Embedded Files
February 19, 2026--Minden, Iowa to Dodge City, Kansas
6 am--We actually left Minden 15 minutes earlier than our original plan! Speaking of plans, much to the amusement of David's co-workers, I have almost every detail of this roadtrip planned. When we travel, any aggravation stems from decisions, so I'm trying to reduce some of that stress.
Minden was in a winter storm warning that Thursday, and David wanted to get through Omaha before the morning commute traffic got too bad. Our first stop was in Hebron, Nebraska. Hebron is home to the "world's largest porch swing."
It was too cold and windy to linger very long. Our next destination was Salina, KS, where we stopped for lunch at Blue Skye Brewery and Eats. I channeled my inner Jacob & Brynn and ordered a craft beer with my Southwest Ranch Salad. I tried one called "Cali Squeeze" and it was delicious!
It was too cold and windy to linger very long. Our next destination was Salina, KS, where we stopped for lunch at Blue Skye Brewery and Eats. I channeled my inner Jacob & Brynn and ordered a craft beer with my Southwest Ranch Salad. I tried one called "Cali Squeeze" and it was delicious!
We made an unscheduled stop at the Cheyenne Bottoms Visitor Center, where we learned about the large wetlands area we were traveling through. We were the first visitors of the day, even though it was mid afternoon. The man at the desk usually leads birding tours and explained a lot about the area. They also had a classroom area that housed several snakes, spiders, and turtles. We bought a postcard and a magnet and got back on the road after a nice visit.
Our final destination of the day was Dodge City, KS, where we would spend the night at Silver Spur Vintage Inn & Suites, but first, we toured the Boot Hill Museum. After checking into our hotel, we had pizza at Dodge City Brewing.
February 20, 2026--Dodge City, Kansas to Tucumcari, New Mexico
Friday morning, we left Dodge City around 7:30, headed toward Perryton, Texas. Perryton is home to the wonderful "Museum of the Plains." The building didn't look like much from the outside, but it housed so many wonderful collections. Perryton is home of John R. Erickson, who wrote the Hank, the Cowdog, series of children's books, so his work featured prominently. The staff also suggested our lunch location, The Smokehouse, which had a lunch buffet that included catfish, since it was the first Friday of Lent.
After leaving Perryton, we headed toward Amarillo. We passed a cotton field, which I had never seen before, and the landscape was quite varied as we headed south. Although we had around 10+ inches of snow some places in Iowa, we were traveling under a cloudless sky with temps near 60. About 30 miles north of Amarillo, we crossed the Sanford Dam, on the Canadian River, which forms Lake Meredith. The lake looked particularly beautiful under the blue skies and was a contrast to the dry, brush terrain we had been passing through. We mainly circumvented Amarillo, but we did stop to see the Cadillac Ranch, which wasn't quite what I was expecting. It was too windy to do our own spray painting on the cars, but we did snap a few pictures.
Glenrio Welcome Center was the first stop in New Mexico before heading to our final stop of the day in Tucumcari. We drove along part of Historic Route 66 and saw a mesa (Tucumcari Mountain) that I recognized from the movie, Cars. We stayed at a quirky hotel called the Roadrunner Lodge, decorated with mid-century modern furnishings, but very clean and comfortable.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse