A dry spell in Illinois (Springfield to Stauton)

Hello Everyone,

Today I continue talking about my Route 66 trip I did in 2016. In my blog, Flip Flopping’ on my may to Springfield?, I ended with having dinner at the Cozy Dog Inn in Springfield, Illinois. Within Springfield you will find a number of alignments of Route 66. Regardless of which alignment you take on your way out of Springfield, there are only two alignments that go South; IL-4 and Highway 55. 

I choose the IL-4 alignment because there were more geocaches on this stretch versus geocaches on the Highway 55 path. Both will get you to Staunton. 

I drove through the town of Chatham and before I got to the town of Auburn there was a geocache I totally missed, Snell Road or Brick Road (GC6KDN9, hid by Chief STDNMB). This section of Route 66 is made of brick and I heard that if you drive this section that you might want to drive a little slower since some of the bricks are loose.

Then I drove through the towns of Auburn, Thayer, Virden, Girard, and Nilwood. There were a few geocaches scattered here and there, but none of the caches I was driving by had enough favorite points to make me want to stop. Also, I couldn't find any Route 66 related stops. 

After Nilwood there is geocache on an old alignment called, Old Route 66 - Turkey Tracks (GC2HEJV, hid by awanderer, 24 favorite points), and somehow I missed getting this cache on my list for my trip. I did retrieve some pictures from the geocaching page and illinoisroute66.org.



According to illinoisroute66.org, “An original piece of the narrow 1926-30 Route 66 alignment winds south of Nilwood, parallel to the current straight configuration IL Route 4. Turkey tracks were imprinted in the 1920's when the original Route 4 concrete was poured, prior to its designation as Route 66. The story varies from a local farmer's escaped turkeys to wild turkeys as being the owners of the prints.”

The Mother Road goes from the Turkey Tracks and into Carlinville. At this point, the sun was going down and I needed to find a place to sleep for the night. I checked the phone and headed for a gem, Carlin Villa Motel. I don’t think it is an iconic stop, but if your travels have you in this general area at the end of the day, try staying here.

I could see this motel turning into a popular place for Route 66 roadies in the future.

The next morning I explored the town of Carlinville for a short while. There is a neat town square you’ll want spend a little time, walk around, see the businesses and pro-Route 66 set ups.

There is a small number of geocaches in town, but the only one I feel is worth getting is Million Dollar Courthouse (GC32CGH, hid by awanderer, 7 favorite points). I couldn’t find it the container, but this time it wasn’t my fault. The geocache went missing and was replace about a week later after I was there.

Here is what the geocache webpage says about the courthouse, “In early 1867 local government officials decided to build a new courthouse for Macoupin County. A four man commission was established and the cost estimate was $50,000. Bonds totaling that amount were issued for the project. In October of 1867 the first cornerstone was set in place. The cost escalated dramatically from then on. By January 1869 nearly $500,000 had been spent and building was still not complete. More bonds were issued, and by the time the courthouse was officially completed in 1870, the project had cost a staggering $1,342,000.00. This incredible price inspired the nickname of "Million Dollar Courthouse."

Rumors of misused appropriations also tarnished the project. Initially, the blame was laid on Judge Thaddeus Loomis and George H. Holliday the county clerk. Both men were part of the original four man commission. Judge Loomis was apparently innocent of any wrongdoing but we may never know the truth about Mr. Holliday because one night in 1870, he boarded a train out of town and simply disappeared.

At the time of its construction in 1870, the building was the largest county courthouse in the United States, and larger than the Illinois Statehouse. It is still recognized as the most magnificent courthouse in Illinois.”

I left Carlinville and started to drive to Gillespie. About halfway to Gillespie I stopped at an old bridge that had a geocache, Old Route 66 - Honey Creek Bridge (GC2AF5D, hid by awanderer, 4 favorite points). I grabbed my camera and recorded by find. Below is the YouTube version of it.

I drove through Gillespie and Sawyerville. Shortly after Sawyerville was another geocache I stopped at, Old Route 66 - A Tribute (GC2AM8E, hid by awanderer, 21 favorite points). This geocache is on an earlier alignment of Route 66 which is only about a mile long. It is an interesting tribute and if you go there you’ll see why.

Here is what the geocaching webpage says about it, “This cache has been placed at this spot to make you aware of an interesting Route 66 display. The signboard has been created by Emil Fritz and exhibits the path of Old Historic Route 66 that was in use from 1926 to 1930. Also on display is very nice collection of Illinois license plates from 1948 through 1979. The State of Illinois stopped issuing annual plates in 1979 and initiated the license plate sticker program eliminating the year being stamped into the license plates. Emil, who lived just across the road from the sign, and his sons have spent considerable time creating and erecting this neat memorial.

In September of 2015 Mr. Fritz passed away. He will certainly be missed. Most memorable about Emil was his pleasant good natured and friendly demeanor.”

