Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Ames, Iowa to Dixon, Illinois - Day #8

Tuesday, June 18, 2013 - Day #8

We left Ames, Iowa this morning and headed east on the Lincoln Highway. This highway makes a lot of deviations from Route 30 in this area. About 25 miles east of Ames, we encountered a section of unpaved, original Lincoln Highway called 230th street. We traveled this section and encountered only a road scraper, maintaining the highway that is only gravel.



When you travel Route 30, you see a lot of small towns with Lincoln Highway signs that take you off the main highway and through their towns. The towns are mostly small and there is generally a historic section of degenerating buildings. After awhile, they all appear very similar.

When you go through Cedar Rapids, Iowa, it is important to follow Route 151 that goes through the center of town. Of interest, there a large conclave of Czechoslovokian people. They migrated there for work in the meat packing plants.

Czechloslovakians and Cedar Rapids, IA

One of the small towns called Tama, has an original Lincoln Highway bridge.







An interesting roadside building was encountered on Route 30. It is a vintage filling station and restaurant called Youngville.





We ended our day at the Mississippi river in the town of Clinton, Illinois.

Total travel distance today was about 320 miles. A lot of it was on back roads. 



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