Two Beers and a Pretzel

After sleeping in a bit, I got on the road at about 10 AM from Lincoln Park on the North side of Chicago.It took about 30 minutes to get to downtown where westbound Route 66 begins – At the Art Institute of Chicago in Grant Park.  The beginning of my day was marked by light rain and overcast skies, so I opted to skip the observation deck of the Sears Tower.  It’s OK, I’ve been up there a few other times prior to this trip.

After driving the confusing maze of streets that used to be Route 66 in Chicago, I took a side trip to Bolingbrook, IL to get some more camping gear at the Bass Pro Shops, and ate a quick lunch at the nearby Famous Dave’s BBQ.  When I got back on the road, the clouds were starting to break up, and the skies were clear by the time I reached Wilmington.   One past that milestone, you pass a new town every 5 miles or so, and start to see some of the nostalgic things you expect on this road.

Rocketman…

A popular old jail with only 2 cells…

Ye Olde Texaco Station…

Ye Olde Standard Oil Service Station…

The Route 66 Hall of Fame Museum in Pontiac, IL.  A very nice old lady talked to me for quite a while and gave me all kinds of Route 66 SWAG – like maps, buttons, fliers, magazines, guidebooks, etc…

After saying goodbye for the umpteenth time, I finally got away and pulled out of the parking lot to find this cool sign on the pavement…

Between the small towns, there are places where you drive on the original road (repaved as a county road or state route), places where you are on the new road and parallel to the dilapidated classic route, and a few places where the original road was overrun by I-55.  All in all, the byways in Illinois are not that bad, although not as nice as the interstate.

In the next town, I found the giant hot dog guy…

It was getting late, so I had to hurry to get to the Springfield KOA campground…  As it turns out, I arrive 15 minutes after the front desk closed, so I backtracked a bit and I’m staying at the Motel 6 on the South side of Springfield.  I was looking forward to a sub $20 campsite, Grilled sandwiches in the sandwich press, and some smores at a campfire.  Instead, I had a $45 hotel room (with tax), $3 for 24 hours of wifi access, and a meal that was way too big at an unremarkable chain eatery.  The upside is that I got to upload my pictures and watch Mythbusters.

I plan on hitting a few sites and the Lincoln museum before getting back on the road tomorrow.