Milwaukee to Des Moines

[RedT]

Am looking at the best (and shortest) route from the Milwaukee area to Des Moines, Iowa. Am seriously considering US-18 west to Dodgeville, WI and then US-151 southwest to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. From the Cedar Rapids area, Interstate 80 to Des Moines. We typically prefer to travel the US highways instead of the interstates, if the alternates are good roads. Any advice on this route? Thanks!

[RedT]

Am looking at the best (and shortest) route from the Milwaukee area to Des Moines, Iowa. Am seriously considering US-18 west to Dodgeville, WI and then US-151 southwest to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. From the Cedar Rapids area, Interstate 80 to Des Moines. We typically prefer to travel the US highways instead of the interstates, if the alternates are good roads. Any advice on this route? Thanks!

[Cruzer]

I normally run I-43 down to Beloit, then head south on I-39/90 to Rochelle and pick up I-88 until it blends with I-80 just before the quad cities. Then I-80 west to Des Moines.

However, I've run my Suncruiser west on I-94 to Madison, skirted around the south end of Madison and taken US-18 to Prairie du Chien. US-18 is a decent 2 lane blacktop road. However, during winter (that's today up here ) it tends to drift because there's gentle slopes and curves and lots of open fields. Once winter is officially gone (2nd week in July) it's not a problem.

I haven't personally taken US-151 in Iowa. It's a good road (similar to US-18) in Wisconsin but it looks like there are lots of little "burgs" on the way to Cedar Rapids. Plus you have to filter through downtown Dubuque so it may cut down on the time you make.

[RedT]

Thanks, Mark. My old Street Atlas shows the I-90 stretch and the I-88 as a toll road. Being the conservative that I am, I plan to save as much $$ as I can for CAT food. <G> I have traveled US-18 before, and it was OK, but I didn't know about the stretch of US-151.