Last month, Melvin and I traveled (generally) the Mormon and Oregon trails of the Westward Expansion, but geographically in reverse. Whereas 19th-century emigrants set their sights on physical landmarks like the Platte River, Independence Rock, and Devil's Gate, our itinerary characteristically derived from the home schedules of successive baseball teams.
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| Devil's Gate; Natrona County, Wyoming |
This was a paradoxical adventure. In my first draft of this post, I called it our "most ill-conceived itinerary" but that is a bean counter's accounting. What we did and saw might or might not be equal to the insane amount of driving (2,740 miles, not including Chicago) and inflated financial cost, but we would have experienced none of it if we stayed at home.
Ironically, given our organizing framework, the baseball itself was perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the trip. When Melvin and I (and our wives at the time) first traveled the "baseball byways," the general standard was Double-A ball and above. On our path to having visited every team in affiliated baseball, and the stadiums where they compete, we have seen all level of play, including independent and collegiate summer league teams. However, the two Independence Baseball League games and three American Association contests, five nights in a row, felt (to me, at least) almost obligatory.
We were also let down by some of our non-baseball destinations. This always happens, as does the inverse —enjoying features more than anticipated — but the divergence between expectation and experience often felt greater on this trip than in the past. For example, Melvin was especially keen to visit Devils Tower but after a considerable detour (it was not a close encounter), we arrived to crowds of tourists and left almost immediately. I have wanted to visit Sun Tunnels (Nancy Holt, 1973-76) since the artwork was created but found seeing it in person anticlimactic, even boring.
I could leave it at that but in an effort to make the trip read as long as it felt to me, here is a day-by-day, stop-by-stop record.
Saturday, July 12 — arrive Salt Lake City
future Allen Park, which as of our visit was still at conceptual design
Arempa's for supper where Melvin had the pabellon, which he says was "fantastic," and I had an arepa — so light, the best I have ever had, with pulled pork
On an adjacent building, the "Book of Summon" is quoted, "NOTHING AND POSSIBILITY come in and out of bond infinite times in a finite moment," which might have seemed portentous if (out of context, at least) it wasn't so vague.
in the 44th home game of the inaugural season at The Ballpark at America First Square; Salt Lake Bees 11, Sacramento River Cats 16 (box score); We will undoubtedly tell the story many times about the hunt for the yellow car. (Can you pick it out?)
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| across the street from the stadium on the way to the game ... |
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| ... and after — much of the 1,300 acre Daybreak development is unbuilt |
Sunday, July 13 — west from SLC
replica of Mr. Fredericksen's house in the animated feature Up (Pete Docter and Bob Peterson, 2009)
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| although visitors are on public property, they are asked by the property owners to limit their visit to three minutes (a request we found easy to comply with) |
brunch at Llanero's, Venezuelan cuisine two meals in a row! I had a cachapa, maybe Melvin did too; what was most memorable was our hosts.
exterior of event venue Saltaire III (and from the highway, the sprawling Rio Tinto Kennecott)
from Interstate-80, the partially damaged Metaphor: The Tree of Utah (Kurt Momen, 1986)
Bonneville Salt Flats for the ECTA 2025 Bonneville Mile but the time trials ended early, before we arrived
two exhibits in the CLUI Wendover Orientation Building; "Points of Interest in the Great Salt Lake Desert Region" and "Points of Interest Around the Old Wendover Airport"
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| the former Wendover Municipal Pool, a reputed "point of interest" a dead cat outside the pool was a point of interest for local youth; I offered them philosophical and cautionary guidance |
the aforementioned Sun Tunnels (Nancy' Holt, 1973-1976)
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a Hawaiian pizza (and, since we were in Nevada, respectable beer) at Fratelli Pizza
Monday, July 14 — Wendover UT to Evanston WY
Iosepa Settlement Cemetery, another reputed point of interest
Among other quotations torch-engraved into boulders in the garden is a variation on the opening lyrics to the LDS hymn, Though Deepening Trials:"Though ascending trialsthrong your way,press on, press on,ye Saints of God." Press on, we would, with our saintliness yet to be determined.
good food at a brewpub is always a plus and our sandwiches for lunch at the Desert Edge Brewery were outstanding, blackened salmon for Melvin and yellow curry chicken for me, but it's a brewpub, and so the beer has to be at least passable and here it was not
Out of the Blue (Stephen Kesler, 2022), a breaching humpback whale in a traffic rotary
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| the neighborhood where the sculpture is located (dare I say it?) felt almost like Portland |
Smith's Ballpark, the former home of the Salt Lake Bees, which is planned to be redeveloped in a mixed-use, transit-oriented scheme
for its architecture, especially the atrium and rooftop, the Salt Lake City Public Library
public art outside and inside (respectively) the Salt Palace Convention Center: the sculpture Point of View (Aaron T. Stephan, 2016) and the mural Solitude Speedway (Chad Farnes, n.d.)
