Joliet, IL - Kankakee, IllinoisOct 25, 2010
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Info signs on Route 66
Info signs for Route 66
Info signs on Route 66
| A day of rest is planned for today, some schoolwork needs to be done and we need to catch up on things - the website being one of them. The boys settle in, Hudson relaxes and everything is rolling along. We get an email from our travel companions to find out where we are. Steve had tried to email 2 of them, but they did not get back to us. Now we find out that Gerry had made reservations at the Kankakee KOA a few weeks back, but no one told us. Fortunately we had not paid for today yet, and since Gerry had reserved with his credit card, we need to honor the commitment. We pack everything up for the 45 minute drive to Kankakee. Before we depart, we decide to go to Joliet; it is on Rte 66 and has lots of history and a Route 66 info center. Since Kankakee is further south, we are concerned that we might not make it back here. Joliet used to be nicknamed 'City of Spires' due to the many churches, 122 at one time; it now has done a 180 and is now a center for casino gambling! John Belushi's character, Joliet Jake, in the movie 'The Blues Brothers' was named for the Joliet Prison, which was opened in 1858. The very first Dairy Queen store was established here in 1940, but is no longer there - we searched for it! On our left hand side, there is the 'Get your Kicks on 66' display. The 'Rich & Creamy' ice cream stand, with the Blues Brothers on the roof has informational signs in the parking lot. We stop to read the signs and take some pictures. Continuing on our trip into Joliet, we cross the drawbridge over the Des Plaines river; we are looking for the Route 66 Welcome Center and pass by the parking lot. We have to drive by the building to get around the block, and we glance over to the center - it is closed on Mondays! Well, have to come back another day.. On some street corners, there are old gas tanks and many statues of important people from Joliet. We see the Rialto theater, a magnificent building built in 1926, the same year route 66 was born. The architectural detail is amazing, and we document it with pictures. We follow along, and on our left see the Silver Cross Fields baseball park, home of the Joliet Jackhammers. We jump out and find out they are in a division with other Mid-Western cities including Winnipeg. Beyond the park is a massive building that looks like an old prison or even a castle, but turns out to be the local highschool! The Amtrak and Metro station are close as well, so we have checked out the whole downtown. We return to the motorhome and go down to Kankakee, which in Pottawatomi language means beautiful river. The RV park is located off a country road in a very quiet area. Gerry & Geri, Wayne & Brenda are already there, we are just waiting for Graham & Mona and then the group will be complete. We check in for two nights and set up, this park has lots of trees that are losing their leaves and it is getting very windy, but it is still mild. Tomorrow we will plan the activities for the day. |
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