Wednesday, August 23

While we were at the Sweet Memories Candy Store Sunday the lady who waited on us there also suggested we go over to Galena, IL. President Grant's home and other historical homes are there. Since Galena wasn't far and the backroads route took the same amount of time to travel as the highway, we took the backroads to see more of the countryside. Right away we spotted the first unique sight. The first photo of the day was of a spaceship with its green alien pilot sitting in a field near the road along with several dinosaurs.

Boy, did we hit the jackpot!  We probably should have gotten a lottery ticket that day. Galena was a beautiful small town where the people realized early on they should preserve their history. We enjoyed a long, full day beginning with a trolley tour that showed us the highlights of the town. The tour at Grant's home which the town gave to him when he returned from the Civil War as a token of their appreciation. Belvedere Mansion - the home of J. Russell Jones, who made his fortune with a fleet of steamboats. The mansion is furnished with much of the original furnishing and a few additions such as drapes from Gone With the Wind and a humidor used on Downton Abbey.  Dowling House - the oldest building in Galena and still hosting tours.

We walked Main St. aka Helluva Half Mile, where boutiques, shops, and restaurants abound. There was  fresh baked bread, chocolate and oils. We stopped the mailman and asked him to recommend a good place for lunch. We had a good lunch and even spotted the mailman come in for his lunch, too.

We drove to some of the places we saw on the trolley to stop for photos and out of town to a couple of scenic overlooks. We didn't imagine we would be in Galena the entire day, but we were, so  dinner was at the Log Cabin Steak House.
 It was another long, full day,  we didn't get back to our rigs until bedtime again. We never dreamed there would be so much to see and do in Galena.