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Day 4: March 31, 2009 – Mackinaw to Rochester, IL
It was a rainy start to the day so I pulled off and got some work done until noon… then I headed off in a light drizzle for another 100 miles of the Route. I stopped in Funks Grove where they tap some 30,000 maple trees by hand to make “Sirup”, which is apparently the correct way to spell the pure Maple stuff (just not the crappy sugar-water-mix most people buy), and then headed two towns down into Atlanta where I was stopped dead in the middle of the road by their choice of monuments. There, as I sat there doubled over with laughter staring through teary eyes, right in the middle of downtown, is a giant statue of Paul Bunyan holding an enormous hot dog. What the hell does that mean? A double-bit axe, I understand. Paint the guy like Oscar Mayer, and again, I get it. But this pair just doesn’t make sense. I LOVE IT! Some might say it’s like dreadlocks and cowboy boots… Moving on, I breezed through most of Springfield without stopping because a friendly state patrolman decided he was going to escort me through for no apparent reason, and also because it’s a damn city and after enough time on well-worn blacktop the last thing I want is crowds and traffic. I don’t care if Abe Lincoln has a memorial big enough to cover half of downtown – I ain’t stopping! So out the other side I went, found Sangchris State Park just outside of Rochester, and pulled in to camp for the night. Ahhhh the fun doesn’t stop there, because Illinois State Parks aren’t open for camping until April 1st. Look up at the date this is taking place on … the 31st of March, exactly! I couldn’t even talk the guy into letting me stay in the parking lot, so out I went in search of another campsite. I found a KOA some 20 miles down the road, and although they weren’t open either (until tomorrow) I was allowed to pull on to some high ground (backed nicely up to 40+acres of cornfield) and stay the night. I supped on brown rice and blackeyed peas, wrote in my journal for awhile, and then crawled into the back of the Vista for my first night of many.
7. Paul Bunyan and his giant Weiner 8. What’s Right Next Door? Chubby’s!
9. Camping my first night in Rochester, IL
Day 5: April 1st, 2009 – Rochester, IL to St. Louis, MO
Who else takes five days to drive across Illinois? Well if slow and steady wins the race, I’m drivin’ slow and the Vista is every bit of steady.
I woke up refreshed, warm and comfy in my new bed and cozy against the 30* that it got down to last night, and in short order was back on track just south of Springfield. My first turnoff was outside of Glenarm to catch a glimpse of a well-maintained, unrestored covered bridge. That was a 10mile detour, but just about the time I hit 66 again I was greeted with a beacon of hope for the Interstate Travelers… “PBR Carryout”. Well it would be rude to bypass this caring patron of the good life, so I made the obligatory purchase and sipped my refreshing barley pop until lunchtime. In Litchfield, Illinois I found this quaint little slice of 1920’s America, the Ariston Café. Beautifully restored neon, lit even at noon on a sunny spring day, lured me in… but the Bill Knapp’s type feel of Sunday brunch almost turned me away as, again, the place fell silent upon my entrance. Must have been 12 pairs of S. Illinois seniors gawking as I waited to be seated, but then I was greeted by the proprietor of the fine establishment, Nick Adam (son of the founder in 1924), who was curious about the Cruiser and if I was traveling the “Old Road”. We chatted as I was served a cold Red’s Rye followed by a nicely breaded pork loin, and then after signing their guest book we parted ways and I was back at it. Along the remainder of my miles for the day, there was a nicely kept round barn, followed by a brilliantly restored Shell gas station, and then an unrestored (and perhaps more beautiful) Standard Station. Laughter struck me again as the latter is the home to Henry’s Ra66it Ranch, as advertised by a pair of tractor-trailers emblazoned with his catchy slogan, “Humpin’ to Please”. I love the people out here! As it was getting late (3:30 already!) I decided to bypass St. Louis and find a campsite, with the honorable intentions of going back tomorrow to see the sights. So here I sit, stretched out by a nice little fire, updating my webpage via Sprint Wireless, ready to heat up yesterday’s rice and blackeyes and dine like a brokeass.
10. Covered Bridge, Glenarm IL 11. Beacon of Hope 12. Freshly Restored Soulsby’s Service Station
