LINCOLN CAFE - BELLE PLAINE, IOWA

Saturday, September 3rd - It was cloudy in the morning and after we got on the road the rain came down so hard that we could not get out to take photos of the Youngville Station and Cafe in Watkins, Iowa.

Youngville Station and Cafe was an excellent example of restoration. It was listed on the National Register in 2007. The town of Youngville does not exist, only a nice name, fitting for this 1931 rural station on Lincoln Highway. It was drizzling when we got to Belle Plaine.

It was already 10:30 am and perfect time to stop at Lincoln Cafe for breakfast. Everyone looked up and smiled at us when we walked in. They probably watched us taking photos outside. Or the way my husband kept moving his Mustang to get in the exact good parking spot, away from the puddle.

The small dining room at Lincoln Cafe was cozy and so welcome. The server was so kind to explain to us about all the murals around town. We joined in when a table next to us talked about the Iowa v. Illinois football game that night.

There were a lot of street improvement as Belle Plaine was getting ready for its Centennial celebration in 2012.

I did not take photos of all the murals around town. I thought the above 3-D was special and interesting.

After watching the train went by at a nearby depot, we were back on the road.

(Saturday, October 1st - This is the first weekend that we have no scheduled activities. We were out of town the first three weekends in September. It is nice just to relax and do nothing, well almost nothing. It is sunny and in the upper 50's so we decided to steamed clean the carpet in the kitchen and the family room. The other rooms will be cleaned in the Spring.)

LINCOLN HIGHWAY IN NEW CARLISE, INDIANA

I mentioned in previous post that the towns along the Lincoln Highway in Indiana did not seem to care much for the famous highway. Once we passed the Ideal Section, after crossing the state line from Illinois, there were no monuments, red/white/blue markers painted on the telephone poles or even a simple sign of the big "L" to help us navigate along the unfamiliar country roads.

I was so glad to see the red/white/blue signs proudly displayed on the flag poles when we got into New Carlisle. It was a big help so that we knew we were on the right track without the need to keep checking the guidebook. An appreciation to the good people of New Carlisle in Indiana.

It was around 9:30 a.m. on Monday but it was July 4th so the street was empty with everyone being off work and probably still in bed sleeping. We walked around town and took these photos.

I love capturing images of Mom & Pop, family-owned shops in small towns. These businesses are an important part of the charm of Americana. It makes me long for those bygone years and "remember when" simpler times.

LINCOLN HIGHWAY - IDEAL SECTION - INDIANA

Sunday, July 3rd, DeKalb, Illinois - We attended 11:00 a.m. Mass at St. Mary's Catholic Church, after a visit to Ellwood Mansion. Thanks again to Eileen from the Lincoln Inn for not only served us a great breakfast but also told us about Ellwood Mansion, how to get to St. Mary's and Mass schedule.

St. Mary's Church was built in 1861. There were about 30 families back then and 150 years later, the parish currently has about 1,300+ families. We had the privilege to share a special occassion of a baptism. The baby boy was named Gabriel Andrew. He was a good baby, slept soundly and did not make any noise during the entire sacrament. It was a special moment when Gabriel woke up, smiled, reached out to touch the priest's hand when he annointed his forehead with the oil of catechumens. After Mass, it was time to get back on the road. We passed thru Cortland, Maple Park, Elburn and then to Geneva about 1:30 p.m. We decided to get out the pastries and cookies that we have gotten after breakfast at the Lincoln Inn in DeKalb and enjoyed a short break from driving.

From IL38 in Geneva, we followed IL31 North to Batavia, Mooseheart, North Aurora and after Aurora, it was US 30 thru Plainfield and finally to Joliet, where Lincoln Highway and Route 66 briefly intersected.

From Joliet, we continued onto New Lenox, Frankfort, Matteson, Chicago Heights and Sauk Village, before crossing into Indiana.

The town of Dyer welcomed us to the Hoosier State. The marker (below photo) let us know that we were on the right track, still following Lincoln Highway. Sadly, after this marker, there was no more signs or any visible indications to help us navigate along the Lincoln Highway. Apparently, the people of Indiana did not care much about this famous highway in their towns.

After Dyer, we continued on US 30 thru Schererville, Merrilville and decided to stop for dinner at Michael's Diner. It was almost 7:00 p.m. when we finished the meals, so it was time to seek overnight accomodation.

DEKALK, ILLINOIS - THE BARBED WIRE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD"

DeKalb, Illinois - home of the World's First Barbed Wire Factory (1874) and birthplace of the world famous supermodel Cindy Crawford. It is sort of fitting to the expression, "The rose between two thorns".

The mural looks like a painting of a party at the Ellwood House, built in 1879 by the barbed wire baron Isaac L. Ellwood. The Victorian mansion has a three-story spiral staircase and overwhelming chandeliers to match the mahogany-paneled vast dining room.

Whether because we were so hungry that we considered it was one of the best breakfasts on this trip at the Lincoln Inn (opened in the 1950s). The Inn is famous for its freshly baked bread, six different kinds, white, cracked wheat, pumpernickel, rye sourdough, Texas and English muffin. The servers were so friendly, especially Eileen who talked to us as if we were sitting at her kitchen table and not at a restaurant.

Back in late 1800s, DeKalb, Illinois was known as "The Barbed Wire Capital of the World". In 1874, Joseph Glidden (the gentleman in center) patented his improved barbed wire and made a fortune thanks to the high demand from every ranchers outwest needing the barbed wire to keep their cattles confined as well as marking their property lines, ended the era of the open range and the castle drive.

