Day 1 Atlanta to Paducah, Kentucky
The drive from Atlanta was uneventful - most of it on I-75. We stopped for a break at Buckees, a mega Interstate retail complex, for gas on the way to Chattanooga. The place was insane on a Friday. A giant store with a giant parking lot - you could hardly get through the glut of people to get to the restroom. We split the driving and got to Paducah and the Belle Louise Historic Guest House about 4:30. Very nice Bed and Breakfast (B&B) located in the heart of Paducah’s Lowertown District. This Italianate mansion was originally built in 1879 with remnants of its 1860 predecessor as part of its design. Melinda and Cary, the current owners, with considerable effort lovingly brought back the building to its former glory. The B&B was beautiful, but this town is not exactly hoping on a Friday night. We walked to the Paducah Beer Works for dinner - the food was good, but not many people there. This section of town was very quiet - not a very lively part of town. Walked back to the B&B after a long day. Interesting fact - Kentucky is a bourbon state and this was the first B&B I have ever been in that offered bourbon along with soda and water for night time refreshments. Woke up to a very good breakfast. Since we were the only guests, Melinda and Cary sat down and chatted with us - great couple. We throughly enjoyed the food and conversation. Come to find out Melinda and Cary were totally responsible for renovating the building and came up with most of the design enhancements. They made our stay, as the breakfast and conversation was the highlight of our time in Paducah. The town was quiet, but the Belle Louise and their personalities made our stay truly worthwhile. It was a good start to our trip.
Day 2 Paducah to Eureka Springs Arkansas
We left Paducah for Eureka Springs in the Arkansas Ozarks at about 11AM. The plan was to take back roads and add a little time to the drive. Heading southwest and weaving through parts of southeast Missouri and northeast Arkansas, we wanted to get off the main roads and see the countryside. Lots of small towns that have seen their day like Maynard, Arkansas. At this point, we made a split-second decision to make a small detour and drive through Pocahontas, Arkansas. A college roommate and good friend grew up there and I wanted to see what it was like. Small but somewhat improved with time - I was glad we made the detour. Not really knowing what to expect driving into Eureka Springs, we observed a glut of bikers headed in the same direction. Finally arriving in Eureka Springs, we realized we had arrived in the middle of a motorcycle biker convention weekend. Lots of noise, lots of bikes, and lots of partying bikers - big contrast to Paducah, our stopping place yesterday. We walked from our B&B through a gauntlet of motorbikes and raucous bikers for dinner at the close-by Local Flavor Restaurant. Tired after the long drive we weren’t ready to join the party, so we walked back to the B&B for a hopefully restful night.
Day 3 Eureka Springs Arkansas
This section of Arkansas in the Ozarks has a long history. Native Americans believed this area’s natural springs possessed healing properties. During the Civil War, “Dr. Jackson’s Cave Hospital” used the water to tend to combatants. Eureka Springs was officially named and established on July 4, 1879. People started coming from all over as many thought the waters could cure paralysis, diabetes, asthma, insomnia, dropsy, rheumatism, gout, and stomach problems. The area’s population exploded to about 10,000 by 1881. By 1882, the railroad came to Eureka Springs, making the city both an economic hub and tourist attraction. Thousands of homes, many still standing, were constructed during the latter part of the 19th century, along with still standing hotels.
We planned Eureka Springs as our first two night stay of the trip. We slept in late and woke to the sound of thundering motorbikes leaving town as it was Sunday and the party was over. The B&B was a nice three-room suite amongst a series of houses on a hill overlooking downtown Eureka Springs. Breakfast was interesting because the kitchen that prepared the food was in another building down the street. As a result, breakfast was brought to our door at 9AM - a nice perk. My first impression of the suite was that it was odd with strange decorations, but it turned out to be quite comfortable. The bed in particular took mercy on my back after two days of driving. Our plan this morning was to spend time walking through downtown after breakfast.
