Hello again! We are making a short fall trip and thought we
might update friends and family via a blog again. This time it’s a trip close
to home to Springfield and through the Eastern part of Iowa. We have no detail
plan for the trip and no reservations, but look forward to seeing some
interesting things. Want to come along?
Once again, leaving home was hard to do – not so much
because we hate to leave hearth and home, but because its just a lot of work to
bring so much of your stuff along. That includes everything from nail clippers
to pillows to electronics and everything in between! Whew!
Ready for a nap after loading the last of our stuff, we
nevertheless left home around 1pm, arriving at our first stop, the Illinois
State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Il., around 5pm. The
campground was filled with a fifth wheel group of 100 or so campers, but we
were able to get a spot on the other side of the fairgrounds, near the fire
house and security station. It’s a nice grassy spot.
We had not been to the
fairgrounds before, and took a ride around. The place is huge with many
buildings for housing the various animals, grandstands, a race track and horse
stables, an areal tram, and much more.
We met a fellow who owns a pacing horse
that he trains here, and he gave us a tour of the barn where his horse is stabled. His two year old has won $28,000 so far, but with hay at $6.50 a bale, one trainer handling every four horses, and a pacing
cart costing upwards of $7000, it’s not an inexpensive proposition. Many horses in the barn often run at Maywood, and one recently won a race with a $250,000 purse.
Our main reason for starting in Springfield was to go to the President
Lincoln Library and Museum where we had the good fortune to be photographed with the family.
Constructed in 2005, the museum is the largest and most well attended museum and library of its kind in the country, and we could quickly see why. Although you can only photograph a few
areas in the museum, it is unlike any other one
you have seen with many dioramas of everything from frontier life – one showing
Lincoln and 6 family members living in a 16’x16’ room - to the Lincoln white
house including scenes from the oval office, blue room, and others.
You learn
so many interesting facts – one that comes to mind is how one of Lincoln’s most
famous speeches, the 2 minute Emancipation Proclamation, which was given to an
audience at the dedication to a military cemetery, came after the previous
speaker finished a 2 hour speech!
Entering one of the two main viewing halls, you are
confronted with a powerful display of a slave auction that practically assaults
your emotions and drives home the horror of slavery. As you move through the hall, the story
of Lincoln’s life and role in ending slavery is woven into the exhibits, and
your admiration for this great man grows as your time in the museum passes. The
museum did not disappoint in the least and was overall a great experience.
After the museum, we drove a circuitous route to Charlie
Parker’s diner as featured on Diner’s Drive Ins and Dives (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHDtQCKfDnw). Built in a WWII era
quonset hut, this breakfast and lunch place was colorful, and had your typical
fare. We didn’t have the courage to try the local favorite Horseshoe (a
conglomeration of burger patties, fries, gravy, and other ingredients), but did
enjoy our lunch.
We traveled a few miles to Lincoln’s burial site with its
117 foot tall obelisk. Unfortunately, the tomb was closed, but we were able to
rub Abe’s nose, thereby assuring our good luck for the rest of the trip.
Stay tuned…..
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