Great Lakes, USA

Itinerary: Chicago – Devil’s Lake State Park – North Shore Scenic Drive – Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore – Tunnel of Trees – Petoskey Wine Region – Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore – Detroit – Cuyahoga Valley National Park – Columbus – Hocking Hills State Park – Cincinnati – Springfield

On the border of the United States and Canada lie the Great Lakes. Five of them: Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. They are not called the Great Lakes for nothing: the interconnected lakes together form the largest amount of fresh water in the world and they contain no less than 21 percent of all the fresh water on earth. The coastline of the states that border the Great Lakes is longer than the west coast and east coast of the US combined. That is how big they are, more like inland seas than lakes actually. My tenth trip in the United States is a road trip through six states that border the Great Lakes: Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. With the exception of Lake Ontario (which I have already visited during a trip to Canada), I will see the water of all the Great Lakes during this trip.

Another name for the region that I am travelling through for two weeks is the Midwest. In 1787, the newly formed United States declared this area, until then called Northwest Territory, to be part of the territory of the new nation. In the years that followed, the original inhabitants were forcibly expelled and more and more American migrants (homesteaders) settled in the area. Ohio was the first state to be admitted to the Union in 1803, followed by Indiana (1816), Illinois (1818), Michigan (1837), Wisconsin (1848) and Minnesota (1858).

In the twentieth century, the Midwest developed rapidly, thanks to the steel industry, the oil industry and of course the car industry. However, in the seventies and eighties, this came to a rather dramatic end. Economic recessions and the collapse of the car industry caused unemployment, increasing poverty and rising crime. Many people moved away, cities and villages fell into disrepair. The low point was the bankruptcy of the city of Detroit. The events gave the region the nickname ‘Rust Belt’. Now, in the third decade of the 21st century, things fortunately have turned for the better in the Midwest. Chicago is once again one of the most vibrant cities in the country and even Detroit is recovering after decades of decline.

Chicago

On Friday afternoon, just after half past twelve, I leave Amsterdam Airport Schiphol for the seven-hour flight to Chicago. Due to the time difference, I land at O’Hare International Airport in the afternoon local time. I quickly pass through customs and then take the metro to the city. In Chicago I’m staying near the Western metro station, which is half an hour from O’Hare and ten minutes from downtown Chicago on the Blue Line.

The city of Chicago has approximately three million inhabitants, the total agglomeration including suburbs has nine million inhabitants. This makes Chicago the third city in the United States, after New York City and Los Angeles. It is the largest city in the state of Illinois, but not the capital, which is Springfield (where I will end this trip).

The city is beautifully situated on the southwest coast of Lake Michigan, and is considered the unofficial capital of the Great Lakes region. After New York City, Chicago is perhaps the most iconic and famous American city, with a skyline on the water of Lake Michigan. The city is known for the Chicago blues and of course Barack Obama, but also for the race riots in the sixties of the last century, for Al Capone and political corruption, and for the poverty and violence in the South Side. A city, like everywhere in the United States, of contrasts, of rich and poor, and a mix of cultures from all over the world.

Chicago was founded in 1830 and was almost completely razed to the ground during a major fire in 1871. After that fire, the city was rebuilt and that was also the beginning of a period of great prosperity. Thanks to a new construction method, using a steel skeleton and reinforced concrete, and the invention of the modern electric elevator, it became possible to build higher than before. In 1885, the first building to be given the title ‘skyscraper’ was opened in Chicago.

Chicago has the oldest and after New York City and Washington DC the busiest metro network in the United States. The network, opened in 1892, consists of eight lines and is called the ‘L train’. The L comes from ‘elevated’; the Chicago subway runs largely above ground, on tracks that are built on viaducts above the streets. Downtown Chicago gets its nickname ‘the Loop’ from the elevated L train, which runs in a loop around downtown.

I have two days to explore Chicago. The weather is beautiful and sunny as I start my first day in Millennium Park, an open public space between the high-rise of downtown and the water of Lake Michigan. The main attraction in this park is Cloud Gate, a large stainless steel sculpture, nicknamed The Bean. The artwork is inspired by the shape of mercury and shines in the sun, with the skyline of downtown Chicago as a backdrop. A very photogenic and popular work of art.

