Las Vegas to Cape Cod by Bus: In My Footsteps Podcast Episode 9

In My Footsteps: The Time Period I Wish I Could Visit

    2020 has been a year unlike any I have experienced in my lifetime to say the least. Months in at least a state of semi-isolation has given me a lot of time to stroll down memory lane, thinking of my favorite years of life. That's a topic for another day though. These times have also got me thinking about what period of time in the past I would have liked to have lived in. Everyone has that time that if they had a time machine they'd go back to and see what life was like. Some people might like to go back to Medieval times, or be a passenger on the Mayflower coming to the New World. Others might want something more recent like the Golden Age of the 1950's. It is all a matter of personal preference and I am going to share with you my own.

    For me I would love the chance to go back and visit the 1890's in the United States. I am fascinated by this time period. It is a sweet spot between the past and present I believe. During this decade ending the 19th century many inventions and products that we find so common today were first brought to the general public. I am a big fan of wide open spaces, have never been a big city guy. So for reference the population of the United States as of 2019 was 328.2 million people across 50 states. In contrast the 1890 Census saw the country's population to be 62.98 million across 42 states. The population was 19% of what it is today. Granted New York City still had an impressive 1.5 million people but big cities were fewer and further between.

    Getting around might have been a little harder as the first gasoline powered automobile in the United States made its debut in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1893. Charles and J. Frank Duryea designed it and first sold it in 1896. By 1899 30 manufacturers had made a whopping 2,500 automobiles. This is a far cry from the 273.6 million registered vehicles in the U.S. in 2018. The best bet would be train, a horse-drawn omnibus(essentially a city stagecoach), or an electric trolley. Or one could use a bicycle. Bikes sold like crazy during the 1890's after the invention of the 'safety' bicycle in 1886. Shockingly this 'safety' just meant having both wheels be the same size. Two years later rubber tires were added and the so-called 'bike boom' of the 1890's was underway.

Charles and J. Frank Duryea in their first gasoline powered vehicle. (Public Domain)

    Transportation is taken care of, but what about the common home? For starters yes there was electricity. However despite Thomas Edison bringing electric lights to parts of Manhattan as early as 1882 it did not catch on quickly. In fact more than half of the homes in America were still using candles and gas lighting until 1925. Rural America was still being introduced to electric power as late as the 1940's and early 1950's.

    Inside the home was similar to today assuming you had electric power. Toasters and refrigerators existed as did irons, fans, and hair dryers. Obviously in the 1890's these were considered luxury items and not necessities like the 21st century. There was no television or radio back then, but there was the new Sherlock Holmes books, first released in 1891 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. For sports lovers there was baseball to follow.

    In 1893 the pitcher's mound was moved back to 60'6" its current distance, making the game very similar to present-day. For big-time players that people flocked to see there was none bigger than Cy Young. The pitcher won 511 games and has a pitching award named after him. Other big names were Willie Keeler, Cap Anson, and John McGraw. It would have been possible to go see a game played by the Boston Reds in 1890 or 1891 at the Congress Street Grounds near Thompson Place.

1891 Boston Reds baseball team (Boston Public Library)

    So what other inventions came along during this decade that would have been fun to be around for? As far as food and drinks go there was a lot. The cereal Corn Flakes was invented by Will Kellogg in 1894 and he began the still-thriving Kellogg's company in 1906. Having only been invented a few years earlier, in 1886 by John Stith Pemberton, Coca Cola would see its popularity explode by the end of the 1890's. The boom was so sudden that after building its first headquarters in 1898 the company would need to expand it 5 times in the next 12 years. Rounding out the decade we saw the Hershey chocolate bar come along in 1894 and Jell-O in 1896. Granted the decade also contained the horrific meat-packing quality issues that became exposed by Upton Sinclair's book The Jungle in 1906 but that's a separate story.

    In 1896 the dry cell battery was invented and one can only imagine a world without AA and AAA batteries which go in just about anything electronic these days. Speaking of electronics the discovery of radioconduction by French scientist Edouard Branly in 1890 led to the eventual advent of wireless communication that came just after the turn of the 20th century by Guglielmo Marconi.

    The main thing that I'd have wanted to experience was the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. This was a place to see all of these new innovations in one place. Since the mid-1800's there have been more than 100 of these types of exhibitions worldwide. At this particular event which lasted 6 months the more than 27 million attendees got to witness the debut of Juicy Fruit gum, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, Cream of Wheat cereal. They also were amazed by a dishwasher machine, the first commemorative coins and postcards.