The bikers were leaving town and the downtown was clearing out and quieting down. Eureka Springs is an interesting little town. The downtown area was filled with little shops, hotels, bars, and restaurants. This city turned out to be very unique and quirky - a testament to the diversity of the USA - its people and places. The fact that it was early October and Halloween was only a few weeks away upped the irreverence factor. You were liable to see just about anything. It is a town accepting of bikers, weirdoes, or the well-to-do and everything in between. Needless to say, there were plenty of chances for interesting photos. The New Orleans Hotel and Spa (1892) currently operates as an all-suite hotel full of Victorian-era furnishings, art, and decor. Sitting out front was a dummy of Willy Nelson with an appropriate expression of the town’s attitude on his t-shirt ( ‘I don’t give a rat’s ass’). A soda and candy shop had a section titled “Asylum for the Insane - Evaluation Center for Disturbed Women” - very different and interesting city.
After returning to the B&B for a rest, the afternoon would be spent with a visit to the Thorncrown Chapel and Cresent Hotel and Spa for a late lunch. On the outskirts of the city, our afternoon at these Eureka Springs sites was a lot less interesting - at least for me. The Thorncrown Chapel was a unique piece of architecture hidden in the woods, but without fall-colored leaves or nighttime lighting, it didn’t have the impact it might have had - probably really cool at night. Designed by E. Fay Jones, an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright, it opened in 1980 and received the American Institute Design of the Year Award in 1981. Its wooden structure contains 425 windows and over 6000 square feet of glass. As you might expect, the Thorncrown Chapel is Eureka Springs premier wedding location.
It was on to the Crescent Hotel and Spa for a late lunch. Said to be America’s most haunted hotel, we wanted to check it out. This Victorian 1886 hotel has a sordid history and supposedly hosts a wide variety of spirits. During the construction of the hotel in the 1880’s, one of the Irish stone masons plunged to his death from what is now room 218. In the 1930’s, the hotel became an experimental cancer hospital run by a charlatan con-man known as “Dr.” Norman Baker. The current day hotel laundry room is located next to Dr. Baker’s old morgue which still contains his autopsy table and walk-in freezer. Over the years there have been many reported paranormal sitings at the hotel. Thankfully, we didn’t see any ghosts or zombies while having lunch on the outdoor balcony in the 4th-floor bar. Or, at least, I don’t think we did. Beautiful weather and the food was good. We didn’t get a look inside any of the hotel rooms, but the halls were very creepy. It didn’t appear that they remodeled the interior since the hotel was built. Glad we didn’t take a room there. Let’s get out of here! It was then back to downtown Eureka Springs where we again wandered through downtown to catch the late light and wander - this we throughly enjoyed with much to see. Walked to the far part of downtown - more street art, dark humor store windows, and the ‘Haunted Coffee Shop’ (creepy doll with teddy bear staring at you while you order coffee). Don’t think I want to have coffee there tomorrow morning before we get on the road. Time to decompress for the drive tomorrow.
Day 4 Eureka Springs and Bentonville Arkansas to Wichita Kansas
Woke up with a very painful back - this time the bed hadn’t taken pity on me last night. In addition, the B&B did not deliver breakfast on time due to problems with the kitchen staff. Therefore we got a late start. But no problems - it was a relatively short-drive-day and we planned to stop at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville Arkansas, the home of the Walton Family (Walmart). Crystal Bridges is amazing. The museum, founded by Alice Walton, opened on November 11, 2011 as a nonprofit charitable organization providing public access to American art and integrating natural landscapes into its campus design. It is obvious the Walton Family spent a ton of money attempting to make Crystal Bridges a world-class museum. Their literature states, “The Walton Family Foundation provided an initial endowment of approximately $800 million to fund construction, aquisitions, and operating expenses, supplemented by a $20 million gift from Walmart to support free admission.” This museum’s permanent collection features hundreds of American masterworks spanning more than five centuries.