A little further along in Millennium Park is the Crown Fountain, a modern artwork consisting of two large black blocks with water flowing down them. Projections of faces can be seen on the sides of the blocks. Millennium Park is also home to the open-air stage Jay Pritzker Pavilion, designed by architect Frank Gehry. Gehry also designed the snakelike walkway BP Bridge, which connects Millennium Park to Maggie Daley Park, a little further along.

I walk through the streets of downtown, with a mix of classic high-rise buildings from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, alongside modern skyscrapers made of glass and steel. The unique architecture of the many historic buildings makes downtown Chicago interesting and gives the city a strong historical character. The viaducts of the typical elevated trains also contribute to this.

One of the architecturally interesting buildings in downtown Chicago is the Marshall Field and Company Building on North State Street. This large building was built in the early years of the twentieth century and is now a Macy’s department store. It is worth taking the elevator to the fifth floor, where you can admire an impressive dome of colored Tiffany stained glass. On North State Street is another iconic building, or rather a building with an iconic sign: the Chicago Theatre. Originally called the Balaban and Katz Theatre, it was built in 1921. The sign leaves no doubt about which city you are in.

On East Washington Street you will find the Chicago Cultural Center, which is located in what was originally the Chicago Public Library, built in 1897. In the richly marbled interior, a wide staircase leads to the third floor, where you will find the Preston Bradley Hall. Looking up from this impressive space, you will see the largest dome of stained glass in the world. The diameter of the dome is almost forty feet. Another Chicago landmark is located on East Wacker Drive. When the Jeweler’s Building was completed in 1927, the forty-story building was the tallest building in the world outside of New York City. It now stands among (much) taller modern high-rises, but the Jeweler’s Building is still one of the most striking classic skyscrapers in downtown Chicago.

Wacker Drive is the main road on the south side of the Chicago River. The Chicago River runs from east to west right through downtown Chicago and ends in Lake Michigan. Or rather: ended in Lake Michigan; through an ingenious system of locks, Chicago has reversed the flow of the river, so that the clear green but polluted water no longer ends up in Lake Michigan. A series of rust-brown steel bridges connect the south bank of the river with the north bank. Tour boats and kayakers sail on the river and the Riverwalk, a pedestrian promenade with numerous food and drink establishments and terraces, runs along the water. It is pleasantly busy there in this beautiful weather.

On the north side of the Chicago River lies the Magnificent Mile, as Michigan Avenue is called here. There are numerous shops and department stores here, but more interesting are the landmark and at the time hypermodern skyscrapers that were built here in the first half of the twentieth century. Directly across the Chicago River is the impressive Wrigley Building, built in the first half of the 1920s. The building has two towers, of which the south tower has a clock tower. Across the street is the Tribune Tower, a striking, spacious 140-metre-high skyscraper. For a long time, the Chicago Tribune newspaper was located here, but now it houses luxury apartments. A little further along the Magnificent Mile is the Intercontinental Hotel, which is housed in an impressive building from 1929, originally intended for the Medinah Athletic Club, and whose facade is decorated with panels with images of various world cultures.

On my second day in Chicago, I visit the Navy Pier, built in 1916. After a renovation in 1995, the pier is now a shopping and entertainment complex with fantastic views over Lake Michigan and – in the other direction – the skyline of downtown Chicago. There is a strong wind blowing along the water, and I now understand how Chicago got its nickname ‘the windy city’.

I spend a large part of the afternoon at the Art Institute of Chicago. The museum, built on South Michigan Drive in 1893, was originally part of the Chicago World Fair, has since been expanded and is now one of the world’s top museums. It is a huge museum with a very diverse art collection, from historic artifacts to modern art, many impressionist paintings (including Van Goghs), and American art (including the original of Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks).

Via Devil’s Lake State Park to Duluth

After two days in Chicago, I pick up my rental car early Monday morning at O’Hare. I get a spacious, comfortable Hyundai Tuscon and shortly after eight in the morning I’m on my way. I take Interstate 90 west and then north and drive into the state of Wisconsin. Past Madison (the capital of Wisconsin) I leave the interstate to visit Devil’s Lake State Park. I arrive via the entrance on the north side of the park. Devil’s Lake is a popular park and it’s Labor Day and beautiful weather; there’s a line of cars in front of the entrance and once inside, there’s no parking space to be found. So I drive to the south side of the park. That’s where I wanted to go anyway and I quickly find a parking space there.

