The Way Home: Down from the Mountains, Across the Plains

The fact that my Yellowstone season is truly over has sunk in. I look forward to the drive home. It will be a different route home (I-80 instead of I-90), the chance to see new territory. Unlike the firm deadline of new employee check-in last May, my eastbound timetable is carefree. So is the weather forecast which calls for fair, calm skies the next several days.

The first day is spent crossing Wyoming on a long diagonal along US 287. The drive down to Dubois last night from Yellowstone was just a down payment; it takes six hours to reach I-80 at Rawlins and on to Cheyenne in the state’s southeast corner.

Along US 287, east of Dubois

The landscape here is stunning! Panoramas composed of rock, cliff, and sagebrush stretch to the horizons. Trees cease to exist other than a narrow band of cottonwoods here and there clinging to the edge of a watercourse. This begins the High Plains of America, a vast expanse of land robbed of moisture by the Continental Divide lying just to the west.

Here, elevation matters. It alters the weather and determines the habitat. On the highway, it strains the engine and reminds you of the importance of good brakes. We are talking big numbers here. I pass through Lander, a respectably sized city where the elevation is 5,357 feet. A stone’s throw to the west lies Wind River Peak, cresting at 13,192 feet.

Wind River Indian Reservation, north of Fort Washakie

Already, I miss the rivers of Yellowstone. Granted, little is revealed about most rivers from behind the windshield rushing down a highway, yet nothing tempts me to pull over for a closer view. The first two hours of driving are along the Wind River, known for some good trout fishing. It must be known for that someplace else. It isn’t that Wyoming doesn’t have good rivers for trout. The Green River and Flaming Gorge lie to the southwest; the Bighorn to the northeast. Once on I-80, I cross over the North Platte, a reminder of some great trout fishing just to the south. For now, these are marks on my mental map, destinations for future trips.

The clouds entertain along I-80

It is sparsely populated, feels desolate. In surface area, Wyoming is equal in size to Michigan, approximately 98,000 square miles. Yet, just 570,000 people live here, compared to 9.9 million in Michigan. Without a doubt, it is a very different lifestyle from my Midwestern sensibilities.

Road Day One ends 200 miles into Nebraska at Gothenburg. I pitch my tent in the dark at the KOA Campground there. A town with some history, it lays claim to the birthplace of the Pony Express. I am up and on the road at sunrise the next morning, eager to press on.

Pony Express Mural, Gothenburg Nebraska

If the theme of yesterday’s drive was rock, today it’s corn. It is harvest time in the Great American Breadbasket. Nebraska is a beehive of activity. Combines are in the table-flat fields everywhere; tractor trailer rigs hauling the bounty to gigantic grain elevators; long freight trains on the move. The economic powerhouse that is America’s agriculture is palpable.

After Nebraska, it’s Iowa. Another 300 miles before this day is to end. More cornfields here, but these are draped over lovely rolling hills. Trees have returned to the landscape. Handsome oaks edge the fields, and stand in large woodlots. There are rivers here, hinted at by the contours of the rolling countryside. History markers at highway rest stops record their importance to the nation’s development long ago. Council Bluffs on the Missouri was a stop for Lewis & Clark. It is where steamboat commerce gave way to the railroads. The Amana Colonies chose the fertile Iowa River Valley as their home.

Darkness denies me a view as I cross the mighty Mississippi that forms the boundary between Iowa and Illinois. Road Day Two ends in Rock Island at another conveniently located KOA. I pitch my tent and call it a night, well satisfied with my progress home.

Campsite in Rock Island Illinois

The romantic part of this road trip is over. On Road Day Three, the Midwestern landscapes of Illinois, Indiana and Michigan are well-known to me. I look forward to the hospitality of Tom Quail and Chris Booth to spend the next few nights. Then, I will rent a UHaul trailer to take furniture back to DC to set-up our new apartment.