After I got back on the road, I hit the town of Staunton and that’s where I want to stop for now. I had a great time in Staunton and I get myself a great interview with Rich Henry of Henry’s Rabbit Ranch.

I didn’t go back and do the eastern alignment (Highway 55), but if in the future I do, I am adding these geocaches to my list....

Get Your Kicks on Route 66 (GC17HNQ, hid by NebulousNimrod, 1 favorite point)

RE66:IL The Ariston Story (GC1EJND, hid by Team Route 66/Chod, 32 favorite points)

Old Route 66 - Soulsby Station (GC35A98, hid by awanderer, 40 favorite points) 

RT66:IL Get Your Kicks (GC15THV, hid by Vinpride, 58 favorite points)

Here are geocaches I might also get just because of namesake only. Note, these geocaches were just recently placed and was not available when I was traveling. 

RT 66 second side 3 (GC6W4EB, hid by sewivy)

RT 66 second side 2 (GC6W45W, hid by sewivy)

Another Rt 66 Second Side (GC75R18, hid by sewivy, 1 favorite point)

Rt 66 second side (GC6BTWQ, hid by sewivy, 2 favorite points)

Rt 66 Motel no more (GC6WXHD, hid by sewivy, 3 favorite points)

Rt 66 second side 4 (GC6WXJ4, hid by sewivy)

Rt 66:IL A splitting of ways (GC7CNR1, hid by jvet)

Rt 66 historically speaking (GC6W441, hid by sewivy)

I might also add these caches if I got the time and because they are close to the Mother Road and have some favorite points...

There’s No Place Like Home! (GC2A7PR, hid by off looking, 3 favorite points)

Don’t eat the berries! (GC3YXE3, hid by zackfrillman, 19 favorite points) Only if I am going Northbound on Highway 55

NO LAST CHANCE FOR GAS (GC473CZ, hid my MA PA, 3 favorite points)

Weigh station prairie (GC2BRE3, hid by dver819, 3 favorite points)

That's it for now. Until next time, do me a favor and share this with your Route 66 Roadies and/or Geocaching Pals on your favorite social media.

Speaking of social media, if you haven't done so yet, friend me on Facebook (Rich Havlik) and follow me on Twitter (@richhavlik) to get notifications when I update this blog.

I'd love to hear what you think, so feel free to say something in the comment box below.

I had the time of my life on Route 66. I know you would too. But don't take my word for it, go and experience for yourself.

Peace,

Rich

Cemetery Tour on Route 66?

Hello Everyone,

Like I said in my last blog (Flip Floppin’ in Springfield, Sept 2017) that I was going to go back and forth from my 2016 Route 66 Travels and my 2017 adventures on the Main Street of America. Well, this is my first blog talking about my second trip.

I headed out September 9th from my humble home, in New Brighton, Minnesota, in my Man Van. My goal...drive to Joplin, stay the night there, and then hit the Mother Road. I ended my 2016 journey in Miami, Oklahoma which is 30-35 miles away from Joplin. At this point I was traveling alone and driving to Joplin was feasible to do in one day.

Instead of bolting to Miami, I decided to take some time to look for some geocaches and Route 66 related sites first. I am glad I did. The first stop I made was the Route 66 Mural Park.

If you take a closer look, you'll see that this mural is made of pictures of people from Joplin

The park itself isn’t all that big, but there are plenty of pictures that can be taken there.

Nearby the mural site was a geocache, Going Down? (GC4R68W, hid by whereisitnow!, 37 favorite points). It was a fun hide that had a bit of gadget feel to it. If you are geocaching, put this one on your list.

It was still early in the morning and I decided to find some geocaches that weren’t Route 66 related but was still on the Mother Road.

The next one I found was Smiley! (GC5WC7H, hid by chuck80198, 3 favorite points). It’s in what looks like a parking lot of an out-of-business used car lot. When you get there, you’ll completely figure out how this geocache got it’s name.

The next geocache I get is located in Schifferdecker Park and is nearby the Joplin History & Mineral Museum. You might see mention of this location in some your Route 66 books and/or apps on your phone. The cache is named, Electric Park (GC4BFAK, hid by Roadster, 44 favorite points) and when you get there you’ll see an outdoor collection of electrical equipment. The cache is a bit tricky, so pay attention to the hint on the cache page.

The museum wasn’t open yet so I went back onto Route 66 to find more geocaches.

One of the greatest things about geocaching is that it takes you to unexpected places and the next cache, Shewmake Cemetery (GC43XGJ, hid by Gracie & Me, 2 favorite points) was one of those places. This cache was hidden in an abandoned cemetery. Some of the grasses were thigh high and a lot of the headstones were very old. Take a look at the pictures.

Being a funeral director, cemeteries, and especially abandoned cemeteries, can be fun geocaches even if they are not difficult to find.

I cross over into the state Kansas and into the city of Galena. I revisit some Route 66 related spots here....

There is a geocache hidden near the ancient jail, Route 66 -- Roadhouse Jail (GC4HFK3, hid by spiritguide, 29 favorite points) that continues to elude me. Been here twice and still can’t find it. Perhaps you’ll have better luck.

