The Sandcastle

We spent most of the morning sorting and packing things to leave with our daughter in Chicago to make space and weight available for the solar system we hope to get installed some day. This is our last chance to leave things in the Midwest before heading out so I feel a need to take advantage of that. We still managed to get on the road before noon.

Then we went shopping for diesel and dropped off a large bag of cans at a recycling center.  I was very glad to find the center since that bag was getting very full and I hate just putting them in the trash.  The center had a row dumpsters marked for various categories of recycling.  It made me wish I had a place to sort paper, too.  This picture is for Donna.

I-90 through Gary, Indiana, is train lovers heaven. We had a coal train and a mixed freight on one side of us and a commuter train on the other. And we were surrounded by freight yards. Only another train lover could understand that's a good thing.

We finally drove into Chicago only to find the route we planned to take didn't go where we wanted to go which was Jackson Street and Lake Shore Drive, the official eastern terminus of Route 66. But Dave has been to Chicago before so he just turned down this street then that one until he approached Lake Shore Drive. When he asked me what cross street he was supposed to look for now I replied, "The one we are on." Dave has an amazing ability to get where he wants to go when driving. The intersection is a busy one so we didn't get any pictures there.  This one is from nearby.

Next we twisted and turned our way trying to go back down Jackson, which is one way the wrong way, looking for Lou Mitchell's Restaurant.  

 

This restaurant actually predates Route 66. When we got to the corner they should be around, there were two parking meters in front of one another with pull-through access. We must have been supposed to arrive there at that time. After putting money in both meters, we had lunch at Lou's. When you walk in they give you a donut hole and a tiny box of Milk Duds. Those kept me happy while I read the menu. The omelette was OK but the fried potatoes and homemade wheat bread hit the spot. Dave, of course, had a waffle.

Back on the Interstate we were approaching an area where I-90 and I-94 split. We needed to decide if the lane we were in went where we wanted to go. Trying to guess how many lanes will go which way is irritating. I finally realized there were several semi-trucks in the lane left of us. That probably meant our lane didn't go where we needed to. So we moved over and successfully followed the trucks. Those drivers know what they need to know.

Our next stop was our daughter's house. She was at school and her housemates were at work so we just left everything on their front porch. It's nice that they live in a neighborhood where you can safely do that.

At last we headed out of Chicago, going south on Route 66 headed for the White Fence Farm in Romeoville, IL. This restaurant specializes in chicken and they have a big fiberglass chicken out front. They also have a petting zoo. There were supposed to be antique automobiles as well, but we never saw them. Since we were still full from eating at Lou Mitchell's we didn't go inside.

Next we deviated from Route 66 to go to Camping World. We were finally able to buy the magazine rack and spice rack we should have bought before we left Minneapolis. We also bought a new fan. It's nice to be comfortable without having to turn on the air conditioning.

Heading back to Route 66 we drove though Joliet, IL, looking for a couple of landmark places. We drove by the location of the very first Dairy Queen but didn't see anything that looked like one so it may be gone now. We did find the Rialto Square Theater but trees and traffic kept us from getting a good picture of it so you'll need to go take your own.

Then we ran into another one of those wrong way streets so we saw more of Joliet than we intended to see today.

Finally, we headed back to the Interstate to find Leisure Lake Resort, tonight's destination campground. We managed to get parked here just before sunset. But, we did all the things on today's list so we are still only one day behind schedule. How's the betting pool coming?

TTYL,

Linda

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