Showing posts with label railroad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label railroad. Show all posts

Sunday, February 4, 2024

2021-06-27: Geocaching and Sightseeing History in Gary and East Chicago Indiana

Hello again and welcome to our adventures. We're winding down our little side road trip while our "new to us" used American Eagle motorhome is almost ready to take delivery. On this day we explored the towns of East Chicago and Gary in northwest Indiana. East Chicago is my fathers hometown and we'll pay a visit to his childhood home. And over in Gary was the childhood home of a world famous celebrity. So join us as we grab some geocaches and take a look around at what remains of this town...



Our first geocache of the day was in South Bend, Indiana for Saint Joseph County. A virtual geocache (GCA525) was located at the LaSalle Landing Park. Unlike a traditional geocache, a virtual geocache doesn't have a container with a log sheet to sign. You typically have to gather some answers at the location and email them to the creator of the virtual cache to get credit for finding it. The coordinates bring you to this stone monument with the depiction of the French explorer LaSalle, the first white man to visit this region, passing from the St Joseph River to the Kankakee River in the late 1600's.


Next door in the now Riverview and Highland Cemeteries is another historical marker recognizing the Council Oak. It was here that three years after his first crossing, LaSalle met with the Miami and Illinois Indians to enter into a treaty to resist the aggressions of the Iroquois. After surviving two lightning strikes, the centuries old oak tree was eventually taken down by a tornado in 1990.



Also located within the cemetery was a famous resident well known in the sports world. Knute Rockne (GC276Q6) emigrated with his parents from Norway to Chicago at the age of five. After graduating high school, he worked at the post office for four years to save enough money to enroll at the University of Notre Dame. He earned All American Honors playing football for Notre Dame in 1913. After a few years playing professionally, he ended up back at Notre Dame. During his 13 years as head coach of the Fighting Irish, he achieved an astounding record of 105 victories, 12 losses, and 5 ties, as well as 3 National Championships. Rockne died in a plane crash in 1931 at the age of 43.



Driving over into Lake County, we arrived in Gary, IN. The first thing I see that I remember hearing about was the U.S. Steel plant. It was where my grandfather worked. Gary Indiana was named after Elbert Gary, a co-founder and longtime chairman of U.S. Steel. When U.S. Steel bought the land to build the factory, they also created the Gary Land Company to design and build a town for their workers. At its peak, the Gary plant was the highest producing steel plant in the world.



Near the entrance to the plant is the EJ&E 765 locomotive (GC1VPVD). The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern train engine was built in 1929 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. When the EJ&E railroad switched its fleet to diesel engines, U.S. Steel saved it from being scrapped. It sent it to northern Minnesota's Iron Range, where it moved iron ore and taconite bound for Gary Works and other steel mills. Retired and restored it now sits at a roadside park for all to enjoy.



Turning south down Broadway, we passed some of the abandoned buildings around town. With the 1970's came a declining steel market and massive layoffs. U.S. Steel has laid off nearly 30,000 employees. The population of Gary has gone from 175,000 in 1970 down to 69,000 in 2020. It's turning into a modern day ghost town with an estimated 13,000 abandoned structures around town.

One of those buildings was the Palace Theater. Built in 1925, it featured vaudeville acts, live stage shows, and motion pictures bringing in more than 2000 patrons every weekend. From the very beginning it was one of Gary's most popular entertainment venues. But as the city began to decline so did ticket sales. The final live show was performed on January 3, 1972.



I'm switching the next two stops in order for the story to flow better. Over in East Chicago, Indiana, my father grew up in this house on Vernon Ave. This 3-bedroom, 1-bath, 877 square foot house was built in 1930. My father was born in 1932. Along with his parent, I believe he lived here with his four siblings until he joined the Air Force.



He once told me, after returning from his 50th high school reunion, about this girl that once lived down at the end of the street. Her name was Katherine and she walked with a limp. Going to the same schools, they sometimes were in the same class. When she was 19, she married Joseph Jackson and they moved to this house Gary. Joseph became a crane operator at the steel plant where my grandfather also worked.

Joseph and Katherine had 10 children over the next 16 years. This house built in 1949 was just a 2-bdr, 1-bath, at 867sf would be a bit crowded for this large family. One of those children was international pop superstar Michael Jackson. After the family's "Jackson 5" musical group signed their Motown contract in 1969, Joseph moved the family away from Gary to California.