On my way out of Galena, I stopped at three other cemetery geocaches, Cemeteries of Cherokee County: Galena (GC497WV, hid by Ghostiegal, 23 favorite points), Hilltop Resting Place (GC4958G, hid by florida bum, 5 favorite points) and Stevenson Cemetery (GC1P1D7, hid by Keymaster angel, 4 favorite points). None one of the geocaches were hard to find, but the first cemetery cache did have a cute container.

After Galena I get to the town of Riverton. There are a couple of Route 66 related places you can visit here and there is even a Wherigo Geocache here, One of only three (GC5XXT3, set up by stearman5, 11 favorite points). The Wherigo app on my phone was not working right so I skipped this cache. I did however end up visiting a couple of places mentioned on the geocaching webpage, The Old Eisler Brother Store and one of Riverton’s original water towers.

According the geocaching webpage, “The old Eisler Brother Store, built in 1925 and has been in continuous operation since before U.S. 66 became the official cross-country highway from Chicago to Los Angeles. Still operating as it did ‘back then,’ it serves as a stopping, shopping place for the small community of Riverton, as well as for travelers on Route 66. This building replaced the one that was destroyed by the tornado of 1923. The existing building originally had an open front porch, but the present closed in porch replaced that in 1933. It is one story, built of hollow, dark red bricks on a concrete slab foundation. The interior has changed little since 1925.”

It was around lunchtime so I did get myself a small lunch here and sat in the patio area. It felt nice and homey. After that, I go to an old water tower.

Compared to the picture on the geocaching webpage, this water tower is showing more of it’s age or it could be that it’s early September and the trees and bushes and weeds are making their final stand before Winter.

That’s it for now. Next time I talk about my 2017 trip, I’ll be in Baxter Springs, Kansas, where I have a great time finding a geocache on an abandoned bridge and then start my Route 66 travels in Oklahoma.

I had the time of my life on Route 66. I know you would too. But don’t take my word for it, go and experience for yourself.

Feel free to follow me on Facebook (Rich Havlik) and on Twitter (@richhavlik) for updates. Also, hit the subscribe button and that will give you updates as well.

Speaking of social media, do me a favor and share this blog with your Route 66 Roadies and/or Geocaching buddies on your favorite form of social media.

I’d love to hear your reaction to this, so please feel free to use the comment section below.

Thanks,

Rich

Flip Floppin' on my way to Springfield?

Hello Everyone,

Been a while, eh? Well I took a couple of weeks to travel Route 66. In 2016, I started in Chicago and ended in Miami, Oklahoma. So that’s where I started my travels for 2017. I drove solo from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area to Joplin, Missouri and stayed at a hotel. The next morning, I stopped at a couple of sites on Route 66 that my girlfriend and I missed in 2016 and eventually got to Miami and started fresh for my 2017 trip.

So here is where things might get flip-floppy on this blog. Some entries are going to be about my Route 66 travels in 2016 and some entries are going to be about my trip down the Mother Road in 2017. Don’t worry, I’ll have them clearly mark in the beginning of each blog. But I have a feeling that you’ll be more interested in the towns themselves (and any geocaches nearby) and not so much about being hardcore chronologically.

So here we go....

Driving down the Mother Road in September 2016

In my last blog post, I was in Lincoln, Illinois and then started down Route 66 and drove through the town of Broadwell where there wasn’t much in terms of Route 66 related stops or geocaches. 

I then came to the town of Elkhart. I did stop for a non-Route 66 related geocache, Elkhart Memorial (GC3K78K, hid by SEARCH PARTY, 4 favorite points). It’s a nice little town honor for veterans and the hide itself wasn’t all that remarkable, but stopped at this point because it had more than a couple of favorite points.

I then hit the town of Williamsville. There wasn’t any route-related geocaches, but there is a Route 66 related stop, Old Station.

According to legendsofamerica.com, “Old Station, a converted 1930s service station surrounded by old cars and memorabilia. The inside is a blast-from-the-past, with walls filled with a huge inventory of die-cast cars, Coca-Cola collectibles and Route 66 memorabilia. Open most afternoons.”

But when I got there, no one was around and it looked like it might have been in repair mode.

This isn’t the first time I came across a Route 66 Related stop in a rebuilding state. I also have a feeling it won’t be the last.

I drove on and came into the city of Springfield.

I could only find one route-related geocache in Springfield, so I first went for a heavily favored virtual cache, The Oak Ridge Tour (GCE6FF, set up by Rod & Shelby, 189 favorite points). When I entered into the cemetery, I knew right away I had to take the video camera with me. Below is a YouTube version of my experience there.

It was hard getting upbeat in a cemetery video. Walking through Lincoln’s Tomb was somewhat somber. If you go there, read up on the trials of taking care of Lincoln’s body and go seek out the other locations that are mentioned with this cemetery’s history.

