Route 66 - Illinois

	Clock Tower - Atlanta
	Railroad Crossing - Atlanta
	Train passing through Atlanta
	The Tropics Restaurant - Lincoln
	Ghost Bridge Over Salt Creek - Just south of Lincoln. We decided to find this stretch of old alignment as listed in John Weiss' book, Traveling the New, Historic Route 66 of Illinois


	We stopped by the Pig Hip Restaurant Museum, which owner Ernie Edwards recently opened, with the help of the Illinois Route 66 Association. Ernie ran the Pig Hip Restaurant in Broadwell, Illinois from 1937 - 1991. Ernie was doing a good business but decided to retire. Now, Ernie has made a museum devoted to his years of running the Pig Hip Restaurant. You will find many items on display as well as articles, newspaper clippings and so on. Ernie is happy to meet people and tell stories about his life. If you are fortunate enough to stop by while Ernie's museum is open, please do yourself a favor and stop by to visit him! At left are some pictures I took which represent a small sampling of what the museum has to offer. I especially like the chalk drawing of a neon design of the Pig Hip logo. With neon being so expensive, Ernie never had a neon sign.







	Ernie eagerly poses for pictures. I took the photo above when Ernie was telling us some of his stories. As he noticed me taking the candid photo, he said, "You want a picture? I'll give you a good picture!" So then he posed for the picture at the left, in his chef's hat.

	The Pig Pen Ernie created outside the museum
	Pig Hip Sign
	Exterior of the Pig Hip
	Exterior of the Pig Hip
	Die Cast Auto Sales - Williamsville
	Sonrise Donuts - Springfield
	Pioneer Motel - Springfield
	Coney Island Restaurant - Springfield
	Coney Island Restaurant - Springfield
	McDonald's sign - Springfield
	Cozy Drive In - Springfield Recently awarded with a Hampton Inn Roadside Attraction sign during the Route 66 Caravan



	Route 66 Hotel in Springfield - very cool Route 66 decor and theme throughout!

	Bel-Air Motel - Springfield
	Steak 'n Shake - Springfield
	Route 66 Drive-In - Springfield
	Route 66 Drive-In - Springfield
	Brick alignment in Auburn
	Mural in Virden
	Nilwood Public School - Nilwood
	Interior of Deck's Drugstore - Girard. We saw this business in John Weiss' book, but it's closed on Sundays and we never made it through this area when it was open. Unfortunately, it recently closed. I happened to be able to take these pictures through the glass of the inside. Deck's opened in 1884 and was operated by the same family all those years.

	Art's Motel & Restaurant - Farmersville
	Dog along old alignment of Route 66 (1926 - 1930)
	Dog along old alignment of Route 66 (1926 - 1930)
	Meramec Caverns barn in Hamel (my daughter and I helped with the restoration done by the Illinois Route 66 Association Preservation Committee - click here to see our trip)
	Billboard - Hamel
	Our Lady of the Highways at Francis Martin's farm - near Raymond

	View of the Mother Road from Francis Marten's farm - near Raymond
	The Ariston Cafe - Litchfield
	The Ariston Cafe - Litchfield
	Train crossing in Litchfield