It’s pleasantly busy on the shore of the lake. People are lying on the grass and the beach by the lake everywhere, others are swimming in the lake or barbecuing. I’m not here for any of that, I’m here for the East Bluff Hiking Trail. This turns out to be a steep and rocky path uphill – I might have already deduced that from the name of the trail. It is a tough climb, but at the top of the bluff you are rewarded with a beautiful view of the lake and the surrounding area. You will also find particular rock formations, such as the Balanced Rock, which seems to defy gravity, and Devil’s Doorway, my favorite and very photogenic spot.

After having lunch at one of the picnic tables by the lake, I continue my journey just after two pm. It is a long day of travel: Devil’s Lake State Park is about three hours from Chicago, and after my walk there it is almost a five-hour drive to Duluth. So I choose to take the Interstate. Interstates are not the most beautiful routes for a road trip in the United States, but they are efficient if you have to cover a large distance. Duluth is a long way to go, but the car is comfortable, the weather is sunny and the music is good.

I drive through the rolling hills of the state of Wisconsin. Here and there is a farm, often with a red wooden barn and large silver silos, and above all a lot of cornfields. From Eau Claire I take Highway 53 to the north of Wisconsin. After a few hours of driving and the further north I go, the quieter it is on the road. The cornfields gradually make way for forests. Around half past seven in the evening I arrive in Duluth, a town just across the state border in the state of Minnesota. I have traveled 750 kilometers, the longest distance I will travel in one day during this road trip.

Duluth is a port city and an important stop for freighters. Although the nearest sea (the Atlantic Ocean) is 3,700 kilometers away from Duluth, the port of Duluth is a seaport: via the Great Lakes Waterway that connects the Great Lakes, and the St. Lawrence Seaway that connects the lakes with the Atlantic Ocean, ocean-going vessels can reach the port of the city.

North Shore Scenic Drive

I drove all the way to Duluth to drive the North Shore Scenic Drive, as Highway 61 north of Duluth is called, the next day. This is a beautiful route on a quiet two-lane road that runs along the shoreline of Lake Superior. The coast is rugged, behind it lie the vast forests of the Superior National Forest.

My first stop is Split Rock Lighthouse. This yellow brick lighthouse was built in 1910, on a cliff with a great view of Lake Superior and the shoreline. The lighthouse has been in service for over sixty years, but despite the fact that navigation is now done in a different way, the lighthouse is still functioning. The rotating beacon, with a lens made in France at the time, works with a classic mechanism that is wound manually every two hours. Two large horns on the roof of the building next to the lighthouse were used to give a sound signal when visibility was blocked by fog.

My second stop along the North Shore Scenic Drive is Cascade River State Park. In this park, formed in 1957, the Cascade River cascades down the rocks in several places before flowing into Lake Superior. The waterfalls are not very large or spectacular (the highest is 36 meters), but the short trail along them is fun and easy to do. On the other side of Highway 61 I walk between the trees to the shore of Lake Superior. The view from the rocks is wide, it is a quiet place, where I sit down for a while to enjoy the view.

The next day, I take Highway 2 east. This is a piece of road trip as it should be: a two-lane road, coffee in the center console of the car, music on, nice weather and traveling at 55-60 miles per hour. A ‘blue highway’ as William Least Heat Moon calls them, which show you more of the US at a slightly slower pace than the Interstates. The road leads past forests, farms and through small villages. After about 2.5 hours of driving I enter the fourth state of this road trip: Michigan. The clock jumps forward an hour: in Michigan it is Eastern Time, where Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota use Central Time, and so I ‘lose’ an hour today. From Wakefield I no longer follow Highway 2, but Highway M28 towards the town of Marquette. This part of Michigan is called the ‘Upper Peninsula’, abbreviated UP, and lies between Lake Michigan on the south side and Lake Superior on the north side. The UP is separated from the rest of Michigan by the Strait of Mackinac. It is a wooded area with a beautiful coastline.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

On Thursday, the sunny weather of the past week appears to have taken a break. It is cloudy and rain is expected during the day. From Marquette, it is an hour’s drive to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The Pictured Rocks stretch over a distance of 67 kilometers along the northern coastline of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is a rugged coast with cliffs up to sixty meters high on the clear blue-green water of Lake Superior. The cliffs are made of sandstone, a soft type of stone that erodes easily. Over the centuries, water and wind have eroded rock formations and caves. The different minerals in the rock that have come to the surface due to rain have given the cliffs different colors: orange-red from iron, blue-green from copper, brown and black from manganese and white from limonite.

