2010 Chanute Air Force Base, Rantoul, IL

October 16, 2010

This year was Rob's turn to pick. He selected Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois. The reason why he chose this destination was because our oldest brother Tom was in the Air Force and he was stationed there his entire tour. Rob thought it would be great if Tom could tell us about his time there. I drove down from Chicago and met up with them just outside of the town and we could ride together. For the record I arrived early and they arrived late. Just saying. Anyway, we get to the Air Force base and drive around first. It's really interesting. All the housing has been turned into a weird subdivision. The best part was the Officers Club had now been turned into a daycare center and that seemed extremely appropriate.

We went finally parked and went inside the museum that now resides there. A lot of cool planes and some history of the base. It was just amazing to see how the impact of a base that was closed and what it does to a community after it closes. There are no real stories here. Just a nice stop in a good place. It was great to learn about my brother's time here and his experiences. I do recommend stopping by if you're on your way through, but I wouldn't make a trip out of it. On the way out we dined at a local Mexican restaurant. The food was good and everything was made from scratch. Travel on.

2009 Metamora, Indiana

October 17, 2009

As the instigator of this project it was up to me, Jeff, to pick the first destination. I am living in Chicago, so I solely relied on the Indiana Tourism Guide to tell me where to go and what to see. I find a place that meets the criteria, Metamora, Indiana. I can drive down to Indy meet up with Tom, Jay and Rob and then drive for another two hours to our destination in Southeast Indiana.

So we all pile in the car and share stories and catch up with our lives. Finally we take the Metamora exit off I-74 east. Going through Metamora it has a charming Bavarian architecture. We finally get down into the village. Now the brochure promised me a haunted canal boat ride and other Halloween festivities. There was nothing of the short. There was a canal, but no boat ride. If we wanted a ride it would be on the train. We would save that treat for later. We wandered around the village and it was a bunch of antiques and craft type stuff. Basically, to sum up our experience when we were in the hand made candy shop, the cashier says to us, "It so refreshing to see a group of guys around here because all we see is groups of women." Nuff said.

How about a train ride? It goes up the tracks and you look at corn fields and then it goes backwards. Woo Woo. We were done. We piled into our car and headed back home. Now on the ride back we decided to add another rule to our weekend. We could not eat at a chain restaurant. So we ended at the Bluebird Restaurant in Morristown, Indiana. The atmosphere was local and food was homey. WE all opted for the fried chicken buffet. All in all it was a fun trip. If you're like crafts and hand made candy, Metamora is the place for you. If not, you might want to go some place else. Just like we will next year.