Experiencing America > Road Trip Year...2003 > Deep-South & The Mountains > Day 1
Day ONE...
Sunday, June 22nd, 2003
For a nice mid-summer's getaway why not head back to the Mid-South. As most trip, this one started from Diamond, Illinois. We headed over to Interstate 57 at Kankakee and went to Southern Illinois. The Blazer needed some unleaded motor-fuel around Effingham. So we found a Murphy USA and filled up, saving 3 cents per gallon with a Wal*Mart gift card. From Effingham we headed down Illinois State Route 33 to the point where we picked up Illinois State Route 130 at Newton. For a short period of time we went south on IL St Rt 130 to U.S. Rt. 50 at Olney.
A old KFC sign in Olney, IL.
Just east of Olney in Lawrence County is a crossing over the Wabash River. So we took it. U.S. Rt. 50 runs with Illinois State Route 250. Near Lawrenceville IL St Rt 250 headed through the local area so we decided to see what Lawrence County, Illinois had to offer. We found not much. The biggest thing was the Lawrence County Courthouse.
The Lawrence County Courthouse.
Through Lawrenceville, used Business U.S. Rt. 50, which merged into the U.S. Rt. 50 expressway on the eastside of town. This highway led us into the State of Indiana.
Now to Indiana!!...State #2!!
It was late afternoon by the time we reached Indiana. So we decided to stop for a bite to eat. I was not in a taco kind of place...so what better then one of those combo restaurants. At Vincennes, we found a KFC/Taco Bell. After dinner back on south! We headed down the U.S. Rt. 41 highway. Through most of Gibson County, the highway was under road construction. Although all it was, was 14 miles of barrels in the center of the highway.
This billboard makes it seem like it's a nice place.
Near Evansville, we jumped on Interstate 64 and jaunted shortly east to the Interstate 164 spur to by-pass the Greater-Evansville Area. On the south side of town we re-joined U.S. Rt. 41 and head back on south.
Now to Kentucky!!...State #3!!
Just south of the Indiana/Kentucky State Line U.S. Rt. 41 crosses the Ohio River.
SB U.S. Rt. 41 at the Ohio River.
The first town across the river is Henderson. Not a lot to this town. U.S. Rt. 41 led directly to the Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway where we went straight south through Central Kentucky. It ended at Hopkinsville where we grabbed U.S. Rt. 41A to Interstate 24 to led to the next state.
Now to Tennessee!!...State #4!!
The day may have worn on, but there was still sunlight. What there wasn't was much gas left in the tank of the Blazer. So we jaunted off Interstate 24 down Tennessee Secondary State Route 48 into Clarksville. Along the Cumberland River in Downtown Clarksville we found a nice Amoco Station. So what better place to fill up. After a full tank was reached it was on to the capital of Tennessee, Nashville. To reach this populated area we used Tennessee State Route 12, a very nice highway. At Nashville we took the Briley Parkway, Tennessee State Route 155, around to Interstate 40, and looped Interstate 440, The Four-Forty Parkway, around the south side of town to head to our hotel. This was the Baymont Inn & Suites near the Nashville International Airport, on Tennessee Secondary State Route 255 and Interstate 40.
Day TWO...