I am outside of Richmond VA if you want a place to rest up and meet up.

Otto, based on your last itinerary, I have prepared this map:
Fort Meade loop trip by David Casteel, on Flickr (click on it for enlargment)

I've taken the liberty to add in flags for additional attractions that fall close to the route. If you're traveling with a firearm and want to avoid Minnesota and Illinois, I can make that happen. Avoiding New Mexico is harder, but it could be done. ]

You've probably never heard of Freedom Rock--it's a big boulder west of Des Moines, Iowa that gets a new set of patriotic paintings every year by a local artist. It's just a few minutes south of I-80 and I think worth a quick visit.

If the kids are old enough, I think they'd enjoy a float trip on the Snake River (Grand Teton NP area). In Moab, Utah you might be able to do a hot-air balloon ride over Arches NP.

The Cadillac Ranch outside Amarillo, Texas is a dozen old cars buried nose down and folks use spray paint to add graffiti to them. (You have to bring your own paint.)

If you find additional friends to visit or other things to see, I'll be happy to add them to the map.
flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
Otto, based on your last itinerary, I have prepared this map:

flashguy

FLASH GUY,

That's absolutely fantastic. I see a few places you marked that we'll definitely check out.

You're too quick. I added a couple of comments to the original message. Go back.

Unfortunately, my way to avoid Minnesota and Illinois involves one of the car ferries across Lake Michigan, and they stop working in late October each year (the lake freezes over).

Have you considered seeing 45Colt in Atlanta?

flashguy

This message has been edited. Last edited by: flashguy,

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
If you'd like to plan a stop in northern Virginia, I think we can find a few SIGforum locals to meet you for lunch or dinner.

I'm in for a NoVA meetup, if it should come off.

quote:

Originally posted by 911Boss:
I spent a week in Kansas City years ago, just happened upon “SubTropolis” pretty cool tunnel system/subterranean business park. Kids might like to drive through.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SubTropolis

Also a very fantastic National WW I Museum in Kansas City.

https://www.theworldwar.org

Going by flashguy's map, you might miss Kansas City. Too bad. We have some BBQ here that I'm sure you and the kids would enjoy. If things change, be sure and holla at a brotha.

I can put the route through Kansas City if he wants it. It skips Freedom Rock and the air museums in Ohio, but I made it not go through Illinois.
Fort Meade loop trip no MN or IL by David Casteel, on Flickr

If he's not worried about Illinois and would like to visit the Ohio air museum(s), it would be like this:
Fort Meade loop trip by David Casteel, on Flickr

I had an older cousin living in Kansas City, Kansas, but she died several years ago.

flashguy

Looks like you'll be passing through Hattiesburg, MS on your leg from FL to AR.

I work in Hattiesburg and live not too far from there.

Lot's of nice places to eat (college town) and would love to meet if plans permit (I have some travel scheduled in mid-Nov.).

Email is in my profile.

I'm not sure if I'm reading your itinerary map correctly, but in the box pointing to Sioux Falls it looks like you have Hartford, SD, Corn Palace. Just to clarify, the Corn Palace is in Mitchell, SD, which is off I-90 roughly 75 miles west of Sx Falls.

quote:

Originally posted by ggile:
I'm not sure if I'm reading your itinerary map correctly, but in the box pointing to Sioux Falls it looks like you have Hartford, SD, Corn Palace. Just to clarify, the Corn Palace is in Mitchell, SD, which is off I-90 roughly 75 miles west of Sx Falls.

The Corn Palace note points to a place west of Sioux Falls, which is Mitchell, on all 3 maps I posted. It's clearer if you click on the map and then use the enlarge function (+ in circle). The confusion may be because the red flag for the Corn Palace appears to point to the "S" of Sioux Falls, but the city name is for the big dot NE of the name.

