Across America | and back

So in October 2024, we decided to drive across the country.

The last and only other time I had driven across the country was with my brother, Chris, and his wife (at that time) Cathy. I don't remember much about the trip though I do remember we went the southern route. My brother probably did most of the driving in my parents '66 VW camper.

This time, as with most of our driving trips, we were headed first to Milwaukee to deal with the empty upstairs unit of our 1900's house in downtown.

And as usual, I try and map out some points of interest along the way to keep me motivated for the long drive. This time, after recently reading my grandmother Chloe Nelson's life story that she wrote when she was 88 years old, I was going to visit some points of interest from my Mormon heritage.

One branch of my ancestors - the Bennions -came across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. The other - the Hancocks - came to San Francisco via Cape Horn in 1850. Both of my grandparents are Daughters of the Utah Pioneers - meaning they were the first to settle the area around what is now Salt Lake City.

Day One | Crestline, California to Beaver, Utah

Trying to make time, I pretty much drove straight through on Interstate 15. It was windy and hot and dusty as we sped through Nevada. As sunset approached we figured out what town was reachable and ended up at Beaver which is known as the home of "The Father of Television" - Philo Farnsworth.

Day Two | Beaver to Kemmerer, Wyoming | Mormon heritage day

Before hitting the road, we visited the famous cabin where Philo was born.

A quick stop at Mona, Utah to rephotograph the lovely wife again. We had stopped there years ago on another Milwaukee trip |

Now to relative hunting | I think I will write what I jotted down during the trip for this portion |

"The Heritage Center of Lehi where my Grandpa Lee was born was closed. At the Taylorsville Bennion Heritage Center where a Halloween themed lunch gathering was taking place, I mentioned I was a Bennion (my middle name is Bennion), and one of the women said she thought so because my forehead was a Bennion's! Susan Yadeskie showed us around and we shared information and learned that we were related by a shared great grandfather, John Bennion."

(genealogy talk now)

"Grandma Susie was the eldest daughter of the third wife and Susan (Yadeskie) was the granddaughter from John Bennion's first wife. The second wife did not have any children. Great visit." So it seems we are cousins, removed to some degree |

Pushing north through busy interstate 15 traffic past Salt Lake City, we stopped at Farmington and Mendon where my grandmother Chloe Hancock grew up.

Day Three | Kemmerer to Lusk, Wyoming | across the high plains

Excerpt from travel journal | "Started the day visiting Kemmerer, the birthplace of James Cash Penny - the founder of JC Penny. Had breakfast at the Fossil Fuel Cafe (lots of fossils around here and oil) and then hit the road."

"Headed northeast and wanted to explore the area where my great grandfather, John Bennion, came across in the second expedition after Brigham Young (who succeeded Church of Latter Days Saints founder Joseph Smith) and also the place where a Hancock relative had scouted out the advance of Johnston's Army (1857 - to quell a perceived Mormon rebellion). First stop was Lombard Ferry Crossing over the Green River."

"Then the Parting of the Ways where the trail diverged (one going to Oregon and the other to California). I stopped at historic markers near the Little Sandy Crossing where the infant sister of John Bennion was buried during his crossing of the plains to the Great Salt Lake basin."

I had read somewhere that the famous movie scene from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" where they ride a bicycle in a western town was filmed at South Pass City. It was actually in Utah, I later found out. Nonetheless, we ventured a few miles on a dirt road to visit the historic ghost town - Robert Redford did actually visit it which is depicted in his book "The Outlaw Trail"

"I had read about Sacajawea's burial at the Indian Cemetery at Fort Washakie, so decided to check it out before making the big push east. Very interesting and reminded me of cemeteries in Mexico with lots of decorations and belongings placed on the graves. There were also plenty of prairie dogs holes. I even was able to photograph one on top of a grave." - bit grim |

Scenes from the road |

Day Four | Lusk to Sioux City, Iowa | across the plains making time

After meandering through Wyoming and Utah, it was time to make time. 450 miles on US 20. The only stops were Fort Robinson and a quick picnic. Fort Robinson has an interesting history. Crazy Horse, leader of the Lakota Sioux, surrender here (1877) and then was bayonetted to death by a soldier (1877).

A prison escape by Cheyenne inmates called "The Flight of the Cheyennes" resulted in a number of death both among the Cheyennes and soldiers.

It was also a prisoner of war camp for German soldiers during World War II.

Day Five | Sioux City to Milwaukee, Wisconsin | America's heartland

Sticking to Hiway 20 for most of the day until entering Wisconsin, I had one point-of-interest to visit - Dyersville and the Iowa farm where "Field of Dreams" was filmed.

