Northwestern Illinois: Galena

I finally drove off at 6:30am heading west on US231. I hugged Carol and told her how much I appreciated her patience. What would I do without her hospitality while in NWI? I have no where else to stay while visiting the kids. She has become a mom to me over the years.

But thoughts of Erin cluttered my mind as I drove away from the rising sun. She seems so unhappy, so stressed, and miffed at me. She is overburdened with debt but it's all her own doing. I will help her out, though. I always do. But what I don't want to do is bail her out completely. What would that teach her? I think she has learned her lesson and will no longer ring up careless debts on other peoples' credit cards. We all learn the hard way, and better sooner than later in life.

And did I help the kids out enough? I thought about them throughout the drive. Both are so different from each other. Erin is all her dad when it comes to living above her means, but Eric looks like his dad and has his musical and creative talents I hope he works on some more. If he could just hold out he will do fine in life, grabbing success one reward at a time. He seems focused on his goals, something his sister is still trying to reach for.

When will I see them again? These roadtrips aren't cheap.

The US Hwy30 was crowded and the interstate, I-65 was closed at the Cline Ave exit due to a truck rolling over. I took the scenic route, passing beautiful red barns, Victorian homes and historic districts along the way and finally hit US30 somewhere east of Joliet, IL. This stretch I was familiar with but the traffic was too slow for me until I finally made it to Plainfield outside of Aurora. That's when I was finally able to drive 50-60 miles an hour across the flatlands.

USHwy 30 is mostly single-lane in Illinois here. There was a lot of construction in many smaller sections, construction that IDOT said was thanks to President Obama's "America's Reconstruction" stimulus package. I was itching to get going as Sadie was panting at times and the outside temperature climbed from 60F at 6:30am to 80F three hours later.

Our first stop on our drive was in Dixon, IL, a Fox River town of small bluffs and boyhood town of President Ronald Reagan. I drove past his house but didn't go in. Instead, we walked a few blocks along the historic downtown area. Dixon is more scenic than expected, but construction once again drove me away.

I wasn't in any hurry as I gave myself until noon to reach the Mississippi River. I wanted to hike a few trails at the Mississippi Palisades State Park and gaze out at the river that has had so much history for this country. The river off the Illinois banks is especially pretty.

US30 follows the Lincoln Highway most of the way but the stretch wasn't as scenic as I had thought. Spacious farms dotted the landscape but the hills were minimal, and when we reached the Palisades I was a little disappointed that the trail we were on, the Sunset Trail, gave only two small vistas of the river. At least it was shaded, giving Sadie some relief, but the bugs were getting to me. And what if Sadie picked up more ticks here? I had fought those boogers throughout my Indiana stay. She pulled on her leash but after we finished the 1-mile trail I rewarded her with water and some jerky. I was expecting this loop trail to be longer, though.

Many people were on this short trail. The other trails were all short, too but combined the parks offers over 15 miles of hiking.

And surprisingly, I wasn't interested. I drove on instead along the Great River Road (IL84) north toward Galena, and experienced how the "Driftless Area" opened up into a green and expansive landscape of happy black cows and large dairy farms. This was an area that cried for more exploration.

We stopped at the Grant House. This two-story brick house with a distant view of the hills across the Galena River was closed Mondays and Tuesdays which was probably in our favor as we walked peacefully around the grounds overlooking the town's brown-brick rooftops. And what a pretty town it was! I'm glad I drove into this little town.

Grant's wife was not a pretty woman and the statue in her honor did her no better. The entire historic district, though, was well-maintained and hilly, with historic homes of various styles built late in the 19th century. This part of town is where the wealthy people lived, and the rest of the town looked no poorer.

But again construction through the Main Street hampered traffic. I continued on my route on US20 into Dubuque, another river town along old bluffs. Tired of driving, I opted instead to stay here for the night, had a short visit in the town's brewpub (Bricktown Brewery) and made plans to resume my journey tomorrow westward on US20 into Iowa, now designated as a National Heritage Trail of "Silos and Sowtowns." Sofar this route, slightly more north than planned, has been better than expected. But that's because I drove on US20 into Iowa instead of US30 which didn't hold much appeal to me.

Looks like I will drive across Iowa on US20 tomorrow. We didn't walk that much today, perhaps three miles at best when all the shorter town walks are added in. Tomorrow we'll do more as we take more breaks across Iowa's farm country. However, heavy rains are predicted after midnight today and more rains are forecasted for tomorrow.

Thank goodness I have Sadie, as she makes these long stretches of road more bearable. I owe her a big hug when we get done with this roadtrip. Maybe a three-pound steak would be in order for her, as she seems to have lost weight rather than gained weight, on this trip sofar.

(PHOTOGRAPHS WILL BE ADDED WHEN I GET BACK TO ARIZONA as I seem to have misplaced my card reader)