I am writing about this camping trip in advance because I hope for some input. I will be traveling in my van from Wheatland, WY to Akron, OH to pack up my mom/stepdad and help them move to a one-level apartment. I will camp and wander for about 6 days on my way out.

The route from Wyoming to Ohio is simply yawn-inspiring. I get on I-80 in Cheyenne and, after traveling through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and western Ohio, I get off I-80 not far from where I grew up. This is not exactly road-trip sweetness, and if I get lost, my son will know with certainly that it is time for the dementia unit.

Nebraska Plains

Iowa Plains

Illinois Plains

Indiana Plains

Ohio Plains (Garden of Eden by comparision)

So, I am looking for interesting places to spend a night or two along the challenging route. I figure that migrating birds will be about the only roadside attraction at this time of year. I will probably spend the first night in Buffalo Bill State Park in Nebraska. It is along the Platte River and is a haven for Sandhill Cranes.

I appreciate other wildlife too, even if they always run when they see me coming (I always hear from my fellow wildlife observers, “oh, you just missed a moose”, or “you just missed a grizzly”, or “a javelina just stumbled by” or “we just saw the last living albino peewee cardinal”).

Do you know of any good viewing areas? Is there any place of beauty (truck stops don’t count as they are full of  zombies) to rest my weary body and spirit after a tough day of driving through the plains states? Help!

Not a thing of beauty