Monday, September 20, 2004
Entering Illinois - 855 miles
The Wabash River Walked 7 miles today on the trail. Indiana was an interesting state and I look forward to driving Route 50 someday and visiting the small towns and country that I virtually walked.
Now to Illinois:
US-50 runs straight across over 150 miles of Southern Illinois - pancake-flat farmlands- acres of corn and soybeans as far as the eye can see, with small towns dotting the roadside every 10 or so miles. For much of the way, US-50 follows the 'Trace Road,' a slightly raised causeway originally traced across the swampy marshlands by the same prehistoric people who built the enigmatic mounds at Cahokia, which still stand in the eastern suburbs of St. Louis. Midway across Illinois, US-50 passes through the quirkily historic town of Salem (birthplace of two American icons: William Jennings Bryan and Miracle Whip).
Now to Illinois:
US-50 runs straight across over 150 miles of Southern Illinois - pancake-flat farmlands- acres of corn and soybeans as far as the eye can see, with small towns dotting the roadside every 10 or so miles. For much of the way, US-50 follows the 'Trace Road,' a slightly raised causeway originally traced across the swampy marshlands by the same prehistoric people who built the enigmatic mounds at Cahokia, which still stand in the eastern suburbs of St. Louis. Midway across Illinois, US-50 passes through the quirkily historic town of Salem (birthplace of two American icons: William Jennings Bryan and Miracle Whip).
