Day 111: Green Bay, Wisconsin to Des Moines, Iowa; Day 112: Des Moines to Amarillo, Texas; Day 113: Amarillo to Gallup, New Mexico; Day 114: Gallup to Las Vegas, Nevada

It is kind of fitting that we are approaching the end of this road trip in a similar fashion as we started it -- heading west. When we left Vermont in advance of NFL week 1, we traveled through warm, lovely landscapes showing just a hint of fall color. But, as we headed west from Green Bay after NFL week 15, the views stretched on -- an endless tableau of brown and white. 

But, when we hit the road after spending the first night in Des Moines, we began to see changes. Brown and white gave way to tan, sage and bright blue skies that seemed to stretch on forever. Our second driving day was a doozy. We were on the road for 11 hours, traveling through 5 states -- Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. I had that old Nat King Cole song,  "Route 66" stuck in my head -- especially after we decided to break our journey in Amarillo and, later, in Gallup, New Mexico. We spent a fair bit of time on the highway that replaced the old Route 66, often we could see the old road off to the side. 

Before leaving Amarillo, we stopped at a couple of cool sights. Below, Greg and I stand under a model of Helium in the courtyard of the Amarillo Discover Museum. The giant molecule structure also also functions as a time capsule and sun dial. 

Amarillo, Texas: Helium Time Columns Monument

A six-story-tall spire with a big helium molecule in its center, celebrating all of the helium that's buried under Amarillo.

Helium Monument

Part scientific/historical monument to helium, part multi-pronged time capsule, all roadside attraction.

Helium Time Columns

The Helium Time Columns are so much more than just a 66-foot-tall sculpture of four stainless steel columns. Each leg of the sculpture is a time capsule, with artifacts, letters, and knowledge from 1968 stored inside in an inert helium atmosphere. These time capsules were set to be opened 25, 50, 100, and 1000 years after the statue dedication in 1968.

But wait, there's more -- attached under the sculpture is a model of a helium atom. And the sculpture is also a sundial, marking the time on the dais that houses the sculpture.

The next stop was even more unusual but iconic: The Cadillac Ranch. In 1974, an artist and philanthropist buried 10 Cadillacs nose down in his field with the aim of creating a rebellious piece of public art. Over time a tradition started -- visitors were encouraged to put their own stamp on the art using spray paint. The result is truly an amazing, weird spectacle. As we watched folks try their skill, we were happy to be spectators. There was a pretty stiff wind causing blowback -- some of the would be artists ended up as art.

Just a mile down the road a copy-cat has sprung up: a Cadillac Ranch-themed mobile home park. We stopped by for a couple of pics.

Then it was back on the road and headed for Gallup, New Mexico and after that, Las Vegas.

Days 107-110: Green Bay, Wisconsin

When we started this journey on September 3, Greg and I thought the season was likely to be short. We figured that the NFL would be so hampered by Covid that they would have to cancel the season or postpone it after a few weeks. After all, in a world where close contact is perilous, it seemed silly to think that the sport that arguably features the most contact (besides wrestling) would be able to keep playing for an entire 17-week season. But, as we rolled into Green Bay we marveled that somehow, by sheer audacity, the NFL managed to keep going. Players have gotten sick, even stars, but the teams just sub in other players and/or reschedule games. 

Green Bay is definitely the most football-obsessed town we've been to. Folks take their Packer-mania seriously. For example, the families who live across wide Lombardi Avenue from the stadium seem to be competing to see whose yard can show the most Packer love. Even City Hall is in on the theme. I bet they have an ordinance allowing them to confiscate your property if your display isn't sufficiently great. Don't believe me? Check out the sign below.

The yards above are across from Lambeau Field. Below, Greg and I join in on Packer mania.

  

The Packers Heritage Trail snakes its way through downtown Green Bay. Here are a few stops along the way. 

 

  

In addition to football sites, Green Bay has other interesting features. Here are a few that caught my eye. 

 

There's a distinct smell you notice from time to time when you're out walking in Green Bay in frigid weather. Turns out it is from the paper mills. Below, a mill's smoky plume. 

