I 80 across Iowa and Nebraska

I grew up in Nebraska. Western Neb starts to get interesting with Chimney Rock and the Sandhills. If you want boring, try I-70 from Kansas City to KS/CO border. That is truly flat.

When you're driving at 60-70 MPH across Nebraska, just remember those families who drove that same route in Conestoga wagons covering anywhere from 3 to 10 miles per day.

hellbird503 wrote:
How is I 80 across Iowa and Nebraska? Thanks for your help, Dave

Rolling hills and LOTS and LOTS of corn in Iowa!!

Nebraska is loooong and diverse. Farmland in the east, grazing land in the west. I-80 parallels the Platte River and South Platte River, so makes for some interesting scenery. Flatter drive than in Iowa, a gradual climb to the western side and going in to Wyoming.

"The longest year in my life was a day driving across Nebraska!"

SAC Museum on I-80 east of Lincoln.

There is a three-foot grade near Ogallalla, but with a good tailwind and a hundred mile run at it, you should make it with no problem.
And don't forget to visit The Tree near Grand Island.

GM

You can choose between corn and soybeans for your viewing pleasure!!!

Since we live in a "high desert, chaparral" environment, I feel that Neb isn't that ugly!! Now eastern Colorado, that's pretty much what we have around home, other than the irrigated areas.

Only hwy condition comment: Last Aug across Iowa, it seemed that they had some pretty bad bridge approaches. Very rough and sharp difference in matching the highway surface height.

We prefer to drive route 30 between Grand Island and Ogalalla Nebraska. Route 30 runs more or less parallel to I80. It's a slower drive than I80, but no trucks and speeding cars to deal with. Slower due to a number of small (actually tiny) towns to go through, but the road surface was fine when we went that way back on May 24th. Every few miles we got to watch mile long trains go by.

For train buffs, the Golden Spike Tower overlooking the Bailey Yard of the Union Pacific Railroad is in North Platte.

We do it twice a year going Chicago to Denver. Iowa is kind of pretty, Nebraska is pretty boring, but as others said, not as bad as I-90 in MN and SD!

Road condition was good this spring, sometimes serious crosswinds in Iowa.

notruffinit wrote:
To those that think this drive across Iowa is boring with no sights have not crossed the high desert in Wyoming, I90 across North Dakota. I love the beauty of the different greens this time of year. JMHO.

I90 goes across Wyoming, South Dakota, and Minnesota, not North Dakota or Iowa. It is beautiful on the Western side, Buffalo Gap, Bad Lands and the Black Hills, but in between Buffalo Gap and Sioux Falls it's almost as bad as 80 across Nebraska.

We did the drive Saturday, road surface was passable, but not that great in places.

To those that think this drive across Iowa is boring with no sights have not crossed the high desert in Wyoming, I90 across North Dakota. I love the beauty of the different greens this time of year. JMHO.

And where are the Amish villages? I know the Amana Colonies, which are not Amish, and they are close to I80. Maybe that is what you are referring to. If it is, they are a fun place to visit and there is a huge campground there.