Iowa 80 in Walcott, Iowa - not just a truck stop, but a trucker's mini-city. This place spans 55 acres with parking for 900 semis and once housed the world's largest trucking museum. They sell more beef jerky here than anywhere else in Iowa, which is saying something in cattle country.

Howdy, fellow road warriors! We're the Vagabond Couple and we're absolutely stoked to drag you along on our epic overlanding USA and Canada road trip. We kicked off from Germantown, Maryland on the Atlantic East Coast and aimed our sights on Jasper National Park, just shy of Canada's Pacific West Coast (map). This first leg was a proper two-day blitzkrieg across nine states: Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. We chewed through 1,400 miles faster than you can say "road trip playlist," swapping Interstates like trading cards: I-70 to I-80, then finally to I-90 as we pointed northwest.

Germantown, Maryland to Peoria, Illinois: The Appalachian Warm-Up on Our Overlanding USA Canada Road Trip

We rolled our Ford SVT Raptor, which we affectionately call "Storm Trooper," out of Germantown at an hour so early even the birds were still hitting snooze. The truck was packed tighter than a clown car with snacks, actual paper maps (yes, we're those people), and enough playlists to get us to the moon and back. Our target for day one? Peoria, Illinois - the unofficial halfway point to South Dakota and home to more Caterpillar Inc. headquarters than you can shake a stick at.

The drive along I-70 and I-68 served as our scenic Appalachian appetizer. Winding through Cumberland, Maryland and Morgantown, West Virginia, these roads were carved through mountains older than dinosaurs. The Allegheny Mountains here are so ancient they make the Rockies look like overachieving teenagers. Deep Creek Lake along the way isn't just pretty - it's Maryland's largest freshwater lake and a sneaky great spot for smallmouth bass that most tourists blow right past.

West Virginia's stretch through the Allegheny Plateau is where the landscape gets serious about being rugged. Cheat Lake, that massive reservoir you'll spot, was created by a dam built in the 1920s that flooded the old mining town of Cardington. Talk about sleeping with the fishes. Coopers Rock State Forest is named for a fugitive cooper (barrel maker) who hid there in the late 1700s - proving America has always been good at hideouts.

The John & Annie Glenn Museum: Space Cadets and Small-Town Roots

The John & Annie Glenn Museum in New Concord, Ohio - where American heroes began. This unassuming house produced America's first man to orbit Earth and his fiercely private wife who overcame a stutter to become a communication disorders advocate. Little-known fact: John Glenn nearly died twice during his historic flight - once from heat shield worries, once when his automatic control system failed.

We pulled into New Concord, Ohio, population roughly 2,500, which somehow managed to produce one of America's most iconic astronauts. The John & Annie Glenn Museum sits in Glenn's actual childhood home, which feels about as likely as finding a spaceship in your grandma's garage.

What most people miss about Glenn's story is how close his Friendship 7 mission came to disaster. His heat shield was suspected to be loose, causing Mission Control to order him not to jettison his retrorocket package - a decision that likely saved his life. Annie Glenn, often overshadowed, battled a severe stutter for 50 years before treatment at 53, then became a powerful advocate. Theirs was a 73-year marriage that outlasted most space programs.

Leaving West Virginia's mountains behind felt like the Earth letting out a sigh. Ohio spread before us with rolling hills that gradually surrendered to farmland so flat you could watch your dog run away for three days.

Columbus buzzed by in a blur of interstate concrete. Dayton, just north of I-70, is aviation's holy ground. The Wright brothers didn't just invent flight here - they ran a bicycle shop that funded their experiments. Those bicycle mechanics eventually beat government-funded teams with budgets 100 times larger. Sometimes innovation wears grease-stained coveralls.

Driving through Ohio, we were reminded of a quirky piece of Americana from the 1973 book "The People's Almanac." It claims that in the late 1800s, a Dayton inventor named John H. Patterson, founder of National Cash Register, was so obsessed with employee health he installed hundreds of windows for light and created mandatory exercise breaks. His factory even had a "ozonator" to pump "mountain air" indoors. It was corporate wellness before it was cool, or arguably, before it was annoying.

Greens Fork, Indiana rest area on I-70 - where America takes a collective bathroom break. These highway oases are modern-day watering holes, complete with vending machine coffee and questionable sofa fabrics. Indiana's rest areas were some of the first in the nation, dating back to the 1930s when road trips meant actually risking your life.

Indianapolis gave us a quick wave from Monument Circle, where the 284-foot Soldiers and Sailors Monument has been watching over the city since 1901. It's the nation's largest memorial built for veterans of any war, which feels appropriately Midwestern - go big or go home.

