Day 1 - Friday, April 29, 2001

The stats below provide a quick hit of our day’s journey; we’ll provide these each day.

Day One Stats
Miles Traveled: 249 miles    States Traveled: Illinois

Origin: Chicago, IL    Destination: Litchfield, IL

Time of Departure: 1:00 PM (CDT)    Time of Arrival: 8:30 PM (CDT)

Highest Observed Gas Price: $4.26/gallon in Chicago, IL    Lowest Observed Gas Price: $3.91/gallon in Divernon, IL

Day One Summary
Day one has been a good one – tiring, but good.  Although the stats above show a time of departure on Route 66 of 1:00 PM (CST), our day started much earlier.  We were up this morning at 3:20 AM (EST) and Mom dropped us at the airport at 4:40 AM (EST).  Our flight departed at 5:30 AM (EST) and after a layover in Charlotte we arrived at Chicago O’Hare at 8:35 AM (CST).

We grabbed our rental car, a 2011 Nissan Rogue – in red, Dad’s color and headed for Lou Mitchell’s, a Chicago landmark, especially for breakfast, that just happens to sit on the eastern end of Route 66.  We really lucked out and got a fantastic parking spot just steps from the restaurant.  The place was crowded but we got seated immediately.  Not sure what kind of eggs they use (maybe ostrich) because we both ordered two eggs, but it looked like at least four or five.  Our meals also came with turkey sausage – SIX of them!  Top that off with homemade scalloped hash browns and seven grain wheat toast with homemade preserves and this was an incredible start to our trip.

Upon leaving Lou Mitchell’s we turned the corner to see a completely empty street – an empty street where our car should have been!  Well there were only three explanations, and only two that were logical: 1) the car had been stolen; 2) the car had been towed; or 3) the magician David Copperfield was in town (this was the illogical explanation in case you were wondering).  After a quick panic we got our heads together and manage to discover that our great parking spot was not so great after all.  We failed to notice the “No Parking on Fridays between the hours of 9am and 1pm” sign.  A husband and wife were also looking for their car, so we shared a cab to the impound lot.  We made a charitable donation to the City of Chicago, got the car back, and were back on the road with only one hour and some cash lost.  We really praise the Lord that it was towed and not stolen.  Yes, it was frustrating, but a stolen car would have resulted in a much different day and trip the rest of the way.

We made a quick stop at American Girl Place on Michigan Avenue to grab a souvenir for Miss Emma.  After our debacle at Lou Mitchell’s, we decided it would be best for Dad to drive the car around the block while I went into American Girl Place – we weren’t letting that Rogue out of our sight again.  Once Dad picked me back up, it was onto the Mother Road.  Beginning at Lakeshore Drive, we started our quest.

As the stats above tell you, we traveled right at 250 miles today, beginning in Chicago and ending in Litchfield, Illinois (approximately 50 miles east of St. Louis).  This positions us well for the rest of the week and we should be able to get a great night’s rest and be in St. Louis early tomorrow.  Here is a summary of the sights we took in today:

·      Chicago, IL – Breakfast at Lou Mitchells; quick detour to 400 Lower West Wacker (impound yard); stop at American Girl Place; began tour at Lakeshore Drive and Jackson Boulevard.

·      Cicero, IL – Saw the icons Henry’s Drive-in with its giant hotdog sign and the now defunct Castle Carwash.

·      Berwyn, IL – Great period street lights with classy Route 66 signage and banners.

·      Joliet, IL – This is where the movie The Blues Brothers was filmed.  Saw the Rich-n-Creamy ice cream stand, Dick’s Towing (ironic, we know), and vintage gas pump historical markers.  We also found Dad’s restaurant – Mr. B’s on 66.

·      Wilmington, IL – The Gemini Giant, a huge space man at the Launching Pad Drive-in.

·      Dwight, IL – Vintage Texaco filling station and dinner at the Old Route 66 Family Drive-in.  Also saw sections of the old road that have been decommissioned and mothballed.

·      Odell, IL – Vintage Sinclair filling station.

·      Atlanta, IL – Another giant sighting – a giant Paul Bunyon (redundant I suppose) holding a giant hotdog.

·      Litchfield, IL – Bedding down for the night.

What I learned from my father today: Nice to Meet You – Now I Know You
As a family, we’ve always been amazed that no matter where we go, Dad to see someone he knows.  Well, I figured it out today.  Everywhere Dad goes he makes a point of meeting people and getting to know them.  From someone sitting next to us on the plane, to the rental car agent, to the folks sitting around us in Lou Mitchell’s, Dad now knows at least 6-8 more people than he did yesterday.  And, when he sees them again somewhere, someday, we will know them.

What I learned from my son today: Calm Under Pressure
I have always been proud of how Ernie has been successful with anything he undertakes.  Today, I learned one of the reasons for his success is that he stays calm under pressure.  Even when we discovered our car had been towed in the big Windy City, he handled it beautifully; within one hour and minus some cash, we were back to where we were as if nothing had ever happened.