Chapter 18

Today was mostly a long driving day, with some breaks. We actually repeated the drive we did last week, though in reverse. In order for us to see Springfield (and still get home on time), we had to do it before we dropped Nora off. But now we're essentially back in Springfield (30 minutes farther west). Starting with sunrise in Port Huron:

It started raining soon after we left Port Huron, and rained steadily most of the way to our first stop: Lansing, the capital of Michigan, to check out their capitol.

This capitol had beautiful paintings, very fancy lamps with deer on them, portraits of all the governors (including George Romney and Gerald Ford), a glass floor under the rotunda, fancy ceilings, and flags for every regiment in the Civil War. Fun Fact: It was one of the first statehouses built after the Civil War, and it was modeled after the US Capitol, and this became a model for other state capitols (including every one we have seen), with a lofty central dome flanked by balanced wings, one of the most widely recognized symbols of our democratic form of government.

We drove across Michigan, and near the border the rain stopped and we ate lunch at a rest stop. We drove across Indiana, through treacherous traffic with so many trucks heading for Chicago, and into Illinois. We turned southwest just before Chicago.

As we drove through Illinois, the dark clouds started building up, and we saw lightning.

After so long on the road, we needed a break, and looked on the map for anything. We saw the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, so headed that way. At first we were in a line of dozens of big trucks, until they all pulled off at the Union Pacific Intermodal Center.

This cemetery really was just a cemetery and a couple funerals were in progress, so we kept driving on the small highway, which was part of the original Route 66.

Next we ended up at a Tall Grass Prairie Preserve. We looked around their visitors center and museum. We would have liked to go look at the herd of buffalo they have, but we just didn't feel we had time, there was lots of thunder and lightning around -- and we did see a lot of buffalo already.

After we left the clouds grew more ominous and it did start to rain. Tom really wanted a cup of coffee, and we asked at the preserve, but they couldn't think of anywhere. We walked around the very small town of Wilmington, but all they had was closed antique stores. Even the Soda Shop was a closed antique store. And nowhere had coffee. We finally found some at the gas station in the next town.

Then it was back on the freeway, and the thunderstorm really got going. there was thunder, lightning, and heavy rain. Tom once again thanked Nick for telling him to buy new tires -- we saw a car that had gone off the road, as well as semi trucks wavering around. Around the time we turned off the freeway in Springfield, it did let up. We crossed the 90th meridian, which a sign called " 1/4 of the way around the world".

We drive half an hour west to Jacksonville, Illinois. We checked into the motel, and went to look around the downtown. They have many nice old buildings, and several Lincoln themed murals. At the central square in 1859, Lincoln gave a speech helping the momentum towards abolishing slavery. A prominent local citizen was so excited by the issue that he threw up his hat and exclaimed " Hurrah for Abe Lincoln for president!". There are also driving tours you can do, of Lincoln sites and Underground railroad sites (this was a hub for the underground railroad), but the sun was setting, and it gets dark early down here!

We have had good food throughout this entire trip (except for motel breakfasts, which have rarely been more than "adequate"), but our streak ended tonight at the Ponderosa Steak House. They have a buffet, with a very tired salad bar, and other food set out as well. It was not good, though Tom said the meat was tasty. Here are some scenes from our groovy motel room.