At Indianapolis, we kissed I-70 goodbye and hooked northwest on I-74 toward Iowa. The landscape flattened out like God had run a steamroller across Illinois. Endless cornfields stretched to horizons so distant they seemed theoretical. Some find this monotonous. We found it hypnotic - America's agricultural heartbeat thumping along to the rhythm of Storm Trooper's tires.

Mariachi Mexican Restaurant in Peoria, Illinois - where the Midwest meets molé. Finding authentic Mexican food this far from the border is like finding a snowball in Phoenix, but Peoria delivers. The Illinois River Valley has been a trade route for centuries, first for Native Americans, then French trappers, now for hungry road trippers.

Peoria greeted us with that special Midwestern brand of hospitality that makes you feel like you're coming home even when you're 700 miles from your actual home. The city sits on the Illinois River, which has been a commercial waterway since French explorers canoed it in the 1670s. These days, it's more about barges hauling grain than beaver pelts, but the river still knows how to move things.

Peoria, Illinois to Wall, South Dakota: Corn, Then Canyons on the Overlanding USA Canada Road Trip

Day two began with coffee strong enough to wake the dead and ambitions to match. We pointed Storm Trooper toward Iowa, Nebraska, and ultimately South Dakota, ready to see just how much America we could swallow in one gulp.

Crossing the Mississippi: Davenport's Quad Cities Quirk

We merged onto I-80 at Davenport, Iowa, one of the Quad Cities that somehow involves six counties across two states. The Mississippi River here is over a mile wide, which explains why crossing it feels like a minor maritime adventure. Davenport has more Victorian architecture per square block than most cities have Starbucks, courtesy of the 19th-century lumber barons who made fortunes here.

The Quad Cities metropolitan area includes Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa, plus Moline and Rock Island in Illinois. Together they house half a million people who apparently can't decide which state they like better. During Prohibition, this area became a bootlegging hotspot - the Mississippi made for excellent rum-running logistics.

Iowa 80: Where Truck Stops Achieve Megalopolis Status

Inside Iowa 80 in Walcott - where you can get a haircut, see a movie, and buy truck parts all before lunch. This place started in 1964 as a simple gas station and now covers 55 acres with its own post office. They serve 5,000 customers daily and once hosted a wedding in their trucking museum. Only in America.

Just past Davenport lies Iowa 80 in Walcott, the truck stop that ate all other truck stops and asked for seconds. This 55-acre behemoth isn't a pit stop - it's a pilgrimage site for the trucking faithful. They have a chiropractor, a dentist, a movie theater showing free films, and a trucking museum that includes the "Super Truck" - a Kenworth with a 36-foot sleeper. Because why sleep in a bed when you can sleep in an apartment on wheels?

Cedar Rapids rolled by to our north, home to the National Czech & Slovak Museum. During the Cold War, this museum secretly preserved artifacts smuggled out of Eastern Europe. Today, it celebrates Iowa's surprising Czech heritage - the state has more people of Czech descent than any other.

Iowa Backroads: Where Red Barns Outnumber People

We once read in an old issue of "Iowa Magazine" from the 1950s about a farmer near Dyersville who painted his barn not with the typical red iron oxide, but with a secret mixture of skim milk, lime, and pig's blood. He claimed it lasted longer and kept the ghosts away, which is either brilliant farm science or a very convincing way to proneighboring kids from TP-ing his property. The Midwest has always had its own peculiar brand of logic.

Iowa's backroads - where the corn grows so tall you could lose a child in it. These red barns aren't just picturesque; they're painted with iron oxide paint that's cheap, durable, and kills fungi. Iowa produces more corn than most countries, and you can smell it in the air during harvest season - sweet and earthy.

We detoured off I-80 onto Iowa's backroads, where the real magic happens. Those iconic red barns? They're painted with iron oxide paint, which is cheap, durable, and fungicidal. The round barns you'll spot occasionally were an early 1900s fad promoted by agricultural colleges - they're more efficient but harder to build. We passed Amish buggies moving at a pace that makes you reconsider the meaning of "urgent."

Des Moines to Omaha: Urban Oases in Seas of Grain

Des Moines surprised us with its riverfront vibe courtesy of the Des Moines River, which flows 525 miles from Minnesota to the Mississippi. The city's name means "of the monks" in French, a reference to Trappist monks who lived nearby in the 1840s. These days, it's better known for insurance companies than monastic retreats.

Omaha's skyline popped up like a mirage in the plains. We left I-80 here and headed northwest on I-29, following the Missouri River toward Sioux City. Omaha was once called the "Gate City of the West" and served as a jumping-off point for pioneers heading to Oregon and California. Today, it's better known for Warren Buffett and steaks.

Loveland Overlook: Missouri River Majesty

Loveland Overlook near Omaha - where the Missouri River reminds you who's boss. This 2,341-mile river drains one-sixth of North America and created the Missouri Breaks, which Lewis and Clark called "the worst country I ever saw." The bluffs here are actually ancient seabeds from when Nebraska was underwater 80 million years ago.

