Route 66-based story
written by OC,SH’s founder, inspired by his September 2009 Route 66 road trip
CHAPTER 43: THE JOURNEY’S START & A LEISURE’S STOP
The 1st phase of the brothers’ journey was rather nondescript. To get to Illinois as soon as leisurely possible, they opted to take the “superslabs” (interstates). To put the “leisure” in “leisurely”, the brothers took the longer way, to avoid major cities (like St Louis MO) & to avoid the temptation of checking out any Route 66 places before their journey started.
They arrived in Illinois via I-80 & made 1 leisure stop in Franklin Grove IL to visit the Lincoln Highway Association National Headquarters, run by 1 of their relative’s friends, Lynn Asp. While the brothers’ passion is Route 66, they also have an appreciation for & interest in other old routes. They arrived in Franklin Grove just before lunchtime. After touring the headquarters building & visiting with Lynn, the brothers ate lunch at the Lincoln Way Cafe. Then, they walked around town a bit, taking in the sights, & returned to the LHA building to chat with Lynn more, as well as other travelers. That afternoon, they found people just as passionate about the Lincoln Highway as they are about Route 66 & its people, places & charm. They stayed so long, they ended up back at the Lincoln Way Cafe for dinner. For the eldest, it felt just like a day at their family’s business!
Just before 7p, the brothers got back into the tan 1976 Caprice & headed for Dwight IL. Since they hadn’t told their relatives or the couple when they’d be in Dwight, the brothers made reservations at a hotel in town, just off I-55 along Illinois Route 47, near the Route 66 intersection. They pulled into the hotel parking lot just before quarter ’til 9p.
The brothers planned to stay at the hotel only 1 night before moving into the guest room at their relatives’ place the next day. They wanted to spend a few days in Dwight with their relatives before officially embarking their Route 66 journey. They also knew part of that time would be spent handling some family business.
(I took this photo of the LHA National HQ 05/21/2011, during the May Madness Meet’n’Greet I created & hosted; the barely visible red-white-blue fence-sign reads: “New York 999, Chicago 93, Frisco 2390, Clinton 53” for the mileages to New York City NY, Chicago IL, San Francisco CA & Clinton IA.)