The best, or actually the only way to admire the cliffs, is on a two-hour boat cruise from the village of Munising. I had originally booked the 2pm cruise, but because rain is forecast, I ask the cruise line if I can join an earlier cruise. That is possible, and so at 10am I am sitting on the open top deck of a boat with a fantastic view of the cliffs. We sail past the famous rock point Miner’s Castle, the photogenic natural arch Petit Portal Arch (aka Lover’s Leap), Indian Head Rock (which some say is shaped like a Native American head) and a row of cliffs called Battleship Row – when you see it, you immediately understand why. Between the cliffs are small deserted beaches and at the furthest point of the route we are treated to the Spray Falls.

The choice to do the cruise in the morning works out well: it is cloudy, but the rain does not come until we are almost back in Munising. I actually wanted to go hiking somewhere at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, but I skip that because of the rain. Early in the afternoon I drive from Munising via Highway 28 and Highway 2 to Mackinaw, about a two-hour drive. After half an hour the rain stops and the sky clears up. When I drive on Highway 2, Lake Michigan looms on my right. Just before the small town of Mackinaw I drive over the Mackinac Bridge, opened in 1957, with Lake Michigan on my right and Lake Huron on my left. (I have seen Lake Huron before when visiting Bruce Peninsula in the Canadian province of Ontario). The Mackinac Bridge is the third longest suspension bridge in the United States at 1,160 metres. In Mackinaw I walk to the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, built in 1892 and no longer in use since 1958. From here you also have a beautiful view of Lake Huron and the Mackinac Bridge.

Tunnel of Trees and Petoskey Wine Region

From Mackinaw you can take Highway 31 south, but there is a more scenic route: the M119 that runs from Cross Village to Harbor Springs along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. The 32-kilometer-long road is called the ‘Tunnel of Trees Scenic Heritage Route’. The narrow road winds along the coast between the trees. Because the canopy grows over the road, you have the idea of ​​driving through a green tunnel, hence the name of the route (a clever bit of marketing if you ask me). However, the green is not public forest, but private, there are signs everywhere that say ‘private property’. It belongs to the expensive-looking houses that are on the left and right of the road between the green. Every now and then you can see the water of Lake Michigan through the trees. From time to time it drizzles (fortunately the dip in the weather will only last two days). Along the scenic route I also pass the Good Hart General Store, a typical wooden country store that you find in many places in the United States. It dates from the 1930s and is in almost original condition.

In Harbor Springs, located on Little Traverse Bay, I stop for coffee and walk through the neatly tended village, with a classic Main Street with boutique stores, beautiful wooden houses with verandas and, like everywhere in the Great Lakes States where I have been so far, many Stars and Stripes. Then I drive around Little Traverse Bay. On the other side lies the town of Petoskey. The town is worth a stop because of the large Victorian houses that radiate wealth.

Wine growing may not be something you immediately think of when you think of Michigan, but Petoskey is the heart of the Petoskey Wine Region. This is one of the five wine regions in Michigan. A wide variety of grapes are grown here, from the well-known Cabernet, Shiraz, Riesling and Chardonnay to local grapes I have never heard of: Marquette, Crescent, Elvira, Frontenac. These are grape varieties that have been specially bred to survive the harsh Michigan winters. Along Highway 131 south of Petoskey I stop at the vineyards of Mackinaw Trail Winery and Boyne Valley Vineyards. Both the red and white grapes are still hanging on the (seemingly quite young) vines, but are (it is early September) ripe for picking. Unfortunately, there is no tasting – I’m driving after all.

