Back Roads Rout 64 (north Avenue) Illinois

B A C K

The Savanna-Subula Bridge stretches across the Mississippi River in Savanna, IL.

A former trucker gets a new perspective on travel by taking Illinois Route 64 14

By Dan Bowers

For years I drove an eighteen-wheeler across North America, and was fortunate to see the country, if only from the interstate and main routes. Smaller roads escaped me because they werenOt practical for a vehicle that big. No longer bound by the big truck, my

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wife and I rekindled the spirit of small town America on Illinois Route 64, one of the closest and best roads for a return to nostalgia. HereOs a sampling from our road trip diary.

As the sun rises over Lake Michigan, I wiggle my bare feet in the cool sand at the waterOs edge. What a beautiful morning to begin my short adventure of less than 200 miles across the State of Illinois. I plan to take North

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Avenue from its inception at Lake Shore Drive through Chicago and the western suburbs all the way to the Mississippi River. My trip takes me down this route in Illinois to small forgotten towns, towns that have grown into thriving metropolises, and towns that are losing their fight with time.

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An ocean liner was converted and dedicated as a beach house in May 2000 at North Avenue Beach in Chicago. It replaced an older liner from the 1930s that was deteriorating. NORTH AVENUE BEACH/LAKE MICHIGAN

KIDDIELAND

The granddaddy of Chicago amusement parks, North Avenue Beach boasts one of the most interestKiddieland, started in 1929 and continues to offer family ing beach houses worth preserving. The building looks entertainment rather than the more expensive higher like a sleek ocean liner floating in the sands of the beach. end thrill rides of Great America. Dedicated in May of 2000, this Admission for the 2008 season is beach house replaces a previous ship $23 for guests age six and older and looking structure standing since the $20 for ages three to five, and over 1930s. sixty. As if the single admission tickThe old ship had deteriorated and et isnOt enough, guests can drink become outdated, but the new free Pepsi all day from any of the building maintains the timeless self-serve soda fountains. Kiddieland beach feel with amenities such as is located at 8400 W. North Avenue hot dogs at the concession stand, in Melrose Park. chair rentals for sunbathing and bike I still love the old miniature steam rentals to ride the trails along Lake engine train that snakes its way Michigan. around the park. The old-fashioned North Avenue Beach is located feel of this very walkable park has along the Chicago Gold Coast near stayed over the 80 years, and landother attractions such as the Lincoln ing a softball in a bushel basket Park Conservatory and Lincoln Park without a bounceback is still appealZoo, leading one to believe that ing. there is more than enough to do For thrills and spills, you also can over a day without leaving the area. ride MThe Pipeline,N a water coaster You even could take a quick bus ride that dives almost forty feet in darkdowntown to shop along Michigan ness into a spray of water. Avenue or sniff out some ChicagoBring a picnic and eat in the style pizza. Take another short ride north a few blocks to catch a Cubs The entrance to Kiddieland in Melrose picnic area or enjoy the carnival game. Park,IL is very inviting and nostalgic. food available throughout the park. Admission is reasonable for a day of A full array of planned activities, family entertainment. Check out from junior lifeguard training to volKiddieland at www.kiddieland.com. leyball competition, awaits kids of all ages. For a weekend at the beach, check out the web page at SALERNOOS ON THE FOX www.chicagoparkdistrict.com. Early risers will find one of the most spectacular sunrisI still remember days out in Kane County with my pares as another day dawns in sweet home Chicago.

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The Campton Town Hall (above) was built in 1874 and is still the township’s meeting area.

ents, shopping for antiques in the local shops or the monthly fairground antique shows. While antique shopping was not the most exciting thing in the world, the day trip always ended at SalernoOs, 320 N. 2nd Street, on the Fox in St. Charles. The Fox River runs through the middle of this wellpreserved and updated town that sports a beautiful river walk to enjoy throughout the day and especially in the early evening when the air is cool. The northwest bank of the river is home to one of the best thin crust pizzas in Chicagoland, and a great dining site on the Fox River. `Open daily for lunch and dinner, SalernoOs serves authentic Italian dishes made from family recipes. Homemade sauces complement their wide variety of pasta dishes. The wine list adds additional pizzazz to the dinner delights. The area behind the bar sinks into the floor so the bar itself is no taller then a table giving a great view for everyone to enjoy the weekend entertainment.

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The small town Virgil converted its main street from a downtown area to a residential area.

CAMPTON TOWN HALL

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Route 64 is home to many of these smaller prairie structures, but this is the only one that is still in use as a town hall. Another one further west in Oregon, Illinois, has been set up as a museum for Chana Township. The town hall in Chana Township is a rarer two-room style.

