Day 104: Cincinnati, Ohio to Champaign, Illinois; Day 105: Champaign to Madison, Wisconsin; Day 106: Madison to Green Bay

Since we were not able to go home between games and our next game site was in the Midwest, we had a bit of time to poke around on the journey. As usual, Greg found some interesting sights for us to check out. Our first day's drive took us to Champaign, Illinois, home to the University of Illinois Fighting Illini and, it turns out, quite a few quirky attractions. 

Like the theater where Roger Ebert watched movies as teenager. He honed his film appreciation skills during many hours watching current (now classic) films in the majestic Virginia Theater.  They've put a statue of him entitled "C-U at the Movies" right outside. You can even sit with him and weigh in on the whatever's showing. No popcorn, though.

A few miles from Roger we found this gigantic copper Indian in a field near an apple farm. Maybe he's trying to shoot an apple off of someone's head?

[From RoadisideAmerica.com] Herbert W. Drews was a heating and air conditioning man by trade, but an artist at heart. In the 1930s he built a big Tin Man and stood him outside his business in Danville, Illinois. Then in 1949 he built the Big Indian.

A plaque at its base calls the statue "The Chief" and says it was built to honor Kesis, "a famous Kickapoo Indian chief of east central Illinois." The statue stood on the old Dixie Highway for 46 years, outliving both Herbert W. and his son, Herbert O. A grandson moved the statue to its current spot in Champaign in 1995.

Standing nearly 17 feet tall, the statue is surprisingly lifelike. Obviously a tough man, Chief Kesis wears only moccasins and a loin cloth. Old postcards show a murderous tomahawk belted to his waist, but it's gone now.

Made of hammered copper, the statue initially mimicked the skin color of its Indian subject. But time has turned the Chief green, like the Statue of Liberty or Frankenstein's monster.

In his current location, the Chief aims his bow west toward Interstate 57. His scowl of concentration suggests a fatal end for whatever is on the receiving end of his arrow.

This particular part of Illinois seems to be blessed with a plethora of cool sights so, of course, Greg was able to find a Muffler Man, as well. This fellow was in a mini-mall outside a burger joint.

A visit to Champaign, Illinois would not be complete without a peek at the Kraft factory where they make, you guessed it, their signature macaroni and cheese. 

When criss-crossing the Midwest, we've seen the billboard below and others like it many times. Sometimes the caption is a little different, but the message is always the same. While I'm not in the market for a new church, I do feel a sort of kinship with this man. His expression perfectly captures how I've felt nearly all the time during this crazy year -- and quite often in the three years that preceded it.

But, I am grateful that so far our family has been able to stay reasonably healthy and that Greg and I have been able to support each other during a long journey and even longer year. We are blessed to have three wonderful adult daughters who have managed their own challenges and still had help and encouragement to spare for their road-weary parents. 

Here's our Christmas card. (Spoiler alert: the picture was taken last January as we have not been all together in may months. I'm pretty sure I've got quite a few more wrinkles now.) 

Day 115: Las Vegas, Christmas Eve

In all of the places where we've been, life has been significantly altered by the pandemic. And, as a follower of this blog, you've had to put up with my semi-lame attempts at capturing this photographically. But Las Vegas during Christmas would probably take the cake (if there was a bakery still open to bake it). 

Here's my latest photo essay -- Christmas Eve in Sin City, Pandemic Edition.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas. 

Day 100: Middlesex, Vermont to Buffalo, New York; Day 101: Buffalo to Cincinnati. Day 102-103 Cincinnati

As I write this the first Covid vaccines are being given to front line health care workers. I know we have a long way to go and my mask will not go away for many months yet. But, I feel a tiny trickle of hope. It's a welcome feeling.

Still, it was harder than usual to leave home this time. We will be on the road through Christmas and New Year's Day. It is the first time since we welcomed our first-born, nearly 26 years ago, that we won't be with our kids for the holidays. That makes me sad. But, so far we are all well and doing okay. That's all we can ask for during these crazy, challenging times.

If you've been following this blog, you know that we like to find quirky roadside attractions. Turns out they sometimes find us instead. As we pulled into our Buffalo hotel, I noticed a large sculpture titled "The Battle of the Bulge" seemingly sprouting up from the middle of an adjacent parking lot. The next day I discovered an unlikely combination of monuments, including a mausoleum, which is as yet unoccupied.

[from RoadsideAmerica.com]

Funded by Russell Salvatore, who owns the steakhouse across the street. Patriots and Heroes Park features a miniature Golden Gate Bridge chopped in half, a Statue of Liberty, an Empire State Building, and a Niagara Falls, as well as a replica of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a statue of the Archangel Michael, a tribute to The Battle of the Bulge (complete with a realistic Nazi tank), a memorial to the victims of Flight 3407, and a reproduction of the flag-raising on the ruins of the World Trade Center.

Salvatore has said that he's not afraid to die because he's been granted permission to be buried among his many monuments.

The next day we were up and out early and headed for Cincinnati. Pulling into the hotel I felt a little like I was in the movie Ground Hog Day since we'd been here just two weeks before. Lucky for us, it's the art museum hotel. I found a whole new gallery this time. Here are a few of my favorite new discoveries. 

From Cincinnati we head to Green Bay, Wisconsin for a prime-time game on Saturday night. After that, we begin the long journey west to Las Vegas.

On the Field: NFL Week 14: Dallas Cowboys @ Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals fumbled on their first three possessions. The game went downhill for Cincinnati from there. The Bengals' former longtime quarterback Andy Dalton led the Cowboys to a decisive victory. Final score: Cowboys 30, Bengals 7.

On the Map: distance from last week, Chicago to Middlesex to Cincinnati -- 1,730.

Day 93: Middlesex, Vermont to Cleveland, Ohio; Day 94: Cleveland to Chicago, Illinois; Day 95-96: Chicago

I'm not gonna to lie -- life on the road has become pretty stressful. As each day breaks the previous record for Covid deaths and the headlines scream about the high level of virus "out there" we find ourselves eyeing maskless strangers at gas stations or in rest-stop bathrooms. Are they positive? Am I far enough away? Will my mask and gloves protect me? 

As the weeks pass, more and more of Greg's colleagues have tested positive. We're thankful that most have recovered, although one recently required hospitalization. We hear stories of the spotty mask enforcement on airplanes and are grateful that we, at least, are in control of our own space.

A few roadside shots from our travel days . . . 

 

When we finally get to our hotel room, we begin our process -- spray and wipe the surfaces, the switches, the doorknobs. We strip the bedspread and substitute our own pillows and blankets. Then we can relax, maybe stream an old Columbo -- comfort food for the traveler.

Columbo (/kəˈlʌmboʊ/) is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC from 1971 to 1978 as one of the rotating programs of The NBC Mystery Movie. (from Wikipedia)

Despite patchy sunshine and brisk winds, Chicago looked beautiful in her Christmas finery.

    First sight of the windy city                  The view from our room

    Michigan Avenue                              Social distance bubbles for out-door dining

 

                                The Hard Rock Cafe

On the field: NFL Week 13: Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears. After trailing most of the game, Matthew Stafford's Lions pulled out a victory in the final seconds.

On the map: distance from last week Cincinnati to Middlesex to Chicago -- 1,730 miles.