2014-10-10 Pontiac, IL Route 66 Museum

Here is a map with the places we've camped so far on our trip. Click on the map to get a larger view.

Friday seemed to be "Museum Day" for us. After the Pontiac Museum we headed over to the Route 66 Association Hall of Fame & Museum less than two blocks away.

The Museum is preserving the memories of those who have traveled Route 66 and spent times in its hotels, restaurants, and cities.

The showcases highlighted famous landmarks starting in Chicago and working west.

Places we've already been on our trip were represented with icons and memorabilia; Chicago, Joliet, Wilmington, and Gardner.

We knew we'd be in the other cities represented in the other cases, but we didn't "know" them yet; McLean, Lincoln, Springfield, and Litchfield.

Bob Waldmire was an ardent support of the Mother Road and he traveled many miles promoting it in his VW Bus.

Bobby Troup (you may remember him as a doctor on the TV show, Emergency!) wrote the classic song "Route 66". He had a case also.

We spent an hour reading through everything before heading upstairs to some unusual exhibits.

A series of rooms was themed to the American Lifestyle in the 1940's.

In the same building was the Livingston County War Museum. There were about a hundred military uniforms on mannequins and each one had a real person's name on it, what unit he/she was in, and where he/she was deployed.

Outside contained a few more surprises. Bob Waldmire also had a larger bus.

There was also the world's largest Route 66 sign that provided one of the best photo ops in the world.

2014-10-10 Pontiac Oakland Automobile Museum

We are spending 5 days in Pontiac. We might need more.


Hold down the SHIFT KEY and click on Pontiac, IL to see a larger map

There are so many things good about this town. Four free museums, Lincoln sites and sounds, 3 swinging bridges, a beautifully restored County Courthouse, friendly Midwest people, and an 18 hole disc golf course.

I don't want to start doing reviews of Laundromats but the one in Pontiac was very nice. Clean clothes, reasonably priced, and the clothes actually got dry without having put in more money.

Yesterday we took a day off and went for a walk in the parks that line the Vermilion River in Pontiac.

The three swinging bridges span the river within a 1/2 mile stretch of each other.

During our walking adventure we found an 18 hole disc golf course that was in two of the parks. The 18 hole had you throw ACROSS the river to get to the basket.

Abraham Lincoln came to the city quite a few times. Sprinkled around the city are very nice informational plaques explaining why he was here.

One visit was accidental, caused by his train not being able to proceed north because of a snow drift. Townspeople rescued him and the other passengers and put them up for a few days. That's the kind of people in that still live in this town.

Here's a famous statue of Abe in front of the County Courthouse.

We have a couple we met many years ago in our roller coaster club, Chuck and Eva. Their other hobby was Pontiac cars. Chuck and a couple of other enthusiasts helped open the Pontiac Oakland Automobile Museum in town about 3 years ago.

The curator of the museum, Tim Dye, gave us the grand tour when we stopped by.

We walked around a bit on our own and then he showed us the good stuff. He took us upstairs where they have at least two more museums worth of Pontiac stuff to show off.

Before there was I-55 or Route 66 or Highway 4 there was the Pontiac Trail. This may be the last ceramic sign of that highway.

And then there's a bunch more car memorabilia in the basement as well.

When asked what other cars they have I think his final total was 50, spread in various garages and buildings around town.

He took us to one such building down the street that might have had 7 cars in it including this rare Pontiac Yellow Bird.

Tim and Penny have really put a ton of work into the museum and they keep crazy hours. We were in town late a couple of nights and I still saw their pickup truck sitting outside.