Day 1 Fri 16/05/08 - Chicago to Springfield

Hi everybody, its Boley here. Kev's having a shower so i have pinched the PC to tell my version of today.

Managed to catch the flight from Detroit JIT (just put this in to make work coll's fill at home). I lost my ticket but managed to get a replacement and was allowed on the plane. 

We landed in Chicago after a 45 min; flight and went to pick up the car. I let Kev drive, didn't want him to sulk, and proceeded to the Hotel to pick up our bags, left there while we were in Detroit. That went OK, (yes there's a but) we had decided to go to the start line and as outlined in the book/map we have. Not so simple, with one way streets, a load of events on, road works and the traffic it took us over an hour to get to the start line. 

So we record the start with a picture (Kev how do i put this on).  Off we went - official start time was 1200hrs, fantastic whether and all is well. (Is there a but here you may ask yourselves, you will have to read on to find out.) Managed to get out of the city with little trouble and we were feeling good. 

We took a wrong turn out of Indian Head Park to I 355 and jumped a toll payment. So the Police will be after us just like Jake and Elwood, "we are on a mission". It would have done us no good if we had paid because we only had 50 cents in change between us so we have had our pictures taken this time by the toll camera and are waiting for the police siren's. We had travelled for 2 hours and completed 35 miles. I had a car like that once. 

Got to Joliet and stopped for ices with Jake and Elwood - Kev your turn now i'm bored.

Hello, it's Kev here.

The plan was to drive 200 miles

 to Springfield, il. After 4 hours we had stil only done 50 miles, so we stopped and had a rest.

We called in at The Launching Pad Cafe, a famous R 66 land mark coz of the "Muffler Man". There are 3 of these in Illinois but there used to be loads more.

We upset the locals by confusing the waitress. The menu said "Grilled Chicken" so I thought that this was a whole grilled chicken on a plate. Then Boley ordered tea and when it arrived he asked for milk & sugar. The waitress explained that the grilled chicken was a chicken sandwich  and thought that Boley was very strange (agreed). Anyway, Boley put his milk & 2 sugars in his tea without realising that it was ICED TEA. LOL, you should have been there! he he

Route 66 is made up of stretches of the old unused road which sometimes runs alongside the surviving road which we were driving on. 

The map-book keeps directing you on the road, then onto the very old road and even sometimes onto the extremely old road that is overrun with weeds and cracked and has turkey tracks in it (honest!)

Then there are (sometimes) road signs which direct you or not and which often contradict the map book's directions. It is all very confusing.

We found a 2nd Muffler Man in Atlanta:

I soon realised that it is far easier driving than navigating.

We eventually reached Springfield, il about 9:30pm, checked in to the Route 66 Motel and went across the road to the Curve Inn. This is an original Roadhouse where we met many locals including Vic. I asked Vic what his philosophy on life is and he replied "Watching girls drinkin'". Well you can't argue with that, Vic.

Here's Vic. 

Today we did 230 miles. Only another 2210 to go.