Sonny's Dog Blog: Starting to Get My Kicks!

Finally, our adventure REALLY begins!

We spent the night in Chicago at the pet-friendly and reasonably priced Howard Johnson Inn Downtown. There we got a free upgrade to a suite, where I was even allowed to stay for a while without supervision, and enjoyed one of those famous deep-dish pizzas from a nearby restaurant (okay, I only got the scraps...). Mmm mmm, Chicago Style is good.

The next morning, we traveled to Adams Street, where the "Begin Route 66" sign hangs. We were officially on Route 66!

From Chicago, we followed the Route to Berwyn, Illinois. Our first roadside attraction was "The Spindle" - a very modern art sculpture - in the parking lot of Cermak Plaza. Here it is, with me:

That was kind of neat, so we kept driving. Our next photo op was a bit over an hour away in Wilmington, IL. Outside of the Launching Pad Drive-In restaurant stands the Gemini Giant, a huge astronaut holding a rocket. Sadly, the restaurant wasn't open as early as we arrived, but we did get a few good shots of the big guy. Don't I look tiny?

Moving on, we rode through rural Illinois for a couple more hours before reaching Springfield, where we stopped for lunch. We ate at the appropriately named The Cozy Dog Drive-In, which happens to be the place where the corn dog was invented.

A bunch of restaurants along the way seem to be "Drive-Ins," which is convenient for pet travelers who aren't allowed inside most places. We just drove up to the window, ordered our delicious corn dogs and fries, and ate right in the car. Of course, I did get a chance to stretch my legs, too. And truthfully, I ate dog food. But I did get a bite of the corn dogs, and I highly recommend them.