The original Ferris Wheel at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair (Public Domain)

    However despite 'Buffalo Bill' Cody setting up shop just outside of the walls to siphon off some guests with his Wild West show the World's Fair held all of the cards with its giant 264-foot tall revolving steel wheel. Invented by steel magnate George Ferris Jr., the 'Ferris Wheel' stole the show with 1.4 million people paying 50 cents each to ride it. This meant on its own it made $700,000 ($20.2 million in 2020) at the World's Fair. It would have been amazing to be there to experience the plethora of new inventions, seeing them with the wonder that people of the time did.

    I would have loved to have been alive during the 1890's. For me I find that era to be the perfect link between past and present. Wide open spaces with the first flickers of current technology. However of course it's all subjective, some people might think this would be a dumb time to be alive. So how about it? If you could live or visit another time when would it be and why?

----------------------------------------------------------

View my previous blog posts: 

In Their Footsteps: New England History - Mercy Brown and the New England Vampire Panic

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Mildred's Chowder House

Be sure to check out my website: Christopher Setterlund.com

In My Footsteps: 2001 Cross Country Road Trip

     In November 2019 I went on an amazing 6-day road trip that began on Cape Cod and encompassed a total of 2,100 miles. It was not however the longest road trip I had ever been on. The 2019 trip was the bookend to another trip that took place in 2001. The main difference was the 2019 trip was for fun, the 2001 trip was more by necessity. That trip came about due to having to move back to Cape Cod from Las Vegas, Nevada. It was also aboard a Greyhound bus, and began in the dead of night. This is the story of that 2,700 mile, 3-day journey that began my love of travel and my desire to do a proper road trip on my own.

     After spending time going to college and working in Las Vegas things were not working out as I’d hoped. It became time to unfortunately call it a day and head back to Cape Cod to start a new chapter. It also didn’t help that I had discovered how much I loved to gamble. By gambling I mean blowing my paycheck at slot machines in Albertson’s and 7-Eleven. The trip across the country began in the Greyhound depot of Las Vegas located about 10 minutes north of the famed Strip. It was winter and the dead of night as the bus began its journey. Though nearly 20 years ago now so many of the memories of this trip are still vivid in my mind.

The El Bambi Cafe and Sinclair signs from 2011
(ArbyReed on Flickr)

Beaver, Utah

The first several hundred miles of the journey was along I-15, then to I-70. I-70 begins near Cove Fort, Utah and travels more than 2,100 miles east ending at Baltimore, Maryland. In between short bouts of sleep the first place I remember stopping was Beaver, Utah as the skies began to see their first glimmers of morning. It was a truck stop complete with a Sinclair gas station which fascinated me with its brontosaurus logo because I’d never seen one before. There wasn’t much time to look around however the bus allowed us to stretch our legs and I walked across the parking lot to a small diner called the El Bambi Truck Stop Cafe. It was every bit the classic road side diner complete with the swirling desert case and a counter of truckers having breakfast and coffee before being on their ways.

Grand Junction, Colorado

About 300 miles east of Beaver is Grand Junction, Colorado. This is an up and coming art city but also known for its mountain biking, wineries, and overall scenery. It is where the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers meet, thus the ‘junction’ name. While there I was able to take a walk and see some of the famed Art On The Corner sculptures. The outdoor-exhibit started in 1984 by Dave Davis includes some permanent pieces and some that are actually for sale. In recent years its Downtown has become a Certified Creative District and is an up and coming place for younger people to live.

Art on the Corner in Grand Junction, CO 2001

Somewhere along the way at a convenience store at a bus stop I decided to buy some cheap sleeping pills to help make the long stretches on the bus go by faster. These came in to play at the next stop 120 miles east in Eagle, Colorado.

Eagle, Colorado

This small town lies close to the Vail and Beaver Creek ski resorts. It is popular for its hiking and definitely scenic views. While waiting for the bus to leave Las Vegas I had struck up a conversation with a guy about my age who was also heading across the country. At the stop in Eagle the guy got off to go into the store but was late coming back out. As the bus began to drive away he came running out and although I did see him the sleeping pills had me in such a haze that all I could do was watch him fade away. He did catch up with us a few stops later just in case anyone wondered what happened to him.