Then I drive to Traverse City, where I spend the night. Traverse City is located on Grand Traverse Bay, on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. I walk through the compact downtown. Cherries are a real thing here. In addition to vineyards, you will also find many cherry orchards in the area. You’ll find everything with cherries here, from cherry jam to cherry wine.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

On Saturday morning I drive for three quarters of an hour, with a stop at Inspiration Point, a lookout point with a view over Glen Lake, to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. This is a nature reserve with forests and high sand dunes along the coast of Lake Michigan. Here you can drive the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, an eleven kilometer route through green surroundings, with a number of nice stops along the way. It is chilly and a strong cold wind blows from Lake Michigan. At the Lake Michigan Overlook you have a panoramic view over Lake Michigan and, in the other direction, over the sand dunes and over the treetops to Glen Lake. Nearby is the Sleeping Bear Dune Overlook. At the enormous and steeply sloping dune there is a sign warning of the risk that if you go down you may not come back and that it will cost three thousand dollars if you have to be rescued. It does not stop everyone…

In the afternoon I drive for three hours to the town of Holland, in the west of Michigan. Holland was founded in 1847 by Dutch people who had emigrated to the United States, and that Dutch heritage is visibly kept alive here. There is a real Dutch windmill, de Zwaan (the Swan), which once stood in the Netherlands and was shipped to Michigan in the last century. In downtown Holland there is a store that sells all kinds of typical Dutch things, from clogs to imported cheese and from Delft Blue to stroopwafels and chocolate sprinkles. There is a Windmill Restaurant, a New Holland Brewing Company (with an orange windmill as its logo) and a store called Fris (Fresh in Dutch) that is located in an old building where, according to a plaque, Van Putten’s bookstore used to be. The town is also home to many businesses with Dutch family names: Rijpma (cars), Borgman (also cars), Talsma (furniture), Reinders (blueberries), Dijkstra (funerals). Very funny, all those references to the Netherlands, in the middle of the United States.

Detroit

After this ‘Dutch’ excursion, the next morning I drive in two hours on Interstate 96 to Detroit. In the past, Detroit was known as Motor City, home to what were once the traditional ‘big three’ of the American auto industry: General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. Nowadays, when everyone thinks of Detroit, they think of the dramatic decline of the city, which began with large-scale race riots in 1967, followed by an economic downturn that ended in the city’s bankruptcy in 2013. The population dropped from almost two million to around 700,000, factories and businesses closed their doors, houses and entire neighborhoods were abandoned and large parts of the city fell into disrepair. Ten years later, Detroit is doing much better and the city is in the process of reinventing itself.

I am not in Detroit to see the city itself (or to take a tour of the dilapidated buildings and neighborhoods, which locals refer to as ‘ruin porn’), but only to visit the Detroit Institute of Arts. The collection of this museum is broad: from art objects of the ancient Greek, Egyptian and Asian civilizations to European and American paintings from the Middle Ages to the present. Besides the collection, the large building itself is also worth a visit: the impressive Great Hall has a huge painted ceiling and in the Rivera Court you will find murals painted in 1933 about Detroit’s industry.

After a few hours of looking around the museum and having lunch, I drive twenty minutes to nearby Dearborn, home of the Ford Motor Company. The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation is a museum that is primarily dedicated to (the history of) the automobile, but there are also trains and many other objects related to (technological) progress that Henry Ford (thanks to his great wealth) collected. You will find Ford’s first car there: the Ford Quadricycle from 1896. Ford was one of the many inventors who tried to develop a vehicle that did not have to be pulled by horses. Experiments were made with steam, electricity and gasoline as a means of propulsion. The famous and in the United States very popular in the second and third decades of the twentieth century Model T, the Thunderbird, and many historic cars of other brands such as Chevrolets can also be found in the museum. In a section about the civil rights movement is the bus in which Rosa Parks was sitting when she refused to stand up to make room for white passengers. But the most special thing I find is the Lincoln that is in a row of presidential limousines. It is the (now roofed) car in which President John F. Kennedy was driven through Dallas in 1963 when he was shot dead. Chilling to be face to face with that car.