Again, it wasn't until 50 years after graduation at his high school reunion, while sitting around a table reminiscing with classmates about whatever happened to this person and that person, he learned about the girl who lived down the street.

While sitting at a stoplight in East Chicago, Indiana, this building at the opposite corner caught my attention. The Calumet Trust and Savings Bank was constructed in 1916. From what I could gather on the internet, it was abandoned at one time with a partially collapsed roof and water in the basement. But the outer walls and columns are still intact. If only I could have it lifted and moved somewhere else.



OK, back to heading out of town and picking up more geocaching counties. Taking I-65 south into Newton County, I stopped in the Roselawn Cemetery (GC2BE8R) for our next geocache. I didn't take the time to look around cause I wanted to keep moving.

In Jasper County, the next geocache took us to this old abandoned school house (GC8P79B). It was hard to get a decent photo with all the trees surrounding it. But from what my research has found is that it was called the "Newton Township School" and was built in 1923. It was closed in the early 1960's with the rural school consolidations. I couldn't find the geocache here for the school. But I did find another at a nearby stop sign for the county.



Still moving south on I-65, I was able to find a quick geocache (GC8QDK6) in Benton County as we barely passed through the corner of that county. A mile to the east and we're in White County and finding another quick roadside geocache (GC8QDK3).

We continued eastbound on US-24 into Carroll County. I stopped at Yeoman Cemetery (GC1FV19) for another geocache. There are just over 1000 internments dating back to 1844.

Our last geocache for the day was at the Davis Cemetery in Cass County (GC3KB5K). The Davis Cemetery has over 3000 internments dating back to 1836. From the Find-A-Grave website: "William was a soldier in the Revolutionary War serving a total of 70 months. He married Lydia Busson in NC, about 1781 and parents of 10 children. They began housekeeping in VA just over the NC line. When the war was over they moved to Warren County, GA, now Columbia County, and lived there 21 or 22 years. The family moved to Preble County, Ohio in 1805 and lived there until 1835 when they moved to White County, IN then to Cass County, IN. Children: Arron, Joseph, Mary, Newberry, William, Jeptha, Mahala, Diadama, Clementine, and Clarrisa."
 


That's it for today. We still have nearly two hours of driving to get back to Decatur. Thanks for joining us.

To follow along on our travels and keep up with my latest blogs, you may do so here of course by clicking the "Follow" button to the right. And there's also my main website at AwayWeGo.US for the complete index of my traveling adventures going back to 2005. But also by using one or more of your favorite of these social media platforms: FacebookMeWeGabRedditTwitterGETTRInstagram, and TruthSocial. These all link directly to my profiles. Again, please feel free to comment and / or share.

Friday, December 29, 2023

2021-06-24: More Sightseeing and Geocaching Cemeteries, Old Bridges, and Yard Art in Pennsylvania

In today's edition of the AwayWeGo's Adventures, with the RV still getting worked on, we spent another day in Pennsylvania sightseeing and geocaching. While out exploring today we found a couple of old bridges, a couple of cemeteries, and some custom auto art made of old cars and parts. Like the "Buzz Box" says: Look Inside by clicking on the link and seeing some of the unusual and creative pieces of yard art.



So yesterday was a lazy day off the road. We spent an extra day at the hotel to catch up on a weeks worth of laundry and just relax in front of the TV.

This morning after breakfast we drove west across Pennsylvania on I-80. North of Pittsburg, I exited the Interstate and drove north on US-19. On a previous road trip a few years ago we picked up US-19 on the south side of Pittsburg and drove it all the way down to Florida.

Driving north up the road, we caught a pair of racoons crossing the road. I had barely enough time to stop, grab the phone, and take a photo.





Our first geocaching stop was a little further up the road but still in Mercer County. In the town of Clarks Mills was the Perry Chapel Cemetery (GC51V01). The cemetery has just over 700 internments dating as far back as 1851.



About a mile up the road another geocache (GC51V05) brought me to this old railroad bridge across the Old Shenango River. I tried to find some historical information on this bridge but wasn't having any luck.





Taking another backroad about mile to the north of town and another geocache (GC51V0P) brings me to yet another old bridge. Only this time I did find some information on this bridge. The 82 foot long single span Pratt through truss bridge was built in 1885 by the Penn Bridge Company of Beaver Falls, PA. It is supposed to be demolished but hopefully it will never come to that. I like finding these old bridges.



