On The Rhoads Blog

We may be back east looking up from the base of Mount Greylock, but the mind still wanders back to the Cascades. Already missing the other mountains!

(Missed this earlier...) Just outside of Blue Earth MN the east and west paving crews for I-90 met in September 1978. The town decided that a "golden spike in the railroad" type commemoration was needed, and the GOLDEN STRIPE was born. Pro tip -- you can see it from the on ramp from the Blue Earth rest stop.

Made it back to Adams, MA. The cats are still watching the birds. All is well. The trip pauses at about 7500 miles, and we will make the final push in mid August, for the return to Queens.

Ada won't let us cross the country without jumping on the great lakes. So back to Lake Michigan, this time the beach is New Buffalo, MI. Next stop Ohio!

The Dells are more than just a beautiful river. There are decades of kitch and fun. We're making this a two day stopover!

Made it in a straight shot from Sheridan WY to the Wisconsin Dells! Hello from Baraboo. This river is fantastic.

Made sure to show the kiddo the Mitchell Corn Palace! For those keeping track, the 2025 corn art is "Wonders of the World."

Ada was tickled that this is where sunflower seeds come from. Or, as she says "maybe someone just really likes sunflowers!"

Made it to South Dakota, so that means stopping at WALL DRUG! Same as last we stopped two decades ago...

Driving out of Sheridan, another rainbow fell on the Mill Hotel. What a town!

Dawn over the Mill Hotel in Sheridan Wyoming, "The Best Rest in the West!" A converted Mill is a fun place for a overnight if you're driving through.

When you pop out of Big Horn National Forest, you can see what looks like ALL of Wyoming.

We've never driven from Yellowstone back to 90, and the path takes you through Shoshone and Big Horn National Forests. The canyon carving gets pretty intense.

Just one of many beautiful geysers in Yellowstone. This is one of the predictable ones. Apparently Yellowstone has more than half of the world's known geyser thermal features. It is strange to hang out in the mouth of a super volcano all day.

A view from BIG ROCKY, the 1930s convertible tour bus in Yellowstone.

Yellowstone offers rides in this beauty, a 1936 convertible bus built specially for the park, then lost, then rediscovered refurbished, and returned. One even was reclaimed from the set of Big Trouble in Little China.

Again, this Old Faithful Lodge is bonkers. Parts of it could be an inspiration for Harry Potter sets.