We returned from our trip, and as advertised, it did not go according to plan.
We spent a couple of nice days, especially in Lincoln country, central Illinois. The town of Lincoln (off of I-55, 35 miles north of Springfield) was named for the man while he was alive, and actually christened by him with a cup of watermelon juice - he sliced open a melon and poured it on the spot. You can see the spot, where there stands a watermelon statue, no kidding. The man knew his audience.
There's a small Lincoln Heritage Museum that's worth a visit, sort of a bookend to the presidential library a half-hour south in Springfield. It tells his life in a nutshell, with high-tech exhibits. These were broken - again, not according to plan. Instead, we had a one-on-one tour with history prof and writer Ron J. Keller (Lincoln in the Illinois Legislature, 2019), which we liked way better. So there.
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| Abe schoolin' me outside the museum |
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| Lincoln Heritage Museum |
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| On the campaign, they called him "the Woodcutter" |
Lincoln IL is along old Route 66 and it's fun to drive around looking at the sites. Then we found a great little campsite, Camp A While, write-up to come. These were the good parts.
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| The Mill restaurant on Route 66, now a sometime-museum |
The bad part was the whole rest of the trip when I got sick. We were super-frustrated, and it was a ton of work for Mab. The RV is a lot of work to her on a good day. That's what we signed on for. But if things go badly, well, my sick doesn't clean itself. A couple of times she was in tears, while I cursed myself under my breath.
These lows were terrible low, but in two years the highs are higher and more of 'em. We're already planning something three weeks from now. Mab's a soldier. I'll follow her lead. Have Mab will travel.
Plus there was this:
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| She finished her 300,000 Step Challenge while we were on the road. Almost 150 miles in one month! |
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| Can't find a pic of the finished chart. It's still hanging on her side of the bed. |
