Springfield, IL

I left Cincinnati Thursday AM, May 27 for Springfield, the home of friends Ron and Marie with whom I will be traveling until mid-July.  The plan was to hang around at their house, see the sights and go to the Springfield Mile motorcycle races on Saturday night and Sunday before hitting the road for points east.

There was a good chance that I would run into rain and, potentially, thunderstorms.  However, the only rain I encountered was a few short episodes of light to moderage showers once I got into Illinois.  I rode the back roads the whole way, got detoured once because of construction and had a patch of gravel road to contend with, but the ride went very well overall.

In general, the scenery was green but not very interesting - typical midwest farmland.  There were a few very nice sections around the rivers that I crossed, but this segment of my journeys was more about getting there than twisties, sweeping curves and scenic vistas.  Lunch in Franklin, IN and rhubarb pie in Chrisman, IL were unremarkable.  The future, however, will offer many fine rides as well as distractions.

My visit in Springfield has included a couple of lovely excursions on Lake Springfield as Ron and Marie's house is on the lake and they have a really nice pontoon boat with which to motor around.  The houses on the lake and the history of the area are very interesting.  A couple of highlights - a nesting pair of bald eagles and a bridge that used to go over Route 66.  What's interesting about a bridge that used to go over Route 66?  The bridge is now over an inlet as that section of Route 66 is flooded over by the lake!  I also saw a number of "Historic Route 66" signs, but the best Route 66 experience was riding the section that has been maintained as the brick road it all once was.

Other interesting activities included touring the Dana-Thomas house, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  It is a fascinating building which includes, among other things, a candlepin bowling alley in the basement.  The house is well worth visiting on its own merit and because of the history that the well-informed guides convey about it and the times during which Susan Lawrence Dana owned it.  (See:  http://www.dana-thomas.org/)

I was also able to see the Lincoln Presidential Museum, which is a relatively new structure having opened in 2005.  It has some wonderful exhibits and, while a tribute to President Lincoln, it also includes stories of his challenges, failures and detractors.  (See:  http://www.alplm.org/museum/museum.html)  The Lincoln Library and Museum are across the street from a park which contains a statue which recognizes the Springfield Race Riot of 1908 that was the impetus for the founding of the NAACP.  Either I never knew or had forgotten that piece of history associated with Springfield.  (See:  http://www.visit-springfieldillinois.com/Race-Riots/)

The motorcycle races were the excuse to come to Springfield in the first place and were great.  We (Ron and I) started out by helping assembling the "air fence" that protects the riders should they have an accident going into the first and third turns on the oval track.  This consisted of carrying rather heavy, vinyl, BIG air mattess-like sections off a trailer and setting them up for people who came along with portable air blowers (like leaf blowers) to inflate them.  We then put them against the outside wall, secured them together and tied them to the fence behind the wall.  Fortunately they were only needed once, but did the job and all riders walked away.

I had never seen motocycle flat track racing before.  There were two kinds of tracks used - a curving course with a jump and a traditional race oval.  The premier race was on the oval on Sunday afternoon.  The courage of the riders, which some might characterize as lunacy, is amazing as is their skill.  The races were interesting to watch, as was the crowd.  I suspect some would find it boring, but I did not.

Tomorrow (Tuesday, June 1) morning we are off to Mammoth Cave and surrounding area.  I'm looking forward to the ride as well as the cave.  From there it will be points east in the Tennessee/North Carolina mountains.