" I don't smoke much. And I hardly ever drink. I guess you could say that robbing banks is my only bad habit "

Friday August 27, 2010. Start kilometers 23990. Finish kilometers 24394. Total kilometers today 404.

On July 22, 1934 the infamous outlaw John Dillinger was gunned down by law enforcement officials outside the Biograph Theater at 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. He was ratted out by his prostitute girlfriend who later became known as 'The Lady in Red'. At the time of his death he was hiding out in Chicago under his assumed alias Jimmy Laurence.The title of this blog is a personal quotation by him. Perhaps I should assume my own alias and start robbing banks as I head west. I quite like the alias John Dillinger. Perhaps I too can become infamous and be known as the 'Biker Bandit'. I hope my 'Lady in Red' and her new dog Tito doesn't rat me out.

Fridays journey took me east along route 80 and then north on route 55 to Joliet. At Joliet I departed the freeway madness and joined the original route 66 heading into Chicago. This 30 mile route took me through industrial areas and economically challenged neighborhoods before steering me into the downtown area and onto Jackson Blvd. which is a one way street heading east. It was such a pleasant change of riding after experiencing miles of strait highway however the poor condition of some of the streets kept my senses sharp. I did feel a little intimidated at first as I'm not familiar with Chicago streets however I did manage to memorize certain portions of the city street map and with a little help form route 66 historic markers I managed to find myself at the corner of Lake Shore Drive and Jackson Blvd. on the shore of Lake Michigan. This is the start or finish of route 66 depending on your direction of travel. A few photos later and after wandering around I retraced the route back along Adams St. which is one way heading west. Friday evening was spent in Joliet doing laundry and getting rest as I managed to pick up a slight fever. After a two hour nap and some vittles I was feeling normal again. Tomorrow I begin the journey west at a more leisurely pace. Stay tuned.

Route 66 looking west along Jackson Blvd.

Franks famous hotdogs, an original landmark in the Cicero district of Chicago

The start of Route 66 at the corner of Jacson and Lake Shore.