Moving on up into Crawford County, I stopped for a geocache in the Johnston Cemetery (GC8Y2J3) near Keborts Corners. It's a small country cemetery with less than 100 internments dating back to the 1850's.



The final geocache of the day was a virtual cache and one that was on my bucket list for nearly ten years. But I'm just now getting around to this area of Erie County. Schaefer's Auto Art (GCJ8M8) was created by Dick Schaefer in 1988. Using his imagination while working in a junk yard, he began welding pieces and parts together to give them life.









Well that's it for today. Along with geocaching, tomorrow we add sightseeing stops at the Great Lakes lighthouses to our traveling journey.

To follow along on our travels and keep up with my latest blogs, you may do so here of course by clicking the "Follow" button to the right. And there's also my main website at AwayWeGo.US for the complete index of my traveling adventures going back to 2005. But also by using one or more of your favorite of these social media platforms: FacebookMeWeGabRedditTwitterGETTRInstagram, and TruthSocial. These all link directly to my profiles. Again, please feel free to comment and / or share.

Saturday, July 1, 2023

2021-04-02: Day 11 Finishing Route 66 in Oklahoma and Turning South into Texas and Returning Home

Well finally we've reached the eleventh and last day of our roadtrip adventure. We started out in Maiden, NC in what Google said would take 18 hours and 1210 miles to drive to Killeen, TX. Now here we are starting our 11th day in Oklahoma City, following the famous Route 66, and soon to be making that left turn down into Texas. On this final day we found more Route 66 roadside attractions, more historic buildings and bridges, a ghost town and of course more geocaching counties! So without further delay, hope on board for the ride and let me show you what great places we found today...



Our first stop was for the Osiyo Big Cherokee geocache (GC96K4R). Located at the Cherokee Trading Post and Travel Center, it was a busy place. Lots of muggles prevented us from finding this geocache. Fortunately I found a previous geocache here, now archived, and already had the county.



On the side of one of the buildings there was this huge mural and statue depicting a scene from life here in the 1800's. This is just a small portion of that mural.



Just a few miles west down Old U.S. Highway 66 into Caddo County, and we get to another one of my favorite historical structures. The Pony Bridge (GC8YAQ7) is the longest bridge on Route 66 at 3,944 feet. A joint venture Oklahoma Federal Aid Project No. 164-H and officially named the William H. Murray Bridge, it spans across the South Canadian River and was completed on July 1, 1933. It was nicknamed the "Pony Bridge" because of its 38 pony style trusses.



Across the county we found the historical Provine Station and our next geocache (GCY1GQ). This old Route 66 gas station was built by Carl Ditmore in 1929. W.O. Waldrop purchased the gas station in 1934 and renamed it the Provine Station. A small tourist court was added for overnight stays. In 1941 Lucille and Carl Hamons became the next owners where they raised their three children in the upstairs living quarters. Lucille operated the business for 59 years.



Continuing westbound into Custer County and past Weatherford, my next geocache stop was for a "Cache Across America - Oklahoma" cache (GCXD60). There's nothing special about the cache or location. However this is a series and there is only one in each state with a bonus in Washington DC. I try to get them whenever I'm in the vicinity. One day when I finally retire, I'll plan a road trip specifically to get the remaining states in the series.

Well it's about that time now when we reached US-183 in Clinton, Oklahoma and leave Route 66 to make that left turn and drive south towards Texas.

A minute later we cross over into Washita County and soon arrived into the town of Bessie. Our first stop was at the Peace Lutheran Church. The church was organized in 1893. Land was given and a church building / schoolhouse was erected in 1906. This current building was constructed in 1942. The Lutheran Cemetery is next door as well. 



Another historical building in town, and the location of our next geocache (GC15MV7), was the 1916 Bessie Schoolhouse. There's a pretty nice mural on the side of the building depicting scenes of the early days in Bessie. Next door to the schoolhouse was where the bank used to be. Frank Simpson and Fletcher Rickard robbed the bank on January 24, 1928. During the robbery, the cashier of the bank, Ben Kiehn, was killed and Fletcher Rickard was wounded and died later the same day. Simpson escaped and was never caught. The granite cornerstones and granite "Bank" stone are part of the Bessie Memorial Park.





Continuing southbound on US-183, we passed through this small town called Rocky, Oklahoma. Rocky was established in 1898 when two businessmen settled and opened the Rocky Mercantile Store constructed from rock gathered at the Kiowa Reservation. At it's peak in 1930, the population was around 500. Today it is barely over 100. This old church and house caught my attention and I stopped for a quick photo.