CamptonOs beginnings can be traced back to 1836 when a group of land prospectors found this area in Kane County to be bountiful with wood and water. The claim was made and Campton Township was VIRGIL, IL Virgil is evidence to our nation’s born. Still standing today, the The Great Western 1874 town hall at 4N498 Railroad came through passion to explore, even prior to air Virgil on once Town Hall Road, St. its way in and out Charles, is a monument to of Chicago. With a populatravel and big amusement parks. the progress of this area. tion of 266 people, Virgil has This one-room building not changed much in the gave the people of the area last 50 years. The railroad is a place to meet for church gone, replaced with a bicycle path. The railroad station is on Sunday and room for now a vetinary clinic, and township meetings. there is no reason to ship Campton Township still crops into Chicago any operates out of this buildlonger for distribution so the crop storage is gone also. ing, which has been updated and placed a more permaThe main street in town is missing a lot of what once nent foundation to allow running water and bathrooms. made Virgil look like a town. The general store, gas staOverall this building remains in wonderful shape and tion and repair shop have been converted to apartments looks to have many years in its future. I remember walkand homes for the residents of Virgil. The signs still ing into a similar old one-room school my dad attended advertise the businesses that once occupied the space, in rural Kansas until the seventh grade.

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through the years and still has a lot of charm left. Take a walk down main street and notice the well kept courthouse, enjoy all the little shops, boutiques and restaurants that the town has to offer, and if you smell fresh popcorn while walking through town, follow your nose to the popcorn vendor right in the middle of downtown with its organ grinder music playing across the public address system in the downtown area. The State Theater still plays first run movies and the neon marquee and the theater have been beautifully restored. Take a walk over to the library and notice its unique architecture. Opened in 1905 the library was built with fine red stone and modeled after The Paxton Carnegie Library that was built in 1903. The library has gone through many changes since it A popcorn stand sells the popular snack in downtown Sycamore, IL. original construction and has survived the building destruction of alerting troubled and needy travelers to assistance. a few additions. In 1997 a new addition was built that Virgil is evidence to our nationOs passion to explore, mirrors a modern version of even prior to air travel and the original building. The big amusement parks. library also houses a history Getting from one point to called the Joiner another required all those Downtown Sycamore has been museum Room. Located on the seclittle places in between for a ond floor, history materials meal, a snack, a tire repair able to maintain its identity while include handwritten docuand some fuel or a place to ments and county records rest your head for the night. dating back to the beginNow that we do a lot of keeping the charm that most small ning of the county; also our travel in the air, change original Civil War papers, has been forced on these plat maps and poll books. towns have lost through years of small little rest stops. Virgil The collection includes early is now just a bedroom comnewspapers, photographs, munity for the small towns progress without plan. cemetery records and misand surrounding cities. cellaneous family files. Take a stroll around the DOWNTOWN SYCAMORE immediate area and notice the enormous old homes, Sycamore, Illinois was most under different stages incorporated as a village in of restoration. This community has become a bedroom 1858 and by 1869 had been organized as a city. The main community for staff at NIU in Dekalb. business district runs along Route 64 in Sycamore. Route Downtown Sycamore has been able to maintain its 64 takes on the name State St. as it runs through town. identity while keeping the charm that most small towns Sycamore is the county seat for Dekalb County and just 6 have lost through years of progress without plan. There miles north of Dekalb, IL home of Northern Illinois are lots of things to see here so take your time and enjoy University. State Street, Sycamore. Downtown Sycamore has been kept up very well

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Pete (right) takes an order from an employee as he cooks steak on a charcoal grill. Pete and his brother John co-own the Blackhawk Steak Pit in Oregon, IL.

