Illinois - Bigger than you'd think

[Litchfield, IL 62056 | 1,100 miles]

OK, so we had a light breakfast at Cafe Jumping Bean around the corner from Bob & Katy's this morning, then I headed back to the center of town to start my journey off right at the very start of Historic Route 66, which is on Adams Avenue at Michigan Avenue. This was about noon. 40 minutes and 12 miles later, I saw Henry's in Cicero, IL which is a famous stop along 66, so I stopped for a hot dog loaded with everything, which means relish, mustard, skinny hot peppers, a pickle spear and french fries. Not bad for $2.40. As the sign says, this truly was "a meal in itself!" I snacked on this treat for the next 100 miles.

At 1:30 pm [35 miles out] I stopped for more coffee and ice to keep my water cold. South of Joliet, IL, I finally started making good time get up to 60 mph for long stretches between small towns. Scattered drizzle made the weather less than ideal, but much better than driving all day in the rain, which is what the news lead me to believe was going to be the case. About 60 miles out today, I saw the 2nd famous landmark, the Gemini Giant at the Launching Pad in Wilmington, IL. I stopped to take a picture, then grabbed a banana milkshake inside.

In Odell, IL, a 1932 Standard Oil Station was spotted, now a visitor's center (but unfortunately closed at the time I was passing through). I got turned around a few times in Bloomington (thank you Erica for letting me borrow your Garmin Nuvi GPS). Most of the route is marked really well where you don't even need your maps, but a few times, either a sign went missing or never got placed, and you end up in the middle of a soybean field (BTW, most soy is now grown for biofuel NOT for consumption, at least here in IL).

I made it to Atlanta sooner than I expected (Atlanta, IL that is). Population: about 650. Here, Paul Bunyan holds a giant hot dog (reason unknown, perhaps it was his favorite food?).