Cross Country on I80

[Blueberrydesk]

I'm leaving from Sacramento, CA on Tuesday, destined for State College, PA and I'll basically be following I-80 across the country. I need to arrive by Sunday night at the latest, so I won't really have time for major diversions off the highway. Planned stops are Wells, NV or closer to the Utah border; Laramie, WY; Des Moines, IA; and Columbus, OH.

Any suggestions for good viewpoints or interesting things to shoot would be welcome. I've driven across the country several times before, but never this northern route. I do have some leeway in terms of side trips. If I drove straight through I could get to State College by Saturday morning, so I can make some adjustments.

Specifically I'm thinking of any suggestions around northern Utah, Southern Wyoming and things in Nebraska like the world's largest ball of mud.

I'm taking all my gear, so every format smaller than 8x10 will be travelling with me.

Thanks!
Paul

oh, good places to eat (and drink) in the towns I've mentioned would be nice, too.

[davidb]

Sounds like a great trip. I will be doing I-40 from Albuquerque to Durham NC later this summer.

I love road trips.

[Toyon]

For Pete's sake stay off the interstates, federal and state roads are much more interesting and offer opportunities for serendipitous shots. Interestingly, once you get to the flatter states, they are nearly as fast as the interstates. The average truck accident caused by a sleepy driver causes the death of 8 others, almost always in smaller cars and light trucks.

[Dave Brown]

My first thought was Vedauwoo. Vedauwoo is in Wyoming, only a mile or two off of I-80. There is also the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah (striking, but difficult to photograph) The Great Salt Lake, and the little known Joseph Smith Sphinx.

[John Kasaian]

There are (were?) some funky towers in the desert on 80 East of Sparks built by the guy who built Watts Towers.
You'll be driving through the Wasatch range in Utah, theres plenty of scenery there. Maybe the ski lifts at Park City are running.
I don't know if its still there, but somewhere West of Laramie theres a famous tree by the UP tracks that wouldn't be there except that the firemen on the trains would toss a bucket of water at it when the locomotives rolled by.
Steak is always good in Lincoln, NE.

[Donald Qualls]

If you like architecture at all, the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City is worth photographing -- the world center of one of the most uniquely American religions on Earth. You won't be allowed inside the temple to see the world's largest pipe organ (unless you're a Mormon in good standing), but the exterior of the building (and its history, originally built without nails in a period when the Mormon settlers weren't far ahead of simple subsistence) is worth a few sheets of film, and last time I was there (about 20 years ago) there was easy parking close enough to lug a camera and tripod, and some good views of the Tabernacle from public streets. Can't say if there will be restrictions on tripods or photography in general in this post-9/11 age, but it's easy enough to call the SLC Chamber of Commerce, who will probably refer you to the Tabernacle management office, to find out the situation. And far from being much out of your way, IIRC you'll be going almost through SLC anyway (as I recall, I-80 skirts by the south edge of the city).

Take a *long* lens -- the figure of the Angel Moroni on top of the Temple is worth a sheet (of color) in and of itself (it's surfaced with gold, and I don't think it's gold leaf).

Nope, I'm not a Mormon, I just appreciate the effort that went into that Tabernacle and its unique heritage.

[Glenn Thoreson]

If you're in a hurry, I would stay clear of downtown Salt Lake. There's a lot of major construction projects going on down there.
There's not much on I-80 in Wyoming. The Vedauwoo Rocks is a good suggestion, on the east side of the state. Fort Bridger is pretty neat. It's just east of Evanston a little ways. Nice period buildings, etc. I live in the SW part of the state, and believe me, I have to hunt like crazy to find subjects that interest me. Wyoming is very sparsely populated. 'Twas always thus.

[eddie]

keep going to NY. i am in kingston NY. great stuff to see around me if you need a day trip once you arriove in pa.

eddie

[Blueberrydesk]

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys. I confess, Glenn, I was really looking forward to southern Wyoming, but then I thought it would be all snowy peaked mountains and such...ah well.

Eddie, I will actually eventually be making my way to NY; I think I'll have to go to Boston for two weeks around the beginning of July, but for the last 2 weeks in June I'll probably be out on Long Island (Carle Place or Manhassett) Where's Kingston located? (I assume you don't mean Queens...) My brother works for PSU so that's why the stop in State College.

[Glenn Thoreson]

You can see the peaks of the Snowy Range off in the distance over by Laramie but for the most part, the trek across I-80 is through high desert country. It's still kind of scenic, in it's way, but just not real photogenic to my eye. There is the old territorial prison over by Rawlins, if you're into that sort of thing.