After my time spent at the cemetery I went for the 1 route-related geocache and it couldn’t have happened at a better time...dinner. RT66:IL Gettin’ Cozy (GC1E4E7, hid by searching simpsons, 10 favorite points) is in the parking lot of Cozy Drive Inn...the birthplace of the corndog on a stick.

Here is the history of the corn dog according to their website, cozydogdrivein.com...

“In Muskogee, Oklahoma, I saw an unusual sandwich called “corn-dog.” This sandwich was a wiener baked in cornbread. The corn-dog was very good, but took too long to prepare. The problem was how to cover a hotdog with batter and cook it in a short time.

In the fall of 1941, I told this story to a fellow student at Knox College whose father was in the bakery business, and then gave it no further thought.

Five years later while in the Air Force stationed at Amarillo Airfield, I received a letter from my fellow student, Don Strand. To my surprise he had developed a mix that would stick on a wiener while being french-fried. He wondered if he could send some down that I could try in Amarillo. Having plenty of spare time, I said ‘yes.’

Using cocktail forks for sticks, the U.S.O kitchen in which to experiment, we made a very tasty hotdog on a stick, that we called a “crusty cur.” They became very popular both at the U.S.O. in town, and at the P.X. on the airfield. My friend continued to send mix and we continued to sell thousands of crusty curs until I was discharged – honorably – in the spring of 1946.

We decided to sell them that spring. My wife did not like the name “crusty curs.” Through trial and error and discarding dozens of names, we finally decided on the name “Cozy Dogs.”

Cozy Dogs were officially Launched at the Lake Springfield Beach House on June 16th, 1946.”

This story was told by Ed Waldmire Jr. to his son Bob, during an “interview” on January 30th, 1959. Bob was in the 8th grade at the time.

After the Cozy Dogs were launched at the Lake Springfield Beach House, Cozy Dogs were introduced at the Illinois State Fair the same year.  The first Cozy Dog House was located on South Grand between Fifth and Sixth Street in Springfield.  A second Cozy Dog House was located at Ash & MacArthur.  In 1949, Drive In was born; built on “Route 66” South Sixth Street.  In 1996 Cozy Dog moved to its current location, where Sue (Ed’s daughter in law) Josh, Eddie, Tony & Nick (Ed’s grandsons) continue on with the business right next door to the original location.

That’s it for now. But if you want to be notified of any updates, hit the subscribe button.

Let me know what you think and write something down in the comment box.

Feel free to follow me on social media...Look me up on Facebook (Rich Havlik) and on Twitter (@richhavlik).

Speaking of social media, share this blog and let others know more about Route 66 and all the Geocaches nearby.

Had the time of my life on Route 66. I know you would too. But don’t take my word for it, go experience it for yourself.

Rich

Music Break #7

Hello Everybody,

Taking a break to share some traveling music with you. To prepare for my trip down the Mother Road, I felt it was important to have just the right mix of music.

 I bought myself an iPod Shuffle, which holds about 14 and a half hours of music or just over 200 songs, and I started working on adding music. I first went through all the music I have collected over the years and started adding songs that I thought was traveling related. You know like, On the Road Again, by Willie Nelson.

After I added that kind of themed music, I started adding songs that I liked that were not traveling related and noticed that I was picking songs based on other themes. Below is just part of my road trip mix. Let me know what you think. Got any suggestions to add? I am always adding and deleting music from this compilation so I’d love to hear what you got to say. Who knows, you might influence what I listen to every time I take a road trip.

Even though I am a fan of classic rock, I did purposely added other genres just to shake up things up a bit.

In Part 6, and not final part, I list all the songs on my playlist. Some songs are new and I added a ‘*’ before them.

Travel Related Music (Classic Road Tripping music or a play of words regarding the Title)

Route 66, by Chuck Berry, The Doughboys, Glenn Frey, The John Malino Band, Nancy Sinatra, The Replacements, Rolling Stones, Sammy Davis Jr., 

Highway to Hell, by ACDC

Ramblin’ Man, by The Allman Brothers

Roll on Down the Highway, by Bachman-Turner Overdrive

Mustang Sally, by Buddy Guy

Born to Run, by Bruce Springsteen

Pink Cadillac, by Bruce Springsteen

Run to You, by Bryan Adams

Drive, by The Cars

No Particular Place to Go, by Chuck Berry

Rockin’ Down the Highway, by The Doobie Brothers

Life in the Fast Lane, by Eagles

Take It Easy, by the Eagles (Props to Winslow, AZ)

Drivin’ My Life Away, by Eddie Rabbitt

Long Black Road, by ELO

* Slow Ride, by Foghat

My Kind of Town, by Frank Sinatra (Great song about Chicago, the starting point of Route 66)

