Driving from Toledo Ohio to Breckenridge Colorado. Me and my buddies are taking a van, and going straight through. Any stops or places worth seeing along the way?
Congratulations, you have found the longest piece of flat in the country. Two long days with not much to see.
Should’ve added we mostly will be on I-80W the entire drive really - I-80 West
It’s a long way
The Iowa 80 truck stop is worth a visit. It's the world's largest truck stop, includes a number of food options, gas stations, amenities for travellers, and a trucking museum. It's also quite literally impossible to miss when approaching it - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_80
A previous comment has Nebraska and NE Colorado pretty well covered, but I'll add that Idaho Springs and other small towns along I-70 once you get into the Rockies, but before Breck, are interesting as well. Main Street in Idaho Springs is lined with a bunch of restaurants, shops, etc.
I know someone else mentioned it, but the Iowa 80 truck stop is THE TRUCKSTOP OF ALL TRUCKSTOPS. It has a truck museum, dentist, chiropractor, and so much more. I'm not a trucker, and I live all the way on the east coast, however I have been to Iowa 80 three times and always will go out of my way to go there.
What are your interests? Nebraska has a metric ton of Old West/Frontier stuff along I-80. There's a replica of Fort Kearny, an Oregon Trail outpost, just outside Kearney. Gothenburg has a couple Pony Express Stations. One has a museum. North Platte has the largest railroad classification yard in the world, and Ogallala has an old west cemetery called Boot Hill.
If you've never been to Nebraska, stop and get a Runza somewhere. The Cheese Runza is a good standby. My favorite is the Spicy Jack.
In Northeastern Colorado you can check out Downtown Fort Morgan. It was featured on the TV show Hometown Takeover. Fort Morgan is also where sci-fi author Phillip K. Dick is buried. He wrote "The Man in the High Castle," and the inspiration for both "Blade Runner" and "Total Recall." He's interred next to his twin sister who died as an infant during a cross-country trip.
I would suggest the lower route. It has its positives and down sides in my opinion. Upsides. Bbq, bbq, bbq, go chicken go chicken shacks, and the Uranus fudge factory in Saint robert Missouri. The only "downside" is that the last portion from Kansas to colorado is pretty boring. Lots of windmills, the occasional truck stop but it's a straight shot. A little off the highway in Scott city Kansas, is the Monument rocks natural landmark. It's a pretty interesting place to see when the terrain has been so flat. There's also a pretty cool little gift shop near the rocks, and the guy who owns it is really nice. Be sure to grab one of his cd's! Haha.
If you like bbq I think 2 extra hours is worth the stop in Kansas City for one of the ways. Best bbq in the world.