This morning as we were getting packed we learned via Facebook that a previous neighbor, wonderful person and friend succumbed to her sickness and passed away yesterday. It tore through my heart as we finished packing the car and got on the road. Really worried about her dedicated, loving husband.
On the way out of town we crossed the Mormon Bridge and drove into Iowa.
The wind immediately started kicking up, shoving the car around and making it difficult to drive. My arms were getting fatigued holding it on the road, so Han suggested going some of the back roads. We went through an extremely rural area of Iowa, roads up and down like a rollercoaster and sharp corners to add to the excitement. Guess what? The wind was about the same but at least there was very little traffic and no semi’s, so it was all good, however it took us a bit longer. Good thing we are not in a hurry anymore.
We stopped for lunch and had also planned on stopping for the night in Iowa, but I was in a weird mood and just kept driving, right on through Des Moines into Illinois.
As we were driving into the outskirts of Galena, I noticed the fuel light was on. I asked Han to push the button to show how many miles until empty and all it showed was four stars. No miles, no gas, no nothing…
I got a little freaked out and pleaded with the car to make it until we saw a gas station. Really did not want to call AAA.
We may or may not have coasted in on fumes but we pulled into the first one and fueled up. Woo-Hoo, thank you!
We continued on into Galena IL and I immediately fell in love with the old European looking town. I cannot believe I had never been there before and it was just around the corner from me for 11 years while living in WI.
It may be one of the most amazing, intriguing, quaint towns I have ever laid eyes on – so far. I would have loved to explore it but there would be a lot of walking involved and it was very crowded on account of the birthday celebrations of its most famous resident, Ulysses S. Grant, America’s 18th president.
Down by the river, there was a Civil War Reenactment going on. It was a huge deal, with many people involved.
We stopped to check on a room but everything was sold out. I was actually getting tired and it was getting dark.
As it turned dark, (I hate driving in the dark) we finally found a little town called Stockton in IL, stayed at a wonderful Comfort Inn & Suites. It was exceptionally quiet and comfortable. I was quite literally exhausted and felt fairly crappy and spaced out.
It was lovely crawling into a cozy bed with my hubby close by. I love you honey.
Today’s Route
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