It is finally time to start heading south. We've been fortunate and the weather has not turned cold on us yet, BUT it is almost October and we are expecting it.
We hitched up the 5th wheel and uneventfully made the 120 mile drive to our new RV park - Leisure Lake Membership Resort at the intersection of I-55 and I-80 where we will be staying for 9 days.
Along the way we picked up a toll transponder at an "Oasis" on the Tri-State Expressway that would allow us to zoom through toll areas without stopping. We preloaded our account with $40, attached the transponder to the windshield, and off we went. It's a great time saver, gas saver, and the tolls are half price.
The next day we relaxed and had a leisurely morning at our Leisure Resort. Feeling antsy, we headed out after lunch for a walk on the Illinois & Michigan Canal trail. We found a couple of locks (no longer being used) and dams along the way and some guy's yard that was like an antique farm museum.
We had our itinerary with us and so we headed for a stretch of Route 66 a short distance away to see what we could find.
The Schutten-Aldrch House was really cool looking.
I may as well take a few moments and explain what a "Muffler Man" is because you'll be seeing lots of pictures of them in later blogs.
Muffler Men are large molded fiberglass sculptures that were placed as advertising icons or roadside attractions. They are anywhere from 18-25 feet tall. We will see these guys holding a variety of items on our travels. International Fiberglass of Venice, California constructed most of them.
This one we found standing in Wilmington, IL outside of the closed Launching Pad fast food restaurant.
Times must really be tough because this place had tons of Route 66 memorabilia inside.
We tried to help out and bought $50 worth of diesel in town before heading down the street to Nelly's for dinner.
The food was great and they invite you to "pull out the ladder and write on their ceiling".
We headed on down the road where we'll be searching for more great cities and things to see and eat along Route 66.
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