In the footsteps of Kerouac (1/5): From liberal Denver to conservative Wyoming

From Denver to Los Angeles, our correspondent in the United States takes us on the wheels of Jack Kerouac and his legendary On the Road to tell the story of America today shortly before the midterm elections. By car!

The journey had started badly. A canceled plane in New York. Then the arrival in Denver, in the middle of the night, in the rain. The motel? Rather well placed, of course. But lousy. With a funny smell of vinegar peppers in the room and cigarette holes in the sheets. The kind of place where you prefer not to put a bare foot on the carpet.