photos! Thanks for sharing. ~Ames
That is quite a trip. Lovely different scenery – your photos are terrific.
Those photos are especially amazing considering they were taken from a moving car! What a long, fun road trip, but I imagine it's great to be home.
I love road trips with my hubby and it looks like you do too. You captured some wonderful photos of the USA. Three days doesn't sound like much, considering the miles that you traveled. Thank you for sharing these with us.
Hugs, Cindy
what a trip.
didn't know they had wind turbines in Iowa
lamb's wool
wow. That's a lot of miles in a short time. I love road trips, though, especially with the hubs. Glad you enjoyed yours!
Looks like it was a fun trip!
Pat, I love road trips. Sounds like you and your hubby had a fun trip. I enjoyed seeing your photos of our country. I would love to do a leisurely road trip from the east to the west coast. Thanks for sharing, have a great weekend!
LOVE seeing your trip. Your photos are magnificent. Great to have you be a part of Seasonal Sundays.
- The Tablescaper
Amazing, so many memorable shots from a fast moving car! Loved all the images and am looking forward to see more.
A wonderful week to you,
Merisi
I LOVE posts like this . . . experiencing traveling with you! And what an awesome cross-country trip to see states that are so different from one's own! Just love the turbines in Iowa . . . trust me, it's windy there! So sad to see the crops and I hope and pray that the farmers (and the country) recovers as soon as possible from this disaster. I've never been to Brooklyn, but truly dream of it and the Italian neighborhoods and businesses that I read and hear about!
The furthest I've driven was from NYC to Memphis. And that was enough, lol. It was the days before digital cameras...I do wish I had documented the trip as well as you did!
Oh, oh, oh! Lovely, lovely!
These are my very favorite kinds of trips. Seeing the country whiz by the windows!
Loved all the sights but the drought makes me sad. We have so many farmer friends suffering with it!
Thanks for a fun road trip! Sorry I spelled the trail mix in the back seat!
A+++
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