On a time schedule to reach Wichita before dark, we spent less time than we wanted to at Crystal Bridges and went into Bentonville for an early lunch. In the far Northwest corner of Arkansas, besides being the birthplace and headquarters of Walmart, Bentonville is one of the fastest-growing cities in the state. The lunch was delicious, but we found the town kind of sterile. I felt like I was in a made-for-TV movie set. Completely the opposite from the place we left that morning. Eureka Springs was freedom of expression with few restrictions. There is something there for everyone. Bentonville felt upscale, antiseptic and brand new. I don’t think bikers spend much time there.
After lunch, it was on to Wichita. Drive was uneventful and mostly across the vast Kansas plains. We arrived at nightfall to our hotel - only spending one night here as we are leaving for Colorado tomorrow morning. We had no time to explore. One cool thing though - outside our 10th floor room window, we had a view of the Wichita Minor League Ballpark. For some reason, even though it was Monday night and the baseball season was over, the ballpark lights were on. At about 9:30 the lights were turned off and a fantastic fireworks show began. We had an unobstructed view from our 10th floor room - amazing. We were so dumbstruck by the show, that we didn’t think to pull out our cellphones and take some photos. With no time here, this was the highlight of our visit to Wichita.
Day 5 Wichita Kansas to Manitou Springs Colorado
Not much to report today. Got up early, hit a coffee shop, and started the long drive on I-70 across flat Kansas prairie and farmland as far as the eye could see. Thousands of wind turbines scattered from the Kansas plains to Colorado Springs and as it turned out, all along our route to Oregon. Reached the Cliff House at Pikes Peak in Manitou Springs about 5PM - old historic hotel. In fact, The Cliff House is older than the State of Colorado. Built in the winter of 1873 and known then simply as “The Inn”, it debuted a year later as a boarding house and stagecoach stop along one of the most famous runs of the American West - Colorado Springs to Leadville. Over the years, The Cliff House has played host to famous dignitaries, served as barracks for soldiers, and threatened by floods and fires. After an extensive remodel, The Cliff House received a grand re-opening in 1999. We ate an early dinner and headed back to the hotel for a much deserved rest.
The Cliff House Inn in Manitou Springs Colorado
Day 6 Manitou Springs
Breakfast at our hotel - then off to see the sites in and around Manitou Springs. The main road (Manitou Avenue) through the center of town leads to the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. However, we weren’t interested in spending our one full day at Manitou Springs getting to the top of Pikes Peak and back. There were other things of more interest to us.
First up was Garden of the Gods. Near Pikes Peak, this park contains a number of incredible rock formations formed over millions of years. The garden’s red rock formations were created during a geological upheaval event called the Laramie Orogeny. Archaeological evidence indicates that prehistoric people visited this location about 1330 BC. There is also evidence that Native American people began camping in the park area around 250 BC. Many native peoples that include the Apache , Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, Lakota, Pawnee, Shoshone, and Utes have reported a connection to this location. In 1879, Charles Elliott Perkins purchased 480 acres of land that included a portion of the present Garden of the Gods. Upon his death, the family gave the land to the city of Colorado Springs in 1909, with the provision that it would become a free public park. We started on our driving tour, but quickly began to stop at various places due to the incredible views. With a view of Pikes Peak from the park, we stopped at many of the parking lots along the route to walk some of the many trails. Photos don’t do this place justice, but we couldn’t help ourselves. As a result, we spent more time here than we originally intended to.
Our second outing was supposed to be the famous Broadmoor, but that didn’t go as well. It is supposed to be a fabulous resort. We wanted to see the place and have a cocktail (or two). At the front gate, we declined valet parking and were directed to a parking lot a ways down the street. The parking garage wanted 10 bucks an hour. After parking the car, walking the mile or so to the Broadmoor and back and waiting in this fancy resort to get served, we decided we didn’t want the drink that bad. With valet parking (who knows what that would have cost), tips, and very expensive drink, we decided to ditch the resort and head to lunch in another direction.