Crossing over into Kiowa County, the next town is Hobart, OK. The Rock Island Depot (GCD1E8) was built in 1909 and was used until the 1970's. This was a busy location during the growing years of Hobart. these include World War I and II. The rapidly growing farming industry depended on this rail service to transport it's products. It was left in disrepair until the Kiowa county historical preservation society acquired it in 1987. After many hours of volunteer work and money it was reopened as a museum.



South of Hobart was the small community of Babbs. A picnic area along US-183 is the Babbs Switch Memorial and a virtual geocache (GCD1E9). It was set up to remember those who perished on Christmas Eve in 1924. On this date a Christmas party was going on in a 1-room frame school house when a candle, that was lit on the tree, started a fire. Since the doors to the room opened inward, the kids panicked, pressed against it and could not open it. Everyone inside perished. The school was rebuilt and was used to point the way to safer county schools nationwide. This tragic event is the reason all school doors open outward.

Our next two geocaches were in Tillman County at the Frederick Cemetery (GC7A74B, GC2HNE8). There are over 12,000 internments dating back to 1844. We didn't have time to look around so just finding the geocaches, a photo, and back on the road.



Well we finally made it to the Oklahoma-Texas state line. This means crossing the Red River Bridge (GC8D4F0). Even though highway traffic crosses a newer modern bridge, the old US-70/US-183 bridge is still there. The plaque mentions that it was built in 1939 by the Texas and Oklahoma Highway Departments. The length of its largest span is 75 feet, with a total length of of 5,463.2 feet and a deck width of 24 feet.



One last stop in Texas before reaching home. I wanted to stop by this old abandoned schoolhouse in the ghost town of Gilliland since we were so close. Back a couple of years ago when I was working nearby, I hid a geocache here and it seems to have gone missing. So I replaced it.



I wrote a blog a while back specifically about this town of Gilliland. I tell of the town's history and share a lot of photos of some of the abandoned businesses and houses. You can take a look and read the stories by clicking here.



So that was our 11 Day, 3404 Mile Adventure starting in North Carolina and returning to Texas. Taking the long northerly route of course! Here's a recap with links to each days blog post:

Day #1Turning a 1400 Mile Drive into a 3404 Mile Road Trip! Day 1 in North Carolina and Virginia
Day #2Virginia, DC, Maryland, and Pennsylvania
Day #3: Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio
Day #4: Ohio and Indiana
Day #5Visiting the Birthplace of Ben Hur in Indiana
Day #6Visiting Presidents Lincoln and Reagan in Illinois
Day #7Touring More Abraham Lincoln and Route 66 Sites in Illinois
Day #8Visiting history in St Louis, Missouri via Route 66 and the Gateway Arch
Day #9Exploring the Historic Route 66 Through Missouri
Day #10Cruising Route 66 Through Kansas and Oklahoma

To follow along on our travels and keep up with my latest blogs, you may do so here of course by clicking the "Follow" button to the right. But also by using one or more of your favorite of these social media platforms: FacebookMeWeGabRedditTwitterGETTRInstagram, and TruthSocial. These all link directly to my profiles. Again, please feel free to comment and / or share.

Saturday, March 11, 2023

2021-03-29: Touring More Abraham Lincoln and Route 66 Sites in Illinois on Day 7 of Turning a 1400 Mile Road Trip into a 3404 Mile Adventure!

So today as we geocached more Illinois counties, we followed more footsteps of President Abraham Lincoln historical sites and jumped onto the Historic Route 66 to continue our southwest roadtrip. There's a LOT to see and do today, so let us go for a drive and get on down the road...



Waking up in Peoria County, Illinois this morning, it was still cold but not like it was yesterday morning. First thing first... breakfast, coffee, and hey look there's a geocache right there in the parking lot (GC42BCA)! Then next door into East Peoria and Tazewell County, we made a quick exit off the highway in this industrial area for a creative geocache (GC24KTM) that had a lot of favorite points. Luckily, truck traffic wasn't that busy. Parked on a side street and a short walk across the grass. Found the container quickly and another minute to figure out log sheet retrieval.



Southbound on I-55 into Logan County, we exit into the small town of Elkhart. A couple of blocks off of the Old Route 66 and near the town square, is this Veterans Memorial Statue honoring those in the community who have served in the various wars.



