The Route 66 Chick

R and R. Which can stand for rest and relaxation. Rules and regulations. Or rock and roll.  After the run-up to Blue Carpet Corridor weekend, I was really interested in some rest and relaxation. Also, Steve and I had family reunions the next two weekends (his in Michigan one Saturday and mine in Wisconsin the next Saturday). So we took the week in between off work and headed north.  We took off on a Friday and had to be in Flint, Michigan, for Steve's family gathering on Saturday at noon, so we couldn't do much two-lane stuff. We did take time for a leisurely lunch at the Palms Grill Cafe and some photos while in Atlanta. While at the Palms Grill we ended up running into Bill Thomas and Rachel Neisler, who make things happen in the 66 kind of way in Atlanta. We took a look at the new "high striker" (strength tester, strongman game) installed near Tall Paul. We took a couple photos but didn't do any strength testing. We spent our first evening on the road ...

Cousins, genealogy, memories, cemeteries, grandma's house. Fall colors, beautiful Wisconsin countryside, farmers markets, shoreline. Mom and pop places, "I brake for signs" action, and a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's warehouse. Good stuff. Steve and I decided to combine vacation, visits with relatives, some writing and R&R time, and a "Route 66 in Illinois" program all into one trip October 1 - 12 through Wisconsin, Michigan, a bit of Indiana, and back into Illinois. We left late on Wednesday, October 1, due to a "Route 66 in Illinois" program I presented that afternoon for Lifelong Learning at SIUE in Edwardsville. On Thursday afternoon, we actually reached Wisconsin. Our first stop was the country cemetery where my mom, my dad, and four generations of my mom's side of the family - Hansons and Engens - rest.  My mom grew up in one of the two earliest Norwegian settlements in Wisconsin. Many cousins still live in the area, and on Thurs...