Friday June 25, 2004

Morris to Marsailles, Ill.

Hard to believe we're half way through Illinois. I've been taking some grammer lessons today by listening to how locals pronounce things. Marsailles should be Mar-sails, not Mar-say, if you're in Illinois. And Illinois actually has an "s" at the end - even when you're saying it.

Even though this Marsailles is not in France, it's very nice. Route 6 coming into town is tree-lined, windy and has a few hills. There's a lock on the Illinois River right at the edge of town and a brand new memorial honoring those who died the Middle East wars. It was put there by bikers - 10,000 of them rode through town earlier this month.

Also passed through the hamlet of Senica, where they made more than 150 LST boats during WWII. People here say it was the nation's most active inland shipyard during the war.

This area reminded me a little of Pennsylvania with its friendly small towns. Won't last long, though. Big-time growth is on the doorstep.