Next up was the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. Interesting Native American history preserved in the side of Manitou Springs cliffs (or so we believed). It was cool to see how these people lived. It was a rough existence. We didn’t spend a lot of time there, because there really wasn’t a lot to see. After researching this place later, I understood why. It is not an authentic representation of the dwelling as Manitou Springs is far outside the boundaries of the of the actual Anasazi settlement. The Cliff Dwellings were built at their present location in the early 1900s as a museum and tourist attraction. Some of the building materials were looted from a collapsed Ancestral Puebloan site near Cortez in southwest Colorado and shipped to Manitou Springs. It was controversial even at the time of its opening due to the fact that it was built for the purposes of tourism and entertainment, and assembled in its present form as Ancestral Puebloan-style buildings resembling those found in the Four Corners. It is still privately owned. We should have realized this was a tourist-trap when the setup routed you through the museum and gift shop before you could reach the restroom.
It was then back to the hotel for some rest - then a last walk through the downtown Manitou Springs shopping district. The town was founded for its natural mineral springs. Since the 1870’s, visitors had discovered the healing waters the Ute Indians had been drinking for years. Many of the town’s mineral springs still function today. Lots of interesting shops, tourist as well as those selling nice items we actually wanted to buy that didn’t have the name ‘Manitou Springs’ written on them. Also there were lots of ice cream and candy shops. We stopped for ice cream and both of us ordered a one scoop cone. The one scoop turned out to be about a pint of ice cream piled on top of a little cone. You had to eat fast before the pile of ice cream fell in your lap. Passed a little shop-front with a creepy clown - I have no idea what they were selling.
Day 7 Manitou Springs Colorado to Moab Utah
Ate breakfast and left the hotel early, about 8AM. When we put the address of the Moab hotel into GPS App last night, it gave us a route through Denver where we would be on main highways most all the way to Moab. However, when we put the address in the GPS this morning, it routed us into the mountains west on Highway 24 to north on Highway 9. We weren’t going to hit I-70 until the town of Frisco, well to the west of Denver, passing through and stopping briefly in Breckinridge which we had visited years ago. Fantastic drive with great Rocky Mountain scenery in excellent weather. The Aspens had already turned yellow with beautiful fall color. We arrived at the hotel in Moab around 5PM. The plan is to spend a couple of days in Moab with the highlight intended to be Arches National Park. But the weather forecast is looking iffy with the potential for a lot of rain over the next couple of days. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate.
Day 8 Moab Utah - Arches National Park
It was a rainy morning, but nevertheless, it turned out to be a great day. As we were only going to have one full day in Moab, we were determined to go to the nearby Arches National Park, whatever the weather forecast. When we drove into Moab yesterday, it wasn’t what we expected. The main street in town was very touristy commercial. Tourist shops and restaurants lined the main street all the way to our hotel - people everywhere. Therefore we really didn’t know what to expect when we got to the National Park. But Arches National Park didn’t disappoint - beautiful majestic western landscape everywhere you looked.
About 4 miles north of Moab, the Arches National Park contains more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches - the highest density of natural arches in the world as well as other unique geological features. The park lies above an underground evaporite layer or salt bed which is the main reason for the many rock formations. The area was designated a national monument on April 12, 1929 before becoming a national park on November 12, 1971.
The park normally receives less than 10 inches of rain a year, but we were lucky enough to arrive on a wet, overcast day - perfect for giving an ethereal effect to our photographs. Yeah - this even lighting was much better than bright sunlight. After stopping at the visitor center to get a map and plan our trip through the park, we headed up a steep grade along switchback roads into the park. No tour was necessary as all of the sites and trails were laid out along a 12-mile paved road that wound through the park.
Views were amazing right from the start. The Park Avenue Viewpoint and Trailhead was our first stop. A walkway dropped down into a sandstone trail with what looked like a majestic city of rock in the distance - beautiful. We planned to drive the entire length of the park and stop along the way at every opportunity, take in all the beauty and do some hiking.
Park Avenue Viewpoint
There were lots of parking lots at trailheads all along the route - almost impossible to get lost. Accessible to any age group - many short and long hiking trails. One could spend days exploring. What we saw was amazing - a wide variety of arches, spires, balanced rocks, sandstone fins, and eroded monoliths. Beautiful vistas and major formations of salmon-colored Estrada Sandstone and buff-colored Navajo Sandstone most everywhere you looked. Back toward the entrance to the park, we lingered at every stopping point available. One day exploring the park is not enough, but it was all we had.
