I texted this idea to Bob yesterday, but will add it for the group to chew on too. My suggestion is to find one of these maps for Illinois that shows every farm road in the state. The state is divided into 95 quadrants, each with its own detailed page. There'll be plenty of farm land between Chgo and Rockford that would allow the truck to travel at its intended pace. It would admittedly entail plenty of twists and turns, but could be teamed with Google earth to allow Bob to lay out a route that avoids major towns and traffic. These maps are available for all the states and can be purchased at truck stops, Barnes and Noble, and similar stores. Might need one for Indiana and Kentucky too. Stu

 

This and the detail features of a good current GPS. My TomTom has the route planning feature that allows me to select maximum speeds for the trip. . Possibly they all have the feature, I stumbled onto it in mine but I don't read directions. I can not verify the overall accuracy of the feature but it does find some back roads.

And I like the previous suggestion of a lower ratio gear set.

 

For those of you coming from up north (especially from the Ohio area) with an original truck that needs to stay on the slower roads, I have a suggestion. If you can get to Portsmouth, Ohio and across the river into South Shore in Greenup County, KY, you can literally get on KY Highway 7 and it will take you all the way to within 3 miles of my house. I know I warned you away from Highway 7 in that brochure, but we can deal with the little narrow road at my house. It's a very easy two-lane road all the way.

Kentucky Route 7 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Bob, I've been sitting here playing around with google maps. IF you could take the ferry across to Muskegon, MI, I plotted a route that would skirt around Fort Wayne and then go between Dayton and Cincinnati (i.e. stay in the country on older slower roads). Then you could go on down to Portsmouth and take Highway 7 all the way once you cross the bridge into KY. It said about 634 miles. I know you talked about wanting to do an "old-fashioned" trip using 2-lane roads. I'd say the countryside through northeast Indiana and central Ohio is very pretty. I just worry about you navigating around Chicago and then crossing the Ohio River in the Louisville area before making your way from that area to Lexington without having to get up on the Interstate.

One thing we have to realize is our trucks were made during an era in which all this country had basically were 2-lane country roads. I like the idea of the old map, but I'd be afraid some of the roads on it might not exist now.

 

I had a route planned on Google from Union Grove WI, down US 45 into IL to IL-53, down to the Cal Sag canal on the south side of the Chicago metro area. Google listed the travel time at about 3.5 hours, and I think that's optimistic. On the interstates/toll roads, it would be less than 2 hours, at 50 mph. I would guess that there are 1,000 stoplights on the local road route in that stretch, not exaggerating.

I grew up halfway from Chicago to Aurora. People used IL-53 and IL-83 back in the 70's to skirt around Chicago. So many people did it that that became crowded, so they built I-355 virtually next to 53. If you can do 50 - 55 for an hour, I-355 would save lots of wear and tear on you and the truck. It's a toll road but it would save 2x at least that much gas. The posted limit on 355 is 55.

You guys down in Central IL, when I lived in Champaign, we used to go out in the country on motorcycle rides. Five miles outside Urbana many of the farm roads were brick! Are they still that way? That kind of stuff would sway me away from using farm roads, there's a reason they don't use brick any more.

 

Oil and rock on the real back roads around here, otherwise blacktop. The only remaining brick road here is an old section of Rt 66. That atlas I posted is a current publication, just my copy is well worn. Stu

 

+1 on the Atlas/Gazetteer. I've got one for my state and I love it. I'll probably never drive on 90% of the backroads shown, but it is an interesting read. I'd advise combining it with a regular road map because (at least on mine) it doesn't differentiate paved roads from dirt roads or seasonal roads like a good road map does. It just shows roads. I like how the atlas also shows elevation changes so you have an idea of what you're getting into before you get there.

 

Not that you don't have enough to consider in planning a "slow route" but I know of at least one place close to me where they've decommissioned a section of an old US route and run you right up onto the Interstate. And the speed limit at that section is 70 mph.

 

Bob here is some bluegrass music to travel by, Will Caudill & Route 7 | Blackey, KY | Country / Bluegrass / Country | Music, Lyrics, Songs, and Videos | ReverbNation I found it when I googled route 7 in Kentucky. The band is from Blackey, Ky. Doc do you know these guys?
brian...

 

Hey Doc, how would 80 from London be for Bob to run into Hazard, Garry.

 

It would be great. It's one of those roads with frequent 3 and 4 lane sections, BUT it's too far south for anybody coming from the north. The Mountain Parkway is the better route (for you too). From Winchester to Campton is about 46 miles of almost vacant 4-lane highway. No worries about somebody running over you on that stretch. My biggest concern for Bob is navigating from Louisville to Winchester, but I don't really remember the secondary roads that well through there (even though I lived in Lexington for four years). I-64 would not be advisable with that F-2.

 

Yep. Know em very well. He's good. That blue steel bridge he's standing on in that picture is about 3 miles from my place. I could see if he's willing to come up and play (even though he drives a Chevy ).

Since you brought this up, I'll go ahead and tell you guys. In my opinion, I hit a home run yesterday for entertainment during the cookout on Saturday night--Lee "Boy" Sexton. This is hands down the best banjo player I know. He's a legend around here. He's gonna check his schedule and see if he can come play for us that evening. Ross found this youtube video of him last night. There's lots more. I'm not an absolute die-hard Bluegrass and nothing else fan, but I do enjoy it for what it is and what it means to the Appalachian area. I don't mean to get this thread off track. Sorry.

Lee Sexton - Little Maggie & Rye Whiskey - YouTube

 

Yea Doc, I know but the most direct route with the least interstate would be to leave early and take I94 south to Ill. then 41 south to the Skyway to Gary, In. and jump on 41 again to 52 to I65 south to I465 around Indy to 31 south to 7 south at Columbus, In. to Madison,In. take 421 to Frankfort,Ky pick up 127 south to Danville, Ky. take 150 to Mt. Vernon,take 25 south to London Ky. then 80 east to Hazard Ky. area. I know from the Ill. state line to Gary In. would be ok if it's before the rush hour and around Indy wouldn't be that bad around to 31 south, the rest would be all country road driving, just my 2 cents worth, Garry

 

I-355 is a very nice toll road. Very light traffic and would work well for a stock truck.

I live in Charleston which is about an hour south of Champaign. I have not been on a brick road here in central Illinois, but I have only lived here for the past 7 years.

 

From Bowling Green ky, you can take 231 to the outskirts of chicago. I've never done it so I can't recommend it. I just know 231 passes near my house and Ive seen it in/around chicago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_231