It's the Journey...(Day 2)

Well, this has been an interesting day!  The agenda that I put together included travels through Springfield, IL as I was recently reading "Killing Lincoln" and thought it would be interesting to visit some of the National Park sites related to Lincoln.  To do it, though, meant swinging farther west than we would have otherwise done so and we ended up being hit with the first real winter storm of the year.  Sigh!

Lincoln's Springfield home

When we got up this morning (at 5:30), it was 18 degrees and a mixture of snow and sleet was coming down pretty heavily.  Visibility was poor and, due to high winds, the snow was blowing across the road and drifting.  By 6:30, we were able to go for a great Drury Inn breakfast and we were on our way at 7 a.m.  Now, I didn't drive all the way to Springfield just to turn around and leave so we drove downtown with the idea of, at least, seeing the Lincoln home from the outside and getting some photographs.  Turns out they've incorporated 4 blocks around the home to create a complex, or visitor's mall, so we weren't able to get very close.  The whole complex, though, is really lovely and would probably be a great place to visit when the weather is nice.  The adjacent homes have all been purchased and incorporated as part of the complex, and there are 19th century wagons and buggies sitting on the various streets.  So, I wasn't able to get my photograph, but I'm resolved to come back during nice weather!  The photo here is from the internet from a much nicer day than today!

Illinois state capital in the snow

Memorial at Lincoln's tomb

There weren't a lot of cars out on the street (fortunately) so we were able to drive right up to the state capital and I could take a couple of pictures right through the window of the van (shame)!!  It was really pretty with the snow and the lights and the hazy visibility.  From there, it was a short drive to the cemetary and the Lincoln Tomb.  Again, it was snowing pretty hard and was also too early to actually visit the Tomb.  I remember being here when I was in grade school, and you could go inside and see the crypts.

The nose has been polished from all the rubbing for luck

This time I had to settle for just taking some photos in the snow.  The Tomb is really beautiful with images from Lincoln's life, and there is also a large bronze bust of Lincoln in from of the Tomb.  Apparently, it's good luck to rub his nose so it's the only shiny part of the sculpture.

Not surprisingly, everything in the area is "Lincoln-" something:  parks, schools, businesses.

Gateway Arch in St. Louis

We were able to get on the road headed south by 8 a.m., but we didn't go very far or very fast before the reality of the storm kicked in.  Within the first 4 miles on the Interstate we saw at least 20 vehicles in the ditch or crashed.  My favorite was a small car that had obviously spun up and off the road, landing on top of a large boulder.  I thought we might move out of the storm as we went south, but the route is actually more south and west so every time we would turn west, we'd enter the storm again.  It did clear up enough to see the Gateway Arch as we passed St. Louis [note:  this is an internet photo -- we weren't quite this close].  The wind and snow continued for most of the day -- we finally got out of it and had some nice sunshine about 40 minutes north of Memphis.  Despite the sunshine, it was still cold and windy when we got to Memphis -- about 34 degrees.

Days Inn lobby

We're staying at the Days Inn-Graceland, which is totally Elvis!  The Graceland visitor center is next door and Graceland is kitty-corner.  This place is all-Elvis all-the-time; there's even a 24-hour TV channel that only plays Elvis movies!  It's actually pretty nice -- much nicer than I was expecting.  The rooms have all new linens, microwave, fridge, but absolutely no postcards, pens, brochures or anything else that people can take.  People must collect everything!

Guitar swimming pool

If we came back to stay here, it would have to be in the summer because the swimming pool is awesome!

We went out after dark with the intention of finding a place to eat, and we drove past Graceland.  It's still decorated (I'm sure it's for Christmas) with red and green lights at each tree in the front.  The famous gates were just being closed.  We're planning to go for a mansion tour tomorrow when it opens at 10 a.m.  Should take a couple of hours (with lunch) and I'm guessing we'll be on our way to New Orleans, then, by no later than 1:00.  Hope it's a touch warmer tomorrow as we didn't really pack for temps this cold!

It's the Journey (Day 1)

Got a pretty early start this morning after (once again) staying up most of the night.  Not sure what's up with this insomnia.  We were out of the house right after 7:30 a.m. and started south with both vehicles but, after going only a few miles, Mom realized that she had left her glasses back at my house.  So, back we went but really only lost about 20 minutes.  Hit Steve's house before 10:00 and spent some time catching up and having a hot beverage.  The GPS lady was pretty unhappy with me when we left to head south and I went via Beloit instead of through Chicago.  But she eventually calmed down and allowed us to choose our route! 

I haven't been on this route for years (maybe since helping Steve move to Oklahoma so many years ago), so I was really surprised at how nice the roads are -- and how incredibly boring the drive is between Rockford and towns to the south.  There are a lot of wind turbines, but essentially nothing but open land as far as the eye can see.  I thought we were in Nebraska.  Because we were traveling so close to Chenoa, we decided to take a quick run over to see Aunt Ethel but she wasn't home.  We left a note, but I guess maybe a phone call would have been smarter than going for the surprise visit!

