Day Three
Illinois Roadtrip
On day three, I headed out of
Marion, IL, down I-57 to Sikeston, MO, just to say that I've clinched it.
Then I headed back east on I-57 and US 60/62 and followed the US Routes into
Kentucky, where I caught up with US 51. I followed US 51 through Kentucky,
dipped into Tennessee, and then came up the Purchase Pkwy and US 45 to Paducah.
Back in Illinois, I followed the Ohio River Scenic Byway westward until I hit IL
37 South. I encountered lots of goodies which you will see in the
pictures. Then I came up IL 3 from Cairo and had dinner in Cape Girardeau,
MO, and saw some more Shawnee National Forest. Finally, I headed back to
Motel6 in Marion.
 South
on I-57 at the western terminus of I-24. |
 As
you go further south on I-57, it starts to get more interesting. |
 You
can see the green Mississippi River bridge in the distance. |
 This
is a weird sign I've never seen before. |
 This
is the last Illinois exit on I-57 South. |
 Up
we go! |
 A
BGS for the only BL I-57 in Charleston, MO. |
 I-57
and US 60 shields near Charleston, MO. |
 The
end is near for I-57. |
 Interesting
that they used 1000 feet as the distance to I-55 South. |
 A
look at US 60 WB just after I-57 ends. I turned around right about
here. |
 This
is the cool, narrow bridge that carries US 60 and US 62 into Illinois for a
few feet. |
 Ascending
the bridge. |
 What
you see in this shot is the entire length of US 60 and US 62 in the state of
Illinois. Many driveways are longer than US 60/US 62 in Illinois. |
 Up
the next bridge taking US 51, US 60, and US 62 into Kentucky. |
 And
here we are in Ballard County, Kentucky. I just wanted to get this
county in on my map, but the countryside was so pretty, I just kept on
going. |
 A
scene from US 51 South in western Kentucky. |
 After
my quick jaunt into Kentucky and Tennessee, I arrived in Metropolis and was
greeted by the giant Superman. The whole town is themed with the Man
Of Steel. |
 This
is Metropolis' center. The Superman museum is on the left.
Illinois has claim to the only "Metropolis" in the nation. |
 West
of Metropolis, I picked up the Ohio River Scenic Byway. This spur
dead-ends at the river. |
 The
Ohio River is every bit as wide as the Mississippi in these parts. |
 A
boat preparing to launch. |
 It
is imperative that you dip your hands in major rivers. This was a good
spot to do it on the Ohio. |
 This
is the Ohio River Scenic Byway, which does not carry an Illinois State
Highway number. |
 It
hits IL 37 north of Mound City. |
 Here
is the National Cemetery near Mound City. |
 And
here's Mound City itself. |
 One
of the old mansions in Cairo. This is in the rich section of the city. |
 The
old Washington Boulevard. |
 Another
old mansion in the rich section of Cairo. The other half of the city
is quite a contrast. |
 Just
a few blocks away, this is what the poor section of Cairo looks like. |
 All
but two of the stores in oldtown Cairo are abandoned. Almost nobody
hangs out here. It's quite sad, really. |
 There
were a couple of cars outside the appliance store. |
 The
clock reads 10:10. All day. |
 The
levee road was open, so I took advantage of it. |
 The
Ohio River as seen from Cairo's Levee Road. |
 Another
look at the levee road. |
 And
here we are at the US routes again. |
Next Page
South
on I-57 at the western terminus of I-24.
As
you go further south on I-57, it starts to get more interesting.
You
can see the green Mississippi River bridge in the distance.
This
is a weird sign I've never seen before.
This
is the last Illinois exit on I-57 South.
Up
we go!
A
BGS for the only BL I-57 in Charleston, MO.
I-57
and US 60 shields near Charleston, MO. 
The
end is near for I-57.
Interesting
that they used 1000 feet as the distance to I-55 South.
A
look at US 60 WB just after I-57 ends. I turned around right about
here.
This
is the cool, narrow bridge that carries US 60 and US 62 into Illinois for a
few feet.
Ascending
the bridge.
What
you see in this shot is the entire length of US 60 and US 62 in the state of
Illinois. Many driveways are longer than US 60/US 62 in Illinois.
Up
the next bridge taking US 51, US 60, and US 62 into Kentucky.
And
here we are in Ballard County, Kentucky. I just wanted to get this
county in on my map, but the countryside was so pretty, I just kept on
going.
A
scene from US 51 South in western Kentucky.
After
my quick jaunt into Kentucky and Tennessee, I arrived in Metropolis and was
greeted by the giant Superman. The whole town is themed with the Man
Of Steel.
This
is Metropolis' center. The Superman museum is on the left.
Illinois has claim to the only "Metropolis" in the nation.
West
of Metropolis, I picked up the Ohio River Scenic Byway. This spur
dead-ends at the river.
The
Ohio River is every bit as wide as the Mississippi in these parts.
A
boat preparing to launch.
It
is imperative that you dip your hands in major rivers. This was a good
spot to do it on the Ohio.
This
is the Ohio River Scenic Byway, which does not carry an Illinois State
Highway number.
It
hits IL 37 north of Mound City.
Here
is the National Cemetery near Mound City.
And
here's Mound City itself.
One
of the old mansions in Cairo. This is in the rich section of the city.
The
old Washington Boulevard.
Another
old mansion in the rich section of Cairo. The other half of the city
is quite a contrast.
Just
a few blocks away, this is what the poor section of Cairo looks like.
All
but two of the stores in oldtown Cairo are abandoned. Almost nobody
hangs out here. It's quite sad, really.
There
were a couple of cars outside the appliance store.
The
clock reads 10:10. All day.
The
levee road was open, so I took advantage of it.
The
Ohio River as seen from Cairo's Levee Road.
Another
look at the levee road.
And
here we are at the US routes again.