The Mighty Mississippi to the Atlantic

2024 Delaware Road Trip
East Dubuque, IL to Galloway, NJ

Having crossed the Mississippi River from Dubuque, Iowa to East Dubuque, Illinois we continued eastward to New Jersey, with stops in Utica IL, Huntington IN, Streetsboro OH, Jim Thorpe PA, a quick drive through Lancaster PA before stopping for 3 nights in Galloway NJ.

French Canyon, Starved Rock State Park, Utica, IL – Named after French explorer Robert La Salle who came across the area in 1680. A bit earlier in the year and we would have been treated to a waterfall.
Rim Trail, Starved Rock State Park, Utica, IL – One of the many staircases you’ll encounter on the rim trail which leads through the forest and canyons of Starved Rock State Park, enroute to an overlook of the Illinois River.
Starved Rock State Park, Utica, IL – View of the Starved Rock Lock and Dam from the same-named sandstone butte. Legend says that members of the Illinois tribe starved to death on the rock, while under siege from other hostile tribes who believed one of them had killed the Ottawa war-chief Pontiac. While Pontiac had been killed in what is today Joliet, IL, historians believe the story is only loosely related to some unconnected sieges in the Starved Rock area.
Pontiac Oakland Automobile Museum, Pontiac, IL – A beautifully restored 1969 Pontiac GTO RAM Air IV convertible. Pontiac is also home to several, volunteer run museums celebrating Route 66 and other local history. Especially impressive is the war museum focused on honoring the men and women of the area who served in our nation’s armed forces.
Livingston County Courthouse, Pontiac, IL – Completed in 1875 after the previous courthouse burned down the year prior.
Hanging Rock, Lagro, IN – Located on the Wabash River, Hanging Rock is an impressive exposure of an ancient coral reef. Formed over 400 million years ago when Indiana was geographically located 15 degrees SOUTH of the equator.
Cuyahoga River, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, OH – Kayakers enjoying the river…located between Cleveland and Akron, the Cuyahoga was so polluted by the 1950’s and 60’s that it used to catch fire! Environmental cleanup started in the 1970’s has been working to restore the entire valley.
Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, OH – The train ride to Akron (and back) offers a neat way to see the southern end of the National Park.
Ledges Trail, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, OH – The trail passes by and through a plateau of striking rock formations.
Brandywine Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, OH – The Brandywine Creek and “bridal veil” falls began about 10,000 years ago after the last ice age. The falls have exposed rock at the base which was formed 300-400 million years ago.
Jim Thorpe, PA – Founded in 1818, the town is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Originally a coal mining town, Jim Thorpe is now a quaint tourist destination, its historic buildings filled with shops and restaurants.
Jim Thorpe Memorial, Jim Thorpe, PA – Memorialized (and buried) in a town named after him, Native American Jim Thorpe never visited his namesake town. Rather, after his death, his 3rd wife arranged the memorial once she found a town desperate for tourism, with sufficient money, willing to meet her demands for his final burial place. Something more appropriate towns would not. Once called the greatest athlete in the world, Jim Thorpe was a professional baseball and football player and gold medal Olympian.
Battleship New Jersey, Camden, NJ – the Iowa-class ship was decommissioned in 1991. She has been a museum since 2001 after serving during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Lebanese Civil War and service in the Persian Gulf.
Battleship New Jersey, Camden, NJ – looking out from the navigation bridge to the 16 inch guns
Battleship New Jersey, Camden, NJ – loading the 2,700 lb armor piercing rounds for the gun turret
Battleship New Jersey, Camden, NJ – retrofitted for them in 1982, she was the first warship to launch a Tomahawk cruise missile.
Beach Avenue, Cape May, NJ – Regal beachfront properties overlook the ocean and promenade
Cape May, NJ – beachgoers are charged a fee of $10 a day to sit on this beach
Cape May, NJ – a solitary rowboat avoids the beach fee
Cape May Lighthouse, Cape May, NJ – we climbed the 199 steps up the original, cast iron spiral stairway.
Absecon Lighthouse, Atlantic City, NJ – not having enough steps for the day, we also climbed the 228 steps to the top of the Absecon Lighthouse.  This is one of the oldest lighthouses in the country.
Atlantic City Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ – Atlantic City’s golden age was in the 1920s, when Prohibition was largely unenforced in the nightclubs and restaurants.
Atlantic City Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ – Legalized gambling gave it another bump in the late 70s/early 80s, but plans for mega casinos have gone hot and cold over the years.  The Tropicana is the largest resort and casino on the boardwalk with over 3,000 slot machines and 132 game tables.