Radar Love, by Golden Earring

Running on Empty, by Jackson Browne

I’ve Been Everywhere, by Johnny Cash

Wheel in the Sky, by Journey

Free Bird, by Lynyrd Skynyrd 

Paradise By the Dashboard Light, by Meat Loaf

Middle of the Road, by Petenders

Little Red Corvette, by Prince

I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles), by Proclaimers

Hit the Road Jack, by Ray Charles

I’m Not Driving Anymore, by Rob Dougan

I Can’t Drive 55, by Sammy Hagar

Born to Be Wild, by Steppenwolf

Life is a Highway, by Tom Cochrane

Runnin’ Down a Dream, by Tom Petty

Fast Car, by Tracy Chapman

Where the Streets Have No Name, by U2

One Headlight, by The Wallflowers

Low Rider, by War

Shut Up and Drive, by Widespread Panic

On the Road Again, by Willie Nelson

All Time Favorite Song from that Group/Artist (Everyone has a favorite of a favorite)

What’s Up, by 4 Non Blondes

Thurderstruck, by ACDC (Perfect for driving in thunderstorms)

Love Shack, by The B-52’s

Hey Jude, by The Beatles

While My Guitar Gently Weeps, by The Beatles

Piano Man, by Billy Joel

She Talks to Angels, by Black Crowes

I Feel Love, by Blue Man Group

Like a Rock, by Bob Seger

Summer of 69, by Bryan Adams

Drive, by Cars

Space Oddity, by David Bowie

Hotel California, by Eagles

Mr. Blue Sky, by ELO

Lose Yourself, by Eminem

Tusk, by Fleetwood Mac

Shake it Out, by Florence and The Machine

Learn to Fly, by Foo Fighters

My Way, by Frank Sinatra

Iris, by Goo Goo Dolls

Feel Good Inc., by Gorillaz

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), by Green Day

Sweet Child of Mine, by Guns N’ Roses

Life’s Been Good, by Joe Walsh

In Repair, by John Mayer

Pink Houses, by John Mellencamp

Don’t Stop Believin’, by Journey

Carry On Wayward Son, by Kansas

Stairway to Heaven, by Led Zeppelin

Are You Gonna Go My Way, by Lenny Kravitz

What a Wonderful World, by Louis Armstrong 

Hypnotize, by Notorious BIG

* Happy, by Pharrell

In the Air Tonight, by Phil Collins

Comfortably Numb, by Pink Floyd

Every Rose Has Its Thorn, by Poison

Let’s Go Crazy, by Prince

Bohemian Rhapsody, by Queen

* Black Betty, by Ram Jam (a nod to my youngest daughter here)

Lunatic Fringe, by Red Rider

You Can’t Always Get What You Want, by Rolling Stones

Tom Sawyer, by Rush

Soul Man, by Sam & Dave

Soak Up the Sun and A Change Would Do You Good, by Sheryl Crow

Gin and Juice, by Snoop Dog

The Joker, by Steve Miller Band

Joy to the World, by Three Dog Night

That’s Not My Name, by Ting Tings

Learning to Fly, by Tom Petty

Greta, by Widespread Panic

Live and Let Die, by Wings

Oh Yeah, by Hello

What’s Up, by 4 Non Blondes

Great Cover Songs of Classics

Mony Mony, by Billy Idol

Hard to Handle, by Black Crowes

Walkin’ After Midnight, by Widespread Panic

Rock-n-Roll Related

Rock Around the Clock, by Bill Haley

It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me, by Billy Joel

Old Time Rock and Roll, by Bob Seger

Rock & Roll Band, by Boston

Rock of Ages, by Def Leppard

Jailhouse Rock, by Elvis

I’ve Got a Rock ‘N’ Roll Heart, by Eric Clapton

Juke Box Hero, by Foreigner

I Love Rock N Roll, by Joan Jett

Has Personal Meaning (Usually involves or reflects a special time in my life)

Give You Hell, by All American Rejects (Can you tell I went through a divorce?)

All You Need it Love, by The Beatles (Would like to have a lot of people lip sync to this a do an awesome video)

It’s My Life, by Bon Jovi

Meant to Live, This Is Your Life, and More Than Fine, by Switchfoot

Just for Fun (Usually upbeat and Usually replaced by other songs)

* The Stroke, by Billy Squier

I Got a Feeling, by Black Eyed Peas

Sing Along, by Blue Man Group

Bo Diddley, by Bo Diddley

Hollywood Nights, by Bob Seger

More Than a Feeling and Don’t Look Back, by Boston

You Never Can Tell, by Chuck Berry

Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, by Coldplay

Changes, by David Bowie

Fame, by David Bowie

Pour Some Sugar On Me, by Def Leppard

The Benny Hill Show, by The Edwin Davidson Jazz Band

War, by Edwin Starr

Dream a Little Dream of Me, by Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong

Don’t Bring Me Down, by ELO

Can’t Help Falling in Love, by Elvis

Tears in Heaven, by Eric Clapton

Sweet Dreams, by Eurythmics

Would I Lie to You?, by Eurythmics

Don’t Stop, by Fleetwood Mac

Dog Days are Over, by Florence and The Machine

My Hero, by Foo Fighters

Hot Blooded, by Foreigner

Urgent, by Foreigner

That’s Life, by Frank Sinatra

Some Nights, by Fun.

