The Great River Road Trip 2025 – Day 11

Posted on September 24, 2025 by Kris

Today was probably the longest day of the trip on the road both in time and mileage. I left the hotel in Alton, IL around 8:30 am and some 370 miles later arrived in Dubuque, IA about 5:40 pm. Again the poor planning had me crossing the border back into Iowa for the night as I didn’t look closely enough at the map. As I was passing through Galena, IL I spotted several hotels. Not a big deal, as it’s no more than five miles back to get on track in the morning.

It was a long drive up the western side of Illinois, but I have to say it is one of the best stretches of the road in terms of utilizing what is available. There were several stretches that were literally right on the river bank. Additionally, there were numerous “info” stops along the way. Rest stops without any services but with historical context about the area and some of them with scenic views as well. No other state so far has provided this. Thumbs up Illinois!

Additionally, this stretch of the road was quite scenic. Back into some hilly, winding roads, through both farmlands and forested areas. A very enjoyable drive, if a bit on the long side.

Tomorrow is the last day of the trip and will take me up along the Wisconsin side of the river. I’m expecting it to be a good conclusion to the trip. Certainly ready to get home!

The Great River Road Trip 2025 – Day 3

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Kris

After the fantastic drive yesterday from home to Dubuque, I wasn’t expecting it to continue so well. However, the destination today was Hannibal, MO and it did not disappoint.

The drive from Dubuque into northern Missouri was almost as good as the previous days drive – almost. Made stops in Davenport and Burlington and a few other scenic stops. I found the Missouri signage to not be as clearly posted as it was in Minnesota and Iowa. Despite this for the most part it was good enough.

There were just enough hilly, winding roads to keep it interesting. I passed one campground just north of Hannibal that was right along the river, however is was about 95 degrees and I had no desire to deal with camping though it did look like a nice spot. Anyway, last night I had scoped out a few hotels along the route and was able to get a room for the night. Unless it cools off in the next few days I’m pretty sure camping is off the table for the rest of the trip.

After getting settled into the hotel, it was time to find something for dinner. I settled on a place called The Brick Oven which is a local Italian restaurant since I was in the mood for some pizza. I ordered a side salad and their Garlic Lovers pizza which is made on a nice crispy thin crust, with a garlic spread, caramalized onions, and sausage. It was fantastic! After that it was back to the hotel to relax and get some sleep.

The Great River Road Trip 2025 – Day 2

Posted on September 15, 2025 by Kris

Due to the quirk of the backtracking route to home on Day 1, Day 2 of the road trip starts from home again. Again, due to my lack of planning I had a few things to organize in the morning, get everything loaded into the car and a few work things to address. With those things going on I decided I would get on the road around 1pm. My destination for the day was Dubuque, IA and I decided I would just use some hotel points rather than trying to find a campground on short notice.

I did in fact get on the road about 1:30. Headed just a few miles down the road from the house to access US Highway 61 which would take me a good junk of the way in the coming days. It’s been awhile since I’ve driven south on US61 and never all that far. The drive is nice through Hastings and Red Wing and on to Lake City. But from that point on, all the way to Dubuque it is truly stunning. Hilly, winding roads, little traffic, it was truly a joy to drive even in the Edge. The Solstice would be a lot of fun. I might take a day trip down this way in a few weeks when the leaves start to change – it must be spectacular.

I made a few stops along the way for some scenic overlooks but mostly was just a nice drive and a beautiful day for it other than a brief bit of rain around Winona. I arrived at the hotel in Dubuque around 7 pm and got checked in. Despite the hotel being on an island in the middle of the river, there weren’t any views of the river. Oh well. Plan for Day 3 is to reach Hannibal, MO.