Day 1 Thursday Sept 4 And We're Off!

Thanks to some local thunderstorms, we didn't get started as early as we planned today. It was about 11:00 a.m. when we pulled out, but fortunately we had a pretty easy drive ahead. If the rain wasn't enough to make me have second thoughts though, the two large birds (cranes?) that almost hit us about 2 miles from home sure were! Thankfully all went well from there, and we arrived safely in Springfield, Il about 4:00 pm. I called the motel we had planned on staying at about 30 miles south on Route 66 only to find out it was no longer in business! We checked into a Best Western in Springfield and decided to take in some sights before dinner. What a pleasant surprise the Lincoln home was! It was actually a two block walking area with original wooden boardwalks and beautifully restored historic homes. Each house along the way had a plaque describing who lived there and the connection to Lincoln. You could listen to a virtual tour guide provide interesting details... on your cell phone! Very interesting! We continued to explore the "Aristocracy Hill Historic District" and found a wonderful brew pub and eatery. All in all, a great start on our adventure! (Now to watch thePacker game!)