A Little Roundabout Trip To Nebraska, Day 1, Home to Murphysboro

We’ve been trying to visit our daughter, Kathy, in Nebraska for a few years but with RV and other issues we have yet to make it, so this year we decided to go if at all possible.  We tried to accomplish killing several birds with one stone (explained as we go) so we took a pretty convoluted way of getting from our place to Hartington, NE.  I’ve always been a get from point A to point B traveler but for this trip, and taking a clue from friends Laurie and Dave (Big Daddy Dave we took a more leisurely pace (except coming home) and stopped for lunch vs. our usual of one stop for gas, fast-food, and bathroom.  While Dave and Laurie generally take the back roads, I did mostly interstate as we had a bit of a time schedule to meet.

Our travel plan was as follows:

Day 1: Home to Murphysboro, IL. (388 miles)

Day 2: Murphysboro, IL to Madison, WI. (409 miles)

Day 3: Madison, WI to St. Cloud, MN (346 miles)

Day 4: St. Cloud. MN to Rugby, ND (397 miles)uneventful trip with lots of crops and high winds – sprung door  Day 5: Rugby, ND

Day 6: Rugby, ND to Sioux Falls, SD (464)

Day 7: Sioux Falls, SD

Day 8: Sioux Falls, SD to Hartington, NE (87 miles)  Days

9-12: Hartington, NE Day

13: Hartington, NE to Mt. Vernon, IL (531 miles) Day

14: Mt. Vernon, IL to Home (407 miles)

For our trip planning, I booked our lodging and picked restaurants for lunch and supper looking first for Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives places, then for food we don’t normally eat such as Indian or food that represents the area we are in.  Our first day was a drive of 388 miles (vs. our more normal 500-600 miles) with a stop for lunch in Clarksville, TN.  For this meal, I selected Old Glory Distilling for its nice-looking menu and as a bonus, it was near the interstate.  The large building has the distillery on one side and the restaurant on the other with a demonstration still in the center. 

We got there a little after one and the lunch crowd was clearing out.

They cleverly uses old barrel staves for their light shades.

While still at home, I had picked out my meal of two appetizers – brisket burnt ends and duck fat fries – I see them on DDD frequently and have wanted to try some.

Bev had a delicious Cobb salad and it was a first for both of us.  "The Cobb salad is generally attributed to the Cobb Salad is generally attributed to Robert Howard Cobb, co-owner of the Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles, California, who is said to have invented it in 1937.

The burnt ends were very good as were the fries.  They had a little different flavor and the duck fat makes them dark in color.  I’m glad I tried them and would order them again but not at much of a premium.  Old Glory Distilling was an impressive place but we declined to take a distillery tour.  The service was excellent and I was impressed with the bars whiskey supply but what else would you expect.  

I’m confident that the nearby large Ft. Campbell Army Post will ensure the place has success and I would definitely stop there again.

Our route for the day was I-40, I-24, I-57, IL-148, and IL-13 for a stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Murphysboro, IL and I’ll pick up from here on the next post.

Photos can be slightly enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

9/27/24 event date