Denver, Colorado

The most nerve racking part of the 125-mile trip east to Denver was a winding drive through the Rocky Mountains as the snow fell. There is nothing like feeling a bus skid while being thousands of feet up separated from the cliffs by a single metal guardrail. After arriving in the city we were allowed a little under an hour to ‘enjoy’ Denver. This meant taking a walk outside in the light snow for a few blocks. Besides a convenience store and the Ritz-Carlton hotel I did not see much of Denver. Not truly sightseeing but more than most stops.

Ogallala, Nebraska

After leaving Denver we headed northeast on I-76 to perhaps the most unique spot I saw on this trip. This small town was once a stop on the Pony Express. It sits close to the border of the Central and Mountain Time Zones, leading to some late sunrises. This was the case when I arrived. It was a perfect combination of a late sunrise, powerful sleeping pills, and a bus station with red and white vinyl checkered cafe tables looking like it was straight out of the 1950’s. I started wondering if I was either still asleep or in an episode of The Twilight Zone. It was an interesting and unique time I spent in this bus station, plus my Nana loved the town’s name so every time I think of stopping here it reminds me of her.

My postcard from Ogallala 2001

Nebraska is smack in the middle of the Great Plains. Riding by bus through it showed just how flat and sprawling the land is. Not to say that the area isn’t worth visiting, I just know that the views surrounding I-80 through Nebraska and Iowa doesn’t lend itself to many picture postcard images.

Walcott, Iowa

The World’s Largest Truck Stop is located here. On the eastern edge of Iowa it opened in 1964 and is open 24/7/365. It is 30,000 square feet and serves on average more than 5,000 people daily. It has a barber shop, chiropractor, dentist office, laundrymat, private showers, and even dog groomers. I only got a small taste of this attraction, as was the case with most places on this list. It looked and felt like a huge shopping mall, except for when the loud speaker would call out random truckers names saying their showers were ready.

The entrance to the World's Largest Truck Stop in 2001

Davenport, Iowa

Located on the Mississippi River less than 15 miles from Walcott. It is widely considered one of the best small cities in America. Upon arriving at the bus terminal I spotted the incredible 3,800-foot Centennial Bridge which connects Davenport to Rock Island. I took off running nearly a half-mile to snap a couple of photos of the bridge in the short amount of time that we were stopped in Davenport.

Chicago, Illinois

My first experience in the legendary Chicago I am sure is not indicative of the greatness of that city. However this is how I spent my time in Chicago. The bus rolled into the station around 5am. The bus needed to refuel and get cleaned up so everyone was told they needed to get off and spend some time in the bus terminal. That was no big deal until the driver made it a point to warn us about pickpockets and strongly suggested that none of us venture off into any dark corners of the bus terminal. Needless to say I stuck close to where we all disembarked and simply waited for the all clear to return to the bus. To be fair though I did not see anything close to the ominous warning the bus driver gave us.

Leaving Chicago led us through the rest of Illinois and through Indiana with the main stop off being the city of Elkhart.

Elkhart, Indiana

Located 110 miles east of Chicago this city is famous for two contributions to the world. One is being the RV Capital of the World, the other is once being considered the Band Instrument Capital of the World. At one point Elkhart was home to 60 instrument manufacturers.

It was here that we disembarked at a gas station with several passengers walking next door to the McDonald’s. The line was a bit long and some of us began to worry that the bus might leave without us. Luckily the woman at the end of the line chimed in and said the driver wouldn’t dare leave without her, she was his wife!

There was a brief stop, more of a slow down, in Cleveland, Ohio. This was after midnight and the city looked impressive despite only stopping long enough to do a quick pickup/drop off. I was in and out as we passed through Ohio into Pennsylvania.

State College, Pennsylvania

It was here that I again realized how strong the sleeping pills were that I had been taking to help with the trip. This stop was early in the morning and somehow in a haze I wandered into a convenience store and made a few purchases and got back on the bus. Only a few hours later did I see the random purchases I made with almost no recollection.

From there it was roughly 500 miles back to Cape Cod and more specifically Hyannis. It ended more than 3 days of seeing many sites, though not as much as I wish I had at the time. Thankfully during my most recent road trip I was able to stop and see many things on my itinerary and document them with photos and videos. Maybe someday I will recreate this route and be able to enjoy it more, until then it made for an interesting few days in 2001.

-------------------------------------------------------------

My 5th book, Cape Cod Nights, is on sale at Amazon.com and through Arcadia Publishing

View my previous blog posts: In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Deacon John Doane

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Sandy Neck Colony and Lighthouse                         

Photo Prints available here: Smug Mug.com

Be sure to check out my website: Christopher Setterlund.com