US-6 - Done and Done!
/
It’s Done… all 3,205 miles of it (plus a few detours)
We had only one section of US-6 to complete, but with the impending weather, it was a challenging piece…the remainder of US-6 from Sandusky, Ohio west through Indiana, Illinois and ending in Clive, Iowa where we had previously departed the highway to head to Richmond to begin our family holidays.
With my thoughts still on Lady Liberty, we began our journey west from New Jersey to Sandusky. It was warmer this morning with fog and rain. We watched as the temperature fell 6º in a matter of minutes, rose again, and fell. Mother Nature was being indecisive. The weather forecast was calling for heavy snow with lake effect warnings issued. We crossed the Delaware River as more rain fell, paid a bridge toll and we were in Pennsylvania.
Back in Pennsylvania
Miracle of miracles… the sun broke through for a brief respite producing thick, low hanging fog. It didn’t take long for dark gray clouds to gobble up the blue sky and poof… there went the sun.
Low hanging fog clouds preceded a gray sky and the sun disappeared.
And the snow started to fall… first a few fluttery flakes, then the white stuff came down in earnest ushered in with stiff winds. It was late in the day when we crossed into Ohio and found a hotel for the night.
Ohio ahead
Historic Ohio US-6
Sasquatch looked comfortable treading through the snow. We were not.
We woke to a very cold, 19ºF/-7ºC (feels like -1ºF/-18ºC), gray, snowy morning. We cleared several inches of white powder from Blanche then trudged out our luggage, packed up and headed out. I’d seen an entry in Atlas Obscura for the ‘Center of the World’. It was only a couple miles away in Leavittsburg on OH-5 East, just before the junction of OH-82.
A visit to the Center of the World… in Ohio, no less.
The story behind the sign? Randall Wilmot, a rich investor, bet the area would thrive when the railroad came through and founded Center of the World, Ohio. Unfortunately, the railroad came through the neighboring town of Warren. Wilmot left, but the community maintained the name. I had to clear the snow off the sign, but we got a photo.
The snow continued as we sped west on I-80/Ohio Turnpike. Today’s goal: reclaim US-6 in Sandusky and continue on into Indiana. The snow dwindled to a few flakes about 30 miles west of Sandusky. The sky remained gray with hints of pale blue patches. The sun toyed with us, peeking out briefly and then disappeared as the snow returned. Murals on barns and buildings kept the ride interesting.
Acres of furrowed cornfields lay dormant, sleeping through the winter, awaiting a farmer’s plow. Hacked off corn stalk stubs lent an amber glow to the fields.
Acres and acres of furrowed cornfields waiting for the Spring
Finally, we departed I-80 and found US-6 in Sandusky, right at Washington Park where we’d left off near ‘The Boy and the Boot’ statue and the Merry-Go-Round Museum, now closed for the season. Once out of the city, the snow increased. Ribbons of fallen white powder drifted across the road. Blowing snow hammered the windshield. Snow devils swirled and twirled in the fields.
Blowing snow across the fields and the highway.
In Napoleon, Ohio, we made out way to the Campbell Soup Company for another Roadside America treat… the world’s largest soup can… Campbell’s tomato, of course
World’s Largest Can of Soup in Napoleon, Ohio
We crossed the state line into Indiana and passed up a visit to the Monster Truck Hall of Fame despite the fact that it was apparently open.
Welcome to Indiana… Now we’re getting somewhere!
Entering Waterloo, we couldn’t help but wonder how we could pass through Napoleon AND Waterloo on the same route. Considering we’d also stopped at the Center of the World, seen the World’s Largest Soup Can, and driven 136 more miles on US-6, we were feeling pretty chuffed. It was a good day. We found a hotel room for the night.
Napoleon and Waterloo on the same day.
Another cold, gray, windy day greeted us, the sky spitting snow. We cleared an inch or so of snow off Blanche and got back on US-6. David spotted a sign for the Mid-America Windmill Museum and we went to investigate. It was closed for the season, but we did get a peek at their outdoor windmill collection.
We passed by miles and miles of farmland and fields, silos and grain elevators providing a break in the landscape. Into Illinois, we passed by the Midwest Carvers Museum which was of particular interest to David. Chiselers, carvers and wood-turners create some remarkable pieces of art. Unfortunately, it, too, was closed.
New territory - US-6 in Illinois
US-6 is part of the Ilinois river Road
Illinois gets the award the best US-6 signage. The route was easy to follow and extremely well-marked. Colorado, by the way, ranks last.
We waited in a traffic line for nearly 10 minutes while the Joe Page drawbridge opened up for river traffic on the Illinois River, part of the I & M Canal system. While waiting, we chatted about our plans for celebrating New Year’s Eve on the road. We figured a gourmet picnic was in order, complete with decadent edibles and champers to ring in 2026. Gathering the supplies went on our to-do list.
Joe Page Draw Bridge over the Illinois River
After yet another hotel night (good thing we saved points all year long because we’ve been needing them), we found US-6 once again. The day was sunny with a mackerel sky that boded a weather change.
We stopped at the Hennepin Canal State Park about a mile north of the highway for a leg stretch and a short hike. The hike was very short, in fact, it was freezing and windy. My face was tingling and my hands and feet were immediately cold. We walked down a walnut lined path to the edge of a pond, part of the canal network, to watch folks ice fishing. It’s obviously been very cold here.
David was interested in the canal so we returned to US-6 again for a short distance and detoured to small park at Lock 23. We walked along the canal which is no longer functioning. Once again, it’s been cold here as we noted the icicles and thick ice covering on the lock and subsequently the frozen Rock River.
Frozen Rock River
We made it to Iowa City and spent our New Year’s Eve in a non-descript Fairfield Inn. Luckily, the hotel didn’t matter since the company was great and our champagne picnic was an excellent way to ring in 2026. We even stayed awake till midnight!
On the road again on New Year’s Day, traffic was light and most businesses were closed. We passed through several Main Street America towns all displaying pride in community. We’ve noticed this throughout the country. Every little town has something to tout… the high school sports team, murals, statues, the birthplace of some famous person, museums, special parks or celebrations, what they grow or what they produce, the highest, longest, widest, tallest… always something.
US-6 joined I-80 for a bit then diverged once again in Altoona about 15 miles east of Des Moines. We stuck to US-6 as it meandered south of I-80, through Des Moines and several little towns west of Des Moines as far as Clive, Iowa. It was here that we had departed US-6 last November and here that we called US-6 DONE and DONE!
No big hoopla, no ceremony. We were glad another blue highway was completed. We crossed the mighty Mississippi into Omaha, Nebraska, found a hotel and made plans for our route back to Las Vegas.
We’re ready to head back to Las Vegas, but there’s quite a bit to see along the way, and you know we’re slow travelers. So stick around. There’s lots more to come.