Emancipators, Cowboys, and Bridges - Oh My!

NOTE: This entry is for Friday 6/3/2011. Unfortunately, I was in an area where I was not able to connect to the net. Darn you, Nebraska!
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When last I left you I was in Dixon, IL. How appropriate then that I began my day there as well. And the day was a long one!

I hit the road at about 10:30 or so and headed into town. Dixon is divided by the beautiful Rock River. Just over the Lincoln Memorial Bridge, and located on very well named Lincoln Statue St is, you guessed it, the Lincoln Monument State Memorial.

The memorial is of course, a statue of good old Abe. It shows him as a younger man, and commemorates his service in the Black Hawk war. Lincoln, a member of the IL Milita, was stationed at Fort Dixon in 1832. The statue may be one of the only ones that actually shows Lincoln in uniform.

After spending my time with Honest Abe, I was off again! My next destination was 270 miles away. It was still pretty early, but time waits for no man. Plus, I really wanted to see where "The Duke" grew up!

John Wayne grew up in a small 4 room home in Winterset, IA. It's a nice, little white house on a regular street in a regular neighborhood. This just goes to show you that it doesn't matter where you're from - greatness WILL shine through.

As I pulled onto the street, the first thing to catch my eye wasn't the house at all. What immediately drew my attention was the AWESOME conversion van with a mural of The Duke painted on it. As far as murals go, I think it was pretty bad ass (though I admit I may be a tad biased due to the subject matter).

Now, as I mentioned before, the house itself wasn't anything special. However, it has been restored to its original 1907 appearance and contains memorabilia, rare photos and letters from some of Hollywood's biggest names...or so I've heard.

Much like my timing at Ahgrim's Funeral Home, I arrived shortly after close. DOH!! After taking a few snapshots, I hopped back into my car and headed for my next destination - the Roseman Covered Bridge.

The Roseman Bridge was built in 1883 and is the most famous of the bridges of Madison County. Yup. I went to see one of those bridges. Like in the movie.

While there is no love story involved with my visit to Madison County (I'm no Clint Eastwood), what I did find was a remarkably well preserved bridge the likes of which you just don't see anymore these days. It's not open to automobiles, which is probably a good idea, but foot traffic is welcome.

When entering the bridge, I noticed to very disparate things. The first was the structural design. The way the bridge is put together is like a work of art. The boards, and the way they intersect creates a pattern that reminds me of some of the MesoAmerican art I've seen in museums. If you're ever in the area, do yourself a favor and check it out!

The second thing I noticed was kind of a downer, that's all of the graffiti that littered the insides of the walls. Granted, lots of bridges have this, but to me this just seems a real shame. Bridges like this are a treasure. You wouldn't spray paint the Lincoln Memorial in DC or the Statue of Liberty, so why do this?

Hopefully, the spirit of the bridge will catch up with these ruffians. Oh yeah. Did I forget to mention that it's said to be haunted? :)

After taking numerous pictures, it was back to the Echo for the next stop on my adventure. I had 398 miles to drive and knew I wouldn't get there until Saturday. Still, I went as far as I could. I'm stopped for the night, and after some much needed rest, the adventure will continue. So far, I've traveled just over 1100 miles. I'm not quite halfway there, but so far it's been great. See you at the next stop!