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Road Trip USA - Day 24: Chicago, IL to Knoxville, TN

Date: 16 Aug 2002 Day #: 24 Miles Today: 577
Start: Chicago, IL End: Knoxville, TN
States Today: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee
Total Mileage: 7,718 Total # States Visited: 26
Points of Interest:


I saw everyone off to work, then showered, packed, and left Molly’s place around 0815. I stopped by Wrigley Field then checked an ATM. There’s finally money in there, yay! With cash in my pocket, I stopped by McDonald’s for breakfast.
Warning: Strange Dog?

Go home, sign guy. You're drunk 
 I entered Indiana just after 0920, and saw several possums, a fox, a deer, and probably 16 unidentifiable messes along the side of the road before I reached Kentucky at 1455. Along the way, I entered the Eastern Time Zone around 0940 ET / 1040 CT. I stopped into Columbus, IN for gas, a car wash, and Burger King but could not eat the Whopper Jr because it was too nasty looking (and my body was probably revolted by the thought of having fast food for breakfast and lunch).

Shortly after passing an accident at 1453, I passed into Kentucky where I drove by Simpsonville, Shelbyville, and south of Springfield…I wonder which Simpson’s writer is from that area. From right around 3pm until 5:30 (150 minutes), I saw over 50 different roadkill, for an average of 1 every three minutes. There were more before and after that, just not that frequent.

Visibility: Zero
The heavy rain started two minutes before I entered Tennessee at 1731. I arrived at my mom’s at 1909 and an odometer showing 26,182. On Day 1of the trip, my car only had 18,464 miles on it, so my road trip (that technically doesn’t end until I get to Maxwell AFB, Alabama) totaled 7,718 miles across 26 states. But since I used the next couple of days as a transitional time between my road trip and my military training, the road trip story ends here.

But if you're interested in how my 10-year Air Force journey began, click here.

Read more about my Great American Road Trip adventure.

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