On to Evansville

We pulled the plug in Milwaukee and headed for Evansville IN. Our route would take us through Chicago, and George was fascinated with the idea of taking the interstate route through downtown. He wanted to see the skyscrapers and lake front we had just visited on our June trip. However, there were some construction sites, and we were concerned about traffic. So, we took one of the perimeter routes that went near O’Hare airport. We went as far as the Gary, Indiana, area and turned south on old Highway 41. There were interstate options, but they were pretty indirect. Hwy 41 goes straight to Evansville. In addition, George wanted to follow the route of the old Chicago and Eastern Illinois (C&EI) railroad. The area around northern Indiana was pretty congested, but soon we were in wide open rural areas with a four lane road. We camped in a county park a few hours north of Evansville.
Evansville too has made the best of its Ohio riverfront with a nice trail system which we rode before having lunch downtown with George’s cousin Debbie and her husband Bob. On our bike ride George wanted to leave the trail and see some of the old places of his youth when his family would visit his maternal grandmother while his dad bought furniture in Chicago.
The Evansville riverfront trail:

 

The Hadi Shrine Temple where George’s namesake uncle was a member:

George’s grandmother Tillie’s former home on Chandler Street:

The McCurdy Hotel is where George’s mother and father spent their honeymoon after marrying in Evansville. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and closed in 1969. It is now a senior living facility:

Lunch with Debbie and Bob:

We said our goodbyes to Debbie and Bob and headed towards home. We spent the night in a KOA south of Nashville and arrived home the next day. A great trip, and we did meet one of the main goals of an August trip: the weather was cool and dry.