Day 2: November 2, 2016
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So I pull into Chicago at the break of dawn and I grab pictures of the art museum lions wearing Cubs hats and of the begin Route 66 sign. Then I lost them. In reality I didn't lose them immediately. I'm fairly sure they vanished at the end of the day when I experienced what I believed was a complete computer meltdown. The meltdown turned out to be merely a battery failure and I doubt that it was directly responsible for the loss. It seems more likely that my frantic thrashing resulted in some unintended deletions. The pictures weren't very good so they're not a great loss but getting them was one of the reasons I tackled downtown Chicago traffic.

A possibly even better reason for entering Chicago is Lou Mitchell's Restaurant. Like many others have done and will do, I fueled up here before starting down Route 66.


Some drive-by shots as I approached and passed through Joliet, Illinois. One guy was moving in that first picture.

It's a real mystery to met why someone can't operate a successful business in a place mentioned in nearly every Route 66 guide book and article. I've taken lots of pictures of the Gemini Giant and always look for a new angle. Today I was guided by some randomly placed stickers.

These are not quite drive-bys but they're fairly casual. The first two are of Ambler's Station in Dwight, Illinois, with its EV charging station visible in the second picture. The faux station at the other side of Dwight has been a favorite since my first visit in 1999. One of the changes since then is the addition of a Superman, or possibly Wonder Woman, changing booth. The sign and the Standard Oil station are both in Odell. This was the first bike trail sign I'd seen although I certainly could have missed a bunch. The station is another favorite from 1999.

I felt some sprinkles at Odell and it wasn't long before real rain appeared. It was back to sprinkles by the time I parked in Pontiac and walked across the street to the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum. I've been here before and didn't spot anything new but still enjoyed looking around. Bob Waldmire's VW bus is in the museum and the "We Support ALL Troops Civilian" card tucked into its windshield is something that caught my eye when Bob was still piloting it. The rain had stopped completely by the time I'd worked my way through the museum and into the area outback where Bob's converted school bus now sits.

In Atlanta I headed straight for the Palms Grill Cafe and a piece of apple pie. The last photo is facing east with Palms Grill on the right and Tall Paul, the hot-dog holding muffler man, on the left.

The Mill in Lincoln is looking better and better but talk has shifted from it reopening as a restaurant to it housing a museum.

Here are a couple of the most famous landmarks in Springfield, Illinois. I ate at one of them but I only had a single dog.

As I drove south, the weather moved east. We met.

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