#us-50

Day 17 - July 9, 2017 - Winchester, Virginia to Manassas, Virginia

Day 18 - July 10, 2017 - Manassas, Virginia to Washington, D.C.

Day 19 - July 11, 2017 - Washington, D.C.

Day 20 - July 12, 2017 - Washington, D. C. to Ocean City, Maryland

Not many photos in the last couple days of the Highway 50 drive. July 9, I went to a Waffle House, a water park, and a used bookstore (the amazing McKay’s Books in Manassas, VA) and otherwise didn’t go very far since I was hoping to meet up with a friend in DC and hadn’t heard from her. I stayed in a motel in Manassas since I’d been having trouble charging my CPAP battery. 

July 10, I ate at a diner that had 85 Mountain Goats songs on the TouchTunes jukebox (!) and headed in to DC. Highway 50 pleasantly goes from being a freeway to rolling right past the Washington Mall. I stayed at the Hosteling International hostel in the middle of DC for two nights, figuring I’d want some time to see the sights. Did some bike riding using DC bikeshare bikes, looked at stuff, took a selfie in front of the White House with my “America Is Never Great” hat showing. You can’t get as physically close to the White House since the last (pre-9/11) time I was around there.

Day 6 - June 28, 2017 - Salida, Colorado to Manitou Springs, Colorado

Took Highway 50 out of Salida to Royal Gorge Bridge, just west of Canon City. Royal Gorge was a slight letdown, possibly because I got there before most of the attractions opened, but I suspect it’s just a tourist trap. I did see bighorn sheep there -- at least I think they’re bighorn sheep? After eating at Waffle Wagon (yes!!!) in Canon City, I took CO-115 north to Colorado Springs with the intention of going to Pike’s Peak. The book recommended stopping in Manitou Springs, on US-24 just a bit west of Colorado Springs, and that’s what I did -- and am I glad. I’d never heard of Manitou Springs before this trip, but it’s a kitschy town full of arcades. In other words, exactly what I went on this trip for. In particular, the arcades have a lot of vintage games, including old pinball games going back to the ‘40s (though the ones shown are not quite that old). This set off a certain excitement about pinball for me that I hadn’t felt previously. 

Day 5: June 27, 2017 - Fruita, Colorado to Salida, Colorado

Day 15 - July 7, 2017 - Bethel, Ohio to Waverly, West Virginia

Day 16 - July 8, 2017 - Waverly, West Virginia to Winchester, Virginia

No pictures from July 7, just more farmland in Ohio that I didn’t much feel like stopping to photograph. Also, it was raining. I stopped in Chillicothe to do laundry, always an exciting part of any road trip. Ate at a disappointing 24-hour diner in Parkersburg, West Virginia and stayed Mountwood Park in Waverly, West Virginia, where I saw a deer, but not much else.

Day 13 - July 5, 2017 - Loogootee, Indiana to Cincinnati, Ohio

Day 14 - July 6, 2017 - Cincinnati, Ohio to Bethel, Ohio

There’s almost always something happening in Ohio.

Day 11 - July 3, 2017 - Overland Park, Kansas to Maplewood, Missouri

Day 12 - July 4, 2017 - Maplewood, Missouri to Loogootee, Indiana

July 3, I finally got my CPAP battery and, ready to sleep in a parking lot again, headed across Missouri to the St. Louis area. The book said there wasn’t much to see on Highway 50 in Missouri and you might as well take the interstate, so that’s exactly what I did. Hence, not much to say about Missouri. Spent the night in a Wal-Mart parking lot just outside St. Louis and on July 4, went to the City Museum in St. Louis, something I’d been looking forward to the whole time. What an incredible place -- it reminds me of an adult version of the Children’s Museum in Boston, but that’s not really a fair comparison since while the City Museum also has stuff to climb around in, it has a whole lot more. If you go, bring knee pads (or buy them in the gift shop) and wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty and ripped.

Day 10 - July 2, 2017 - Kansas City, MO and surroundings