The Midwest and Mountain States

Parts 3 & 4 (2022 Trip)

Our second “Long Way Home” trip had us covering some 25,000 miles across 21 states, focusing on the Midwest and Mountain States.

View of a famous rock formation called Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah, with a clear blue sky and distant mountains in the background.

We visited over 30 stunning national parks, monuments and historic sites, including Utah’s “Mighty Five.”

We drove over mountain passes and crossed the Continental Divide (multiple times). We drove “the Million Dollar Highway,” a trail with steep hairpins down a canyon, and had a picnic at the point where Thelma and Louise drove off the cliff.

A mountain lake with clear blue water surrounded by green trees and towering mountain peaks under a partly cloudy sky.
Modern building with tall vertical windows situated among red rock formations and green shrubbery under a clear blue sky.

We visited many iconic bucket list sites, from Mount Rushmore, to a chapel in the red rocks, to the spot where President Kennedy was shot.

We saw fun roadside attractions, Prada shoes in the desert, art,  and so many towns, from charming little mountain towns, to Old West mining towns, to bigger cities and Chicago.

A lively downtown street with colorful historic buildings, parked motorcycles, people walking, and a lush green hill in the background under a bright blue sky.
An old western-style street with a wooden walkway, benches, and a saloon named 'Big Nose Kate's Saloon'. There are buildings with vintage storefronts, and some people are walking in the distance. A red horse-drawn carriage is visible on the street.

We walked in the footsteps of Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill, Calamity Jane, Doc Holiday, and the Sundance Kid.

Interior view of a large industrial vertical kiln or furnace with a circular open top, metal ladder and scaffolding leading upward, and brick walls.

We climbed through the inner and outer domes of a State Capitol building.

We attended an International Balloon Fiesta with 650 hot air balloons and “pigs flew” when I went for a ride on a flying-pig-shaped hot air balloon.

Hot air balloons flying in the sky, including a pink balloon shaped like a pig with wings and a cartoon face.

We saw ancient cliff dwellings, petroglyphs, mines, the border wall, amazing cacti, a rodeo, a longhorn cattle drive, natural hot springs, canyons and hoodoos, white sand, coral pink sand, red rocks, and both the geographic center of the USA and of the Lower 48, and we went boating on a disappearing lake. And so much more.