In the Covid era, Greg's team conducts all player interviews by zoom (below left). The Green Bay game was aired in prime-time to 100% of the country. That meant more cameras and tape machines for Greg. Here's the monitor wall he was facing in game (below right).  

On the field: Carolina Panthers @ Green Bay Packers. The Packers scored on their first three possessions, but faltered in the second half as the Panthers defense rose to the challenge. Aaron Rodgers and his team just squeaked out a victory. Final score: Panthers 16, Packers 24.On the map: Distance from last week: Cincinnati to Green Bay -- 506 miles  

As we headed out of Green Bay on Sunday morning, we couldn't resist a stop in nearby Appleton, Wisconsin. Greg was a huge fan of Harry Houdini growing up. While Houdini was born in Hungary, his family moved to Appleton when he was a boy. He claimed the town as his home. There's a bust of him in Houdini Square. Greg looks a bit like the uni-bomber (below) but it was cold out.

  

   

Houdini first attracted notice in vaudeville in the United States and then as "Harry 'Handcuff' Houdini" on a tour of Europe, where he challenged police forces to keep him locked up. Soon he extended his repertoire to include chains, ropes slung from skyscrapers, straitjackets under water, and having to escape from and hold his breath inside a sealed milk can with water in it. (from wikipedia).

Day 104: Cincinnati, Ohio to Champaign, Illinois; Day 105: Champaign to Madison, Wisconsin; Day 106: Madison to Green Bay

Since we were not able to go home between games and our next game site was in the Midwest, we had a bit of time to poke around on the journey. As usual, Greg found some interesting sights for us to check out. Our first day's drive took us to Champaign, Illinois, home to the University of Illinois Fighting Illini and, it turns out, quite a few quirky attractions. 

Like the theater where Roger Ebert watched movies as teenager. He honed his film appreciation skills during many hours watching current (now classic) films in the majestic Virginia Theater.  They've put a statue of him entitled "C-U at the Movies" right outside. You can even sit with him and weigh in on the whatever's showing. No popcorn, though.

A few miles from Roger we found this gigantic copper Indian in a field near an apple farm. Maybe he's trying to shoot an apple off of someone's head?

[From RoadisideAmerica.com] Herbert W. Drews was a heating and air conditioning man by trade, but an artist at heart. In the 1930s he built a big Tin Man and stood him outside his business in Danville, Illinois. Then in 1949 he built the Big Indian.

A plaque at its base calls the statue "The Chief" and says it was built to honor Kesis, "a famous Kickapoo Indian chief of east central Illinois." The statue stood on the old Dixie Highway for 46 years, outliving both Herbert W. and his son, Herbert O. A grandson moved the statue to its current spot in Champaign in 1995.

Standing nearly 17 feet tall, the statue is surprisingly lifelike. Obviously a tough man, Chief Kesis wears only moccasins and a loin cloth. Old postcards show a murderous tomahawk belted to his waist, but it's gone now.

Made of hammered copper, the statue initially mimicked the skin color of its Indian subject. But time has turned the Chief green, like the Statue of Liberty or Frankenstein's monster.

In his current location, the Chief aims his bow west toward Interstate 57. His scowl of concentration suggests a fatal end for whatever is on the receiving end of his arrow.

This particular part of Illinois seems to be blessed with a plethora of cool sights so, of course, Greg was able to find a Muffler Man, as well. This fellow was in a mini-mall outside a burger joint.

A visit to Champaign, Illinois would not be complete without a peek at the Kraft factory where they make, you guessed it, their signature macaroni and cheese. 

When criss-crossing the Midwest, we've seen the billboard below and others like it many times. Sometimes the caption is a little different, but the message is always the same. While I'm not in the market for a new church, I do feel a sort of kinship with this man. His expression perfectly captures how I've felt nearly all the time during this crazy year -- and quite often in the three years that preceded it.

But, I am grateful that so far our family has been able to stay reasonably healthy and that Greg and I have been able to support each other during a long journey and even longer year. We are blessed to have three wonderful adult daughters who have managed their own challenges and still had help and encouragement to spare for their road-weary parents. 

Here's our Christmas card. (Spoiler alert: the picture was taken last January as we have not been all together in may months. I'm pretty sure I've got quite a few more wrinkles now.)