Monday, May 25, 2009

Rest day in Pontiac, IL

We originally weren't sure that we'd take a rest day here, but we were glad we did. We have generally found that most towns have something good to offer newcomers, whether it be beautiful old homes, historic buildings, a small college campus, nice parks, yard art, etc. And in almost every small town we've been in after Pueblo (i.e., every town) the people have been great.

Pontiac is named after the great Native American chief who united a number of tribes in uprisings against the British and the American colonists.* It has a population of about 12,000 and straddles the banks of the Vermillion River. Its most significant feature however may be that it also sits on the famous US Hwy 66, which begins in Chicago, goes southwest to St. Louis and then on to California. There is an (honest-to-God) museum located here dedicated to the old highway, which was long rendered obsolete by I-55. We expected the museum to be cheesy, but it was quite the opposite. It contained thousands of pictures, knick knacks (the Route 66 salt and pepper shakers from an old roadside restaurant were our favorite) and information about restoration efforts in Illinois. There are two full floors of exhibits. The museum has visitors from all over the place; the lady at the desk didn't bat an eye lash when we said we rode our tandem here from Colorado and there was a couple here today from France on motorcycles who managed to make it here despite speaking almost no English.

Strange as it sounds, there is a significant effort underway to preserve the many road signs, diners and unique landmarks** along the road. Volunteers have been recruited in many of the towns along the road to rebuild and repaint buildings, signs and even a tunnel under the highway built to allow school children to cross safely. It may seem strange trying to preserve garish billboards and old gas stations, but the highway is truly representative of the boom period of our American car culture and it is encouraging to see people getting together to preserve pieces of it.

There is also a so-called "war museum" in the same building housing the Route 66 museum. It was started 5 years ago by a local WWII veteran with a few old uniforms and weapons. Due to a ton of donations and a lot of volunteer effort since then, it has grown to include exhibits covering WWI, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq I and II and Afghanistan and has overrun the available space. Contrary to my fears when we walked in, this museum did not glorify war or focus primarily on battles and weaponry. Instead, it was mostly about the experiences of the people who donated the stuff - including veterans of the Omaha beach invasion of France and the siege at Khe Sanh. And unlike a lot of museums, there was nothing behind glass cases or roped off. Visitors could touch everything (I had no idea that an M-1 rifle was so heavy). Staffed by volunteer vets, it was open on Memorial Day and a great way to spend part of the holiday.

*There are about 8 towns in the U.S. named Pontiac, which sadly most people associate with a car company.

**My personal favorite is a Paul Bunyan-like giant statute holding an enormous hot dog.

Interior of museum

Who'd a thunk a highway could generate so much memorabilia?
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Get your kicks

At the Route 66 museum in Pontiac. It was actually very nice...and free too!
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Yard ornaments pic #3

Pontiac, IL
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Yard ornaments pic #2

Pontiac, IL
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Yard ornaments pic #1

Pontiac, IL. For some reason geese with dresses on are very popular here as yard ornaments.
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Livingston County courthouse

Pontiac, IL
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