It was interesting that even though Cindy Crawford (the world famous supermodel) graduated from DeKalb High School (she was a valedictorian - beauty and brain - wow!), there was no mention anywhere about the famous hometown girl.

With the extra money from selling more than 50 million lbs of barbed wire every year, Isaac Ellwood built the Little House, a charming Victorian-era playhouse for his little daughter. The House has a bedroom with a child size bed, a tea room and a playroom that includes a doll house.

After breakfast at the Lincoln Inn, we had about 45 minutes before Mass at St. Mary. There was an art and craft show on the ground of the Ellwood House. We walked around admiring the many fine creations by local artists.

I should have posted the image of the mural immediately before or after the above photo so the readers would see that it was the Ellwood House in the painting. I am not sure if I would want to live in such a big house. Would you like to live in a mansion with servants attend to your every little requests?

CRESTON, ILLINOIS

Sunday, July 3rd - From Rochelle, Illinois we continued on IL38. The above photo shows the condition of the current Lincoln Highway, two lanes country road, not smooth pavement. Normally we would not mind driving slowly to enjoy the scenery but we were hungry and needed to find a place to eat.

After what seemed to be "never-ending" miles of corn fields, we reached Creston, a town of less than 1,000. The good people of Creston painted many murals around town but I was so hungry that I only captured the two images (as shown at the bottom of this post).

There was construction work around the campus of Kishwaukee College but our persistence paid off after driving around a few times, we found the First Seedling Mile sign (below) across from the College. The Lincoln Highway Companion guidebook listed the sign located "at" the College. The sign probably would be moved back to the College after the construction work is done.

After Creston, we zoomed by Malta (not the Malta Island in the Mediterranean Sea) to get to DeKalb.

MIND YOUR MANNERS ON LINCOLN HIGHWAY

Before she was known as Miss Manners, Emily Post wrote about her travelling across America on Lincoln Highway for Collier's Magazine. It took the group including Ms. Post, her son and a cousin, 45 days to travel from Grammercy Park in New York City to San Francisco, California. Read on to find out why the good people of Rochelle, Illinois painted the above mural.

On May 6, 1915, Ms. Post and her travelling group got stuck in a muddy road due to heavy rainfall and had to spend two days in Rochelle, Illinois.

Come to think of it - we should always mind our manners when travelling and when we are in public settings. Sadly, good manners have gone "down the drain" just like the art of hand-written notes, saying "please or thank you". This is a subject that would require lengthly discussion, what are your thoughts?

LINCOLN HIGHWAY HEADQUARTERS IN FRANKLIN GROVE, ILLINOIS

Here I am - back to posting about our recent road trip on Lincoln Highway.

After dinner at the Basil Tree Restaurant in Dixon (Illinois), we continued to follow IL38 to Franklin Grove.

The Lincoln Highway Association Tourism Headquarters is located in an 1860 building. We could not stock up on maps, book or any souvenirs because it was closed since it was already 7:30 p.m.

Across from the LHA building was the Lincoln Way Cafe. As we walked thru the door, we were told that the cafe was closed for the day. (Good thing we already ate dinner.) We said we just wanted to know if there was any Bed & Breakfast in town. A nice young lady said there was no accomodation in Franklin Grove but gave us a good direction to the next town where there would be many motels near the interstate.

Then I asked if I could use their restroom. When I came out, the young lady told me that my husband had to use the Men's Room. She said I could wait in the cafe. We really appreciate the fine hospitality of the people at Lincoln Way Cafe. We definitely plan to stop by the next time we are in the area.

The cafe has a very nice map of Lincoln Highway but I could not capture the image in one shot.

ALL THE PRESIDENTS IN STERLING, ILLINOIS

Well, not in person, just their images painted on a mural in the town square as we arrived in Sterling, Illinois.

As expected that there would be many statues of president Lincoln along the highway named after him. The above statue of the young Lincoln as a volunteer soldier in the Blackhawk Indian War of 1832, was on display at Propheter Park in Sterling, Illinois. It is thought to be the only statue of president Lincoln in uniform (The Lincoln Highway - Coast to coast from Times Square to the Golden Gate, Michael Wallis and Michael S. Williamson).

We saw many other statues but either could not safely turn around or unable to stop because it was getting late in the evening.

According to the plaque (photo below) in front of the house that on July 18, 1856, Abraham Lincoln spent the night in this house as the guest of William Manahan. I wonder if they had to built a special bed just to accomodate Mr. Lincoln.

After Sterling, we continued on Route 2, then Illinois 38 to the next town, Dixon.

Illinois is the Land of Lincoln but in Dixon, it is all about its presidential son, Ronald Reagan. The above sculpture of Dutch riding a horse, his favorite thing to do besides chopping wood. It was late in the evening so we did not get to tour his boyhood home. We did not see the 14,000 red, white and blue jellybeans that made up a portrait of Mr. Reagan in the Dixon Historic Center. Besides, seeing the portrait would make us even hungrier!

After driving around town, we decided on Basil Tree Restaurant for dinner. It looks cute and simple from the outside but the decoration inside was sort-of fancy with display of extensive wine collections. The paintings and artifacts gave the diners a feeling as if they were sitting in the vineyard. The hostess was friendly when we mentioned that we might not be appropriately dressed. She understood that there are visitors traveling thru town. We had a nice dinner that included cheese ravioli for CP and a ground beef ravioli for me. The meals came with salad and plenty of fresh bread. We were full and ready to a good night of rest!