After stopping numerous times and making it to the end of the 12-mile road, we parked at the Devils Garden Trailhead. Great view of a Double Arch (no - that’s not me or my wife, Anne, standing inside the arch opening). Here we decided to walk a short way on one of the trails - massive rock formations. Even though we spent most of the day in the park, we didn’t see a fraction of what there was to see - particularly if we had chosen to go on some extended long hikes. It was time to call it a day and all this site-seeing was making us hungry. The front desk clerk at our hotel recommended a few restaurants when we first arrived in Moab. I have to give a shout-out to one restaurant in particular. In the mood for Thai food after a long day at the park, we settled on Arches Thai restaurant in town for dinner. Good choice. Not only was the food terrific, but the eatable carrot artfully carved into a flower on top of my sesame chicken dish made for a worthy food photo - even after all that beautiful scenery at the National Park. An anticlimactic walk through downtown with all the other tourists. Anne’s swim in the hotel pool ended a great day. Off to Salt Lake City tomorrow.
Day 9 Moab to Salt Lake City Utah
Long day of driving. After breakfast at the hotel, we stopped off at the Arches National Park Visitors Center to discuss our route to Salt Lake City. It rained overnight in Moab and the surrounding area. With morning clearing, the clouds and scenery were awesome all the way up the Interstate Highways on our way to Salt Lake City (Interesting Note: the speed limit on some of our Utah open country Interstate route was 80MPH). At the hotel pool last night, Anne heard about a lake with beautiful scenery in Saratoga Springs about 20 miles outside Salt Lake City - we decided to detour there as we couldn’t check into the B&B until 3PM. Arriving in Saratoga Springs, we ate lunch and went to find that lake. It was OK, but a little disappointing after all the great countryside we had already seen. Didn’t waste much time there. Developers were ruining the countryside by building cookie-cutter subdivisions with low cost materials for high prices with no yards - unattractive urban sprawl for the advantage of living close to Salt Lake City. We arrived at our B&B, Inn on the Hill, just before the rains came and called it a day. We look forward to a relaxing day tomorrow as it’s supposed to be a cool, beautiful day.
Day 10 Salt Lake City Utah
The Inn on the Hill is right in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City within walking distance of the Capital Building and all of the buildings in the Church of the Latter Day Saints Temple Square. The Inn is a beautiful old building - fashioned after an English manor, it was built in the second Renaissance Revival style and completed in 1906. Decorated in the style of the period, the interior featured the finest craftsmanship of the day as well as Tiffany stained glass and Oriental rugs. The building became a bed & breakfast in 1998. The Inn was upgraded and restored to its original beauty in 2004. Great choice for our last B&B of the cross-country trip. Our large suite even included a fireplace which was a nice extra.
The rain overnight had ended and again it was a cool beautiful day. No getting in the car today - we decided to take the short walk to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple Square. Temple Square is the 10-acre , historic, and spiritual center of the Church of Latter-day Saints. Free to visit, it features the iconic Salt Lake Temple, Tabernacle, Assembly Hall, Office building, and a variety of gardens. Unfortunately, the main temple was closed due to major renovations which won’t be completed until 2026 with an official open house scheduled in 2027 - very impressive building. We were able to check out the Tabernacle where the choir performs. While in the complex of buildings we were accosted by multiple pairs of ‘sisters’ of the faith (all young women from all over the world) who were on a required mission for the church to make sure people roaming the complex felt welcomed and, I guess, might be receptive to the Mormon faith. It was an interesting experience but kind of weird. As an aside - this Mormon complex had the cleanest public bathrooms in the history of bathrooms. There is a high-end shopping area just adjacent to the complex - a lot of money here. The Mormon religion seems to have a lot of influence over the city and state.
