Road Trip is heading back WEST

Wednesday, we left Leisa's home and headed West into
West Virginia- the Mountain State.

We took  Hwy. 50 and wound through the West Virginia hills,
 or Allegheny Mountains. We saw a flock of Wild Turkeys
 on the road and a group of deer.

lots of antique stores and barns

MARYLAND - Old Line State or Free State

We saw a truck crossing sign and a tractor crossing,
a bike crossing and a fire engine crossing.  I don't know why I have
noticed them but we have seen a lot of different signs!

 

We spotted this cool antique store and had to stop. 
I found an antique rug beater that I had to buy!

 

Wes got a call from our bank.  Our VISA card # was
fraudulently used in Las Vegas and they have blocked our card.
So, now our trip becomes more difficult.  We have to pay cash
or call a phone number, have the card unblocked, pay for purchase,
and then have card re-blocked all the rest of the way home!

 

in and out of West Virginia

We drove through Charleston and saw the capitol from far away.

Crossed the Kanawha River twice

Huntington, W.V. but OHIO is in those trees just 1 mile away.

KENTUCKY - Bluegrass State
the sky is getting dark and stormy

Through the Daniel Boone National Forest,
it started POURING!

We stopped for the night outside of Lexington, Kentucky
because of the heavy rain and then saw a double rainbow
from our motel.

Thursday morning we are driving through Bluegrass Country.

This water storage says Horse Capital of the World.

Lots of scenic horse property and ranches in Kentucky.

 

University of Louisville
(to the right of photo are the slugger bats but I missed the picture of them)

heading to Churchill Downs

Kentucky Derby Museum

So awesome to be here!  I lived by Santa Anita as a child and now
I have been to Churchill Downs!

horse racing!

Crossing the OHIO River in the rain.

 

And now we are in Indiana.

INDIANA - Hoosier State

saw a dead raccoon on the road

crossing the river into Illinois



ILLINOIS - Prairie State or Land of Lincoln.

As soon as we crossed the border we noticed Semi trucks
being pulled over by the State Police.  We passed at least 10 semis
pulled over.  Wonder what they were looking for?

St Louis, Illinois/ Missouri ahead.

Wes took this great picture of the Gateway Arch. 

MISSOURI - the Show Me State

 

the Gateway to the West - crossing the Mississippi River

We stopped in Columbia, Missouri at
Artichoke Annie's Antiques.

crossing the Missouri River

We found a hotel outside of Independence, Missouri and
had great BBQ in Oak Grove, MO.
YUM!

Independence, Missouri

crossing the Missouri River again between Clay Co. and Jackson Co.

Liberty, Missouri and part of the Lewis & Clark Trail

We saw lots of corn fields

 

IOWA - the Hawkeye State or Corn State

We saw 10 miles of corn fields all un-irrigated.

 

NEBRASKA - the Cornhusker State

 

Archway Monument

 

We are driving on Hwy 80 surrounded by corn fields.

Nebraska is harvesting their corn.

Saturday, we left Nebraska and drove into
WYOMING - the Equality State.

Everything is SO brown and so bleak in Wyoming.

Trains and trucking all across Wyoming.

As we got closer to Laramie and the mountains we started
to see color and herds of antelope.

Medicine Bow National Forest has a Lincoln Monument.

The Rocky Mountains

Sinclair Oil

heading to UTAH

We are back in UTAH - the Beehive State.

Heading home.  It's colorful and beautiful!

All total - we drove 6,960 miles and visited 21 states!
A VERY FUN Road Trip