Move It On Over, by George Thorogood

Let Love In, by Goo Goo Dolls

Kids with Guns, Dare, Clint Eastwood, 19-2000, Rhinestone Eyes, Superfast Jellyfish, all by Gorillaz

21 Days, by Green Day

Tongue Tied, by Grouplove

Jump the Line, by Harry Belafonte

You Sexy Thing, by Hot Chocolate

* Believer and On Top of the World, by Imagine Dragons

New Sensation and Need You Tonight, by INXS

Never Know and Banana Pancakes, by Jack Johnson

Are Your Gonna Be My Girl, by Jet

All Along the Watchtower, by Jimi Hendrix

All Night Long, by Joe Walsh

Take Me Home, Country Roads, by John Denver

Waiting on the World to Change, Daughters, and * In the Blood by John Mayer

I Walk the Line, by Johny Cash

* Lie to Me, by Jonny Lang

Sex on Fire, by Kings of Leon

Fly Away, by Lenny Kravitz

Tutti-Frutti, by Little Richard

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah and La Vie En Rose, by Louis Armstrong

Ho Hey, by Lumineers

Dancing in the Streets, by Martha Reeves

* Beat It, The Way You Make Me Feel, and Man in the Mirror, by Michael Jackson

I Will Wait, by Mumford and Sons

Just a Girl, by No Doubt

Spirit in the Sky, by Norman Greenbaum

Time and Money, by Pink Floyd

Don’t Stand Too Close to Me, by Police

Somebody to Love, by Queen

I Can’t Get No Satisfaction, by Rolling Stones

You Got It, by Roy Orbison

Stompa, by Serena Ryder

* Halfway There, * Be Myself, and * Easy, by Sheryl Crow

Walkin’ On the Sun, by Smash Mouth

Superstition and I Wish, by Stevie Wonder

If You Love Somebody Set Them Free, by Sting

Wild Wild Life, by Talking Heads

Beautiful, by U2

Smile, Uncle Kracker

Summer Nights and Best of Both Worlds, by Van Halen

Bitter Sweet Symphony, by The Verve

* Blister in the Sun and * Add It Up, by Violent Femmes

Won’t Get Fooled Again and Who are You, by The Who

Sharp Dressed Man and Gimme All Your Lovin’, by ZZ Top

Put the Gun Down, by ZZ Ward

Pro America

Star Spangled Banner/4th of July Resprise, by Boston

Born in the USA, by Bruce Springsteen

America, by Neil Diamond

Songs I Cut After I Added Some Music

Last Living Souls, by Gorillaz

Who Says, by John Mayer

You’ve Got a Friend, by James Taylor

I Bet My Life, by Imagine Dragons

Eminence Front, by The Who

Ring of Fire, by Johnny Cash

Everlong, by Foo Fighters

Give Me Some Water, by Eddie Money

This is my mix. I’ll be updating this every so often.

You got an idea of song that should go on my mix? Let me know, make a comment down below.

Feel free to subscribe to my blog. Also, look me up on Facebook (Rich Havlik) and friend me on Twitter (@richhavlik). And please share with your friends and family on your favorite social media.

Thanks again,

Rich

All is Covered (Wagon) in Lincoln Illinois

Hello Everyone,

After I leave the small town of Atlanta, IL, I hit the bigger city of Lincoln, Illinois. There are a couple places you’ll want to visit. One of them being the world’s largest Covered Wagon. In honor of Abe Lincoln, there is a 24 foot tall covered wagon with a 12 foot tall Abe sitting on the front seat reading a law book. Most of the websites I researched about this claims that it holds the record for being the tallest covered wagon in the Guinness Book of World Records. It is neat to see and worth stopping and taking a picture or selfie.

One great thing about geocachers is that a lot of them try to place hides near important or historical places. There is a geocache near the wagon, World’s Largest Covered Wagon (GC44M4X, hid by Team LJT, 28 favorite points). It seemed that there were Muggles coming, taking pictures, and leaving constantly as I was trying to find this geocache. I paced around the wagon a few times waiting for people to leave and give me a chance to go for the hide. The couple of time I tried to search, I failed and eventually gave up. 

After the Covered Wagon, I went for another geocache in town at a historical courthouse, Abraham Lincoln’s Geocaching Trail - Lincoln 2 (GC4M6B0, hid by Abe Tourism, 6 favorite points). This one easy to find and had room for me to drop a couple travel bugs

According the geocaching webpage:

Abraham Lincoln practiced law at the original Postville Courthouse as he traveled the historic Eighth Judicial Circuit.  The courthouse served as the first seat of government in Logan County, from its construction in 1840 until 1848. After the county seat was moved to Mt. Pulaski, Postville Courthouse was converted to residential use. In 1929, Henry Ford purchased the building and moved it to his Greenfield Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. This replica was constructed in 1953, on the original site, as part of the City of Lincoln’s Centennial Celebration.

