We are very comfortable in our 50-amp full-hook-up site at the fairgrounds, and we have lots of things to see in this area. We have obviously gotten out of that unseasonably hot autumn weather that turned right into unseasonably cool weather. The weatherman described this day with highs in the 40s and blustery winds as "raw." So we used this raw day for indoors activities like visiting the state capitol of Illinois.
There's no blue skies to frame the picture, but it is a grand state capitol. The rain had started by the time Denisa braved the raindrops to take this picture of the front, where Abraham Lincoln is welcoming guests. He's everywhere in Springfield!
If that dome seems pretty tall, that's because it is. It's the tallest dome of any state capitol in the United States. It's even taller than the dome on the national capitol. Looking up from the floor of the rotunda, it's hard to picture just how big and tall it is.
We took the capitol's guided tour along with fifty 7th graders. After climbing all those steps up to the fourth floor, we got a bird's eye view of the chambers of the House of Representatives.
The governor was out today, so our next stop was his office. Fifty junior high students stepped aside so that "the honored guests from Oklahoma" got to go in first.
This grand building has some giant-sized paintings. This one is forty-feet tall, dwarfing Denisa standing under it.
Our tour guide pointed proudly to this newly painted wing of the capitol building. It had just been carefully restored to its original 1868 finery.
Then she pointed out the opposing wing that was next on the list for a new paint job. Over the years, it has been quicker and cheaper to paint over all that finery with solid cream-colored paint.
This restoration paint job takes a lot of time and research. On that plain ceiling we could see where layers of paint had been carefully scraped to find the original fancy paint job when the capitol was built.
Just like many states, that grand capitol building wasn't the first. Down the street is the first Springfield capitol, before all the bureaucrats outgrew its smaller floor plan. It is a nice reminder of simpler times when legislators used quill pens and candles, instead of fancy electronic voting and computers. This room is also special because it was where President Lincoln's body was laid in state before he was buried.
We took no pictures of the outside of the Old Capitol because it was raining by that time. Normally, we would be walking between sites like this, but this rain is keeping us indoors today. So we drove to the next of the Illinois government buildings that is free and open to the public--the Governor's Mansion. Private donations paid for all the work to make it look as good as old. No cameras were allowed inside, but it was a good tour.
Now that we have completed the government building trifecta, it's time to consume Springfield's famous food trifecta. We started with a stop at the Cozy Dog Drive-In. A Route 66 attraction, this is where the corndog was invented. The Food Network series, "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" featured this place when they featured Springfield. One cozy dog and fries--check.
The Food Network also stopped at Dew's Chilli Bar, where they have been serving the same chilli (spelled that "wrong" way) for 106 years. So we ordered a bowl of the traditional chilli--check. No pictures because it wasn't that picturesque or that good.
The last Springfield food invention featured on the show was "The Horseshoe." It consists of two pieces of Texas toast, topped with meat of choice (we choiced sirloin steak with grilled onions and peppers), smothered with french fries and drizzled with cheese sauce. It isn't very pretty, but it was pretty tasty.
So we've completed two Springfield trifectas in the rain. I think we're going to like it here!
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