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perfect for a romantic candlelight dinner and Pete is ready to cook you the best steak you have ever had. Cooked over a charcoal pit in the middle of the dining The Great Western Railroad ran from Chicago west room, thereOs nothing to hide here. Get out of your seat towards the Pacific Ocean. Part of the Illinois line was and watch Pete lay your steak to the coals. abandoned during railroad deregulation. Companies No lie, this is one of the best steak houses in abandoned lines that ran near redundant lines of other Chicagoland. ItOs just an hour drive west, but worth every companies, since there was no longer any reason for mulpenny of the drive. You wonOt be sorry. The steaks are so tiple lines going to the same place to stay in operation. good you can eat them without adding any steak sauce. Companies began to buy time on each otherOs tracks. The In fact, I recommend it. Take a bite first before you add a absence of the Great Western line left a 100 ft wide void single thing, it just might surprise you. Along with your some 35 miles long from St. Charles, IL to just before meal you will be treated to a very nice salad bar, and if Sycamore, IL. In St. Charles going east the prairie path you like potato salad, the potato salad at The Steak Pit connects to the former electric railway, the Chicago, may spoil you for any one elseOs. A taste all its own, it will Aurora, and Elgin Interurban. The Illinois Prairie Path is 61 call you to come back for more. To finish this perfect miles long from Chicago to St. Charles. This is a multi-use night off ask about the desserts, White Chocolate trail in Cook, DuPage, and Kane Counties, following the Raspberry Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie, Baklava and old right-of-way that suspended all operations in 1959 Spumoni Ice Cream just to name a few. and abandoned the line in 1961. Once connected to the Pete and brother Great Western line it John moved to this area in increases the distance to just the late 70s after selling over 100 miles east to west. their donut shop on Ogden The original idea for the The steaks are so good you can Ave., Downers Grove across Illinois Prairie Path was profrom Omega. Pete felt he posed by a teacher and natueat them without adding any steak needed a bigger challenge ralist in 1965 in a letter to and he and his brother the Chicago Tribune. The went out to find that perIllinois Prairie Path sauce. In fact, I recommend it. fect spot to put a nightclub Corporation was formed in and restaurant. They found 1965 and acquired the first 21 that spot in Oregon, Illinois miles of the Prairie Path one on the west side of the year later. It took 20 years to Rock River just north of develop the first 21 miles. town in the shadow of The Since the completion of the Blackhawk Indian Statue. In first segment, many other 1977 they opened Maxons Restaurant on the shores of segments have been added. The neatest thing about the the Rock River and across the parking lot they opened a Prairie Path is you can start anywhere you want along nightclub. Two years later Pete was tired of the nightclub the trail. It incorporates many bridges over large roads business and converted the club to The Blackhawk Steak and rivers so it is easy to navigate, and has great stops Pit. The brothers sold Maxons about 10 years ago to along the route for food, entertainment and history. The spend their time on The Steak Pit. Blackhawk Steak Pit is Illinois Prairie Path has become a model nationally for not open for lunch. Operating seven days a week, they communities and state and national governments to open for dinner at 5p.m. and serve until 10p.m. The bar develop abandoned railroad lines and famous trails west. stays open as long as people are around to drink. BLACKHAWK STEAK PIT - Oregon, IL WHITE PINES STATE PARK The name, the basic appearance of the building and This is one of IllinoisO best-kept secrets. Once I started the location, they all make you wonder what you might to research this state park I realized this is a real diamond be getting into. Fear not, get out of the car and try it out. in the ruff. ItOs about four miles south and three miles Once you walk inside you realize you have just walked west of Oregon, IL. White Pines State Park is perfectly into a one of a kind dining experience. Pete will greet you located to enjoy the Oregon and Mount Carroll areas. as an awaited guest, and welcome you to what he conThere is also no shortage of activities for one to find at siders his house, well it is. Pete is the owner along with the Park itself, from simple activities like walking the his brother John and they will make you feel like a guest miles of well-developed trails throughout the park to in their home. fishing. The servers are delightfully helpful. The Bar is well This park is not only enjoyable but also educational. stocked with your favorite beverages. The atmosphere is ILLINOIS PRARIE PATH

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White Pines State Park is home to many log cabins. Two cabins are handicapped accessible.

When you first enter the park you will find a grove of trees that are purposely planted with trees found throughout the park. This will help you or your kids identify the different types of vegetation found throughout the park and while hiking the trails. Great amenities await you all around the park from great campsites to wonderful log cabins to rent by the night or even the week. A choice in cabins is even available from cozy one-room cabins that can sleep up to four, to two and four room cabins that can sleep larger groups. The prices are reasonable too. Wake up and walk over to the main building. Built in the early 30s under the Conservation Act helping put people to work during the Depression while preserving

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some of our great natural resources. The main lodge houses a great gift shop and a wonderful restaurant that serves three meals a day and an operating dinner theater. Prices are very reasonable and there is something for every taste. Every Sunday the Lodge at White Pines has an outstanding Sunday Brunch. This Brunch is the talk of the area. If youOre around on Sunday, donOt miss it. On Wednesday and Thursday each weak the lodge hosts a dinner theater. With one show each day, seating begins at 11:45a.m. and lunch is served buffet style at noon. The buffet consists of no less than three meats, vegetables, and other side items, served alongside a great salad bar. Over the next three hours guests will enjoy a great

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The Mount Carroll Motel still stands even though it has been out of business for years.

