Day 4: November 26, 2017
Seeing Red

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I initially thought to follow US-45 to Effingham, Illinois, where I had first turned north on it last month. I would then take US-40 toward home. A second idea was leave US-45 for US-50 when th two crossed. The first plan would avoid leaving a gap in my US-45 driving experience while the second would put me on a road I hadn't driven quite as recently as US-40. In the end, it was time that made the decision. I try not to drive at night for a couple of reasons. For one, it's just harder but, more importantly, scenery and roadside attractions can not be seen. When the sun set, I opted for the nearest stopping point which was Olney, Illinois, on US-50.

I'd stayed in Olney two years ago so did no exploring before I left. I followed Business US-50 through Lawrenceville and grabbed a couple pictures of the Lawrence County courthouse.


Shortly after reaching Indiana, I pulled off of US-50 to enter Vincennes. RoadsideAmerica.com alerted me to this nearby carving of Tecumseh. It is one of at least seventy-four "Whispering Giants" carved by Peter Toth. I might even be the last of them. Eight others were planned when this one was completed in 2009 but I found no indication that any of those were actually carved. A lot of information on Toth and the "Giants" can be found at David Schumaker's website.

This was my main reason for heading into Vincennes. The Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy opened on July 16, 2013, on the 100th anniversary of Red's birth. There are plenty of clips (both audio and video), opportunities for visitors to practice some stunts, costumes, and artifacts. My family watched his TV show regularly and it was one of my personal favorites. Those were the days, my friend.

This was also in Vincennes and was a complete surprise. It's only the second Battle Ax Plug sign I've ever seen. I wrote about the first one here.

I ate dinner in Seymour, Indiana, while the sun set. That's two days in a row I've ended driving in the dark. Maybe I ought to pay more attention to the time.


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