On the Backroads in Illinois

I seldom see rural Illinois. I’m either in a rush to drive from Madison to downtown Chicago via the interstate, or I totally bypass Illinois and drive to and from my hometown (which is on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River) by taking a faster route through Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri, and then crossing the bridge into Illinois. I know it sounds contradictory, but I really do go through four states to get from Wisconsin to Illinois. It shaves 30 miles from the drive each way.

But this past week I actually did get off the Illinois tollway and we drove through a lovely part of northern Illinois few people see. And yes, I find it pleasurable driving through rolling countryside and farmland. Maybe it has something to do with living in Wisconsin for the last 30 years or so.

We attended a great wedding in a small hamlet (it really does qualify as a hamlet) and left the reception just as the dancing was beginning and the sun was setting. It had rained the entire day, but as we drove the skies cleared to the west. And so we were treated to a view of a striking sunset.