Out into the nothing

Gradients, originally uploaded by p2wy.

Ever since I moved out of the city I've try to take advantage of some of the positive aspects living 45 miles West of Chicago brings.

One of these is the ability to get away from everything... every trouble, every stressor and every bit of humanity within 15 minutes. April and I have wandered along nearly every back road between Aurora, Peru, Iowa and Wisconsin during the last year. Most of it looks like this, apart from the "driftless area" in Illinois' far Northwestern tip.

My favorite places so far are the Illinois River between Morris and Lasalle, the giant Sauk statue near Oregon, and of course the windmills that top the barely-discernible rise of the Mendota Hills. But the route to these sites often better than the destination itself. Abandoned roadhouses, the Lincoln Highway, dilapidated barns and the odd roadside surprises like the "crashed" airplane near Norway definitely make the drives interesting...but mostly I enjoy the sight of nothing. Absolutely nothing.