Iowa Highway Ends (etc.)

Traer, Iowa, May 26 — This was an easy day, partly tracing previously traveled routes. The key here was being able to travel US 34 west of Burlington after it had IA 163 added to it.

Route: Old US 66 to Atlanta, I-55, I-155, I-74, I-474, Airport Rd, IL 116, US 34, US 218, old US 218 (IA 923 and then 921), US 218, IA 8

I began by following the US 66 bypass, which is only signed as old 66 and not the business loop, around the north side of Lincoln and then up to the first exit past. In Atlanta, the signed US 66 route is the one through town, not the bypass that was later bypassed. Downtown had some 66-related stuff, including its version of the Gemini Giant.

Various “reskinnings” of this statue model dot Route 66. Continue reading →

Lincoln, Illinois, May 25 — It is the only city named for the president before he became president. It was also the next stopping point on my trip.

Route: I-57, IL 148, IL 37, I-57, US 51, IL 121

I went from zero to clinched on I-57 in Missouri. Only I-44 and I-155 remain.

I got gas at the easternmost of the three Casey’s in Charleston. This one is new enough that it was not on the logo signing (the one listed was “1½ miles”). Charleston is probably the smallest place I’ve seen with three Casey’s, but with one at each exit and one in town and being the last gas before Illinois I bet it can handle them.

An hour and a half in and I clinched I-57 in Missouri, Illinois, and its entirety. Then I exited and blinked, and missed Pulleys Mill. Since it doesn’t even have a post office anymore, Goreville would be the more appropriate “control city” for the I-24/I-57 junction. IL 148 flows directly into IL 37. While parts of this segment weren’t officially in the national forest there were a lot of trees. Continue reading →

Sikeston, Missouri, May 24 — Today was Bridge Day. I encountered four bridges from the late 1920s and early 1930s. Each had that classic superstructure that’s not used anymore.

Route: IL 13, KY 56, KY 109, US 60, KY 91, IL 1, IL 146, IL 145, US 45 into Metropolis and then into Kentucky, US 62, KY 123, KY 80, US 51 to I-57 and back through Cairo, US 62, US 61, US 60

I began the day by heading east on IL 13 and took the last intersection down (literally down) into Old Shawneetown, which was practically deserted. The Lincoln Trail (southern branch) is directed through the town. There is a large bank building on the street when you come down, but it is NOT the “first bank in Illinois”; that site is very hidden right in the bridge and levee’s shadow. The IL 13/KY 56 crossing was my first harrowing narrow steel-deck bridge of the day.

I went east instead of south for one reason: Union County, Kentucky. Going there dictated how I would wind my way through the rest of southeastern Illinois. I cut south on KY 109 to get to Marion, where I photographed the north end of US 641, and then returned north. The GPS actually had a little ferry icon and ordered me to take the ferry. Cave-in-Rock had plenty of cars along its business district, which surprised me. There was spray paint on the road for the high-water mark last year.

Please do not attempt to use your vehicle as a flotation device.

Continue reading →

Harrisburg, Illinois, May 23 — This just in: Illinois is tall. Really tall. I realized that once I started truly studying my planned route. Fortunately (for once!) I overpacked.

Route: I-57, I-74, US 45, US 150, to north cemetery in Danville, US 150, US 41, old US 40, US 40, IL 1, US 50, IL  33, old US 50 bridge, lost in Vincennes, Hart St to US 41, US 50, IL 130, IL 1, US 45 to Harrisburg

First, east to Danville on US 150. The GPS only squawked a couple of times trying to get me back to I-74. I stopped at Spring Hill Cemetery for digital pictures of the grave of Dennis Morrison, my great-great-grandfather, who served in the Civil War and marched to the sea with Sherman.

US 40 and 41 meet in Terre Haute, but at I-70 after a recent reroute off the National Road.

Then I followed US 150 all the way to Terre Haute, and looked to see the signage of US 40 moved to I-70. I got one photo with 40 and 41 shields both in the frame. I wanted to see the sports arenas of Indiana State, but found out that the football stadium was off-site. Since Indiana State is more known for basketball anyway, specifically the 1979 team with Larry Bird, the basketball arena was more fitting. Continue reading →

Here’s the first post about my vacation at the end of May. More will come starting Monday.

Champaign, Illinois, May 22 — I had the flexibility to put off this trip for a few days, and was glad I did. There were nothing but clear skies ahead, and I had my first 450-mile day in a long time.

Route: I-235, I-80, Business 61, I-280, I-80, I-74, US 6, IL 89, I-80, IL 178, US 6, IL 71, I-80 to exit 105, US 6, I-55, I-80, I-57

The style matches and it’s not Butt-Ugly Kansas-Style letters! This replacement is pretty seamless. Compare to previously existing setup.

“Business” tabs have replaced directional markers all along the old route of US 61 through Davenport except for the interchange with IA 22. There, they are still “north” and “south.” I don’t know why they took down the directional markers, since the business route would still be thought to run north and south. The I-280/US 6 interchange, however, did not have US 61 signs on 6. Business 61 was my only route clinch of the day. I technically have not clinched US 61 in Iowa since the Fort Madison bypass opened, but my travel on I-80 and I-280 closed this reroute gap.

I hopped on and off US 6 in Illinois, skipping some urban areas so I didn’t spend as much time. I got stuck behind a cement mixer between the QC and Geneseo and had to clean the windshield a third time in Atkinson. One of my switches back to I-80 was unintentional; IL 71 is the main road while 6 splits off.

Approaching IL 26 from US 6/34, guess what you see? Yup. “Jct 6/34/26.” This issue of having a “junction” with the road you are already on is a chronic one in Illinois.

The westward creep of Chicago sprawl continues. I was on US 6 “west of” Channahon according to DeLorme, but it was an intersection with a stoplight, opposing Osco Drug and Walgreens, and one bank-owned empty lot. I think it’s a law in Illinois that every corner with a Walgreens must also have a CVS or Jewel/Osco.

I-80’s control cities as seen on I-55 are Iowa and Indiana. Traffic was somewhat heavy on I-80 between I-55 and I-57. Practically all the BGSs on that part of I-80 (with the notable exception of I-57, see below) are Clearview now. All the pull-throughs are “Indiana” instead of “Toledo.”

You can’t really see it here, but these signs are button copy, and some of the last remaining non-Clearview BGSs on I-80 in the Chicago area.

I-57 traffic declined markedly after US 30. Unlike Iowa, there are not mileage signs after every exit. Those that exist have Memphis as the control city.

Illinois’ corn crop is coming in pretty nicely despite some standing water (!) in some fields on I-57. One thing I noticed after hearing it on WMT-AM earlier in the day is that while the talk used to be about planting “fence row to fence row”, farmers are now taking out the fences. End rows wrap around utility poles.

Nothing else to report about I-57, other than it seemed less busy than I-35 in southern Iowa. The setting sun wasn’t bad at all. It was a perfect day of driving and I ended up in Champaign shortly after 7 with 475 miles done. This also finished off I-57 in northern Illinois, plus every county north of (but not on) I-70.