Route from Chicago to St. Louis?

[Briantime]

A friend and I were originally planning on taking the River Road from Chicago to Memphis via St. Louis. With the current state of dlooding in the area, we are looking for an alternate route.

According to my Harley atlas, IL 78 looks like it might be a decent choice and, according to my atlas, is considered a "scenic" route.

Does anyone have experience riding this road or any others on that would be a good alternative?


Thank you,

Brian

[WildBil]

Well, you can go part of the way on ole Route 66. You can pick it up as Route 53 north of Joliet, It gets interesting just past the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery / Joliet Arsenal. Take 129 around the west side of Gardner. Its marked Route 66 just south of Gardner. It follows I55 and is the frontage for part of the way. Its pretty straight, but diagonal, so its a fast way to St. Louis. It helps if you like seeing from horizon to horizon.

As on I55, you take the "Correctional Facility" tour of the state going this way, with Joliet, Dwight, and Ponitac. You also get close the the nuclear electric generating plant at Briaidwood. But the real fun is in the old Route 66 restaurants, Sinclair Gas stations, and other reminders of the 1930's road travel.

My wife and I take Route 66 down as far as Bloominton / Normal and back on a Sunday, and grab lunch on the way. Any library or Barnes & Noble will have Route 66 maps and guide books that show all the viable stretches.

Route 78 is not a bad choice. At the top its where the state of IL gets slightly hilly. It takes a good ride west of Chicago to get there, possibly out 20 U.S. Grant Memorial past Freeport to pick it up at Stockton. It meanders for a bit but then becomes straight N-S for long stretches into Morrison. You can pick it up there (use Route 30 - Lincoln Highway to get there. It crosses the Rock River, but its mostly through farmland. Lest I forget, Google has Street View for most of 78 down to Morrison.

If you are goign to catch 78 way up in Stockton, you might want to consider not going that far west on Route 20 and taking IL 2 down the west side of the Rock River. You pick it up just south of Rockford. The road has been okay according to folks I know how have been going down as far as Dixon. You do get the Byron Nuclear power plant, but its a really twisty ride down the west side of the river. (Okay, twisty for IL.) Lowden and Castle Rock St. Parks are nice. There is a river boat, hotel and restaurant just north of Oregon - Maxson's Riverside Restaurant - orange rolls to die for. View of the Blackhawk statue across the river in Lowden Memorial State Park.

IL 2 ends at US-30 Lincoln Highway, south of Sterling. You could take 30 west to Morrison to pick up 78 there. 78 get you back to what is lef of the Rock River for a time, then heads due south. You are stil north or I80 at this point. It skirts Lake Chautauqua down to Havana south of I74, goes through Jacksonville where it croses I72. You are about even wth Champaign/Urbana at this point, though far west of there.

78 disappears at Jacksonville. If you follow 78 west when you are still north of Jacksonville, it becoems Route 67 south. If you turn on Church Street, you do straight south through the city of Jacksonville. You can either take Morton Ave west to Route 67, or take Main street south on what is state route 67 which becomes 267 when you get past I72. The new route 67 west of the city is a better road, and heads SW for a while, before bending back SE to parallels the Mississippi river into St. Louis.

I55 comes in a couple of miles south of where Route 67 does. I am not sure how much of Route 66 is still in service that far south. Its too far out of my stomping grounds.

No mater which of the three routes you take from Chicago to St. Louis, you should enjoy them. They each have their own charms.

Enjoy Memphis the following day. Hope you get to walk 10 fee off of Beale Streed. Along with the blues, there are some great rib joints. Love that dry BBQ stuff.