Advertisement
Published: December 11th 2009
The Trip to Illinois
Ahhhhhhh - August 14, 2009 was another spectacular day in Silver City NM with beautiful blue skies, puffy white clouds and brilliant sunshine. Everything (I hoped) had been loaded into my 2005 Pilgrim 28’ travel trailer when I set out for Illinois with my friend, Kay Baker, a few hours later than planned - of course! We had decided to avoid the Interstates and the major cities as much as was practical on this trip and focus our journey on the scenic routes - as proclaimed by Rand McNally. The first leg of our expedition would be to Rockford IL to complete some business with two of my nieces, Robyn and Cindy, and was planned to be a direct 4-day drive with one relaxation day dropped into the middle of the trek.
The route from Silver City to Las Cruces was familiar to the point of boring, but the drive eastward on US 70 toward Roswell was fresh and interesting. White Sands National Monument (where we had a very late lunch) and the Sacramento Mountains provided vistas neither of us had seen for several years. Our original goal had been to get close to Amarillo
TX that day, but our late start caused us to call it a day about 9:30 PM in a New Mexico welcome center just short of the Texas state line. Several days prior to departure, I had begun to develop some sort of respiratory malady that seemed to be growing worse each day - particularly about bedtime. As Kay settled in on the sofa, I coughed my way to sleep in the bedroom.
Saturday found Kay and I crossing the Texas panhandle on US 60. Barely into OK we turned North on US 283 where we stumbled upon the Shattuck Windmill Museum and Park. What a unique community treat! We took a break for about a half hour and walked around the free park. Thanks Shattuck! The museum probably is not worth a lengthy detour; but if you have occasion to be in the area, you’ll find it on my recommended list. It’s unique and informative as well as a great spot for a respite.
Feeling rejuvenated, we continued North. The map, the clock and our interest in western history had lead us to decide we’d like to spend our “day off” in Dodge City KS. I stopped
Bartender serenading Kay Baker
Long Branch Saloon Dodge City KSat a convenience store where a couple of locals recommended we seek haven at the Gunsmoke Campground. We followed their advice and were pleasantly surprised so I paid for a two-night stay. We got ready for dinner and had a very nice meal at Montana Mike’s (go figure).
Our day of leisure in Dodge City began with a trolley tour of the historic town and surrounding area - always a good foundation and overview in a new locale. We walked to a couple of the landmarks that were identified by the tour guide and finished the afternoon in a complex that includes the Boot Hill Museum and the Longbranch Saloon. After the bad guys were disposed of in the standard Wild West gunfight, we enjoyed a tasty chuck wagon dinner and stage show where Kay was serenaded. Beware - the Dodge City tourist bugs are vicious! They cause ill people to exceed sensibility for the sake of having fun.
Heading East on US 400 on Monday morning, I quickly learned I was feeling less well than I had felt behind the wheel on Saturday. I was anxious to arrive in Rockford and be relieved of my interminable truck-driving
chores. The route I selected took us across the Kansas prairies through Pratt and Hutchinson where we caught US 50 toward Strong City. In Strong City, we turned North on KS 177 towards Manhattan and then onto US 77 bound for Lincoln NB. By the time we arrived in Lincoln, it had started raining and I was no longer in the mood for scenic byways but was focused on reaching our evening destination. We headed East on I-80 and spent the night in the Iowa Welcome Center just North of Council Bluffs.
Tuesday morning found my health and the weather no better so we agreed to stay on the Interstate system and get to Rockford as quickly as possible. My brother, Roger, met us at a truck stop and escorted us to our (very, very long story made very, very short) “campsite.” We had had brief intermittent breaks in the rain throughout the day and were able to set up the trailer without becoming drenched. It was good to be at our destination and to see Roger and his family again. We spent the evening catching up and outlining a strategy for my business transactions with Robyn and Cindy.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.064s; Tpl: 0.018s; cc: 14; qc: 30; dbt: 0.0323s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
