Day #17 - June 30, 2010

Columbus, OH

I stayed in Columbus today to visit with my family.

Around noon Marie, Linda and I visited German Village. We took a short detour to see where our father once owned a small grocery store in this area in the late 1940's. While the area is somewhat depressed today, the store building and the adjacent upstairs apartment are still standing and occupied.

Then we had lunch at a wonderful restaurant called the Thurman Cafe. The restaurant is quite popular and there is usually a wait of up to an hour or more, but we sat at the counter and were served fairly quickly. The decor is fun - with lots of old posters, photographs, and signed dollar bills on the walls and ceilings. Their specialty is called a Thurmanator, a monster hamburger with all the trimmings. We decided to get a more modest meal. The food was good and we had a chance to catch up on all the news in our lives.

Marv and Diane hosted a get-together at their home this evening and it was great to see all of my nieces and nephews and their children. One new great-nephew I saw for the first time.

We talked and ate for several hours and caught up on what has been happening in our lives.

Here are a few photos from the event. Unfortunately, many of the pictures I took today were blurred. I think it was the fault of the camera and not from all the beer I drank. Anyway, here are a couple of the better photos.

Cute!!

My new great-nephew, Knox

Tomorrow I head north to rejoin the Lincoln Highway in Upper Sandusky, OH.

Day #16 - June 29,. 2010

Fort Wayne, IN to Columbus, OH
210 Miles

I spent part of the morning in Fort Wayne.
The Rivergreenway is a series of parks along the St. Joseph, Maumee, and St. Marys Rivers which converge in downtown Fort Wayne.

I visited Johnny Appleseed Park along the St. Joseph River. The park is so named because Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) is buried there.

Notice the apple at the top of the headstone.

Then I went to Cindy's Diner in downtown Fort Wayne for a late breakfast. There are only 15 stools at the counter and it is very popular with the locals. While I was there 3 people came in and ordered "the usual" and each one was different, but the waitress remembered their preferences from previous visits. Talk was non-stop among the customers. And the food was very good.

I left Fort Wayne about 10:30 a.m. and after a short drive entered Ohio.

VAN WERT, OH

My first stop was Van Wert, OH and I was pleasantly surprised.

Van Wert County Courthouse (Built 1874 - 1876). It is the most impressive building in the city. Thanks Paul, for identifying it.

I stopped at The Main Street Ice Cream Parlor and had a scoop of strawberry ice cream. Several families were there enjoying the ice cream on a hot day.

This is the library. It was built in 1901 and was the "First County Library in the United States," according to the marker.

This Lincoln Highway sign is in the park directly across from the library.

DELPHOS, OH

The main street of Delphos has some interesting architecture built from about 1890 to 1910 with the dates prominently displayed on the buildings. Early Lincoln Highway travelers would have seen these same buildings.

I drove on the Lincoln Highway to Upper Sandusky, OH and then decided to take a side trip down to Columbus to visit my family. On Thursday, I'll rejoin the Lincoln Highway and continue on.

I arrived in Columbus about 4:00 p.m. and checked into my hotel.

My sister, Linda, invited some family members to her home and we all met there for dinner and shared stories of our various travels. Andrew had just returned from 4 weeks in Africa. It was great fun.

Here I am with sisters Linda and Marie.

Here is Kelsey, Linda, Marie & Andrew.

I'm staying in Columbus another day to visit with more of the family tomorrow. Then on the road again.

Day #15 - June 28, 2010

Joliet, IL to Fort Wayne, IN
204 Miles

This morning I visited the Joliet Area Historical Museum in downtown Joliet, IL. The 2-story museum presents a history of the area from the time of the earliest settlers to the present day with nice interactive exhibits.

The Lincoln Highway and Route 66 intersect in Joliet, IL so the museum has an exhibit involving these two routes which was my favorite part of the tour.

This sign in Joliet caught my eye, but they were not open for business yet today, so I did not get to taste the food.

Abe Lincoln Motel in Frankfort, IL

DYER, IN

There are several of these Ideal Sections along the Lincoln Highway. The original road in 1913 was mostly dirt or gravel from coast to coast. Around 1923 there was a movement to pave some sections of the highway so that travelers could see what it was like to drive on pavement. That, of course, encouraged cities and states along the route to begin paving more of the highway. This 1.5 mile section in Dyer, IN was one of the first to be paved.

VALPARASO, IN

Valparaso University (Lutheran) has a beautiful campus and since my sister, Linda, went to school here a few years ago, I decided to visit and I took more photos than usual.

The most impressive building on campus is the Chapel of the Resurrection.

Christopher Center

Shrage Basketball Wing

Brown Field

LeBien Hall College of Nursing

Do any of these buildings look familiar, Linda?

The drive from Valparaso to Fort Wayne, IN on Route 30 is mostly unpressive and I did not see anything of interest to explore. So I drove the 90 miles without stopping and arrived in Fort Wayne, IN about 5:30 p.m. and checked into my motel.

Tomorrow morning I'll explore Fort Wayne before heading into Ohio.

Day #13 - June 26, 2010

Clinton, IA to Chicago, IL
179 Miles

Left Clinton, IA this morning about 9:00 a.m. and drove east across the Mississippi River into Illinois. The road out of Clinton jogs north first on Rt. 67 and then crosses into Fulton, IL. From Fulton the Lincoln Highway follows Rt. 30 to Sterling, Rt. 2 to Dixon, and then Rt. 38 into Chicago.

CLINTON, IA
Lincoln Highway sign


FULTON, IL

I stopped at this one-chair barber shop in downtown Fulton for a hair cut this morning. The barber is an ex-truck mechanic who had been badly injured in a motorcycle accident several years ago and had just completed barber school. He told stories of his family and friends. Hair cut was $10 with tip, a great deal.

DIXON, IL

Boyhood home of Ronald Reagan

FRANKLIN GROVE, IL

Lincoln Way Cafe

National Headquarters of Lincoln Highway Association
Lyn Asp greated me and gave a quite detailed history of the Lincoln Highway. I bought a few Lincoln Highway gifts.

ROCHELLE, IL

Old 1918 Standard gas station that has been restored.

Arrived at Bob & Glenda's in Chicago about 4:00 p.m. We had a beer and discussed some of my trip. Later friends arrived for a very fun evening of great conversation, food, and cards. Haven't seen many of them for over 15 years.

Got to bed about 1:00 a.m. Fun day.