Tripping to Lincoln Land

We got a late start because of a late night that we weren't expecting and of course, I couldn't sleep.  Which leads me to my first rant (yes, already).  Why can't I sleep before a trip?  Of course my mind is racing with things like what to pack or have already packed, what I might have forgotten, things we are going to do, things that I will miss at home, making sure that Ritalin has everything that she needs, etc, etc, etc.  But I did pretty well last night and was almost asleep when I reached for something on my bedside table that had fallen on the floor and that made everything go wrong...Oh well, sometimes you go without a lot of quality sleep right? 
     We were shocked by the amount of flooding on the south side of Grand Rapids as we were heading for Holland.  Many of the exit ramps were closed because the water ran straight over the cloverleaf and you had to avoid geese practically in the interstate because the water came right up to the edge of the road.  I guess they believe that there is water right there, which is their territory.  We made good time through Chicago and there was something just right about listening to On the Road by Jack Kerouac while we were driving some of the same territory from the beginning of the book.  We had a hard time finding Route 66 up by Joliet, but ran into it down toward Springfield.  I love getting an extra hour that you weren't expecting because of a time change.  We were able to stop at a rest stop with play equipment and got to seesaw for the first time in I don't know how long...
   We took a small shot off the interstate to Atlanta for the real Route 66 experience with a grain elevator and Paul Bunyon with a

hot dog.  Not sure what that has to do with anything on Route 66, but there you go.  And NOW, SERVER WILL NOT UPLOAD MY DAMN PICTURE!!!!!  I feel another rant coming on.  Moving on to Springfield, we were able to cram in the capitol, closed, Lincoln's home, caught the last tour and Lincoln's tomb before we lost the light.  I will try again to upload pictures soon and go into more detail about these fabulous views that we had.  Without the pictures, it's just not as much fun....  love to everyone, jo