Life on the road can be entertaining and immensely rewarding, but there are times I feel isolated and disconnected from home, friends, family, and the world around me. Thanks to these folks and the kindness of many others whose names I never learned, people I’m unlikely to cross paths with again, those times are easier to weather.
I love road tripping—when I plug in my iPod, the miles fly by and my mind feels unburdened. Right now, though, I don’t want to see the inside of my car again for a while. I’m back home after driving 1500 miles in 6 days and staying in a different bed every night. A trip
Population (2010) 1,704 Introduction East Dubuque has long had a reputation as a wild place, but city leaders have recently taken steps to clean things up—again—by closing the bars a bit earlier. While you probably don’t need to spend a full day here, there are a couple of sights
Population (2010) 3,429 Introduction The oldest city in northern Illinois, Galena was more populous than Chicago at one time and has the infrastructure for a city three times its current population. It has a compact center of well-preserved 19th-century commercial buildings tucked into a narrow river valley; terraces race
Population (2010) 844 Introduction Hanover, the Mallard Capital of the World, is in a picturesque location along the Apple River. The town has a couple of sights worth a stop. Visitor Information Direct your questions to Galena Country Tourism (101 Bouthillier St.; 815.776.9200). History
Population (2010) 3,062 Introduction Popular with bikers, not just the manually-propelled type but also of the Harley variety, Savanna is a little rough around the edges after a couple decades of job losses. Don’t let the peeling paint deter you from getting to know what some locals call the