Just outside the east side of town are my next two geocaches (GC4MYJP, GC8P1YG). The first settler in the Elkhart area was James Latham. In 1824 he was appointed by President John Quincy Adams to the position of Indian Agent at Fort Clark (now Peoria). He moved the family there and in two years took ill and died. They brought him back to the hill and buried him in Latham Cemetery (not far from where his first cabin was built) which has the distinction of being the oldest cemetery in Logan County.

One of the highest points in the state is Elkhart Hill. Abraham Lincoln often stayed in the Kentucky House, a stagecoach stop on Elkhart Hill owned by his friend Richard Latham. He was also a friend of John Dean Gillett, who was once known as the “Cattle King of the World.” Gillett was the primary financier of Lincoln, IL, the Logan County city that bears Abraham Lincoln’s name.

The Elkhart Cemetery is located on the south side of Elkhart Hill. Near Gillett’s grave, is the Saint John's Chapel. It was built in 1890 by the Culver Stone Co. in memory of Gillett. Still owned by the Gillett Farm, it is the only privately owned chapel in Illinois.





Richard J. Oglesby, three term governor of Illinois and a close friend of Abraham Lincoln, married the Gillett's oldest daughter, Emma. They built their home across the hill from the Gillett house. Known as Oglehurst, the 46 room mansion had a pipe organ in the Great Hall, a fourth floor school room where the children were tutored and a music room with a musical score detailed in the gesso work around the ceiling. The Oglesby's are buried in a tomb on Elkhart Hill.



The cemetery is also the final resting place of Capt. Adam H. Bogardus, who toured with Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show and was known as the “Wing Shot Champion of the World.”

Connecting Elkhart Hill to Elkhart Cemetery is this bridge which was erected in 1915 by Emma Gillett Oglesby. It is said to be the only private bridge over a public highway in the state. 





This time I decide to stay on Old Route 66 instead of jumping onto the Interstate. Crossing over into Sangamon County and the town of Williamsville, I spot The Old Route 66 Gas Station and Garage. I couldn't buy gas at 31 cents a gallon, but I did drive away with some good photos.



Now moving down the road into Springfield, Illinois. Settling began in 1810 and eventually the town of Springfield became the state capital of Illinois. Abraham Lincoln lived in the Springfield area from 1837 until 1861. In May of 1839, construction began on this cottage for Reverend Charles Dresser. It wasn't until 1844 when Abraham Lincoln moved his family, wife Mary and son Robert, from a rural community on the outskirts and purchased a small cottage house within Springfield. The Lincoln's made multiple renovations and expansions over the next 17 years while they lived in the home. In 1861, now President Abraham Lincoln moved the family to Washington D.C.



Several tenants occupied the house up until Robert Lincoln deeded the house to the state of Illinois in June of 1887. President Nixon established the house as the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in 1971/72 (GC963C).

Pictured below is Abraham Lincoln's "campaign bus" which he used to travel around in while running for office. A big difference compared to today's 45 foot luxury motorcoaches!



Two blocks away from the Lincoln House is Union Square. Union Station opened in 1898 as the passenger terminal for the Illinois Central (IC) Railroad. Francis T. Bacon, an IC architect, designed the station. The current 110-foot-tall clock tower is a reconstruction replacement of the original which was removed in 1946.



Vacated by the railroad in 1971, Union Station was rehabilitated by the Scully family in 1985 for retail use. The State of Illinois leased the building for offices in 1990, eventually purchasing it in 1990. A rehabilitation began in 2005 returning the train station to the turn-of-the-century appearance.

On this public square and in surrounding buildings (GCMNH3), Lincoln and his family and friends purchased goods, attended parties, enjoyed picnics and parades, watched theatricals, and listened to concerts and lectures.



In law offices and courtrooms overlooking this square he honed his skills of persuasion. In storefront discussions and street corner gatherings he perfected the art of politics. Then, as his understanding matured and his convictions deepened, he took his place among the leaders of his time, addressing the people of the nation in powerful and eloquent words that echoed beyond this small prairie capital.



Our next stop in Springfield, Illinois along our President Abraham Lincoln Sightseeing History Tour was at the Oak Ridge Cemetery. Upon entering the cemetery, there are multiple veterans memorials near the entrance. This one pictured below is the Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial (GCE6FF).



