Tuesday – August 19, 2014 72 degrees & mostly sunny
Following Route 20 West
We had asked for a room at the back of the Comfort Inn in Porter, Indiana to avoid hearing the trucks barreling past all night long, which is why our room overlooked a quiet cornfield. I think this was the first time I ever slept in a cornfield.
We entered the Central Time Zone sometime yesterday so our internal clocks were off this morning. We checked out early and drove toward Lake Michigan to see the Indiana Dunes National and State Parks. This was rated as the state’s best natural attraction.
Indiana Dunes Looking West
I’m sorry to say we were disappointed because, as we stood in the sand, we could see belching chimneys of power plants, factories, and steel mills in the distance at both ends of the beach. Lake Michigan looked beautiful and the sand was a fine grain. The beaches were lovely, but….
Indiana Dunes Looking East
The dunes were impressive: high and covered with grass and trees. We snapped a few pictures and drove back to Route 20 toward Gary, Indiana. We had liked Indiana and the people we met there, but the northwest corner was full of huge oil refineries, steel mills, factories, power plants, and other commercial buildings.
A Refinery Near Gary, Indiana
Sign By the Road
Probably the biggest surprises of this trip so far are the quantity of trucks on the small byways and the heavy industry visible from the road. Routes 6 and 20 converged with Interstates 80 and 90 between Gary and Chicago. The highways were congested with huge trucks and the scenery was not attractive.
Part of a Huge Refinery
Horseshoe Casino Sign Near Chicago
Approaching a large city is always exciting. There seems to be a quicker pace and a sense of heightened activity.
Approaching Chicago
Chicago Skyline
It was warm and hazy as we passed by Chicago on the Interstate. We debated whether to stop to visit the city on this trip, and we decided to save it for another time because there was too much to see in The Windy City. I took a couple of photos from the car, which I called my ‘drive-by shootings’. Sometimes they work well and sometimes they don’t, but these photos always remind me of what I saw.
Rain Storm
It took a long time to get past Chicago and away from the surrounding smaller cities. We had a bit of rain at one point but by afternoon it was 84 degrees and sunny.
After we left the Interstate and rejoined Route 20, we found a place for a late lunch in a town called Addison, Illinois. Jeff spotted it from the road and it looked like a ‘fun’ place.
Portillo’s
Charbroiled Chicken Sandwich
Portillo’s was a lively, very efficiently run restaurant with very good American fast food. The decor was chrome and formica with ’50s Rock ‘n’ Roll music playing overhead. After lunch, we rejoined Route 20 West and drove for several more hours.
Miles of Cornfields
Blue Highway Through Rural America
Elizabeth, Illinois
As we approached the Iowa border, the terrain became more hilly and the road more curvy. It was a beautiful day for a ride in the country!
Hills of Northwestern Illinois
We were tired of driving so we stopped at a small town called Galena to take a break. It was almost five o’clock and we had been on the road since nine in the morning. Galena was so charming that we decided to book a room at the DeSoto House Hotel. It was one of those historic hotels with a long list of famous people who had stayed there.
Shops in Galena, Illinois
Signs Along Main Street
The DeSoto House Hotel
It had been built in 1855 and served as Ulysses S. Grant’s presidential campaign headquarters. Abraham Lincoln was a notable guest. We had the Stephen Douglas room on the third floor with a view of Main Street. What fun!
Attitude