Today it’s all about getting home. On every trip there comes that time when you’re done and you just want to be home and this is that day.
After a little breakfast at the hotel and loading up at a near by Starbucks we hit the interstate for the run to home. Just after we get on the interstate Shirley realized that she doesn’t have her phone. We’re not too far from the hotel but it’s quite a distance before we can exit and turnaround. After recovering the phone which was somehow hidden in the bed we’re on our way again.
Not to much to report on the drive as we skirt Minneaplolis and get to Fargo for the required Costco stop and some food and gas.
It’s spring time and there is some talk of flooding as always. It doesn’t seem too bad as we start noticing a lot of water in the ditch. Then there is more water but only a short stretch where the road narrows to one lane.
Customs at the border is a breeze as we have all our paperwork lined up and after a few basic questions were back in Canada and only 1 hour from home.
It’s a late night but we’re glad to be back in our own bed. A great trip but as they say, there is no place like home.
The big thing today is Frank Lloyd Wright and a tour of the Dana-Thomas house, and it’s beauty. As with many FLW properties they don’t allow interior photographs, so I bought a book. But, here are a couple of photos of the exterior.
After the tour we head back to Atlanta, IL. to a gift shop that has some very cool stuff and a t-shirt I should have bought yesterday. It’s on the route home and this place really warranted another look around.
We didn’t get there, yet!
Very eclectic, very weird
The toy tractor on the right brought back come childhood memories. I never had one of these but some kid on my Ama’s street (570 Oak, in Winnipeg) did. I was probably in the 8-10 yrs old range and I remember zooming up and down the sidewalk so fast! This was the first thing I’d ridden with a chain drive. Perhaps a precursor of my love of bicycles.
After our stop back in Atlanta, IL. we say goodbye to Route 66 and hit the interstates and head towards home. Tonights stop is Eau Claire and thankfully we dodge the snow storm that covered a lot of this route yesterday and while the roads are good for us we see plenty of cars and trucks in the ditch as a result of the heavy snow yesterday.
Today we say goodby to our temporary Chicago digs, load up the car and head out on the Mother Road picking up where we left off yesterday. Our first destination is Joliet with no real plans on how far we’ll get, we’re just exploring the road and stopping for pretty much anything that looks interesting. Plus, we’re using our guide book to seek out some of the Route 66 highlight just to be sure we don’t miss out.
By the end of the day we’re in Springfield. On the Interstate this is a 2 1/2 hour drive. We spend the entire day and it’s quite dark when we arrive in Springfield. So much to see, so many stop, so much fun!
Joliet Prison
Joliet, what’s it famous for? Why the Joliet Prison and a High School that looks eerily similar to the prison. Plus Joliet Jake of the Blues Brothers and Elwood is just down the road.
We stop by the museum, but it’s not open until 10 am and we don’t want to hang around that long so we cruise around town a bit and see the Rialto and then head on down the road.
After Elwood its Wilmington, home to the Gemii Giant and the Launchpad Drive-In.
Next stop is another Drive-In in Braidwood-Godley, the Polk-A-Dot Drive In with some more characters hanging around in the parking lot.
Shirley is with Elvis and I’m with Marilyn. Then there is some guy and Betty Boop! Around the corner are Jake & Elwood, another Elvis and Superman.
Next we stop in Gardner, home of a two cell jailhouse.
Dwight is next on the Route and it’s quite the place to take the family.
In Dwight, at the Ambler’s Texaco Gas Station we meet a group of guys from Germany who flew to Los Angles, rented a car and are doing the whole Route 66 road trip to Chicago, typically considered going in reverse, but hitting all the stops.
Lots of vintage restored garages and gas stations on the route. This is anther one on the way out of Dwight.
Odell is next with it’s claim to fame, you guessed it, another gas station.
In between towns and cities there are lots of sights from days gone by. This one is still in operation and apparently was one of the most advertised items on Route 66.
After a short drive we’re in Pontiac where we spend quite a bit of time at the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame and Museum and the next door Livingston County War Museum.
