What sort of road is I-80 through Nebraska? I pulled a 5th wheel over that route several years ago and it just about beat us to death! It was a concrete highway and it seemed like every joint made the trailer buck. If it hasn't improved, I will probably take I-70 through Denver, then I-25 to Cheyenne. I would really like to take the more northern route to Wyoming, but not unless the road has improved.
We've pretty well discarded I80 through Nebraska because of the rough road construction. We never porpoise, but boy Howdy, did we ever pulling our Airstream down I80. We opt to go the northern route, I90, or do I70 across to I25 and up into Wyoming or onto Montana. Happy travels! ~G
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maxandgeorgia
1995 Airstream Classic Limited 30' ~ Gypsy
Chev Silverado 2500HD Duramax/Allison, 4X4, Crew Cab
WBCCI #5013 AIR #2908
WDCU
Go, Mizzou...Tigers on the prowl!
We prefer the US and state highways when we have time. Its the only way to really travel and see the country. We only drove about 1600 freeway miles on our recent 6650 mile trip to Ohio, attend our first International and then return to California. We spent 16 days covering those 6650 miles and another 20 days with family, at the international and several national parks. Travel days were typically 350 miles with a couple 200 miles, one less than 100 miles and three right at 540 miles. You guessed it, two of the three were freeway days.
As an alternative take US 36 across the top of Kansas rather than I-70 or I-80. Yes it takes a couple of hours longer to get from Kansas City to Denver compared to the freeways but you go through the little towns and get a chance to stop at their museums and local restaurants rather than just nationwide chains. There is a great museum on the agricultural history of the area and vintage wind generators in Hiawatha, KS; a beautiful County building for Marshall County in Marysville, KS; the center of the 48 contiguous states farther east near Lebanon, KS; great camping at Prairie Dog State Park west of Norton, KS; there is also a myriad of state parks, wildlife areas and places to see along the way.
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Don (KD6UVT) & Gail Williams
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I would take I-80 to Grand Island and spend a day camping at Hall county park and touring Sture museum. Out of Grand Island, I would take hiway 2. It is a fairly newly done two lane with low traffic. It goes thru the sand hill right up into the pan handel
I agree with Pop Rivet. We camp at Hall County Park ($13 per night) a couple of trips per year when we visit our kids in Grand Island. It is right across a small stream from Stuhr museum. Stuhr is worth seeing (http://www.stuhrmuseum.org/). Hall County Park was flooded earlier this summer but is open now. I don't know what damage was done. Spaces are huge concrete pads that are totally level. Electric only but dump station and water are not far. Clean showers and restrooms.
Highway 2 is worth the trip. It runs through some of the best range land in America. Very sparsely setteled country. Some counties have less than 2500 population. Also, You'll see some of the shortest windmills you'll ever see anywhere. Sandhills sit on the huge Oglala auquifer and the water table is very close to the surface.
Depending on your destination, going north out of Alliance (site of "Carhenge" ) to visit Fort Robinson is well worth it as well. No mountains in Nebraska but the state has a lot of beauty. Fort Robinson is at the extreme south end of the Black Hills.
I traveled I-80 from Lincoln west to Wyoming in May and it was good then. They've done a lot of "calming" work on the expansion joints over the last few years.
I agree about the beauty seen while traveling across Nebraska. If, as it sounds from the posts above, I-80 has been improved, then we'll look forward to driving this way again. Thanks for the info! ~G
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maxandgeorgia
1995 Airstream Classic Limited 30' ~ Gypsy
Chev Silverado 2500HD Duramax/Allison, 4X4, Crew Cab
WBCCI #5013 AIR #2908
WDCU
Go, Mizzou...Tigers on the prowl!
I won't travel on I-80 through Nebraska when towing, it will beat you to death even at 50 mph. The only other place I have seen interstate this rough is I-40 in Oklahoma City. I now travel Rt 30, 34, or 2 if in Nebraska all are great two lanes .Two lane just feels better- see more , do more , live more.
We too noticed that I-80 in Nebraska has become dramatically worse in just the past year. In July 2007 we drove east across the length of Nebraska on I-80 and found the roadway quite good. However, this year going westerly I-80 was quite rough and uncomfortable at any speed.
In our 8,000 mile drive from AZ to MA and back this year, we encountered two stretches of Interstates that make I-80 in Nebraska look as smooth as glass. In particular, I-78 starting a few miles east of the junction with I-81 and extending all the way to Allentown was so washboardy (sp?) that slowing to 40 mph was the only way we found to smooth out the bucking between TV and trailer. Apparently, this road was a concrete road that has since been (partially) resurfaced with asphalt. Oddly, there was a gap in the asphalt at each joint in the underlying concrete. A little gap wouldn't have mattered much but these were calculated to destroy kidneys because they were about a foot wide and several inches deep!! Amazing. Stupid. We'll never travel that road again.
It gets worse. I-76 in Colorado for almost its entire length is a brutally rough concrete road with gaps no more that 8 feet apart. What's the excuse for that, I wonder? The result is a bone-jarring ride that you pray will end soon, but it never does all the way from I-80 in Nebraska to Denver. Another road to avoid.
I'd take I-70 too. I haven't been on I-80 for several years because when we go east, I-80 feeds into toll roads through Indiana, Ohio and NY, and Pa. wants to make I-80 a toll road too. We were on I-70 from Pa. to Glenwood Springs, Colo., and it's generally in good shape though it was early June and we were dodging tornados, severe rain and such. Also the interstate spaghetti at KC and St. Louis can be pretty confusing. We took the east-west interstate that runs north of St. Louis, I think it's I-270 or 370. I recall I-70 though St. Louis to have been pretty rough a couple of years ago. I do remember I-76 to be rough. Once we took E-470 for about 5 miles near the Denver airport and the tolls are outrageous—there's a reason that road has no traffic. I think I-80 and I-40 have more truck traffic than I-70, probably because the Colorado mountains cost a lot of fuel for the truckers and I-80 goes to the industrial heartland from central Cal. and I-40 goes to LA. The traffic on all 3 east-west interstates has increased amazingly in the decades I have been traveling cross country. We need another interstate—I-50 or I-70 something or three lanes on I-80, plus another cross country railroad. Wouldn't it be nice to load the truck and Airstream on a railcar, walk down to the pullman car and go a thousand or two miles?
I took US 34 and 36 across the midwest a couple of times in the 1970's and they were good 2 lane roads. Then with the 55 speed limit, those roads were faster than the interstates because there were no cops on the 2 lane blacktop. Don't miss the world's largest ball of twine in Cawker City, Kan.—it's on 36 or near it if I think. I don't know why I have never forgotten that ball of twine, maybe because it's so silly.
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I-80 through Nebraska
) to visit Fort Robinson is well worth it as well. No mountains in Nebraska but the state has a lot of beauty. Fort Robinson is at the extreme south end of the Black Hills.
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