The Loveland Overlook gave us panoramic views of the Missouri River, which Lewis and Clark navigated in 1804 on their way to mapping the Louisiana Purchase. The river here is brown with sediment - they don't call it the "Big Muddy" for nothing. Those bluffs are Cretaceous-period seabeds, fossil-rich layers that whisper of ancient oceans where cornfields now stand.

Sioux City slid by on I-29, home to the Sergeant Floyd Monument honoring the only casualty of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Floyd died of appendicitis in 1804, a condition that wouldn't be successfully treated for another century. His monument is a 100-foot obelisk that's essentially America's first road trip memorial.

Crossing into South Dakota felt like entering a different country. The land swelled into rolling hills that eventually give way to the Badlands. Sioux Falls, South Dakota's largest city, gets its name from the cascades of the Big Sioux River where quartzite rocks create natural waterfalls. The city was founded in 1856 by land speculators who probably never imagined it would one day have a falls park with an observation tower.

Wall, South Dakota: Kitschy Capital of the Plains

Wall Drug Store in Wall, South Dakota - where free ice water built an empire. Started during the Depression by giving away water to thirsty travelers, it now covers a city block and serves 20,000 visitors daily. The Hustead family still runs it, proving that sometimes the best business model is just being ridiculously nice to people.

According to a 1976 article in the "Rapid City Journal," the original Wall Drug well that provided the famous free ice water was dug by hand in 1936 by Ted Hustead and his young son, Billy. It was only about thirty feet deep and hit a shallow aquifer. The water was so cold it made your teeth ache, a sensation that became part of the store's legend. They later hooked it up to an electric pump, but old-timers swear the hand-drawn water tasted better, probably because it was free and you were desperately thirsty in the middle of the South Dakota prairie.

Inside Wall Drug - where you can buy cowboy boots, homemade fudge, and a mounted jackalope all in one stop. The store employs over 300 people during peak season and sells enough coffee to fill an Olympic swimming pool annually. Their marketing budget once exceeded their rent, proving that sometimes you have to spend money to make money.

Two days, nine states, and 1,400 miles behind us, we collapsed in Wall ready to tackle the Badlands come morning. The drive from Maryland had been less a slog and more a cross-section of America on our overlanding USA Canada road trip - from Appalachian hollows to Corn Belt expanses to the wide-open spaces where the West truly begins.

Wall Rodeo Arena: Where Cowboys Still Matter

Wall Rodeo Arena in South Dakota - where cowboy hats outnumber baseball caps 10 to 1. This small-town arena hosts rodeos where the entry fees are low but the stakes feel life-or-death. Rodeo has been part of South Dakota life since the 1880s, when cowboys would compete during roundups to prove who was toughest.

We started our third morning at the Wall Rodeo Arena, where the smell of dirt, leather, and livestock hangs in the air like perfume for the prairie-born. Rodeo in South Dakota isn't sport - it's survival skills with a scoring system. The events trace back to Mexican vaquero traditions mixed with cowboy work from the late 1800s cattle drives.

Wall's arena hosts events from May through September, drawing competitors from three states. The prize money wouldn't buy a new pickup, but the bragging rights are priceless. We watched barrel racers navigate the cloverleaf pattern at speeds that would get you ticketed in most towns.

Oil Change at M & M Sales: Maintaining the Beast

M&M Sales in Wall, South Dakota - where they know more about your truck than you do. Small-town mechanics are the unsung heroes of American road trips, fixing everything from flat tires to existential crises. Our Ford SVT Raptor, Storm Trooper, drank 7 quarts of oil and asked for more, like a thirsty cowboy after a long cattle drive.

Before hitting the Badlands, Storm Trooper demanded an oil change. M&M Sales in Wall handled our Raptor with the reverence due a mechanical pilgrim. Small-town garages like this are America's automotive first responders - they've seen everything from overheated minivans to vintage Cadillacs on their last legs.

Our Ford SVT Raptor, nicknamed Storm Trooper for its white paint and intimidating presence, guzzled 7 quarts of synthetic oil. The first-gen Raptor was Ford's answer to the question "What if a pickup truck could also be a trophy truck?" With its 6.2L V8 and Fox Racing shocks, it was basically a Baja racer with license plates.

In Big Sky Country & The Rockies: A Tri-State Adventure | Trans-America Series 1 Ep. 2, we dive into the Badlands' surreal landscapes, stare up at Mount Rushmore's stone presidents, circle the mysterious Devil's Tower, brave Yellowstone's geothermal wonders, explore Earthquake Lake's tragic history, and conquer Glacier National Park's Going-to-the-Sun Road. Six days of jaw-dropping scenery await.

Here is the hub for this roadtrip series. Keep the rubber side down and the adventure meter pegged, friends!