I’ve been to Cool Springs, very “cool”, middle of nowhere.Around the back of the museum
Back in the car and more driving down the road to Lexington, where we drive on Memory Lane which was supposedly closed to traffic, but what the heck, then by Toward and into Bloomington-Normal, two towns so close together that shared the same Main Street!. What’s the attraction here? Another restored gas station!
Next stops are Shirley, Funks Grove, McLean, Atlanta, Lawndale, Lincoln, Braodwell-Elkhart, Williamsville, Sherman and finally Springfield where we end the day. Some got photos, some didn’t. It was getting dark and once that happened it was just pushing on to Springfield and our hotel for the night.
Shirley’s Church in Shirley, Il
A long and full day on the road and we only stopped to look at a small portion of the sights and attractions. Shirley is now a Route 66 convert and thinks this wasn’t such a crazy idea after all and wants to see more!
Tomorrow we’re touring the Frank Lloyd Wright Dana Thomas House and then returning to Atlanta,IL for a little Route 66 shopping before making the turn towards home.
I’m driving around near our hotel while Shirley is checking out the local Cosstco and I spot this from a distance. I work my way over to get a closer look. What is it?
Well, it turns out it’s pretty much what it looks like, a vending machine for cars! You buy a car online, it’s delivered into this contraption and you receive a large “coin”. When you want to take delivery you show up here, put your “coin” in the slot and the machine delivers your car to the main floor, ready to go, all without any human assistance. Carvana.
Today has a dual purpose. First to tour the James Charnley House and second to begin our exploration of Route 66. The day begins with a drive into the heart of the beast, downtown Chicago. The GPS guides us through several freeways, constructions zones and the morning rush hour traffic to get us to The James Charnley Residence, also known as the Charnley-Persky House, a historic house museum at 1365 North Astor Street in the Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.
Why this house? Well, because it is one of the few surviving residential works of Louis Sullivan, and features major contributions by Frank Lloyd Wright, who was then working as a draftsman in Sullivan’s office. I’m a FLW fan and we’ve seen several of his works in Chicago and elsewhere.
Parking in the heart of downtown residential Chicago is pretty challenging, we’re just blocks off the lakeshore and it looks like parking is at a high premium for residents let alone tourists like us. However, there is an apartment complex across the street that has casual parking available for some unknown price and we’re desperate as the tour will begin shortly so we drive in, leave the keys with a ver nice guy and trust we can get it back in an hour or two. For cash as it turns out, which requires a trip to a near by bank machine.
We line up with a few others and wait for the doors to open as it’s first come, first served for a limited number of people. We make it in with about 10 other older people from various parts of the world.
The tour is interesting and the house has quite the history but for me it doesn’t have the impact or wow factor of many of the other Frank Lloyd Wright designs we’ve see. Early days I guess and he was not fully in charge but you can see his influences for sure.
A fireplace in every room
Back stairs for servants and main staircase for family
With the tour concluded we retrieve the car and venture even further into downtown Chicago. Our destination, Michigan Ave & Jackson Blvd., the start of the historic Route 66.
As you can see in the photo on the left, it’s raining lightly and we circle the block about 3 time to get the photo because of course there is no parking anywhere near by. Shirley grabs the snap out the window as I slow roll by the sign.
For the rest of the morning we wind our way out of downtown, not on the freeways and Interstate but as close as possible to the real “66”. Lots of gawking at all the buildings and sights, ever vigilant for the next brown “Historic Route” sign to guide us.
Still raining and off we go, winding our way out of town. Well, the town really never seems to end, we just cross some invisible line and we’re in a different city.
A couple of stops here and there for a photo or two.
A Las Vegas spinoff
There is a great toy store here, Berwyn’s Toy & Trains, lots of trains!
Late in the afternoon we turn back towards our hotel and get ready to leave Chicago tomorrow for more Route 66 exploration with the destination being Springfield, Il. No Interstate and lots of stops to explore.