Red rock formations in the desert with rippled sand dunes in the foreground under a clear blue sky.
Snow-capped mountains behind a green forest and a reflective river in a lush landscape under a clear blue sky.
Snow-capped mountain range near a lake with a sandy shore and a green forest edge under a blue sky with clouds.
A clear lake with rocky shoreline, surrounded by green mountains under a partly cloudy blue sky.
Interior of an industrial building with a circular layout, featuring multiple levels with metal railings, large windows, and a central platform with machinery or equipment.
Interior view of a large industrial structure with a domed ceiling, yellow walkway, and a central spiral staircase.
Desert landscape with tall cacti, shrubs, and mountains in the background at sunset.
Desert landscape with tall saguaro cacti, shrubs, and mountains in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
A man standing next to a large saguaro cactus in a desert landscape with mountains in the background, holding two dogs on leashes, one wearing a red harness and the other a blue harness, under a partly cloudy sky.
View of Bryce Canyon's orange rock formations with sparse green trees and distant blue mountains under a cloudy sky.
Hikers walking along a trail with stone steps in a canyon with tall, orange rock formations under a cloudy sky.
Colorful houses on a hillside with stairs and railings, surrounded by green trees.
Concrete stairs with metal handrails ascending through a green, wooded area. A person is walking at the top of the stairs. On the left side, there is a colorful mural painting partially visible.
Nighttime city skyline with illuminated skyscrapers and lights.
Nighttime city skyline with illuminated skyscrapers, including a tall building with a yellow sign and a distinctively lit triangular building, in a vibrant downtown area.
View of a small town with colorful buildings at the foot of a hillside covered in sparse vegetation and dry terrain under a clear blue sky.
Cloud Gate sculpture in Millennium Park, Chicago, with many people walking around and taking photos, surrounded by tall city buildings.
A historic Western-style Main Street with storefronts, trees, and people walking under a clear blue sky.
People sitting at red tables by the Chicago River with tall skyscrapers in the background, including the Wrigley Building and Trump Tower, under a cloudy sky.
A cityscape of Chicago featuring tall modern skyscrapers, a river with a boat, parks with trees, and a glass-roofed building.
Empty wooden boardwalk with a few people walking in the distance, flanked by colorful Western-style storefronts and a red train in the background. A prominent sign reads 'Big Nose Kate's Saloon.'
Colorful layered mountains with red and brown hues in the background, green vegetation in the foreground, and a partly cloudy sky overhead.
Scenic view of red-rock mountains under a partly cloudy sky with a green suburban area in the foreground.
Three large buttes in a desert landscape under a partly cloudy sky at sunset.
Desert landscape with red rock formations and orange sand dunes under a clear blue sky.
Desert landscape with large rock formations and a clear blue sky
Modern building built into red rock formations against a bright blue sky with green vegetation at the bottom.
Eroded rugged canyon landscape with multicolored sedimentary rock layers under a clear blue sky.
Colorful layered badlands landscape with dry terrain, sparse vegetation, and a clear blue sky.
Natural rock formation known as Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah, with a bright blue sky and mountain range in the background.
A man wearing sunglasses, a white hat, and a gray long-sleeve shirt kneels on red dirt with five beagle puppies, with layered red rock formations and a canyon landscape in the background.
Close-up view of Mount Rushmore with four carved presidential faces, surrounded by trees and a clear blue sky.
Multiple hot air balloons shaped like characters, including Woody from Toy Story and a dog, inflate on a field during a festival with spectators watching.
Numerous hot air balloons, including cartoon character shapes and colorful patterns, rise into a cloudy sky above a large crowd gathered at a festival.
A hot air balloon festival with a large balloon shaped like a cow with yellow horns, surrounded by colorful hot air balloons in the sky and on the ground.
Hot air balloons with American flag and checkered patterns floating at night against a dark sky.
Colorful hot air balloons floating at night, illuminated from below, with stars visible in the dark sky.
Numerous hot air balloons in different colors and patterns are being launched during a hot air balloon festival, with a large crowd of spectators on the ground.
Scenic view of a mountain landscape with a blue lake, snow-capped peaks, green forests, and grassy meadows.
A tall mountain with snow patches, a lush green field, and trees in the foreground under a bright blue sky.
Snow-covered sand dunes at sunset with mountains in the background and a person sitting on one of the dunes.
Snow-covered sand dunes with a desert landscape, distant mountains, and a sunset sky.
A person in red shorts holding a red sled walking on a vast white sandy beach with a toy vehicle nearby and a blue sky with clouds overhead.
Numerous colorful hot air balloons floating in a clear blue sky over a cityscape with mountains in the background.
Scenic mountain lake with clear water, surrounded by lush green trees and towering mountains under a bright blue sky with a few clouds.
Mountains with snow patches, lush green forests, and waterfalls in a scenic alpine landscape under a partly cloudy sky.
A scenic landscape of a large turquoise lake surrounded by green trees and towering mountains under a partly cloudy sky.
A mountain valley with lush green forest, snow-capped peaks, and a partly cloudy blue sky.
A person in a hot air balloon basket with the number 544, floating in front of a vibrant, rainbow-striped hot air balloon canopy.
Clear lake with colorful pebbles in the foreground, surrounded by green mountains and forests under a blue sky.
Close-up of a colorful hot air balloon being prepared for launch, with a crowd watching in the background.
Multiple colorful hot air balloons in the sky, with a large crowd of people on the ground watching the balloons. The balloons feature various designs, including a smiling face on a white balloon.
A yellow, blue, and red hot air balloon flying over a residential neighborhood with houses, streets, and trees.
Numerous colorful hot air balloons floating over an urban park and parking lot from above.
Yellowstone National Park geothermal hot spring with vibrant blue and orange mineral deposits, surrounding green trees, and a mountainous backdrop under a partly cloudy sky.
Geyser eruption shooting water high into the sky with a grassy foreground and blue sky.
Hot spring with colorful mineral deposits, steam rising, and a forested hillside under a blue sky.
A rustic wooden barn in a green field with a mountain range in the background under a cloudy sky.
A wooden barn situated on a grassy field with mountain peaks in the background and a colorful sky with orange and purple hues.
Colorful hot spring pool with blue water surrounded by mineral deposits in yellow, orange, and white, with a forest and sky in the background.
Main street in a small town with colorful brick buildings, parked motorcycles and people walking.
Colorful hot air balloons with a large balloon shaped like a cat's head and green fruit slices, with a crowd of people below.
Two people, a man and a woman, sitting on a closed road with four dogs, with a desert landscape and rock formations in the background.