Photo Journal - The Last Entry

Well, we're all back home again in Indiana. The last two days were somewhat of a whirlwind with not as many photos being taken, so I've combined them into a single post. Friday morning, we crossed the border into the final state containing Route 66, Illinois. Our big stop for the day was in Springfield to visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. After that, we journeyed on to Chicago where we celebrated Steph's birthday.

Today, after catching breakfast, we found the somewhat anti-climactic official Eastern end of Route 66 and had originally planned to ride on the Ferris wheel on Navy Pier. Just as we rode on the Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier on the first day, we thought this would be a cool way to come full circle. Unfortunately, the Chicago weather was not being cooperative, so we ended up just heading home.

Photo highlights are below:

All of us pose for a group portrait with the Lincoln family in front of the White House at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

A recreation of Lincoln's boyhood cabin

Jess and Steph are always gawking over the military men!




The main rotunda of the museum

This was one of my favorite parts of the museum. You get to go into the library, and "ghosts" take you through much of the history of Lincoln's life and presidency.

This year marks Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday. Happy Birthday, Abe!

The library is actually a separate building across the street from the museum.

The outside of the museum. This is probably one of the best museums I've ever been to.

The final sign in my quest to collect photos of the Route 66 signs in all states.

This is the intersection of Jackson Boulevard and Lake Shore Drive in Chicago - the official eastern end of Route 66. As you can see, it was partially closed due to a special event. We didn't see any marker indicating it as the end point (or starting point). It was really quite anti-climactic.

The Ferris wheel at Navy Pier that we didn't ride because of the weather.

Making our way back through the streets of Chicago trying to get back to Indianapolis

The Sears Tower through the fog and rain

The dreary Chicago skyline through the rain-spotted window of the mini-van.

Back home again...

Well, that's pretty much the end. While I'm exhausted and really excited to have some alone time over the next several days, I must say this was a fantastic trip. I got to experience so many things that I've never seen before. And while there were some times we had to adapt to stay on schedule, there is something to be said for taking things slowly and just taking in the details. I think the line from the movie Cars said it best:

"Well, the road didn't cut through the land like that interstate. It moved with the land. It rose. It fell. It curved. Cars didn't drive on it to make great time. They drove on it to have a great time."

Indeed, I had a great time!