journey

After a short walk through the dropout village of Madrid we arrive at Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city. Once again, there is a beautiful historic old town with small shops and museums. Just outside is Sandia Peak; a cable car takes us up to almost 3,200 meters.

From now on we follow historic Route 66, next to Lincoln Highway the oldest paved highway to the west coast and today an attraction for tourists with nostalgic preferences. Via Santa Rosa (with the Blue Hole) and Tucumcari, the Midway Point of Route 66 and the Cadillac Ranch we reach Amarillo in the Penhandle of Texas (we had to skip the north of our big Texas tour some years ago). A detour to Palo Duro Canyon, America’s second largest canyon after the Grand Canyon, is of course a must.

The road continues, passing countless abandoned motels, stores and gas stations. It’s the little attractions along the way that keep the camera working; the small towns are called Groom, McLean or Shamrock (in Texas) as well as Elk City, Clinton, Weatherford, Hydro and Yukon (all in Oklahoma). With Oklahoma City, we explore another capital in a state that is new to us. A final stage of the iconic road takes us to Tulsa; on this section, unlike in New Mexico and Texas, a lot of effort has been put into renovating the old buildings next to Route 66.

We leave Route 66 and turn north. In Winfield we visit relatives of friends and are warmly welcomed. Wichita, Topeka, the capital of Kansas with the usual State Capitol, and Lawrence are the next stops. Things get really exciting and a little confusing in the next city. Kansas City in Kansas, a little town, is not very important; Kansas City on the other side of the river, however, is Missouri’s largest city. We are pleased to find public art, great museums and murals, an interesting skyline and last but not least a free streetcar.

The next station is called St. Joseph and is all about the legendary Pony Express. After another two hours, Missouri is gone and we reach Lincoln, the rather small capital of Nebraska with an impressive State Capitol. Omaha, much larger, awaits us the next day. Along with its sister city Council Bluffs on the other side of the Missouri River, there are plenty of historically significant photo opportunities.

One last unknown city awaits us, Des Moines, capital of Iowa. The State Capitol, which can compete with any Italian palace, and the Pappajohn Sculpture Park are further highlights of this trip. In the evening, after a visit to the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk, we look at the Mississippi, the “Old Man River”, for the first time. (We had to cancel our trip along the Mississippi in 2020 due to corona; however, it is still on our bucket list).

The next day we head straight to Chicago, Illinois, where we visit familiar and new destinations. With a wonderful visit to old friends this trip across the middle of the continent ends.