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| Home of the Abraham Lincoln Family, Springfield, IL |
www.dennismook.com
As our "excellent adventure" continues, we arose by 6 a.m. and had a good breakfast at a nearby Ihop. We already had the day pretty much planned out so we were off to our first stop in Springfield, the state capital of Illinois.
Not far from where we stayed was the family home of President Abraham Lincoln. The home is contained within a 4 square block area restored to its condition in the 1860s. It was quite impressive. The Lincoln home complex is run by the National Park Service and they have done an excellent job, not only in keeping the flavor of the times, but also in their visitor's center, information available and the guided tours. The rangers were very well versed in Mr. & Mrs. Lincoln, their family and associates.
We toured Lincoln's home. The home was furnished as it would have been while the Lincolns lived there. I believe the ranger said the only original piece that was still there was one of the beds. I learned some things I didn't know, such as Lincoln was quite successful and had a net worth of about $400,000. Mrs. Lincoln had a crude chamber pot with a seat in her bedroom but no one else did. The Lincoln's had four boys. Edward died in the home as a boy of tuberculosis. He was the second child. William died in the White House at age 11 of typhoid fever. Thomas "Tad" died after his father was assassinated at age 18 also of tuberculosis. Only the oldest boy, Robert, lived to be an adult and died in 1926 at age 82. The last surviving direct descendant of President Lincoln died in 1985.
The Lincoln's also had an outhouse with three seats--all different sizes! Pick your size, pick your seat!
From the Lincoln neighborhood, we drove over to President Lincoln's Tomb. What a marvelous tribute to our 16th president. All the states at the time contributed to the construction of the marble adorned monument. Although there is a huge headstone in the rear chamber, Lincoln is buried 10 ft. below with his sarcophagus covered with tons of cement and rock. Robert had his father interred in that manner because robbers had tried to steal the body in the past. In fact, Lincoln's body had been moved a number of times before getting to his final resting place.
From Springfield we drove south. Our next stop was Litchfield, Illinois. We were looking for Ariston's Café. We soon found it, made a few photographs of the outside, then proceeded inside to have lunch. I have to say, our lunch today was one of the best eating experiences I have had in a long, long, time. Ariston's has been on old Route 66 since 1924. The inside looks very much like it did in the past. The proprietors were so friendly and volunteered to make photographs of us behind their counter, holding an old two-piece telephone as well as enjoying our lunch. The food was first-rate. We really enjoyed the restaurant. I made the remark that if I lived nearby, Ariston's would quickly become my favorite restaurant, not only for the food, but for the very friendly and inviting owners and staff. Jimmy was our server and he was really good. Mrs. Adam, the proprietor, gave us some souvenirs while we were there. Fantastic experience!
Again, we headed south on the old "Mother Road". Our next stop was the small town of Mr. Olive where we found Soulsby's Service Station. The station has been restored to a much earlier time. We spent some time photographing the station, then we were on our way again. Very cool!
We crossed the Mississippi River into Missouri about 2:00 p.m. We then visited the famous Chain of Rocks Bridge, which was the original Route 66 route over the "Big Muddy". We walked to the center of the abandoned bridge. The river was over its banks and the current was very swift. While walking on the bridge, we met a couple and a friend who were also traveling west on Route 66 in their corvettes. Like us, they had no timeline or particular agenda. I'm sure we will see them again.
Our next planned stop, the National Transportation Museum, outside of St. Louis, was a disappointment since we arrived less than an hour before closing time. We made a few images of some of the outside exhibits, but promised to return at a later date. It will be well worth it and I am disappointed they close early in the day.
Driving west around St. Louis, we stopped at the visitor's center of the Route 66 State Park. They had a museum and gift shop there. Fascinating. Their exhibits revolved around towns and events along Route 66 in Missouri. We had a great conversation with the two ladies in attendance who filled us in with a lot of history as well as giving us some ideas of visiting places along Route 66 of which we were not aware. Thank you, ladies. At their gift shop, I made a couple of souvenir purchases.
Again, it started raining as we headed southwest. The light rain turned into a good hard rain by the time we reached Cuba, Missouri, our stopping place for the day. We decided to stay in the Wagon Wheel Motel, the oldest continuous operating motel along the entire route of Route 66. The stone blocks that make up the office, gift shop, and cottages, are quite interesting. Our cabin was small, quaint but had all the amenities we needed to get through the night. Checking in was done at the original desk--and I mean a small, sit down desk--with me filling out a "registration card" as everything is done by hand and in journals. Certainly a throwback to at least the 60s. The woman who checked us in as as nice and friendly as could be and was able to relay a lot of history about the motel and the surrounding area.
Tonight, we are nestled into the stone cabin at the Wagon Wheel. We drove in Illinois and Missouri as well as crossing the Mississippi River today. We drove about 250 miles. All in all, each day just gets better and better on this road trip.
Tomorrow brings a new day and I can't wait. This trip is shaping up to be one of the best experiences of my life.
I can highly recommend a road trip to anyone who has the time, an adventurous spirit and a sense of wonder. Enjoy!
Thanks for looking.
Dennis Mook
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