The Mother Road...Route 66

Towanda, IL is a fun place to experience Route 66 history

Large machinery and man continue to reshape this land today.

Fertile crop of Central Illinois corn with background of windmills.

Large agricultural machinery.

R. Henry Husemann & family @ Elkhart, IL War Memorial Park.

Illinois State Flag.

Getting My Kicks in front of Paul Bunyan statue...Atlanta, IL

Hamming it up in front of Gunner's

Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.
                                                                              Proverbs 4:26

In 1927, Chicago became the new Gateway to the West after Route 66 opened. Previously, St Louis was associated with travel westward because it was the origin of many of the covered wagon trails of the 1800's. The opening of the new road was the prelude to the Interstate System and signified the shift of mid American rail products to highway shipping. This road begins in Cicero, IL a Chicago suburb and ends in Santa Monica, CA a Los Angeles suburb.

I used the Old Road as a primary route between the Saint Louis area and Chicago. Basically, Interstate 55 has taken over as the quickest and most efficient way to get between these 2 cities for cars and trucks. The newer Interstate System officially replaced The Mother Road in 1985. Sanitation and safety were some of the reasons this road was replaced by bigger and better roads westward. Route 66 now serves as a frontage road. In some places the road is in very bad shape or doesn't even exist.  Before Route 66 was built, it was referred to as "The Pontiac Trail" named to honor a legendary Indian Chief. There is actually a town between Bloomington and Joliet  that still bears the name of Chief Pontiac.

Central Illinois is generally pretty flat due to the result of massive Ice Age glaciers that flattened this area about 10,000 years ago. Along with lakes and rivers that formed (including The Great Lakes) when the glaciers melted, the top soil in this area is home to some of the world's most fertile farmland. Corn and soybeans are popular crops around here.

Springfield IL....Capital City

Silver Topped Illinois State Capital building....Springfield

My Road Machine in front of Sunshine mosaic

Organized Machinist's labor dispute in Central Illinois

Attentive Public Pool Lifeguard on duty

Beautiful & curious horse

Central Illinois wind technology at work.

We are here to help one another along life's journey.
                                                                William J. Bennett

Your light must shine before others.
                             Mathew 5:16


The Illinois State Capital is in Springfield. Abraham Lincoln is the most famous United States President to have come from Illinois and he practiced law here before his Presidency. I had the opportunity to wander around the grounds and was impressed by the architecture.

The weather has been unseasonably warm lately and I've taken advantage of the opportunity to visit several community pools. There, I've been able to relax, cool down and get cleaned up.

Lots of beautiful land around here....rich soil that was brought here by melting glacial ice thousands of years ago. I've heard that a squirrel used to be able to travel from Maine to Mississippi without touching the ground. Now, because of deforestation, that would be impossible.

Going to Chicago

Carlinville's downtown square with courthouse in the background

Large farm machinery for big agricultural jobs

Nice to pick up this road...not as much traffic

Soothing freshwater near Chetham, IL

Excellent Bike path between Chetham and Springfield

I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run you will not stumble.
                                                                                        Proverbs 4:11   

Upon leaving Pere Marquette State Park (largest recreational park in Illinois), I rolled back to the northeast. No shortage of challenging hills moving away from the river, but they were temporary and flattened out as I moved further into Illinois. I spent time in Jerseyville before moving into the larger municipality of Carlinville. There, I picked up the "Mother Road" also known as the Old Highway Route 66. This road was completed in 1926, but officially was decommissioned in 1985. The completion of the interstate highway took the place of this mostly 2 lane highway between Chicago and Los Angeles. This road is popular among motorcyclist's because it has less traffic volume compared to the interstate. In many segments however; route 66 has been replaced by the Big Road. Most traffic between Saint Louis and Chicago now follows I-55, route 66 parallels it and the traffic is manageable. I recently did a 15 mile night ride and had the road mostly to myself.

Picturesque rolling farmlands dominate the countryside in Central Illinois. Lots of fertile soil and ample rains provide consistent corn and bean crops to local farmers. Not much irrigation around here.

The weather has been hot and it's not even summer yet! Thankfully, I've had the opportunity to visit some public pools where I enjoyed getting cleaned up while cooling off.