These maps have much more detail available than I can conveniently provide in the space available here. Unfortunately, in order to view them in full detail requires the Streets & Trips software. I've been capturing a full-width screen view, pasting it into Paint, storing it as a jpeg, and uploading it to Flickr for posting it on SF. No detail is lost in this process--it retains all that is available in the display size necessary for me to do a screen capture of the whole route--but that downsizing does eliminate a lot of the detail available in the actual map. (For example, in the maps posted it is not possible to see what the highway numbers are, but they are visible in expanded version in S&T, along with many smaller towns, etc.) Here is an expanded view of Mitchell, South Dakota:
Expanded view of Mitchell, SD by David Casteel, on Flickr

I would be happy to provide expanded views of any areas of the map that the OP would like, but I'd probably just send jpegs via e-mail to avoid cluttering SF more than I already have.

flashguy

Yup, you are right! I just wanted to make sure that they weren't cruising around Hartford looking for the Corn Palace, even though it would only take about 5 minutes to realize their error.

Tank museum in Danville? Cool!

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:
Tank museum in Danville? Cool!

Great place! Photos here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/...s/72157631991057902/

(ggile, I don't know where you got "Hartford"--the note for the Corn Palace clearly says "Mitchell, South Dakota".)

flashguy

As per flashguy's map, if you are heading east on 90 (or 94), I'd recommend heading up to Duluth and taking US 2 across northern WI and the UP, then down 75/23 and hook back up with the route in Toledo.

No specific attractions to see except perhaps the bridge, but some beautiful country up there this time of year and you get to avoid Chicago.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
As per flashguy's map, if you are heading east on 90 (or 94), I'd recommend heading up to Duluth and taking US 2 across northern WI and the UP, then down 75/23 and hook back up with the route in Toledo.

No specific attractions to see except perhaps the bridge, but some beautiful country up there this time of year and you get to avoid Chicago.

Mackinac Island! Sault Ste. Marie. Lots of lighthouses.

If he wants to go that way, at Sioux City, Iowa it is possible to drop down to US-18 across to Madison, Wisconsin and up to the UP, avoiding Minnesota altogether. (Trip now 6315 miles) (Minnesota and Illinois are pretty much no-gun states, if that's important.)

You may have noticed that in most cases I've not routed directly to most of the attractions, but generated a route that goes near a lot of them. Once a set of places he wants to visit is known, a more detailed map can be generated.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
Great place! Photos here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/...s/72157631991057902/

Wow, what a collection! Thank you, Mr. Casteel.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
Great place! Photos here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/...s/72157631991057902/

Wow, what a collection! Thank you, Mr. Casteel.

You're welcome! There was talk a few years ago about it moving from Danville to Urbana, Ohio (a lease issue, I think), but it didn't happen.

I've got photos on Flickr of many of the attractions I put on the map--not all of them, but many.

flashguy

I am near Pensacola. Give us a shout

I am located within easy driving distance of Little Rock Arkansas. Gladly meet up for a meal or rest stop as needed. Little Rock Air Force Base is 11 miles north of the I-40 / Hwy 67& Hwy167 junction, also a safe and easy meet up point. If an overnight stop is needed, that can be set up as well. My Korean wife would love to hear some stories from home. Email is in my profile.

Otto, I think you're going to be too late to visit either Grand Teton or Yellowstone National parks--the roads are being closed in early November. There is no easy way to bypass Yellowstone NP, especially if you intend to visit Cody, Wyoming. US-20 that runs through the park is apparently closed during the winter. You can still travel north on US-189 and see some of the Teton Mountains, but the south entrance to Yellowstone will be closed and you'd have to backtrack to US-26 going east at Moran Junction or (further south) to US-26 going west to Idaho Falls.

From US-26 going southeast it is possible to pick up US-20 going northwest to Cody, but there's a lot of backtracking. If you opt for Idaho Falls it is possible to pick up US-20 going north to the west entrance of Yellowstone and turn left onto US-191 going north into Bozeman, Montana. The route would then continue east from there on I-90. From I-90 west of Billings it is possible to take US-212 south to Cody, Wyoming. Or you could continue east to the Custer Battlefield and follow it south to re-enter Wyoming.

Sorry to bear bad news, but road closures in Yellowstone really bollux up the route.

flashguy