What's better... driving across Nebraska or driving across Kansas? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Kuan · #1 08-29-2004, 08:53 AM

We're gonna make the drive from Minneapolis to Denver for Thanksgiving. Any comments? Places we should stop with a 15 month old? Places to avoid? Winter tires or not?

Gilly · #2 08-29-2004, 09:09 AM

Kuan
Kansas to get to Denver from the Twin Cities? Hmmmmm. I would think the Dakotas maybe, and Nebraska, but Kansas?
My advice concerning driving though the "grainbelt"; Time it so you are doing most of the, uh, "flatwork" at night, not nearly as boring as during the day. I'll never forget the last time I did that, being bleary-eyed and tired,(on my Beemer), but hitting the front range as the sun came up, yust beautiful.
I left the Madison area not too early, about 8am, and was hitting the Omaha area right about supper time, headed out after a quick supper and drove all night, made a pit stop for a midnight snack right around North Platte I think it was, another 5 or 6 hours and I was there, but had to do a "mini-crash" for 3 or 4 hours to get caught up on sleep, then went through Rocky Mtn National Park and saw a few other things. Didn't seem to affect the rest of the trip, the 3 or 4 hours sleep worked good. Plus I assume you'd have a copilot.
As far as the route, just use Mapquest or whatever and see what they come up with, then maybe ask for advice. But I'd do it at night and skip the sightseeing.
Gilly

Gilly · #3 08-29-2004, 09:10 AM

PS They have a space museum in Kansas, about the only thing I can think of there I'd be interested in, other than just seeing Kansas and saying "I've been there". No offense to any Kansans reading this.
Gilly

koop · #4 08-29-2004, 09:14 AM

Don't forget the Greyhound Racing Hall of Fame.

Gilly · #5 08-29-2004, 09:19 AM

Curiosity got the better of me; here's what Mapquest says:

http://maps.yahoo.com/dd_result?ed=eUwKouV.wikofzZVK33yX4HFhTxATA--&csz=Minneapolis%2C+MN&country=us&tcsz=denver+co&tcountry=us&name=Minneapolis+St+Paul+International+Wold+Chamberlain+Airport

Gilly

kerry · #6 08-29-2004, 11:27 AM

The route thru Kansas is not unreasonable because US 36 (?) across northern Kansas is on the same latitude as Denver. US 34 across southern Nebraska is north of Denver.
I'm in favor of driving the 2 lane highways across the Great Plains. They're a lot less boring than the Interstates, and you get a better sense of the death of the small plains towns. You can drive just about as fast on the 2 lane highways and there are no trucks on them, although you will see an occasional tractor. One of the towns out there has the largest ball of bailing twine in the world. Don't miss it.
In 83 (?) we got about 4 feet of snow over Thanksgiving.

Zeitgeist · #7 08-29-2004, 11:43 AM

Don't forget Russell Kansas, home of Viagra pitchman Senator Bob Dole...oh, and that other guy.

moparmike · #8 08-29-2004, 02:18 PM

Isn't this akin to comparing two shades of gray?

Kuan · #9 08-29-2004, 02:45 PM

I would fly but I have to lug tons of stuff with me courtesy of having a would be 15 month old.

I'm not really looking forward to this drive. Driving through the ghost towns sounds interesting. My only concern is finding a clean restroom. I might take your advice Gilly and do most of it at night. That way we won't have to worry about the kid that much. Yeah, shades of gray really.

Snows? No snows. Snows? No snows. Snows... no sn..

Gilly · #10 08-29-2004, 04:45 PM

All-weathers, yes, but not Blizzaks or any of ther other micro-cell rubber compounds (are there any besides Blizzak?). I'd have a decent set of tires on it for sure, but if the weather turns out decent, you'll probably take an awful lot of micro-cell off the treads.

I did do a large chunk of driving one year coming back from Colorado on the Lincoln Highway, US30, just to see what it was like. I used to like CW McCall music and they had (yes THEY, I found out CW McCall is supposed to be the name of the group, not the lead singer) a song called "Old 30" that I liked. Still do, I guess. Anyways started out just inside Nebraska (on the west side of the state, I was returning to WI) and stayed on most or all of 1 morning, all the way to Grand Island, NE anyways. You could see alot of closed up businesses for sure, especially restaraunts and drive-ins, things like that. Alot of the smaller towns seemed to be dying out, every 30 to 50 miles you'd hit a town that seemed to be the business center for the smaller communities. I'm sure the smaller towns still have their activities, but the younger kids are probably moving the heck out of there after high school. My take on US30 is that it probably was alot more important road to the development of the Western US in the 20th century, but US66 got all the glory.

Gilly

#11 08-29-2004, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kuan

I would fly but I have to lug tons of stuff with me courtesy of having a would be 15 month old.

I'm not really looking forward to this drive. Driving through the ghost towns sounds interesting. My only concern is finding a clean restroom. I might take your advice Gilly and do most of it at night. That way we won't have to worry about the kid that much. Yeah, shades of gray really.

Snows? No snows. Snows? No snows. Snows... no sn..

Amtrack. Take your own bottle of fanastic to clean your room, some good MRE's and your rockin.

Plantman · #12 08-29-2004, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MedMech

Amtrack. Take your own bottle of fanastic to clean your room, some good MRE's and your rockin.

I think Amtrak is very underrated as a form of transportation.

My Dad will be moving to a very affordable town in Central Florida and will commute once a week via AMTRAK.

Inexpensive, comfortable and reliable.

Antony · #13 08-30-2004, 07:42 AM

Go Nebraska; the only place in the USA that has a town with the same name as my daughter: Ansley. My family and I took 3 weeks this summer camping our way to Wy from Ma, and back...we made the special trip to go to Ansley (pop. 550) and made my 7 year old really happy!

Benzadmiral · #14 08-30-2004, 08:45 AM

. . . on I-70. The first time was in a Ryder rental truck, pulling my car behind me, the governor on the truck allowing 56 mph (downhill). The second time was in a Honda Civic, 75 mph most of the way, and it didn't seem any faster or less boring. There are long gaps between exits, and not all the exits have gas stations, either. (It seems flat, but the land rises so gradually you don't realize it. Topeka is at about 2000 feet, the Colorado border is at 4000.)

I like the idea of staying on the old 2-lane Federal highways as much as possible. When I relocated to New Orleans from Denver about 3 years ago, I left I-25 in northern New Mexico and stayed with the old Federal highways from Amarillo to just outside Dallas. Good roads for the big grey 420SEL; plenty of places to stop for coffee, pit stops, or gas; lots more fun. I'd love to do it again sometime.

Chris p · #15 08-30-2004, 08:51 AM

I drive to Vail for thanksgiving form Minneapolis every year and I have found the best and most scenic route to be driving is to Murdo South Dakota and turning south you will drive through the sand hills of Nebraska and Valentine Nebraska, You will end up in North Platte. From North Platte you will hop on the interstate and get to denver in no time. I usually drive straight through, If you feel the need to stop and make it a two day trip you can easily get into Colorado in the first day of driving. The only way you would go the southern route would be if you want to take a longer more boring route with a ton of semi truck traffic.The route through Murdo South Dakota is by far the best way to go from Minnesota.