From Doomsday plane to Frank Lloyd Wright: The best of Road Trip 2013 (pictures)

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb.--If America ever found itself in a nuclear crisis, it's a sure bet that its senior military leaders would climb aboard this Boeing 747-200, or one of three identical to it, in order to conduct operations safely from the skies.

Known as the National Airborne Operations Center -- or, colloquially, the Doomsday Plane -- this was one of the two dozen stops that CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman made during Road Trip 2013.

Over the course of five weeks -- and about 5,200 miles -- Terdiman criss-crossed the U.S. Midwest, visiting Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Missouri, and passing through Iowa.

Famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright didn't just design houses. He also sometimes did institutional buildings, like the masterful SC Johnson headquarters in Racine, Wis., which features the iconic Great Workroom, seen here.

There is no larger exhibition of military aircraft than the National Museum of the United States Air Force, in Dayton, Ohio. Featuring hundreds of planes from more than a century of aviation, the museum includes many famous aircraft, such as this B-2 bomber.

For decades, the U.S. Army's tank of choice has been the Abrams. Each and every one of those tanks is made in a giant factory in Lima, Ohio. CNET Road Trip 2013 got an inside look at how Abrams tanks are made.

Though it's called the City Museum, this incredible fun house full of tunnels and trapdoors, halls of mirrors, and slides is one of St. Louis' most popular destinations. And it's hardly a museum at all.

For decades, Goodyear has flown blimps over America's most important sporting events. Now, the tire giant is getting ready to move to a new generation of airships, known as Zeppelins. CNET Road Trip 2013 got a rare look at the construction of Goodyear's first Zeppelin. But the company will still call them blimps.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed more than 500 building in his career. There are few more famous than Robie House, located at the University of Chicago.

The world's largest train yard isn't in a major city like Chicago or Denver. It's Bailey Yard, run by Union Pacific, in North Platte, Neb.

During the early days of World War II, American morale was low because our bombers were getting shot down at a frightening pace. But a plane called the Memphis Belle made headlines across the country by successfully completing 25 missions. Now, the plane is being fully restored at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

It may sound like the Jetsons, but anyone wanting to see a real-life production flying car had only to go to the EAA AirVenture air show in Oshkosh, Wis. to see the Terrafugia in action. CNET Road Trip 2013 got a chance to see the flying car.

For decades, Frank Lloyd Wright made his eastern home and office at the famous

Anyone who is interested in model trains knows that Lionel makes some of the best and most well-known in the world. But even those trains break down, and when they do, they're usually repaired at one facility in Canfield, Ohio.

Last March, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications launched Blue Waters, one of the world's most powerful supercomputers. CNET Road Trip 2013 stopped by the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana's National Petascale Computing Facility to see Blue Waters up close.

The neighborhood of Oak Park, Ill. is packed with Frank Lloyd Wright masterpieces, like this one, known as Heurtley House.

Frank Lloyd Wright made his home and professional studio in Oak Park, Ill., for years, until 1909, when he ran away with the wife of a local client.

Anyone interested in the history of aviation has to make a stop in Dayton, Ohio, where the National Park Service maintains the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park, which celebrates the Wright Brothers' becoming (generally regarded as) the first to successfully fly an airplane.

Ever wonder how a racing tire is made? Goodyear makes every tire for Nascar, and CNET Road Trip 2013 saw the entire lifecycle of the tires, from production to being used at the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motorspeedway.

One of Chicago's most popular attractions is artist Anish Kappor's masterpiece, "Cloud Gate," known as "The Bean."

Although Goodyear is moving from blimps to zeppelins, it still flies three blimps around the United States, including from its airship operations headquarters at Wingfoot Lake, outside Akron, Ohio.

Nascar racing may be mainly about the skill of the drivers, but there's plenty of technology involved with Nascar racing, too.

The real birthplace of the nuclear weapon was known as Chicago Pile-1, which was the world's first nuclear reactor, built under the football stands at the University of Chicago. Now, a memorial is all that is left.

One of the most important -- and far-reaching -- organizations in the United States military is the U.S. Strategic Command, based at Offutt Air Force Base, outside Omaha, Neb.

Superhero fans would be well advised to visit the Hall of Heroes Super Hero Museum, in Elkhart, Ind.