Visitors can view exhibits on the legal system in mid-19th century Illinois and experiences of judicial officials and attorneys of that time. A guided tour is available of the recreated second-floor courtroom and county office. The first floor is handicapped accessible; the second floor and basement restroom are not.  Events at Postville Courthouse include an Abraham Lincoln birthday party in February and an 1800s Craft Fair the last Sunday in August.

Across the street from the courthouse is the Postville well, where Abraham Lincoln often stopped to get a drink. Southwest of the courthouse is Postville Park, where he is known to have played “town ball” with local youngsters.

This was the only geocache I found in Lincoln. Never promised I was good at Geocaching. In fact, it turned out to be a bad geocaching day. I found only 1 out of 3 caches in Lincoln.

I stopped at a geocache that was placed in the front yard of someone’s (I am assuming it’s the cache owner’s) home called, Water you doing in my yard? (GC3TKW5, hid by CLMAC, 27 favorite points). I went for this one because of the high favorite point level. But, for the life of me I just couldn’t figure this one out. I looked and looked and looked and checked various places and I took too much time finding this hide. I took so much time that neighbors ended up calling the police and I ended up having a LEO (Law Enforcement Officer) encounter. 

Of course the police officers, from the 3 vehicles that pulled up and surrounded the Man Van, had no idea what geocaching was. It took some time, after they gave my driver’s license back, to explain and show them how this game is supposed to be played. They even spent about 5 minutes helping me look for it. None of us found it. One officer did ask to look into my van and make I wasn’t hoarding any small children that weren’t mine. 

After I could tell that they felt at ease, I asked if any of them could point out where I could find The Mill...one of Route 66’s iconic stops. One of the officers told me to follow him and he’d lead me to it. When I got there, The Mill was closed for remodeling. The officer told me that he grew up in Lincoln and ate there plenty of times as a kid. He later offered to take a couple of pictures of me in front of The Mill.

Here is the history of The Mill on Route 66 according to laddcenter.com

Paul Coddington of Lincoln formally opened his restaurant at the corner of Washington St. and Stringer Ave. on June 25, 1929, under the name of the Blue Mill. As a special treat that night, his children dressed in Dutch costumes with wooden shoes and passed out roses to all of the patrons.

The eatery was constructed by local contractors in the shape of a small Dutch windmill with sails on the front. The building had blue trim and the continuously turning sails were decorated with lights. Waitresses, dressed in blue with white aprons, served food on plates from the Illinois China Company that were emblazoned with a “Blue Mill” design. 

One of the opening day specials was fried ham with peanut butter on toast with mayonnaise and head lettuce – three high. Soon, the Blue Mill became known for serving patrons grilled sandwiches at any time of the day or night.

The small shop, which was located on Old Route 66 near the Lincoln Developmental Center, enjoyed much success for several years thereafter.

Heavily reliant on other area businesses, the establishment served meats from Eckert's Market, locally made Marcucci ice cream and soft drinks from the Chero-Cola Bottling Company in Springfield, Ill.

On Sept. 9, 1936, Raymond Hickman purchased the property, His wife, Fern, who had formerly operated a private catering service, took over supervision of the kitchen. Hickman enjoyed squirrel hunting and he liked to share his bounty with his customers. On at least one occasion in the 1930s, he was said to have served a squirrel dinner at The Mill.

In 1945, Blossom Huffman purchased The Mill, unbeknownst to her husband, Albert. He, nevertheless, ended up helping to run the establishment. The Huffmans obtained, at no cost, an old Army barracks from Fort Ellis in Ipava, IL. Fort Ellis served as a detention camp for World War II prisoners of war.

The Huffmans moved one barracks building to Lincoln and attached it to the back of the original restaurant and painted the entire building barn red. They operated the business as a restaurant, bar and dance hall, with live country bands on weekends. 

Albert replaced the sails of the windmill once in 1945, and then had to do the repair job a second time after his handiwork was destroyed by a storm.

During a get-together at the Mill a few years ago, a former truck driver who delivered soda pop for the restaurant recalled Albert Huffman. "He had muscles the size of my head," the man said. "He never had to throw anyone out; he just showed them to the door."

Colorful customers at the Mill included Coonhound Johnny, a local bootlegger, and the notorious Chicago mobster Al Capone and many of his cohorts.

In the 1950s and '60s, Lincoln was plagued with illegal gambling activities centering on pinball machines, and The Mill was implicated in the illegal activities. 

One of the restaurant's claims to fame was its fried schnitzel, originally made of veal and later of pork. Louise “Mom” Rofschansky brought the original viener schnitzel recipe with her from Austria. The cook introduced the sandwich to Blossom, who Americanized it and made it a Mill specialty.