Along Lake Erie to Cuyahoga Valley National Park

The next morning I leave Detroit via Interstate 75 towards the south. The weather is beautiful and sunny again (as it has been the entire trip, except for the two-day dip). At Toledo I leave the Interstate and first take Highway 2 and then Highway 6. The Interstate is indeed the faster route, but the Highway is more fun to drive, and Highway 6 runs close to the coast of Lake Erie, the last of the Great Lakes that I will see during this road trip. I drive into the state of Ohio, the fifth Great Lakes state on this road trip. The recent history of Ohio, also one of the ‘Rust Belt’ states, is comparable to that of Michigan: an up and down line of industrialization, economic crisis and recovery. The last part of my route, near the big city of Cleveland, is again via Interstates. You have to pay close attention here, there are so many different highways, exits and flyovers, before you know it you are on an ‘exit only’ lane while you don’t want to exit…

Via the 90 and the 77 I arrive at Cuyahoga Valley National Park after a 3.5 hour drive. If you look at a map, you can see that Cuyahoga Valley is actually in the middle of an urban area, wedged between the cities of Cleveland and Akron. But when you are in Cuyahoga Valley, you don’t notice that; in the middle of the green nature you seem far removed from the big city. That used to be different: due to the growth of Cleveland and Akron, with their heavy industry, the Cuyahoga River became seriously polluted. So bad that the river spontaneously ignited. This awakened the realization that pollution of the river was very harmful and after a major clean-up operation the area became a national park in 1974 and thus a protected nature reserve.

I visit two parts of the (admission free) park. First I hike the 3.5 kilometer long Ledges Trail. This hiking trail runs through forest along high ridges (ledges) and impressive rocky formations. It is a beautiful hike and not too strenuous. The second hike I do is the more than two kilometer long Brandywine Gorge Loop. I find this one a bit less impressive, but it does have a waterfall: the Brandywine Falls.

Columbus and Hocking Hills State Park

On Tuesday I continue my road trip from Cleveland to Columbus, the capital of the state of Ohio. This is a two-hour drive, straight ahead, on Interstate 71 South. Columbus is located on the east bank of the Scioto River, surrounded by mainly rural areas. The city was purposely built when Ohio became a state in the early nineteenth century and the new state needed a capital. It is an unpretentious, typical Midwestern city. Downtown is spacious and remarkably quiet and easy-going.

It is sunny and warm as I explore the city. On East State Street I walk past the former United States Post Office and Courthouse, built in the late nineteenth century and now housing an undoubtedly expensive law firm. A little further on is the Ohio State House, built in 1839, a stately building with Greek columns, but without a dome, unlike most state capitols. In front of the State House is a statue of President McKinley, who hailed from Ohio and who is one of the four American presidents who were assassinated during their presidency. I continue to North Market, an old warehouse that has been transformed into a food hall. A little further north lies the Short North district, the former red light district of Columbus, which is now a trendy district with shops and restaurants, located in old buildings, the blind side walls of which are often decorated with murals. Along the Scioto River lies a nice park with a promenade, the Scioto Mile Promenade, with a beautiful view of the skyline of downtown Columbus. The art deco tower of the Leveque Building from 1927, the Columbus City Hall from 1928, and the massive white marble facade of the Ohio Supreme Court catch the eye.

The next morning I drive an hour from Columbus to Hocking Hills State Park, in southeastern Ohio. In this park you will find impressive sandstone cliffs surrounded by forest, the stone of which is up to 350 million years old. Water and wind have eroded gorges and formed cliffs, resulting in beautiful rock formations. There are also several waterfalls in Hocking Hills, but because it has been an extremely dry summer, they have unfortunately dried up. I first walk the Rock House Trail, which is over a mile long. First you walk through the forest at the top of the rim, then you descend and walk through the gorge below the impressive cliffs. Even more beautiful is the Old Man’s Cave Trail, which starts at the Visitor’s Center. This trail, which is a mile long, also leads past impressive cliffs, here even higher and more impressive than on the Rock House Trail.

After visiting Hocking Hills, I drive to Cincinnati in the afternoon in 2.5 hours. The first part runs through rural Ohio, on a two-lane road that winds between farms and cornfields. Then I take Interstate 71 towards Cincinnati, where the last part requires paying close attention to all the highways, flyovers and exits. Without navigation in the car, arriving at the destination would be sheer impossible…

Cincinnati

Cincinnati was founded in 1788 and is named after a Roman general (Cincinnatus). The city is located on the Ohio River and has a compact downtown, which is best explored on foot. During the time of the great migration westward, Cincinnati was an important supply point for pioneers. In the city center there are still many beautiful nineteenth century buildings, which give an idea of ​​what the city must have looked like about 150 years ago. These are alternated with impressive early twentieth century skyscrapers and modern high-rise buildings made of steel and glass. You will also find murals in several places that decorate the blind facades of buildings. Like Columbus, I find Cincinnati to be a relaxed, not too busy Midwestern city.

