My third day on the Mother Road saw more inclement weather. There was a brief shower in Bloomington while I loaded the car this morning. The first round in Bloomington was pleasant although humid. The 20 mile drive to Atlanta, IL is where the weather got interesting. As I ended the drive in the parking lot of the North Greens Golf Course, the sky was black and golfers were being called off the golf course. My round was delayed by a little over an hour due to the severe thunder storm but everything turned out well. After the round at North Greens, I outran the system on the 88 mile drive south along the 1926-1930 routing of Route 66 but the round at the Carlinville Country Club was played in a heat advisory. Not that I mind that. Big heat is better than big rain.

I learned my lesson yesterday and now have a keen eye on the weather. The seven day forecast is laden with heat advisories and some rain. But I will persevere.

Round one today was at Highland Park Golf Course near downtown Bloomington, IL. It's an old course, built in the 1930's and is characterized by mature trees (lots of them) and small greens, There is a four hole stretch from number 5 through number 8 known as "Amen Corner." There are two 440 yard par 4's, a narrow 370 uphill par 4, and a measly 228 yard par 3. And soggy ground. Yikes. But an enjoyable round with no rain. And a fast round. And by the way, Highland Greens was well stocked with logo balls and now I'm four for six.

I left Bloomington with the sun trying to peek through the clouds and I began the 20 mile trek to Atlanta, IL.

In doing my research for the trip, one of my "must stops" was Funks Grove, a maple sirup (yes, that's the way they spell it) plant in existence since 1891 on a property established in 1824 when Isaac Funk settled in the grove that bears his name.

I pulled into the property around 8:35 and noticed the store did not open until 9:00 A.M. But I also saw on the way in a door open in the back of the store. I parked and walked up to the door where a man was standing over a copper pot of maple sirup, boiling the water off.

I asked (actually begged) if I could trouble him for some of his famous sirup. He couldn't have been nicer. He told me to meet him at the door of the store where I made my purchases. I'm not a pancake connoiseur but I can't wait to get home to sample the sirup.

It was evident when I hit the parking lot of North Greens Golf Course there would be a weather delay. I walked into the clubhouse and became, as all golfers do, a meteorologist. I wasn't the only golfer in that clubhouse trying to gauge when we'd be on the course.

I received a pleasant surprise when I identified myself. When I made the tee time two weeks ago, I was told the course had no logo balls and had not had any for quite awhile. That prompted Larry McCarthy, North Greens' Director of Golf, to conduct a search. To my surprise, there was a logo ball waiting in his office for me. Sweet. So now I'm five for seven.

I left the golf course, hoping I could eat a late breakfast at my restaurant of choice, the Palms Grill Cafe as I waited for the rain to pass. But it didn't open until 10:00 so I returned to the course. When the rains subsided, I was the first one out, played quickly and was off the course in an hour and fifteen minutes.

The town of Atlanta has fully embraced its position on Route 66. There is a Route 66 museum and murals on buildings all over town depicting Route 66 scenes. The town's 1908 library is octagonal in shape and there is even a 40 foot clock tower out front. And there is the Hawes Grain Elevator Museum where on the weekends, you can watch the inner workings of a 1903 grain elevator in action.

Every business in town seemed to have a connection with Route 66 and used it as a marketing tool.

My restaurant choice, the Palms Grill Cafe, oozes personality and has been recently restored. There's a bar with round padded stools, old time signs, and even an old NCR cash register.

I decided to have a "Route 66 style meal" and settled on a chili cheese hot dog, homemade potato chips, and a bottle of Fanta orange soda.

The restaurant is famous for its pies but I was too full to try a piece.

When I made my first foray into town as it rained, I noticed a "Bunyan Giant" holding a hot dog. I'm not kidding. I knew you wouldn't believe it so I took a picture. There was also a fabulous mural on the building across the street from the Cafe depicting Route 66.

To top Atlanta off, the town's water tower is yellow with a giant smiley face.

My next stop was the Carlinville Country Club, some 88 miles further down Route 66. South of Springfield, Route 66 splits into the post-1930 route that generally follows I-55 and a 1926-1930 route further to the west that follows IL-Hwy 4. Since Carlinville was my destination, I followed the earlier route. It's not the best of roads.

Lexi, the club manager at Carlinville Country Club could not have been more welcoming to a traveler. The course is plush and extremely well manicured. It's the third nine-hole course I've played on the trip and all three have been extremely well managed and maintained. The heat and humidity was quite noticible but it sure beat the rain I encountered earlier in the day. Later I discovered the entire area was under a heat advisory.

The only down note was a lack of logo balls. So I'm now five for eight.

My lodging for the night is directly across the street from the Carlinville Country Club. The Carlin Villa Motel, owned and capably managed by Kurt Patel is a Route 66 classic. I love the Route 66 hotels and motels and this is no exception. The Carlin Villa is nothing fancy but it is clean, well-equipped, and inexpensive. It has everything the big chains have to offer at half the price.

Kurt is passionate about his business and goes above and beyond to satisfy his lodgers. When you pass through Carlinville, stay at the Carlin Villa Motel.

I was really looking forward to eating some chili at Carlinville's top rated restaurant, Taylor's Mexican Chili Parlor. But I found out it is closed on Mondays. So I started doing a little research and even drove into Carlinville's town square. The brick-lined square frames the courthouse that dates from 1870.

I followed a couple into a pub on the square that was right next to the closed Taylor's. They told me it was owned by the same people who owned Taylor's. But I found out they do not serve food. They recommended The Wood Duck Bar & Grill a little further down the road. Lexi at the Carlinville Country Club had also recommended The Wood Duck.

So that's where I ended up. I ordered an IPA and the special for the night, chicken wings. The sauce I ordered, Sweet Thai, reminded me of Buffalo Wild Wings' Asian Zing. I was served capably by Lacy and Bethany and then headed back to the motel. 

There's a 40% chance of rain tonight and tomorrow to go along with a Heat Advisory for the next week. Heat OK. Rain bad.

Tomorrow I'll be playing the nine hole Staunton Country Club in Staunton followed by Sunset Hills Country Club and another nine hole course, American Legion Golf Course, both in Edwardsville, IL. And that will bring the Illinois portion of this trip to a close.

Day 4: http://logoballtraveler.com/1/post/2016/07/route-66-day-4-how-to-blow-up-a-golf-trip-show-me-missouri.html