Today, we decided to drive up to Springfield, IL to visit the museum and grave of Abraham Lincoln. It was a wonderful warm, sunny day for the visit. On the drive to Springfield, we saw a lot of farmland with wheat ready to harvest and waist-high cornfields. It was easy to see that we were closing in on our objective. Right next to the freeway was a large white industrial building with a sign painted on it, "Visit Mr. Lincoln's Hometown - Springfield, Exit 98B...

Today, we spent the morning doing chores. We ate an early lunch, then headed out to explore St. Louis. We thought we'd start with the Gateway Arch and a riverboat ride on the Mississippi. It is hard to believe that the Gateway Arch is 50 years old! It opened on June 10th, 1967. There is quite a renovation going on of the grounds of the arch that won't be completed until 2018, so the Visitors Center is now in the Old Courthouse a few blocks from the arch. What a n...

On the way to Illinois from our campground in the Dells, we decided to go to see the capital of Wisconsin. Madison is a picturesque city located on a beautiful lake shore. It was a short detour for us and we were able to wind through the streets of the capital with our 35 feet 5th wheel trailer in tow. We were able to circle around the capital building and head back out of town. We crossed from Wisconsin into northern Illinois. The scenery was very familiar. ...