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| Point of View (partial view) |
the Lincoln Highway Tavern, which I loved as much as one Rob Davis, for dinner and the first few rounds od the 2025 MLB Home Run Derby
the rest of the derby on Melvin 's laptop in our room at the capital-A Affordable Inn
At this point I will insert that, the many pleasures of the Lincoln Highway Tavern notwithstanding, Melvin and I had discussed flying to SLC to simply see the Bees, Sun Tunnels, the former Wendover AFB, and other points of interest thereabouts and in hindsight, this might have been less heedless than the 10 days that follow. Ten days follow. Ten.
Tuesday, July 15 — Wyoming, Evanston to Casper
in a former Masonic Temple, breakfast at For Pete's Sake
Black and Orange Garage Camp Cabins built in 1929 and renovated 80 years later
Not just the Emigrant Trails! Also the Lincoln Highway, a historic early 20th-century byway! But before long, we were yet again traveling in reverse on the Mormon and Oregon trails, stopping at the —
preserved stage coach station in the hardscrabble town of Granger, Wyoming
Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, WYO, 19-GRANG, 1-1 (n.d.)
(I do have photographs of my own but the preserved structure lacks any evidence of the passage of time.)
although I hoped to see the (planned) Requiem Sculpture, at that point two months behind schedule, we visited its future site, where Chinatown was located until it was burned to the ground, as well as the more modest, established Rock Springs Massacre Memorial
the aforementioned Devil's Gate
the also previously mentioned Independence Rock
Cygnet Brewery for dinner, where unlike our lunch on Monday, the food was satisfactory, nothing special, but the beer was quite tssty
Casper Spuds 3, Spearfish Sasquatch 7, although due to the leisurely service at dinner and an imminent thunderstorm later, we saw only about half of the game, which was suspended until the following day
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| 2025 Casper Spuds (partial roster) |
Wednesday, July 16 — Casper WY to Pierre SD
Johnny J's for breakfast, where I had Huevos Rancheros that were delicious but resembled none I had ever eaten before; Melvin played it safe with a Western Omelet
for the Mid-Century Modern architecture, the M Building and Tower
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| not apparent from this detail, the exterior diameter is 94' and the tower is 177' tall |
the aforementioned Devil's Tower
from the highway, a Beechcraft Twin Bonanza mounted as a windsock
quick guided tour of the Vore Buffalo Jump
disillusioning stop at the Center of the Nation Monument
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| Charles H. Sheldon was the second governor of South Dakota (1893-1897) and responsible for the construction of the capital that appears behind his likeness |
Oahe (Pierre) Zap 6, Fremont Moo 2 (game recap on ruralradio.com)
Thursday, July 17 — South Dakota, Pierre to Sioux Falls
La Vérendrye Monument with its view (appropriately) of the Missouri River
Oahe Dam Visitor Center, where tours of the powerhouse were suspended and the Historic Oahe Chapel shuttered
half of a smoked chicken for Melvin and a brisket sandwich for me, lunch at The Smoking Mule
Dignity of Earth and Sky monument to the women of the Lakota and Dakota Nations (Dale Claude Lamphere, 2016)
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| you say "grotto" and we say "gotta go" |
hit-and-run (truthfully, just run) at the Porter Sculpture Garden
the "1880 Cowboy Town" roadside attraction that was even more dilapidated than when Vice visited it in 2016
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| "Cowboy Town" was so decrepit that we neglected to invest a quarter-dollar to discover what Sam might do for that meager expenditure. |
open spaces along the Big Sioux River including a replica of Michelangelo's David, Arc of Dreams (Dale Claude Lamphere, 2019), and Falls Park
Old Courthouse Museum but regrettably not the courtroom itself
Sioux Falls Canaries 4, Winnipeg Goldeyes 3 (box score)
Friday, July 18 — Sioux Falls SD to Sioux City IA
"erected by the ladies of the country club" (with their names individually recorded on the reverse), the marker narrows down the time of the attack "by Yankton and Santee Sioux Indians [to] between 9 & 10 o'clock a.m." but when noting the "date of settlement in Cedar Co. - 1857", saw no reason to mention that the Sioux were there first and had been subjected to a forced removal from their ancestral homeland. The full story is more tragic for both the Dakota and the Wiseman family but is largely lost to time.
