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.