3 Days
1,784 Miles
41 Hours driving time
34.7 MPG (Take that Prius! And it’s a REAL car.)
14 Restaurants
12 Bakeries
4 Ice cream stops
1 Drink stop
7 Sonics
With Dad living in the northwestern and western Chicago suburbs for 3 decades and my at least monthly jaunts to the city for many years Chicagoland has long been a second home. Despite this activity and several road trips there was still much of Illinois to see as confirmed by the before & after map:
So time to point the German sedan south and start exploring!
Sunday, August 23rd, 2009
Segueing off the toll road south of Rockford and heading toward a route following the twisting Rock River this classic was the lunch stop in Oregon.
This road trip was also an opportunity to integrate the annual pilgrimage to the Ronald Reagan sites in Dixon and Tampico.
Frequently looking for work Jack Reagan moved the family around NE Illinois. Among 5 cities Dixon is considered the Presidents boyhood home because of 7 residences from 1920 until he graduated college in 1932.
This one has the longest tenure from 1920 to 1924 and has been preserved to that era.
Among a rich assortment of other sites in town include Lowell Park where as a lifeguard he saved 77 lives, the library where the curious boy checked out hundreds of books, the middle school and church.
All these trips throughout the years with the intention to stop at Meusel’s Dairy Delite; and it turns out they have non-fat, no sugar frozen yogurt.
A small town almost lost among hundreds of acres of fields Tampico welcomed Dutch Reagan on a snowy night on February 6th, 1911. He was born in the room above “bank”.
Fortune picked a route to pass through Elmwood with its broad green highlighted by a metal dome roofed gazebo...
...which fronted an appealing main street. And nearby soft serve at a family geared stand.
Havana had it all to create that beloved slice of Americana- brick streets, old movie theatre, lush planters, Ionic column bank, and a variety of facades.
Monday, August 24th, 2009
Dawn was just breaking over Nauvoo perched on a bluff over the Mississippi.
Signs of a great breakfast spot- gravel parking lot full of pick-ups.
Quincy
Daylight Donuts. AKA trays of goodness.
The first of the Sonic stops in Jacksonville.
Grafton is spread along the airy open banks of Might Man River.
Narrow climbing streets give Elsah a magical quality accentuated by tidy stone homes.
Grand buildings in downtown Alton are accessorized by appealing landscaping.
Uptown for Peach Pie at Aunt Sam’s. The required flaky crust cradled a thick treasure of the fruit.
Legendary in these parts for cheap foods Fast Eddie’s Bon Air offers shrimp for 29 cents each, 99 cent burgers/fries, $1.99 pork kebobs and tenderloin for $2.99.
The line proves their popularity and provides a view of the simple open kitchen.
Over in East Alton more food stops for a drink from Sonic and Blueberry Muffin with deformed crown from Wood River Donut Shop.
Another Sonic in Columbia! Aren’t their Jr. Candy Sundaes cute?
Waterloo
The Germanic downtown Red Bud.
Did you know Chester is home to Popeye?
At the most southern point of Illinois a tight bend in the Ohio River creates a peninsula whose point sits Cairo.
Astounding. Block after block of once grand residential and commercial buildings are now empty and falling apart.
It was astounding to imagine the heyday of this town.
And ponder its decline.
Gritty inside and out for some pork.
Tuesday, August 25th, 2009
How great is this Main Street USA? Does Lebanon’s brick street make it all that more striking?
Eckert’s is one of those family farms that among acres of orchards is a complex of country store, custard stand, maze for kids, restaurant and garden shop.
At their bakery the choice was an intricately textured Blueberry Muffin.
What an impressive theatre in DuQuion.
Nut Roll at Mark’s Bakery. Sugary crunch enveloping airy softness.
Sniffle. Isn’t it beautiful? Thanks Sonic for this refreshing mid-morning treat.
A desolate twisting access road and two main streets straddling a valley give remote Cobden a mystifying aura.
The home of Superman at the Illinois/Kentucky border Metropolis has a shady downtown.
It is guarded by a gigantic statue.
You know those Dippin’ Dots? So called “ice cream of the future”? Check out their expansive parlor.
The Superman Museum is one of those outgrowths of someone collecting millions of dollars worth of memorabilia.
A series of rooms hold toys, posters and props from the various movies and TV series.
In keeping with the collectable mania Americana Hollywood has 17,000 square feet categorized by comedy, sci-fi, comedy, horror, Elvis, westerns, Marilyn Monroe and even Lara Croft.
Metropolis was far from a culinary destination, which was OK with me to default to my beloved Sonic Santa Fe Grilled Chicken Salad.
By the end of the trip the grand tally is 97 Sonics in 18 states with 100 menu items enjoyed.
You really have to go out of your way to see Illinois’ oldest town- Old Shawneetown.
A beacon in the night in Danville.
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009
Heading into the familiar territory of southern Chicagoland Frankfort has 1890s charm updated for today and the Rialto Theatre in Joliet combining Greek, Byzantine and Roman architecture.
Wrapped up the journey stopping at Dad’s for a quality 2 hours.