Day 3: Chicago to Grand Island, Nebraska — stop making fun of the Heartland!

Thank a farmer
Thank a farmer

You look at a map, makes your plans to drive across country, and they stare at you right in the face.  The Dakotas.  Nebraska. Kansas.  Head anywhere west and north in America, and you’ve got to cross them.  They are flat. They are long.  They are slow. And they are beautiful. Without them, we wouldn’t have a lot to eat.

I pulled into a rest stop in the middle of nowhere, and inside, displayed with immense price, was a piece of the World Trade Center and a Flag of Honor, listing those who died on 9-11.  We are all more connected than we think.

If left Chicago after a great night staying with a family of friends, and raced towards Aspen, Colo., where I had a book talk.  It’s a two-day drive, and I had 1.5 days.   But i also had great friends to stop and see. Nothing propels you forward on a road trip like seeing old friends.  So here’s a few pictures from the drive. Rusty says hello.

 

Rusty and Axton.  He likes to climb.
Rusty and Axton. He likes to climb.

 

 

The Iowa State mascot is everywhere in Iowa City,
The Iowa State mascot is everywhere in Iowa City,
There's something about geometric shapes and agriculture. Good food is pretty.
There’s something about geometric shapes and agriculture. Good food is pretty.

 

 

What are you looking at?
What are you looking at?

 

Land of the free
Land of the free

 

Good fences make...pretty pictures.
Good fences make…pretty pictures.

 

 

 

159 (550x367) (550x367)

 

179 (550x367) (550x367) (2)

 

At a rest stop in Nebraska, a piece of the World Trade Center and a Flag of Honor.
At a rest stop in Nebraska, a piece of the World Trade Center and a Flag of Honor.

 

Rusty and Tim Schoon, a great photographer and friend.
Rusty and Tim Schoon, a great photographer and friend.

 

Good night
Good night

 

 

 

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About Bob Sullivan 1644 Articles
BOB SULLIVAN is a veteran journalist and the author of four books, including the 2008 New York Times Best-Seller, Gotcha Capitalism, and the 2010 New York Times Best Seller, Stop Getting Ripped Off! His latest, The Plateau Effect, was published in 2013, and as a paperback, called Getting Unstuck in 2014. He has won the Society of Professional Journalists prestigious Public Service award, a Peabody award, and The Consumer Federation of America Betty Furness award, and been given Consumer Action’s Consumer Excellence Award.