Road Trip - Day 5 (5 states in 1 day!)

Day 5  Springfield, Illinois - Memphis, Tennessee

A journey that should have taken just 6 hours, took us 11 hours - the first 8 hours through a continual snow storm, with varying degrees of visibility. Passing many trucks and other vehicles in ditches, we drove at an average speed of 40 m.p.h. and reached our destination safely. 

Although the pictures are not very clear, they give an idea of what it was like. In spite of this, I was excited to have touched base with 5 different States in just one day. Starting off in Illinois, we traveled south on I-55 and crossed into Missouri, which was by far the State in which we spent most of our traveling time. 

This was what we beheld for nearly 8 hours solid!

A passing farm broke the regularity of the views around us

Crossing into Arkansas brought some relief, weather-wise, but the terrain remained very flat and unremarkable (is that a real word???). A brief sojourn through Tennessee, bypassing Memphis, took us into Mississippi, where we are staying the night in Olive Branch. Unfortunately, it was too dark to capture the Mississippi River which marks the border between TN and MS, but it was exciting to have caught a brief glimpse of this mighty river. 

Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO

The Gateway Arch, St. Louis

Arkansas brought relief from the snowstorm

We're really excited to be visiting Graceland tomorrow. Mark has his blue suede shoes ready!

Blurry, but our first glimpse of 'The King'

Happy, Fit, and Free!

Road Trip - Day 4

Day 4 -  January 4th, 2014 - Springfield, Illinois

It's great to be able to stay in the same hotel two nights in a row without unpacking and repacking the car! 

We spent today visiting more of the sites of this lovely city. In Mark's words, we ".... absolutely loved the Lincoln Presidential Museum!! So cleverly done! A very informative and also quite emotional experience. We were there for over 3 hours and loved every minute. Springfield is such a great place to walk and we did our fair share again today."  

The Lincoln Family - extended by 2 lads...

A reconstruction of Lincoln's boyhood log cabin, Kentucky

John Wilkes Booth

The first black American Citizens to visit the White House

Replica of the White House in Lincoln's time

The Lincoln Presidential Museum

The Oscar-winning movie, 'Lincoln', helped me to understand the importance of this man, and why he is so revered all over the world. The museum brought him to life anew and I agree with Mark - it was truly emotional at times. I think, for me, what he achieved in his lifetime has had an ongoing effect for subsequent generations, including our own. Any member of a minority group who may have experienced some kind of discrimination, can experience the hope and promise of liberation that was hard won back in his time. 

In the afternoon, we visited the tomb of Lincoln which, unfortunately, was closed for renovations. The cemetery is remarkable and the tomb itself is worthy of its occupants.

The Boulevard to the Cemetery

The Lincoln Tomb

For me, our visit to Springfield has given me a renewed respect, not only for Lincoln, himself, but for the American Dream of true democracy. These words, from the Gettysburg Address, "...that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."  have taken on a new meaning for me. 

I can certainly recommend a visit to this historical town. 
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We finished off the day by going to the movies to watch 'Saving Mr. Banks', and loved the performances of Emma Thompson, Colin Farrell, and Tom Hanks. It was a great story with nostalgic elements of the early 1960's when we were treated to the original movie, 'Mary Poppins'. 

Finally, we hope that the threatened storm turns out to be a false alarm so that we can make it safely to St. Louis and then Memphis tomorrow. 

Happy, Fit, and Free!

Road Trip - Day 3

Day 3 - Lansing, Michigan - Springfield Illinois

All day yesterday, we kept on saying to each other that it will be wonderful to exchange our boots for shoes and discard our winter hats. We spoke too soon as it seems that even in the Mid-Western States, they are sharing the joys of our Canadian Winter! 

Not long out of Lansing this morning, Mark's eyes were drawn to a sign announcing the approaching proximity of a Chocolate Garden. Needless to say, we diverted from our planned route, but lucky for us, it was closed, so our waist-line was saved from threatened expansion!

 

Chocolate Bacon did not sound appetizing!

I was looking forward to getting a glimpse of Lake Michigan, and we were not disappointed by the charm of the small town of St. Joseph - quaint homes and decorative streets, lined the shoreline of the lake. 

Clear skies everywhere, except for over Lake Michigan

After briefly touching the State of Indiana, we bypassed Chicago and made our way south through very flat scenery - mostly farmland and shrubbed areas. The snow seemed to be disappearing, and the blue skies looked very promising. 

After a sense of disappointment with Michigan's capital, Lansing, we were enthralled by the sheer charm and beauty of the town of Springfield, Illinois. After checking in to the hotel, we put our time pieces back an hour and headed down to the home of Abraham Lincoln. 