Blossom passed the recipe – and the restaurant – on to her son George and his wife, Eleanor. Next in line were George and Eleanor's son and daughter-in-law, Randy and Teresa. Blossom's great-grandson, Brian, and his wife, Cheri, use the same schnitzel recipe today at Hallie's restaurant in downtown Lincoln.

Along with the schnitzel, Blossom developed a tangy sauce that the restaurant used on the sandwiches and sold in jars for take-out. 

By the mid-1980s the Mill had lost most of the Dutch-themed interior and along with its food offered a museum of strange objects. A mechanical leg appeared to have just kicked its way through a hole in the ceiling. Additional oddities included four life-sized figures, a suit of armor and a 20-pound stuffed catfish.

There was also a “jack-in-the-box toilet” that made noise when one raised the lid. Albert once explained, "I had to keep changing things so people would come down here and see what the crazy nut was doing now."

The Mill closed in 1996, and stood deteriorating for many years, the subject of increasing neighborhood complaints about unsafe conditions. Ernie Edwards, owner of the famous Pig Hip restaurant on Route 66 in Broadwell, pleaded for the building to be saved for use as a museum, especially after his own Pig Hip Museum burned.

In 2005, The Mill was sold for taxes, but the new owner could not afford to demolish it due costly commercial demolition regulations. A year later, then Logan County Tourism Director Geoff Ladd stepped up to work with Edwards and other supporters in an effort to save the building.

In 2006, The Route 66 Heritage Foundation of Logan County was created to promote and preserve Route 66 sites in Logan County. Working with the owner and city council members, the organization managed to save the building from the wrecking ball and gain title to the property.

Using the property as collateral, Regions Bank in Lincoln advanced a $20,000 loan, which was used to pay for the abatement and demolition of two later additions on the side and back of the building. These sections were not in salvageable condition.

This left a large, cellar-sized pit on the north side of the building, where the restaurant kitchen once stood. For two years, Contractors Ready Mix brought their leftover dry materials to The Mill and dumped them in the pit. Finally, the filled pit was topped with concrete.

An early fundraiser was the Route 66 Garage Sale, co-sponsored by the foundation and the local tourism bureau, and spearheaded by Bruce Huskins. At its peak, the sale covered 37 miles of Route 66 in Logan County and included approximately 100 vendors. An estimated 20,000 people visited the various locations in 2009.

The sale continues but due to a lack of volunteers has been taken over by another organization. An outgrowth of this activity has been the establishment of a flea market, which is held during the warmer months inside the Mill.

This year, flea markets have been scheduled for the second Saturday of the month, April through October. Fees from the rental space go to the Route 66 Heritage Foundation to continue renovation of the building. 

An annual classic car cruise-in, held in conjunction with the Railsplitter Antique Auto Club with food, a dance and tours of the building started about 2006. The annual fundraiser has continued every year since that time and has included everything from reminiscences to paranormal investigations.

In July, 2007, local philanthropist Larry Van Bibber donated $15,000, which was used toward repair of the building's foundation.

The site was listed by Landmarks Illinois on their 2008 endangered attractions list, and has been frequently mentioned in print and internet articles.

The new flooring was installed by construction-savvy board members in 2008. The expense was covered by a $10,000 cost share grant from the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, which was announced in August of that year. The funds also helped cover the cost of the foundation repair.

On March 22, 2008, the foundation secured a $12,000 grant from the Danner Trust, which works to encourage and aid preservation and restoration of historical locations. That money was used to replace 40+ windows in the building.

A Route 66 Roadside Attraction Sign was added to the site on April 26, 2008.

Preservationists from the Route 66 Association of Illinois used one of the decaying sails as a pattern to construct new sails, which were installed in August 2008. The sail used for the pattern was given to the Illinois Route 66 Museum, the official museum of the Mother Road, in Pontiac. The Route 66 Preservation Committee, chaired by John Weiss, held several volunteer work days at The Mill.  Route 66 icon Ernie Edwards cheered us on and volunteers included the famous Route 66 artist, Bob Waldmire.

The Mill was inducted into the Route 66 Association of Illinois' Hall of Fame on June 13, 2009.

Other donors and supporters through the years have included the City of Lincoln, County of Logan, Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, Lincoln Rotary, Eaton Corporation and a number of anonymous donors, members and local businesses. A wall of the future museum will be dedicated to those who have volunteered and donated funds and issued grants over the years.

Eventually we hope to have a portion of the upstairs that will contain a small military museum, filled with items on loan from the Heritage in Flight Museum in Lincoln. The downstairs portion will offer souvenirs and tourist information, as well as a chance to view local Route 66 memorabilia, including many surviving items from the Pig Hip restaurant and museum.

In 2013, an anonymous donor paid for the creation of “Made in the USA” T-shirts emblazoned with the Mill on 66 logo. The shirts have been sold at special events as well as through the foundation's website.

After The Mill, I head out of town to drive further down The Mother Road. My next geocache I find is in Elkhart, Illinois.

I had the time of my life on Route 66. I know you would too. But don’t take my word for it, experience it for yourself.

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Thanks,

Rich