Warty Willy, the worse-for-wear Stegosaurus of Akron
Ida Grove, Iowa, also known aa "Castletown"
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| "Castletown" looks more interesting in photos than when driving around the town that has done nothing to facilitate finding the various landmarks or to encourage visitors to spend their tourist dollars there. |
dinner at the Marto Brewing Co., where the food is delicious, the service attentive, and the beers (we tried) in need of more of a malt backbone
high above the Missouri River (the Nebraska/Iowa border), the Sergeant Floyd Monument — to the Emigrant Trails and Lincoln Highway, now add the route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Sioux City Explorers 1, Sioux Falls Canaries 0 (box score)
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| first pitch in Sioux City |
Saturday, July 19 — Sioux City IA to Lincoln NE
guided tour from Roland Warner, Cultural Preservation Director, of the Angel de Cora Museum and Research Center
for lunch, fried pickles and Omahawt and achiote sandwiches at the excellent if incendiary Dirty Birds
statue of "Chef Boyardee" outside the Conagra Brands product development lab
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| that's Ettore Boiardi to you |
memorial to Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, where Melvin, Red, and I saw the Omaha Royals in 2004
plaque remembering a failed Japanese balloon bombing during WWII
three mile section of the Lincoln Highway with original brick paving from the 1920s
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| top speed is around 25 mph |
Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, which is mostly an aircraft museum and disappointingly not a museum about America's post-war military nuclear deterrence
Lincoln Saltdogs 6, Winnipeg Goldeyes 5 (box score)
As is customary when a Canadian team competes in what is nominally the United States, the national anthems of both countries were performed. Although the Canadian anthem is (as sung in English) just 55 words, the vocalist that night could not keep them straight.
Also, the user interface of Tixr sucks and I wasn't even that frustrated with either Watson or Melvin at Haymarket Park — by that point in the trip, I just wanted to be home (and that comes from someone who hates his apartment and almost never wants to be there).
Sunday, July 20 — Lincoln NE to Chicago IL
the 45-ton Albert the Bull figure, which celebrates a marketing campaign, not Hereford cattle per se
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| the Louise Bourgeois' Spider (this one from 1997) is only one of the sculptures by artists whose names and work will be recognizable by many |
up-cycled entrance gate, In the Loop (Reynolds Urban Design, n.d.)
Zombie Burger + Drink Lab for lunch, where Melvin had the "We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat" fried fish sandwich and I, still reeling from lunch at Dirty Birds, kept it simple; mac + cheese and a house salad
our next stop was planned to be Principal Park, where the Iowa Cubs would defeat the Columbus Clippers, 5-1 but with five more hours of driving, we skipped the game
from the highway, an AASHO Road Test loop, which we were well beyond by the time I realized I would have liked a closer look and besides, we had skipped a baseball game in order to get to Chicago in time for ...
dinner at First Draft with Watson, who would join us again as we were —
Monday, July 21 — Chicago, Day 1
escorted by Flood Brothers personnel (PLEASE NOTE) to a grotto at the company's recyclable material transfer station where, sadly for us, the statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe had been removed temporarily for repainting
drive-bys of The Plant (where we have previously visited the Whiner Beer Co. taproom), and the vestigial Union Stock Yard Gate
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| the Chicago River has been substantially cleaned up since the South Fork of the South Branch earned the nickname, "Bubbly Creek" |
Zion Evangelical Lutheran "ghost church"
5 Rabanitos for lunch
quick glance inside The Weiners Circle (I didn't order a hot dog; how's that for an insult?)
replica (Tony Hunt, 1984) of the Kwa-Ma-Rolas totem pole
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| also known as Kwanusila for the thunderbird at the top, the original totem pole was carved for the 1893 World Columbian Exposition and installed in Lincoln Park from 1929 to 1985 |
Uncommon Ground for supper, where I had the worst mac & cheese of my entire life and while I am at it, why does organic beer always taste so meh?
Chicago Cubs 4, Kansas City Royals 12 (box score)
Tuesday, July 22
on my own, Navy Pier, in particular the Bob Newhart statue (Studio EIS, 2004)
Pipilotto Rist: Supersubjectiv at the Museum of Contemporary Art
lunch with a cousin at Wildberry Pancakes and Café
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| with Domestic Tension (2007), Bilal gave people the opportunity to talk online or to shoot him with paintballs, referencing his brother's death by a remotely operated drone |
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| many of Pfeiffer's artworks, including Red Green Blue (31:23 mins, 2022), respond to the mass media creation of spectacle both on and off the field, court, or stage, in this case on the sideline of a football game |
the eastern terminus of the Historic Route 66 — The Oregon Trail! The Lincoln Highway! Lewis and Clark! Route 66! Baseball Byways!
the last of the cows once on parade in 1999
the Tiffany Dome at the Chicago Cultural Center
and finally, again as a threesome, on the penultimate day of the inaugural season of the Athletes United Softball League; Blaze 12, Bandits 6 (recap)
How many column inches was that on your digital device? However long, I still question if it conveys how lengthy this trip was to undertake. Like the photos on my phone, this chronology resembles a slide show when what I want you to experience is more analogous to a film, a movie with hours of desiccated salt "lakes," high desert scrub, and fields of soybeans and corn. I guess you had to be there.
n.b.: The title of the post derives from the mural Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way (Emanuel Leutz, 1861-1862), colloquially known as "Westward Ho."
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