During the day, I got a text from Susie advising that the snow and sleet was moving into western Wisconsin and was moving toward our part of the state -- so I'm really glad we got out of there this morning!  It was still sunny and relatively warm (mid-50s) during our drive but, by the time we got to Springfield, the temperature was already dropping and it was rainy.  The weather forecast indicates that snow is expected for this area starting tomorrow morning.

We're staying in a Drury Inn tonight.  Steve and Stacy have been recommending it for a long time since they allow dogs and provide both a free hot breakfast as well as hot snacks and free drinks at night.  Recently, Hollie mentioned it as well and we needed a place since Sandy is traveling with us.  Turns out that this is the same one that Steve & Stacy stay at when traveling to Oklahoma!  It's really a nice place:  clean, large room, free wifi, refrigerator in the room, no additional charge for the dog, and the hot snacks tonight were really good (nachos, baked potatoes, salad, hot dogs, hot wings).  You also get 3 free drinks per person.  Unbelievable!  Looking forward to the hot breakfast tomorrow morning.

Not sure what our itinerary will be tomorrow.  I wanted to stay in Springfield this first night with the intention of visiting the Lincoln home and Lincoln tomb while here.  Now, with the snow on the way, I'm not sure if we'll do that or move on to avoid the storm.  I suppose it will depend on how things look in the morning.  I'll be disappointed if we have to miss those attractions, but it will probably end up getting us into Florida sooner -- so maybe that will be a plus.  We'll see.

Note:  Sandy is really a good traveler.  She lays down and just relaxes during the drive and sits quietly in the van whenever we stop.  When we left the hotel room briefly this evening to get our snacks, she didn't make any noise -- just went over and laid down 'til we came back.

It's the Journey...Not Just the Destination!

2012 traveling is about to get started: leaving day after tomorrow for our driving adventure trip to Florida. The plan is for Mom to drive over here tomorrow (Tuesday) and we'll enjoy a fun dinner at Red Lobster tomorrow night to celebrate Ian's birthday. Then, we'll leave Wednesday morning in two vehicles and drive to Milwaukee where I'll be able to leave my car at Steve's. Thinking that we'll grab a cup of coffee with Steve and probably get back on the road by 11ish.

Then, it's 4 hours to Springfield -- putting us there mid-afternoon (taking lunch into account). I'm looking forward to seeing the Abraham Lincoln home and tomb. I think both are in my National Parks passport so I'll be able to get a couple more stamps. Additionally, I'm about to start reading 'Linoln' by Gore Vidal. I read it years ago and remember really enjoying it. I just finished 'Killing Lincoln' by Bill O'Reilly which is really a hot bestseller right now. I'm in the mood to see everything again now. Kind of wish I could make a trip to DC. [Sidebar: I saw a video on YouTube by a Park Ranger doing a brief description of the tour of Ford's Theatre. The place was refurbished and reopened in 2009 and there is a distinct difference. I remember being there with TCA years ago (work conference) to see "The Fantastiks" and we sat on straight-backed chairs, and were able to go up to the Presidential box. The door with the hole in it made by John Wilkes Booth so he could peek through at Lincoln was still on the box. The doors were open and there was a velvet rope across the doorway, but you could see everything. It appears that the door has now been moved down to the museum, and the chairs have all been replaced with theatre-style seats. I'm so glad I was able to see it before the refurbishment.]

My plan is to stay the night in Springfield (probably a Drury Inn since they permit dogs and I've heard nothing but good things about the hotel chain), and then on to Memphis. It's only about 6 hours from Springfield to Memphis (through St. Louis but I don't think we'll have time to go see the arch up close) so, again, we should get into town early enough to look around and maybe take a tour of Graceland. Yesterday (Sunday) was Elvis' birthday and I'm sure glad we weren't trying to get into Graceland yesterday. We'll probably stay in Memphis Thursday night (and get some yummy bar-b-que), and leave Friday morning for New Orleans. It's about 6 hours from Memphis to New Orleans and I have no real plans for New Orleans except a visit to Southern Candymakers and maybe one of Emeril's restaurants. After being in New Orleans Friday night, we'll head along the Gulf to Apalachicola for Saturday night, heading on to Cedar Key and Lakeland on Sunday, the 15th. Mom's rental starts on the 15th so the timing is perfect. That gives us Monday to find the grocery store, the Walgreens, a church, etc. and get some rest after the trip. Then, Tuesday morning, I'm flying from Orlando back to Milwaukee where I'll pick up my car and head home to pack for our cruise.

This is going to be a fun month!

Upcoming Trips

Only 29 days until our cruise!  I can't believe how quickly the time is passing.  Between today and that day, we'll have Christmas in Appleton and Pulaski, a visit to Rice Lake for New Year's, Stacy's book party plus her birthday and Jeff's, Ian's birthday, a driving trip to Florida with Mom hitting Memphis and New Orleans along the way, and maybe a couple of days working before hitting the road.

Now, we're adding another trip.  On February 1 (right after we get back from our cruise), Jeff and I will be going to Vegas for a few days.  He has a conference so most of the expenses will be picked up by Boldt.  I've been trying to squeeze in a trip to Vegas for the longest time, so that should be a fun time.