stop for travelers. This property has suffered the fate that show with dessert served during the intermission. Shows many properties like it throughout North America have change every 3-4 weeks. DonOt just show up, these shows also suffered. are popular. Call and make reservations or find out inforThe sad ending to the life mation at of this property is direct eviwww.whitepinesinn.com. dence to the change in the Cabins at the park like staying in a piece of The sad ending to the life of this way we travel and where we travel. Destinations and American History. Each properties such as restaucabin stands by itself. They property is direct evidence to the rants and lodging have to all include a fireplace to cozy be constantly reinventing up close during cold nights. themselves to keep visitors Each cabin has its own full change in the way we travel and coming back year after bathroom. Looking for a year. This can have a direct romantic weekend, reserve where we travel. change in the economy of the Sweetheart Cabin. This an area that was built with cabin is specially designed its dependencies on travel for those special weekend to and through the area. getaways. Need special serOnce an area falls too far vices like handicap accessiinto the financial hole it is almost impossible for it to bility? There are two cabins that have been outfitted to recover. Thus, economic and poverty issues are soon to be fully wheelchair accessible. And of course the larger follow. cabins are for families or bigger groups. Open year round, this is an all seasons state park. Be SAVANNA, IL, THE BRIDGE & THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER sure to inquire about the different activities the park has to offer for the time of year you will be visiting. Go once Welcome to Savanna the sign says. As I am welcomed and you will be back year after year. into the last town in Illinois, I notice to both sides of me obvious decay in the basic appearance of my surroundMOUNT CARROLL MOTEL ings. Sad, yes, but itOs unavoidable for a river town. Once the townOs main reason for existence, the Mississippi The Mount Carroll Motel is definitely not a recomRiver has failed to produce an environment for a town to mendation, at least at its current state. In fact there prosper on. probably isnOt anybody around to take your reservation This town had it all once as evidenced by the lengthy or check you in. This old motel stands as testament to business district and the architectural beauty of the existchange in the way we travel. Once a busy motel, this ing buildings. Struggling to survive the change in its complex consists of over 80 rooms. A pool, restaurant economy, this town has dealt with changes in the river, and a lot of guest parking shows this was once a favorite

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A train is running along the Mississippi River in the morning through the town of Savana, IL.

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below. The surface vibrates the vehicle as you move changes with the railroad and changes in travel habits. across it making the funny humming sound. All I can The sidewalks and streetlamps are new, but the business think is how they donOt build bridges this way anymore. I is definitely all about nightlife, bars and bikes. picture Model TOs or a O41 Ford Coupe crossing this road DonOt give up on this town totally. There is a river the back in the day when this Mississippi so if you like to was the favorite way to fish, try to see what you can travel. I think to myself, catch. You can schedule a what a great way to end an riverboat ride, eat dinner on All I can think is how they don’t build adventure… the Mississippi at The Boat Restaurant, check out the Train Museum located in an Travel has changed bridges this way anymore. old train car or explore old in North America. Currently mill park along the people are looking for the Mississippi. If you rode your best way to get in the most Harley you may want to distance in the shortest grab a room at one of the amount of time. As I Motels or Bed & Breakfasts noticed the hurry in my in town and check out some of the local Saloons and own life and the desire to find bigger better excitement, I Watering Holes around town. Maybe itOs a new tattoo couldnOt help to step back and take a look at what other options there where closer to home. What I found was youOre looking for. Tattoo parlors are located up and another way to take a trip. Enjoyable in its own way, this down the business district. All in all this might be an has been eye opening and mind enhancing. This was interesting town to spend the night. more relaxing than any super vacation could have been. As we drive through town, the road turns north. In The pressure that a super vacation creates is exactly what the short distance I see it standing like an erector set over we are trying to escape when we plan to take a vacation. water. The Savanna-Subula Bridge, definitely not made This was an enlightening & educational trip for me. for big traffic, this bridge has been long since replaced by Well this might not be the route you are interested in a more modern cement structure with four lanes. This taking, try finding a route that peaks you curiosity. My bridge is a classic, just wide enough for two cars going in advice, do a little research and find a trip that peaks your opposite directions to safely pass each other while crosscuriosities and fits into your time frame and budget. Not ing the Mississippi. sure where to start? Give this little trip a try over a 2-3 The speed limit is only 20 miles per hour while crossing day weekend, this just may get you thinking about how the bridge, but no hurry. Take it in and enjoy this classic to plan your own adventure. Explore America, its here piece of history. The road surface is made of metal grates for the exploring. Happy Traveling! and you can see straight through them to the river

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