Abraham Lincoln's Home

The street - preserved and restored

A political 'band-wagon' from which rallies would be presented

Lincoln's desk - at which he wrote several of his political speeches

The town has preserved four blocks around the heritage house and have restored the whole area to the time period, with several of the original Lincoln artifacts to add authenticity. It was awesome to walk where he had walked and to behold the simplicity of the family home. 

We were particularly impressed with the story of his son, Robert. Apparently, when he returned to the site years later, he was not happy to see it being left uncared for, and did not like the idea that people were being charged to tour the house. He made an agreement with the authorities that it would be preserved according to the time period, and stipulated that tourists would never have to pay to see the inside of this historic building. 

We also visited the impressive Illinois State Capital Building, and the old Capital Building - the one with which Lincoln would have been familiar. These buildings looked even more impressive at night time. 

Illinois State Capital Building

Mark stands tall with Lincoln

Martin Luther King Jr. - one of Alan's heroes

Lincoln's house at night time

Capital Building lit up at night

The office where he practiced Law, and in which he wrote his inaugural speech after being elected President

Tomorrow, we're looking forward to visiting the Library and the Lincoln Museum, hopefully before the threatened storm hits the town!

Happy, Fit, and Free!

Road Trip - Day 2

Day 2 - January 2nd: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan - Lansing, Michigan

It seems like it has been incredibly cold this winter, and this morning was no exception. A loud alarm rudely awakened us from our slumbers and sent us on our way to Lansing, Michigan. 

First stop was a delightful place called St. Ignace - known for its ferries to Mackinac Island, and well-worth a visit in its own right. 

Ferries were not running!

Love the rhyming sense of humour....

In my ignorance, I didn't know that the State of Michigan is separated into the Lower and Upper Peninsulas, joined by the Mackinac Bridge. With a span of 5 miles, it is the largest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere - even beating the Golden Gate Bridge. It was amazing to see Lake Huron frozen over with just a small open channel in the middle of the waterway under the bridge. 

Mackinac Bridge - linking the Upper and Lower Peninsulars of the State of Michigan

The bridge seems to rise out of the ice

Only a narrow channel of open water could be seen on the frozen Lake Huron

We watched the gradual transformation of the landscape into a flatter terrain, and more deciduous woodland, punctuated by farmers' fields the further south we drove. We also noticed a slight rise in temperature from -29 in the SOO, to -17 in Lansing. Looking forward to hitting the plus signs over the weekend. 

One of the surprises we experienced was the enchanting town of Gaylord - also known as the Alpine Village. It truly lived up to its name. 

Otsego County City Hall, Gaylord, MI

A terrific frozen fountain

Guess who couldn't resist adding his voice to these late carollers!

On arrival in Lansing, we changed our hotel after discovering that the one we had booked was far less than salubrious! Good old Comfort Inn came to the rescue. Cosily esconced, we are about to host our weekly conference call with our dynamic team members all across North America. 

Life is good! Looking forward to our next leg - Springfield, Illinois. 

Happy, Fit, and Free!

Road Trip – Day 1

Day 1 - January 1st: Elliot Lake - Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Left home at 7:00 a.m. and had a beautiful drive with clear blue skies and hardly any traffic. We decided upon a short first day's drive in case the weather was inclement - but we need not have worried!

Hwy 17

These people leave boxes of carrots out for the deer.

Stopped off at Iron Bridge to visit our ‘deer friends’, before heading to the International Bridge. 

International Bridge

The St. Mary’s River (linking Huron to Superior) was almost frozen over, though we did see one ship making its way through the ice flows. An unsmiling, but polite, official asked the customary border-crossing questions, and we arrived at our first destination.
 

Spent an hour on the phone with TracFone U.S. trying to add airtime, only to find that they don’t allow adding airtime online or over the phone from credit cards with a Canadian billing address – go figure!!  Finally, Jamie, a wonderful Walmart assistant (with a terrific Arkansas accent) helped us purchase a card and add it ourselves – so all set to go!!  After visiting the hotel Jacuzzi, we ventured out in below -27 degrees to take some photos of Soo, Michigan – the decorative illuminations and street lamps were beautiful in the snow. We were particularly impressed with the Chippewa County Courthouse.

Chippewa County Courthouse, Soo, MI.

Main Street - all lit up

Interesting wooden sculpture of bald eagle

 

Back in the warm hotel room all snug and cosy. Settling down to watch a bit of T.V. before turning in ready for our next leg to Lansing, MI tomorrow. 

Happy, Fit, & Free!