Rolla, Missouri to Avon, Indiana    402 Miles (954 Miles Total)     Sunny - 96F - Strong Storms

Storm clouds on the horizon, Indiana

This morning I left Rolla and headed east on I-44 which parallels old Rout 66 to St. Louis. My girlfriend loaned me a webcam and for the trip and I used it on this leg of the journey to record time-lapse video of the drive through St. Louis. The results were amusing and hopefully I'll find somewhere to host the quicktime videos soon. But for now, here's some grab shots of St. Louis and a look at the webcam setup. I didn't stop in St. Luois as I've visited there before. Tip: if you are ever looking for desert in St. Louis, try Ted Drewe's for ice cream or Fitz's Brewery for root beer floats. They both get two thumbs up.

Gateway Arch in St. Louis

From St. Louis I headed east on I-70 to Effingham where I turned north on I-57 to head to Champaign and the U of I campus. I made a quick stroll around campus as it was rather hot and humid (it might be hot in Texas but the central Illinois humidity is worse). For more pictures of campus see last year's trip report for July 16th.

pacing the Illinois Central south of Champaign

"Dear Alma Matter Illinois..."

Departing campus I crossed the Indiana state line and caught up with a very intense thunderstorm. Travelling west on I-74, I wound up taking cover under a freeway overpass when it began to hail (about nickel-sized). The rain was also heavy and there were numerous lightning strikes nearby.

Indiana thunderstorm

I outran the storm to Avon, Indiana, where I spent the night with Jim, one of my friends from grad school at the U of Illinois. he's just moved back to the Indianapolis area to work for CSX Transportation at their Avon Yard, formerly operated by the CCC&StL (Big Four) Railroad and controlled by the New York Central System. Despite the constant rain, Jim gave me a tour of his office and the hump yard, including the retarder control tower for the hump. The yard was open but struggling to continue operating through the dismal Sunday evening weather conditions. Railroading is, after all, a 24-hour business.

 Bug Splat of the Day (presented by Armor-All Glass Cleaner)

A washout due to the rain!

Tomorrow: Eastward bound

posted July 6, 2003 by Tyler Made with Mac