Scenes from the road |

Almost 500 miles on the road, we finally arrived in Milwaukee to a totally messed up upstairs unit. Sometimes it's not easy being a landlord |

Milwaukee | Pooch walk snaps

Day Six | Milwaukee to Wooster, Ohio | Lincoln Highway

So after fixing up the upstairs unit and finding a new tenant we hit the road for the drive to my sister, Jennifer's place outside of Philadelphia. She had agreed to take Holly, our Husky, while we travelled to Egypt. We were going to Egypt to see our son, Shams, his wife, Sophia and their son, Seif. They would be moving to Cairo from Mauritius and we were anxious to see our grandson and help them get moved in (a whole another story that my wife, Mona, wrote about). I would also be traveling to China on a documentation trip to Guangdong (https://thedocumentarian.org/guangdong-taste-china/

I had learned about the Lincoln Highway - the first transcontinental road dedicated in 1913. It pretty much follows the current US 30 roadway.

Again, I had highlighted a number of points-of-interest, but after slow going getting around Chicago and too many stop lights in Indiana, we ended up only making two stops - Michael Jackson's boyhood home and for about 10 seconds - because it was technically closed for the day - the setting for the movie "Shawshank Redemption"

Day Seven | Wooster to Langhorne, Pennsylvania | just driving

My sister had planned a dinner with her daughter and others for the evening so we needed to make it to her place. Though we still had a long drive to go, I marked a number of possible places to visit - Pretty Boy Floyd's ambush site - Shanksville Memorial site - Fort Necessity Battle and maybe a quick look at the Gettysburg Battlefield (when I was growing up we had a cabin not far from Gettysburg and I know the site quite well and it is one of the most fascinating and consequential places in American history).

Well, after getting boughed down trying to manuever through the clogged highways and surface streets of Pittsburgh, a couple of those sites were dropped. Then once on the Pennsylvania turnpike - so busy and narrow lanes - we had tire trouble and needed to get the back tires replaced. So essentially no stops in PA |

So after another 500 mile day, we arrived in the early evening just in time to have dinner with Jennifer and family |

After a brief two day stay with my sister, it was time to head to New York to meet up with our daughter and overnight at a hotel near the airport. So after checking in and dropping our luggage off, we drove back to New Jersey where we visited Fort Wadsworth. My sister left us at the Staten Island Ferry terminal and we boarded the ferry for Manhattan where we were going to meet up with friends from our Cairo days.

Off to Egypt | Six weeks later we returned to New York, but this time we flew into Newark Airport and took the train to Princeton where my sister picked us up.

The return to California | It was bitterly cold when we arrived back in the US. In the 20s Fahrenheit. We rested up for only a couple of days and Jennifer took us around to visit some of the sites in her neighborhood |

Day One | Langhorne, Pennsylvania to Lynchburg, Virginia | rainy cold

We got off early and along with some possible Civil War sites, I planned to drive through Washington DC and maybe visit a friend's mother from my old neighborhood in Virginia. Well, with terrible rainy and generally inclement and traffic congestion issues getting around Philadelphia, I decided to abandoned the initial itinerary and instead make a quick stop at the old house in Falls Church.

The weather was gray and drizzly and with the sun setting at around 4:30pm I was pressed to make some mileage. I kept to secondary highways because I wanted to visit Appomattox Court House where the Civil War surrender was signed between Union General Ulysses S Grant and Confederate General Robert E Lee. The sun was setting and I pulled in to the empty parking lot and rushed to the site. They were closing down and the McLean House where the documents were signed was already closed. A bit disappointing. A long day of difficult driving around and through congested cities, through leafless brown rolling countryside roads in depressing overcast, rainy, dark skies. Though I only did 390 miles, it was quite trying.

I kept my fingers crossed that tomorrow the weather would change.

Day Two | Lynchburg to Knoxville, Tennessee | more rain

Heading out in the morning the weather forecast looked promising. There were some low clouds and low lying fog with glimpses of blue sky. With some sunlight the countryside took on a more cheerful and welcoming atmosphere, so we took the opportunity to stop for a midmorning breakfast picnic at a small Civil War war engagement.

The Battle of Hanging Rock which was fought as Union troops retreated from their attempt to push further into Virginia and capture Lynchburg was unusual in that it involved two future US Presidents - Rutherford Hayes and William McKinley.

