NIU Homecoming 2018-- Part 1: Plank Road and Ill. Highway 23

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13

We have been to most homecomings for Northern Illinois since graduating.  Occasionally, however, not for the game and due to a late start from home, we did not see the game.

Woke up late to the first frost f the season.

When we finally got underway, we drove the old way to DeKalb, Il-47 through Huntley to Plank Road to Il. 23.  We used to go through Sycamore on 23, but now use the new Peace Road as a Sycamore bypass to 23 south of Sycamore.  (We drove the old way because right now there is all the road construction on Il-176 to Marengo and on Il-23 south of there.  We started taking this to avoid the horrendous traffic mess that is Huntley, Illinois.)

Plank Road was built in 1850, and, as the name implied was made of wooden planks to make travel easier.  This was a long plank road.  There were toll booths along it.  Now, of course, it is paved.

Illinois Highway 23 between Sycamore and DeKalb was one of the first paved roads in Illinois and was finished as a two lane in 1917.  It became a four-lane super highway in 1941, just as World War II was about to begin.  Today it is an extremely congested, stoplighted highway.

--RoadDog