Friends, I will be in Europe while you are exploring Route 66, but, if you do want to end the tour with a jaunt over to Starved Rock State Park, here is that great route that I mentioned a while back. I have driven this a couple times, including on the Alfa club's spring tour, and it is a great drive; well-paved, twisty, low-traffic roads with some great scenery. A perfect environment in which to exercise fine Italian machinery. Or, if anyone else is looking for a fun drive: here you go! The route is marked in blue. IIRC old Route 66 actually runs a little bit east of this first map, but I'm sure it intersects U.S. 6 somewhere around here. The major highway on the east side of the map is I-55; Channahon is located just south of the I-55 / I-80 intersection. The first leg of the trip is: U.S. 6 through Channahon to Ridge Road; turn left (south) and take Ridge Road to Old Cemetery Road; turn right on Old Cemetery Road (it may be more of a merge than a turn, IIRC.) Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here's the next leg of the trip. Follow Old Cemetery Road to Morris. When you get to Division St. (the main drag, it's pretty obvious) turn left, and then right again a few blocks down. I don't recall the exact name of the street, but it is NOT Main St., contrary to how it may appear on the map below; it may be Jefferson or Fremont. Note: if you turn on the wrong street, it's not big tragedy, since eventually there is only the one road heading west out of town. Eventually you will end up on Old Stage Road. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here's the next leg. Follow Old Stage Road to Seneca. There, turn left on Illinois Route 170 (aka Main St., again, a main drag, tough to miss) and take it across the Illinois River bridge, and turn right immediately after the bridge. I believe this is called River St. in town; it's identified as No. 25th Rd. on this map. When you get out in the country its designation changes with latitude, but just stay on that road, whatever it is called at any given point, till you get to the next town... Image Unavailable, Please Login
The next leg of the trip: the road from the last post will take you to South Ottawa. Turn right on 1st Street (a main road), which jogs to become State Street, and then turn left immediately BEFORE the bridge back over the river; this will be Illinois Route 71. Attached is a map of South Ottawa showing the street layout, which is not clear on the big map. Take Ill. 71 west. [Note: the dots in the blue line are over the center fold in my atlas; the pages don't line up exactly.] Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
And finally: Route 71 will take you the rest of the way to Starved Rock State Park. The star indicates the entrance to the main visitor lodge, parking lots, etc. If you continue west on Route 71, you come very soon to Illinois Route 178 (the sort-of major road on the west side of the map), which if you take it north intersects I-80, for a quick trip back to Chicagoland, if you don't have time to re-trace the more scenic route. Actual distance of this route is approximately 45 miles, give or take a few. Enjoy! Chuck Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thank-You very much,Chas. Sorry that I had to switch the date...Next year.... This route looks fantastic!
Based on Chuck's suggestion, I did that drive yesterday in my 550. Those roads are the best driving roads I've seen in Illinois. I did get caught behind a group of a dozen or so motorcycles ambling along just west of Marseilles; this is probably the best stretch of road on the trip and I couldn't pass them. Incredibly frustrating. Again, a big thanks to Chuck for these maps. Also, on the way back, I got pulled over on I-80 for going (get this) 73 mph in a 65 zone. The state trooper told me he clocked me at that speed while I was driving in the left lane passing someone. I'm pretty convinced he just wanted to see my car, and didn't ticket me, just gave me a written warning.
Chuck,that Route looks fantastic. And,I commend you for the amount of effort that you put into that. And,actually,it's not all that far away as it seems. Look on an Illinois map of the whole State. It's really not that far away at all. I used to drive a truck for a while in the '80's. One of my deliveries was to a Borg Warner plant in Ottawa,where I delivered Trailer Loads of old Cores to be Rebuilt,Parted out,or Scrapped. And,It doesn't take too long to run I-55 to I-80 and out that way.
Like out in Phoenix,they have some pretty Scary names for some of the remote Desert Roads. Like,"Bloody Basin Road".....Hmmmm....wonder why they call it that? I don't want to find out with my Record of getting in Motor Vehicle Accidents by someone else...