After Lincoln's assassination and services in Washington D.C., his body was placed on a train for his final trip back home to Springfield. His casket, along with his son Williams who died at the White House in 1862, was placed in this receiving vault at the Oak Ridge Cemetery in May of 1865. They remained here under guard until December of 1865 when the construction of another temporary tomb was completed.



The granite monument below, erected in 1900, memorializes the location of the temporary second tomb. The temporary vault held the bodies of President Abraham Lincoln and his sons Edward and William from December 1865 until September 1871, when they were moved to the partially completed tomb. Built into the lower portion on the left side of the monument, is the marble slab which used to be inside the receiving vault upon which his casket was first put to rest. (looks like a white door in the photo)



In 1871, three years after construction began, Lincoln's body and three of his sons were placed in crypts in the unfinished structure. The memorial was completed in 1874. Now, you would think that this was the FINAL resting place of President Abraham Lincoln. However, I leave you to read "the rest of the story" as Paul Harvey used to say. Go to the National Park Service website to read about the attempted theft of Lincoln's body and that it was moved 5 more times before being placed ten feet below the floor of the burial chamber as requested by his only remaining son, Robert Todd Lincoln.



In the center of the chamber is this huge sarcophagus, ten feet above Lincoln's body. Along the back wall are five chambers, one for his wife Mary Todd Lincoln, three of his four sons, and a grandson.



Finally moving on into Decatur and Macon County. This Texaco Gas Station (GC7B80A) originally opened in the 1930's. Having changed hands several times, it eventually became an automotive detail shop. The building was in pretty bad shape until the current owner purchased it. Over a period of 6 years, the property was brought up to code and the whole place was restored to it's original 1930's state you see today. The station is slowly being filled with period equipment and furniture. The only thing missing now is the gas pump itself.



Also in Decatur at the Greenwood Cemetery is the Illinois Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers Memorial and another geocache (GC32HMJ).



Heading southeast down State Road 121 into Moultrie County, we make a quick geocaching roadside stop (GC3MV8K) at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Public Archery Range.

I had decided to take this little detour south-eastward before continuing southwest in order to stop for more historical places along the Lincoln History Tour.

Reaching Coles County near the towns of Lena and Campbell, is our next geocache (GC1MEC5). It is here where you'll find the Shiloh Presbyterian Church and the Thomas Lincoln Cemetery. Thomas Lincoln died in 1851 and was buried in what was then called the Gordon Burial Ground. As was common in many poor rural communities, Thomas Lincoln's marker was probably no more than a simple rock placed to mark the gravesite. Many years later, however, Abraham Lincoln's nephew, John J. Hall, would tell a Lincoln biographer that Abraham had carved the initials T. L. onto a board which he placed upon the grave during his last visit in January 1861 before heading to the White House.



Whether Thomas Lincoln's marker was a stone or a board, no permanent marker could be placed by local friends and by Thomas' grandson, Robert Todd Lincoln. Those donation ensured the tombstones eventual erection in 1880. The current marker was actually installed later by the Illinois Lions Club to replaced the original, which unfortunately, had been chipped away at by souvenir seekers over the years.



Located on the Lincoln Highway, just down the road from the cemetery, the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site preserves the last farm and home of Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln. The Lincoln family moved to the farm in 1837 and after Abraham had established his residence in Springfield. Although Lincoln never lived here with his father and stepmother, he stopped here to bid farewell to his stepmother on his way to the White House in January of 1861. There are also three geocaches here on the Lincoln Farm (GC8B2NZ, GC8B2WM, GC891A4).



From the Lincoln Farm, we drove south towards I-70 because we were running out of daylight and needed to put some miles behind us. We crossed over into Cumberland County and the town of Greenup for our next county geocache. It was located at the Greenup Cemetery (GC5C8CE). Located along the Old National Road, burials date back to the early 1800's. No time to look but just a quick glance around. Nothing got my attention so onto the Interstate westbound.

We drove straight through Effingham County because I had already completed that one from back in my truck driving days. Then stopping in Fayette County for two geocaches. The first was in the Guy Cemetery (GC2J8TY) in St Elmo. Again just a quick glance around and moved on.

Two exits later, we got back off into the town of Vandalia for a geocache with hundreds of favorite points. The Great Kaskaskia Dragon (GCHWFZ) is this huge metal sculpture of a fire-breathing dragon and knight in armor. Unfortunately the dragon's fire had been extinguished during our visit.
 


Now the camera brightens it up a bit and, at 7:30 PM, it was darker than it appears. Time to find some dinner and get some sleep!