However, the promising weather was short lived and we ran into a major storm front moving slowly eastward

Day Three | Memphis to Abilene, Texas | pouring rain and lots of trucks

I had planned on spending a couple of hours in Memphis. I had been there years ago and thought it would be interesting to give Mona a tour of the sites - Graceland, Beale Street, Martin Luther King hotel assassination site.

However, after a night of thunder and lightening and intense downpours, the rain was not letting up. I headed towards town, hopeful that it might clear enough to enjoy the sites. But it kept on pouring and so I headed towards the interstate for the drive west and hopefully a break in the rain.

So far the east coast portion and Appalachia had proven to be uninspiring and depressing - also maybe not the best of ideas to do outdoor tourism in winter in the east.

So we pressed on and things only got worse. Constant rain and wind and so many trucks on Interstate 40 through Arkansas. It's a challenge with trucks lined up and trying to pass each other on two-lane highways. Blinding rain especially with trucks kicking up more water required intense concentration and effort.

Finally, as we entered Texas we left the storm front behind us and beautiful cloudless blue skies welcomed us to the Lone Star state.

There was only one point-of-interest marked on my phone map - the Audie Murphy statue and American Cotton Museum - and we stopped there for lunch.

We visited the statue and some display placards including another Confederate monument celebrating the sacrifice of soldiers for the War of Succession.

At the end of the day, I had clocked 677 tough miles through rain, wind and trucks and around Dallas-Forth Worth and into the open road of northern Texas |

Day Four | Abiline to Lordsburg, New Mexico | Open road, blue skies

Still jet-lagged, we were getting to bed early and waking before sunrise. This morning, we arose before sunrise and we're on the road just as the horizon started to light up. After yesterday truck-congested interstates I decided to strike out on less busy highways.

I had always wanted to visit Roswell and in the only other cross-country trip I took - little of what I could recollect - I did remember going to White Sands National Park and being impressed by how cool to touch the bright white gypsum sands had been especially considering it was blazing hot August when we had visited.

By the time the sun rose we were well on our way having made 60 miles. A strong headwind blowing from the west, notably consumed more gasoline and on the relatively desolate hiway 380, I had to plan gasoline stops carefully.

If I plan to take another route, the night before I scope out possible roadside attractions. I use the site Roadside America (https://www.roadsideamerica.com/) to see what lies along the planned route. First stop, a replica of the Tomb of Jesus Christ - before he rose from the dead.

I love the open spaces of the west. Even these absolute flat cotton and defunct oil-well strewn fields and landscapes interest me. There is something about the west - even Texas - that is inspiring and majestic.

As we headed further west the landscape became more desolate and crossing the border into New Mexico there was a marked difference in the solitude and empty wildness of the high desert. We were entering Alien Territory. Next stop Roswell.

Roswell | New Mexico | All Things Alien

After a quick tour driving up and down the main drag of Roswell where in 1947 an alleged alien space craft crashed, we moved on. I debated whether to take a detour and visit an Outlaw Trail highlight where Billy the Kid shot two deputies while escaping from the Lincoln County Courthouse. That would have to wait for another trip. I wanted to make sure I had time to spend in White Sands.

There are some amazing sand dunes in the western United States - Great Sand Dunes National Park - Kelso sand dunes in the Mojave National Preserve and the Algodones Dunes near the border of Mexico in California. However, there is something about White Sands - the pure white sand - almost like powder - and so soft. They're not tall or massive and resemble fresh heavy snowfall. I could have spent all day, but the days are short in winter and we still had some ways to go. I figured I could make it back to California tomorrow.

635 miles and we pull into Lordsburg, New Mexico at sunset |

Day Five | Lordsburg to Crestline, California | open road, learning the zen of interstate driving

Woke up before dawn and went down to see if there was any breakfast available and to check out. The hotel owner Adjune made us coffee and while we ate cereal we talked talked. He had sold the hotel and was leaving that day with his wife - he is from India - and many small motels are owned and run by Indians in the United States. We were the only guests that night.

There were a number of possible sights including Fort Huachuca in Arizona which my grandfather Lee Merrill was contracted to expand in the early 20th century. But it was too far off the road. I had seen that there was a monument to a Civil War battle along interstate 10. Curious about such a place I decided to check it out.

It was the only engagement in Arizona and ended the Confederacy's attempt to establish a port on the west coast. It is called the Battle of Picacho Pass. 14 Union soldiers from the California Column engaged 12 Confederate soldiers. Three unions soldiers and an officer were killed and two Confederate soldiers captured. The other confederates escaped and fled to the main contingent at Tucson and the Confederate expedition withdrew back towards the New Mexico Territory.

608 miles and we arrive back home | America - it's a big country