Abraham Lincoln lived in Springfield for seventeen years before he went to Washington, and the town still revolves around him. His home, a modest two-storey frame house, is kept as a national historic site on its original street, and the Old State Capitol, where he gave his 'House Divided' speech, stands on the main square. His tomb lies in Oak Ridge Cemetery on the north side of town, a granite obelisk and a bronze head whose nose is rubbed shiny by visitors for luck. The city has a quiet, civic air that suits its role as the state capital.
Route 66 runs through the town on its way to St. Louis, and a number of landmarks survive from its heyday. The Cozy Dog Drive-In, which claims to have invented the corn dog on a stick in the 1940s, still serves them at the counter, and Shea's gas station museum keeps a collection of pumps and signs. The horseshoe, a local invention, is a slab of toast piled with meat, fries and cheese sauce, and is a heavy lunch for anyone planning to ride in the afternoon. Illinois has retained long stretches of the original road, brick and concrete in places, and signs mark the route.
The country around is flat and fertile, a vast checkerboard of corn and soybeans, with grain elevators standing against the sky like small cathedrals. The riding is easy and steady, so it is a place for long, relaxed miles rather than technical bends. Wind can be strong across the open fields, and summer storms can bring heavy rain, hail and the occasional tornado warning, so keep an eye on the sky. Winter brings ice and bitter cold.
With a population of more than a hundred thousand, Springfield has fuel, restaurants and hotels in plenty, and it is a natural place to start or end a day. Traffic on the main roads is moderate. A visit to the Lincoln sites takes a couple of hours, and the old state capitol is free. Another Springfield, in Missouri, lies at the far end of this ride, and it is the place where the numbered route was first proposed in 1926, so the two cities bracket the journey.
The old road follows the railway for stretches, and the prairie towns with their water towers and brick main streets give a good idea of the Midwest's settled, unhurried rhythm.