You Think There’s Not a Lot Goin’ On

The streets of small-town America are pretty well nigh deserted on the morning of July 4th. We checked out of our motel and climbed into the car, knowing that this would be the least-exciting day of the trip.

Not that the morning was without sights: we reached Dixon, Illinois an hour after setting out eastbound on US-52. We visited a memorial to Abraham Lincoln.





Just a moment’s drive away, we saw the Wings of Peace and Freedom Park, which boasts a sculpture which was donated by a U.S. immigrant in gratitude to President Reagan.



The statue stands in front of a replica of part of the Berlin Wall, a reminder of the Cold War.



The War Memorial Arch is visible from the park.



Just a short distance away is Ronald Reagan’s Boyhood Home, which was not yet open for the day.



We did see the statue of Reagan outside…the plaque explains that the statue shows the former President examining kernels of corn, which apparently was what the sculptor felt best exemplified Ronald Reagan and his Illinois heritage. We remain a little bewildered about this.