We started the morning with Tom taking a shower in the camper to avoid having to feed quarters, and Scott blowing an extra quarter on his shower – you get 3 minutes per quarter, and Scott splurged with 3 quarters but found his standard shower is only 5 minutes. We hope the next campsite doesn’t dime and quarter us.
After a fine local breakfast in Stoughton, we hit the road for the East Toledo/ Stoney Ridge KOA. a decent 7 hour drive away. However, Tom noticed a sign for the Illinois Railway Museum as we drove by in Interstate 90. Seemed like too good an opportunity to miss, so about 10 minutes off our route we were in what Nathaniel Guest says is the best Railway Museum in the US.
What it mainly has is rolling stock – an amazing amount of engines, passenger cars, trolleys, track equipment, and interurban cars. Most you had to admire from the outside only, and the crowds were very light. Apparently many parents were waiting for the next two weekends when Thomas the Train Engine was scheduled to visit.
Scott was particularly excited to see a few cars built in Philadelphia at the J. G. Brill factory where the Doodlebug that he funded for the Colebrookdale Railroad was built. There were also a few private cars built at the Pullman – and excellent examples of this. You could peer in the windows to see how opulent they were.
After a quick lunch of leftovers in the IRM parking lot, we headed out for Toledo and were caught in I90 traffic through Chicago. We thought we were taking the recommended “faster route” and ended up with a trip through downtown and Lakeshore Drive. It was scenic for Scott and nerve-wracking for driver Tom.
After we crossed from the Indiana turnpike to the Ohio Turnpike, we stopped at the first rest stop in Ohio. It turned out to be the Nicest Rest stop ever – Tiffin River , which included Overnight camping (where we parked, but just while we ate.) It has a “truckers lounge” and, apparently, free showers.
The Toledo East / Stony Ridge KOA seems fine and has reasonable wifi. Time to go to bed.