The heart of downtown Cincinnati, where it was around thirty degrees during my visit, is Fountain Square, with the ‘Genius of the Waters’ fountain. On the corner of the square is the art deco Carew Tower. If you walk towards the river from there, you will come to the Riverfront Park. The park with a promenade along the river is wedged between two large stadiums: the Paycor Stadium of the American football team Cincinnati Bengals and the Great American Ballpark of the baseball team Cincinnati Reds.

Another eye-catcher is the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, built in 1867. The blue painted steel is reminiscent of the Tower Bridge in London, but the design as a whole is very similar to another iconic bridge: the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. And that is not surprising, the Roebling Bridge has the same designer and is considered the prototype for the Brooklyn Bridge. I walk across the bridge, which connects Cincinnati with Covington on the other side of the Ohio River. The river forms the border between Ohio and Kentucky, and although Kentucky is not a Great Lake state and is not considered part of the Midwest (but part of the South), I can say that I have also been to Kentucky during this road trip. 🙂 Plus from Covington you have a great view of the skyline of Cincinnati.

In the afternoon I visit the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. This museum extensively tells the story of the slave trade by European countries (including the Netherlands) to the Americas, the role of slavery in the United States, the development of thinking about slavery, the Civil War and the abolition of slavery in the US. Also, as is clear from the name of the museum, attention is paid to the ‘underground railroad’, the network of abolitionists who helped escaped slaves flee to the north and took them in there.

Springfield

On Friday, I have a long drive planned. In five hours, I drive from Cincinnati, Ohio, via Interstate 74 West, around Indianapolis, across the state of Indiana, and the last part via Interstate 72 West, to Springfield, Illinois. There is nothing in Indiana that I want to see or do, so I only stop for coffee along the way. Once in Illinois, I am back on central time, which gives me an extra hour today.

Springfield is the capital of Illinois, but don’t expect a lively, bustling city. Springfield is a sleepy town and downtown is (at least when I’m there) almost deserted (except for the occasional tourist like myself). The main reason to come to Springfield is the sixteenth president of the United States: Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was born in Kentucky, but lived a large part of his life in Springfield, started his political career there and is buried there. I start my visit at the Oak Ridge Cemetary, at the Lincoln Tomb National Historic Site. A 117-metre-high obelisk from 1874 marks the tomb. Inside, you will pass several statues of the former president. In the burial chamber, a large marble block marks the spot where his remains lie in a crypt a few metres below. The remains of his wife and three of their four children also lie in crypts here. A special place where you can feel the weight of history.

The Old State Capitol from 1840 is located in the middle of downtown Springfield. The building, which is visibly no longer in the best condition, is currently being renovated. Not so long ago, the building played a role in an important moment in American politics: in 2007, on the steps of the Old State Capitol, Barack Obama announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States. The considerably larger current Illinois State Capitol has been in use since 1877. In front of it stands a statue of, who else, Abraham Lincoln.

You can visit even more Lincoln-related locations in Springfield. For example, on the corner of the Old State Capitol is the building where in the nineteenth century not only the US Post Office was located, but also the law firm Lincoln & Herndon. And a little further on is another National Historic Site: the house where Lincoln lived with his family from 1844 to 1861. In 1861 he left this house and Springfield to be sworn in as president in Washington DC. Finally, I visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, a modern museum that of course highlights Lincoln’s life and career, from his humble origins in Kentucky to his death in the Ford Theater in Washington DC (a place I also once visited).

This concludes my road trip through the Great Lakes states. On Saturday I drive in three hours from Springfield to O’Hare International Airport near Chicago, where I return my rental car and prepare for my flight back to the Netherlands. I have driven a lot, almost four thousand kilometers, but being on the road is also part of a road trip. The destinations I’ve visited are a good mix of cities and nature, culture and history, and it’s that mix that makes the Great Lakes a fascinating region for a road trip in the United States.