Today was Sunday and every store and restaurant was closed except for the grocery store and Capitol Gift Shop. Had to go to the grocery store to get a late lunch. As the sun set, we walked to the Utah State Capitol building - only a block on the opposite side of our B&B from Temple Square. Another of the city’s beautiful landmarks, it features Neoclassical Revival architecture with Corinthian columns. Opened in 1916, it sits on a hill offering panoramic views of the city. Everything we wanted to see on this day was within short walking distance - left the car in the parking lot. Good day.
Utah State Capital Building
Day 11 Salt Lake City Utah to Boise Idaho
Uneventful drive from Salt Lake City to Boise - Interstate Highway with vast vistas and long stretches between small towns. It had rained overnight in Salt Lake City and as a result, beautiful cloud formations over the plains and sporadic mountains. Not many places to stop on the side of the road, so photos had to be taken on the move mostly at the 80 MPH speed limit. What rest stops there were mostly had poor views. Arrived in Boise about 4 PM, in time to settle in and see some of the downtown area of Boise.
OK, first of all, the hotel was very interesting - Anne had booked the Renegade Hotel mainly due to a beautiful photograph online of the outdoor rooftop bar. We planned to hit that bar for a romantic cocktail on this last night of our cross-country trip. According to the hotel’s PR, “It’s Boise’s newest ‘Industrial-glam’ boutique hotel. Unleash your inner rebel … in a boutique experience where rough meets refined. Explore a stay unlike any other.” I can definitely agree - it was a stay unlike any other.
First things first, we checked into our room. Ultra -modern hotel, the complete opposite of the Inn on the Hill in Salt Lake City. Avant-Gard art all over the place. In our hotel room’s bathroom there was a black & white photograph of a woman putting on her lipstick inside a woman’s breast with a prominent nipple - strange! Even stranger, the bathroom and toilet could be viewed through a see-through shower (in the middle of the room) from the bedroom section. The shower was also designed to look like a jail cell with black lines running vertical and horizontal along the glass. Kinky indeed! A deranged interior designer was allowed to let their imagination run wild with this place.
This was the first indication that something was a little off about this city. We walked through downtown looking for a restaurant to eat dinner. First off, the place didn’t have two of the wines on the menu Anne wanted to order, with the explanation they didn’t get their wine delivery. I then ordered a cheesesteak sandwich and the waiter came back and said they were out of the cheese advertised on the sandwich, so I had to pick another one. Back at the hotel, Anne was right, at least the Highlander rooftop bar was very cool. We sat outdoors next to a little fire-pit with good views of the city at sunset. The next morning, it was time to finish our trip and drive from Boise to Sherwood Oregon. But as an appropriate ending to our stay in Boise, I went into the hotel coffee shop to order a latte for the drive - the barista told me they hadn’t gotten their delivery of whole milk yet. Boise must be really out-of-the-way if they can’t get deliveries of wine, cheese, and milk. Time to move on.
Day 12 Boise Idaho to Sherwood Oregon
As with a lot of this trip, we shared the driving, but Anne did more than me. We left Boise in the rain, but before we reached Oregon the weather turned and the rain stopped for the rest of the drive. More Interstate and photos on the move. Wide vistas again coming out of Idaho and entering eastern Oregon. As with most of the countryside from Kansas to the west coast, there were hundreds of wind turbines scattered on the plains and hills. Stopped for our final meal of the road-trip in Pendelton, Oregon at Roosters Country Kitchen, a local mom-and-pop restaurant. I wouldn’t mention it except for the fact that it was one of the best meals we had on the trip. Arriving in Sherwood, it was a great end of the trip to finally visit with the Oregon part of our family. As it was almost Halloween, one Sherwood neighborhood has a tradition of putting on a nightly show - every neighbor participates and the extravaganza is very popular locally. Stopped at an outdoor bar for a drink - disappointed but happy to know I was too young to order.
Great trip - we got to experience a lot of the country we had never seen or visited before. Met some interesting people, saw a variety of beautiful scenery, and stayed at a good cross-section of places. I would recommend a trip like this to anyone - the USA is beautiful country worth saving for future generations.