pankcakes to pizza

The primary objective of the day, a graduation ceremony at an arena in Hoffman Estates, swallowed the morning without haste. What remained, frittered away at Honey Berry Pancakes. We had only just been to Brianna’s earlier in the day. There appear a multitude of these establishments in this area, demonstrating a sincerely strange infatuation for flapjacks.

Part of the crew required respite prior to getting involved with other activities, leaving the other half to wander aimlessly about burning time. A nearby sculpture park offered some amusement before reminding of the hour and a need to investigate points beyond.

Stepping back in time at Elk Grove Village found things closing up for the evening. The planned exploration of the Pioneer Days of this small town, ultimately swallowed by the sprawl of the Chicago metropolitan area, would have to wait for another time.

All was not lost though, the situation enabled discovery of a few odd and ends nearby also frozen in time, standing as unique displays of art in their own right. The local government obviously had some involvement, as well as the public library, though the tiny strip mall remains questionable.

Eventually, rousing from their deep afternoon slumber, a rendezvous with remainder of the crew offered enough time to take in the sights of the Spring Valley Nature Center & Heritage Farm. The shorter components of the team found the Bison’s Bluff Nature Playground most interesting, enabling a little climbing, crawling, jumping, exploring, ultimately working up a good appetite.

An old friend joined the fray just in time to move on with the expedition to gather around the table of the Illuminati. They offered a perfect forum to catch up and reflect on events of the day, while soaking in some excellent Chicago pizza, before retiring for the evening.

east into illinois and wyoming

An opportunity to explore even only a little offered up a few surprises on this late fall rocket ride across the central plains towards Chicago.

Beginning the journey began on a mostly clear day, a desire to cross the central plains quickly and efficiently so as to be well rested for events the following day discouraged the usual meandering. A pause in Hannibal to reflect on prior visits and the changing landscape of the small town found our party ahead of schedule. Coupled with the blue skies and mild temperatures, the temptation to wander simply became too great.

Top:  Fosmire School / Bottom:  Victoria High School

Glancing off of Quincy shortly thereafter, then Carthage, Macomb, and finally Galesburg, nothing really stood out. Miles and miles of corn stalked us regularly, begging for its photograph. Admiring the persistence, though continuing to deny such requests, flying along IL-167, first one, and then another old schoolhouse made an appearance offering a better distraction and justifying a brief pause in the action.

In spite of continuing eastward, we somehow ended up in Wyoming. Time had not been good to the “Equality State.” Shrinking its size considerably from over 250,000 square kilometers to just over two, it hosted little more than a historic depot, alongside a few other intriguing artifacts. It offered enjoyable space to rest from the road though, the perfect place to loiter and consider the remainder of the requirements associated with the journey.

None stood out as particularly important, so dawdling as far as I-39 seemed a reasonable scheme. Rain persisted just in front of progress, seeming to have only just parted prior to our arrival. Catching up to the pestilence after leaving Henry, it dissipated as quickly as initiated, leaving the rest of the trek towards the western boundaries of Chicagoland relatively dry and uneventful.

Traffic appeared almost non-existent, until arriving in East Dundee. We were not the only folks interested in this locale. Most of Chicago had suddenly formed an interest. It was a curious turn of events, but nothing worth investigating further. Evading the situation entirely, our final resting place for the night there appeared without further incident.

Second Creek Wasteland

Destruction of one of the last remaining forested areas in the northern realm of Kansas City is well underway along Barry Road.  Trees have been mowed down, and bulldozers rumble through the day under the banner of "progress." The scene along this strip of roadway in the northland changes almost daily, at a near feverish pitch.

The forested area in the center of this map, just east of the lake is area under rapid and mostly thoughtless development. The upper boundary of this map is Barry Road.  About 6 square miles south of there is where the rape of land is most intense, though it is occurring at a much greater commercial extent north of there.  Deer and other wildlife are scattering to all surrounding areas, witnessed primarily in populations to the east of US-169.  

The irony of all of this is that most of the people that will use and move into this newly developed area would be appalled at similar levels of destruction in the rain forests.  That is easier to get offended about, I suppose, and does not get in the way of building that new McMansion.

. . .

Further Reading (though mos

Clay County plans to develop multi-billion dollar project near I-435, Route 152 (kshb.com)

Crane Watch: What's being built in KC area - Kansas City Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

Proposed housing development in KC draws attention of Platte County citizens — The Platte County Citizen

Projects in Kansas City's Northland to see progress in 2023 (fox4kc.com)

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