Go West, Boomers! Day 11

Reporting from Vincennes, IN
LAT 38.39 N LON 87.3 W

What will most likely be the penultimate day of our trip began in the St. Louis area. We kicked things off at a sculptural park.

I’ve got something in my eye.

Bambi’s back and she’s pissed.

Then it was onto St. Louis proper. Wow, what a mess of a city! “St. Louis: We Gave Up”.

A sign bigger than a gas station.

A flying saucer that now houses fast food.

With all the visitors and a sportsball game going on, this was as close as we could get to the St. Louis Arch. We were planning to skip it anyway.

This is a bridge that goes to Chouteau Island, in the middle of the Mississippi. Took us a while to figure out how to get there.

Moving on to Illinois, and a great lunch. Roasted chicken and a smoked turkey salad. Both were great!

Moving thru Indiana, we found a dragon that actually breathes fire (as long as you pay for it).

Then the ”Madonna of the Trail”, a tribute to the women of the Cumberland Road.

Our final stop of the day was just across the border, in Vincennes, IN. A library with giant stuff:

Red Skelton was born in Vincennes. For your kids out there, Skelton was a famous comedian in the radio and early TV days. I remember his long running variety show, but to be honest I was never a fan. I do remember his sign off "good night and God bless".

Red as a kid.

Muffler Man and Uncle Sam, Saturday mornings on NBC!

With such a big lunch, we had a snack for dinner.

OK, time to crash. Tomorrow—all the way home (?) #gowestboomers

Go West, Boomers! Day 2

Reporting from Coralville, IA
LAT 41.41 N LON 91.36 W

We’ve reached our third state so far. But to begin the day, we found a “weird in the wild” item—a giant macaroni in front of a Kraft-Heinz plant.

Moving to Springfield IL and a more somber item—Lincoln’s tomb. There was a helpful park associate answering questions.

You’re supposed to rub Lincoln’s nose for luck, but the pandemic overrides luck.

Slightly less morose was the crypt of “Mr. Accordion”, who got his revenge after the cemetery tried to reneg on his purchased plot. He would regularly go out and play his accordion on his plot, (just as you went into the park), had an elaborate crypt put in, while being buried elsewhere.

Nearby was our second state capitol for the trip, and a far site better than the first. We took a guided tour then did a little scouting.

We drove for a while after that, and started getting peckish. We picked a place in the middle of nowhere called Grandpa’s. Took us a while to track it down, and almost walked back out. Glad we didn’t. Mindy had a “horseshoe”—a local delicacy I would call an Illinois poutine. Biscuit, meat, fries, cheese sauce.

As we crossed the border into Iowa, we located “Snake Alley”, a twisty steep road named for it’s serpent-like shape. Ripley’s documented it for “Believe It or Not”. Dashcam video of the drive will be posted later.

We visited Riverside IA for a specific reason—James T. Kirk will be born here. His “monument” is in an alley next to City Hall. We also found his bronze likeness—are all celebrities short? Anyway, we timed the visit for #StarTrekDay.

After finding a hotel in Coralville, we were looking for a place to honor Queen Elizabeth II who passed today at 96, but the best we could do was a British-themed pizza pub.  We shared fish and chips along with a salad. It was decent. #godsavetheking

That’ll do it for our second day. Tomorrow—some giant things and South Dakota. #gowestboomers

Go West, Boomers! Day 1

Reporting from Champaign-Urbana, IL
LAT 40.7 N LON 88.13 W

We’ve made it to the end of Day 1, which partly involved familiar drives. I have in-laws in Chicago and Milwaukee, so we didn’t see a lot of new territory until we got past Indianapolis.

But before then, we tracked down a giant rose sculpture. Did you know that Springfield OH at one point was America’s premiere rose grower? Well, in 2020, someone decided they needed to honor that. The distinction is muted when you place said sculpture at the side of a highway going out of town, with no clear way to access it. We pulled onto the berm and got a few pics.

The it was off to glamorous Greenville OH and the Maid-Rite Drive In. We skipped the loose meat sammiches (they were just getting ready to open), and concentrated on the wads of gum adorning the walls. Blecch!

Moving onto Indianapolis. Out first meal of the trip was at the Mug ‘n’ Bun, a classic drive in near the speedway. We ordered a burger, a pork tenderloin sammich, and onion rings to share. The burger was what your mom might make when you ask for a Big Mac, using a slice of bread in the middle. The tenderloin was tasty and not too enormous. Rings were a bit greasy. On the other hand, homemade root beer!

We have started a habit of checking out state capitol buildings, so we ventured into downtown Indy. The place was fairly generic--lots of 1880's flourishes and relatively dark with the exception of skylights. Couldn't get into the galleries despite there being no sessions underway. I'll give it a 5 out of 10.

Commandant and Sorcerer Supreme.

Finally we reached Illinois, stopping at Champaign-Urbana near the college.  After a quick rest at the hotel, we ventured out for dinner--something more nutritious than lunch, hummus and salads.  Both were excellent!

Well, that's plenty for one day.  Tomorrow, onto to Iowa and a historic birthplace...

Bayou Wedding Tour - Day 11

Reporting from Indianapolis, IN. We’re only a few hours from home, but we have found that if we make a final long dash we end up exhausted. So, here we are.

Today was Big Things Day, featuring the world’s largest <fill in the blank>.

Here’s the world’s SECOND largest rocking chair—why second? More in a minute.

Here’s a giant ice cream cone at an elementary school in Affton, MO for some reason.

Here’s the world’s largest chess piece, outside the Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis.

But the main event was Carey, IL—the world’s headquarters for the world’s largest objects.

Here’s a #2 (million).

So here’s the world’s largest rocking chair. It eclipsed the previous #1, so that’s considered the largest chair on Route 66.

Here’s the world’s largest see-saw (under construction).

The world’s largest FUNCTIONING wind chime.

The world’s largest mail box. You can even drop off actual mail inside.

The world’s largest (non-wearable) wooden shoes.

Mindy had some legal problems in town.

We hit a few balls at the links…

…and dropped by the Bunyan farm.

Why is this all in one small Illinois town? Because there’s a workshop that churns out massive working versions of various objects. I assume Batman villains frequent this place.

Meanwhile, at the closed giant objects factory, the Penguin is completing a purchase!

Well, we crashed early at the hotel. It’s been a long trip (but a lot of fun), and the final day is tomorrow.