2015 Midwest Wanderer Year in Review

Connie Attractions & Events, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Road Trips, Wisconsin December 30, 2015March 15, 2024Beloit International Film Festival, channel islands national park, Colon Michigan, Du Quoin, Fantastic Caverns, Hurts Donuts, IFLY Chicago, Illinois State Fair, John Dillinger Museum, JT Shrimp, Lincoln funeral reenactment, mammoth lakes, Midwest Wanderer, milwaukee art museum, Pabst Brewery, relics antique mall, Snake Alley, Wigwam Motel 2 Comments

2015 has been another great year of firsts for us. We’ve visited new destinations, enjoyed new experiences, and had several “who knew?” moments.

Here are some of our favorite 2015 experiences:

Landscape Across America

Connie Arizona, California, Iowa, Road Trips, Texas December 19, 2015amboy crater, channel islands national park, elephane seals in san simeon, elephant seals in california, Great Salt Lake, Iowa, Iowa loess hills, Loess Hills, mammoth lakes, Monterey, Monterey CA, Monterey California, oatman arizona, oatman az, road trip, salinas valley, Salinas Valley Ca, Salinas Valley California, san simeon, san simeon ca, san simeon california, santa monica, santa monica ca, santa monica california, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Sonora Pass, texas, utah, wyoming 1 Comment

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain

–Katharine Lee Bates

During our twenty-day road trip from Chicago to Monterey, California, down to Santa Monica and back across Route 66, my favorite patriotic song, America the Beautiful, came to mind. The topography constantly changed. From mountains, some still with snow, to lush valleys, to the hot, dry desert and ocean views, the landscape painted a beautiful backdrop for our trip. We’re sharing some of the scenic areas that we drove through in this video.

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in U.S. Long Cuts. We are merging U.S. Long Cuts with Midwest Wanderer, adding a “Beyond the Midwest” menu option.

Mammoth Lakes in the Off Season

Connie Attractions & Events, California December 5, 2015September 20, 2016mammoth lake, mammoth lakes, mammoth lakes ca, mammoth lakes california 0 Comment

Mammoth Lakes, located in California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, is a mecca of recreational activity. Best known as a winter ski resort, warmer weather attracts mountain bikers, campers, equestrians, backpackers and many other summer sport enthusiasts. We happened to visit in May when only a few skiers were taking advantage of what snow was left in the mountains. Summer attractions hadn’t opened for the season yet, and several of the area restaurants were closed. However, despite visiting in the off season, we found plenty to fill our time.

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in U.S. Long Cuts. We are merging U.S. Long Cuts with Midwest Wanderer, adding a “Beyond the Midwest” menu option.