Saturday May 13, 2000
Michigan and Adams in downtown Chicago
We got a late start to the begining of Route 66. When we arrived at Michigan
and Adams we found some Chicago scooterists who came to see us off. Charles
the Rabbit King from Monterey happened to be in town, so he stopped by
with his fiance.
First breakdown. Tony's Lammy
Before we we could get out of the Chicago Subburbs, Tony's Lambretta started
running bad and backfiring. The problem could not be resolved at the side
of the road, so the bike went into the back of the truck.
The weather was quite chilly with overcast skies. We all wore layers
of clothes to keep us warm. The winds blew our scooters around and slowed
us down.
Gemini Giant in Wilmington, IL
Later in the day after rolling over the beautiful Illinois countryside,
the sun began to come out. We stopped for lunch at the Launching Pad Drive
In at Wilmington, IL. This landmark is home to the Gemini Giant.
Cushman in Odell, IL
While in Odell, we stopped to see if we could track down the owner of the
Sears Vespa Sprint I had spotted the previous year. We found the owner
who had sold the Vespa six months ago, but he showed us his collection
of Cushmans, Mustang Scooters, Harleys, and vintage gas station memoriabilia.
On the way out of town we stopped at the 1930's Standard gas station that
is under restoration. At the station we met the president of the Illinois
Route 66 Assoaciation.
The riders started getting hungry, so we stopped at the Dixie Truckers
Home, a Route 66 landmark singe the 1920s. Inside we found Joe Kokesh,
who rode all the way on last year's Scoot 66 ride, and Mustang Mike.
We rode on towards Springfield, our goal for the day. It was dark by
the time we got there, so we found a Motel on 66. It was too late to visit
the Lincoln Home and Tomb, so we planned to see them in the morning.
This page created and maintained by Mike
Frankovich