Route 66 - Road Trip Beginning

Any traditional east-to-west Route 66 trip should begin at Lou Mitchell's in Chicago. Lou Mitchell's opened in 1923 and has been serving customers for almost 90 years!

At 565 W. Jackson

Best known for breakfast, but also serves lunch.

Their own maple syrup.

Burger & fries for lunch

Thanks, Darita.  Great smile!

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Route 66 Road Trip - Going, Going...

To begin their Route 66 Mother Road trip, the Troll family had to get from Arkansas to the route starting point in Chicago.

The Troll Family & their good friend Traveling Eeyore
are ready for the trip to begin. Chicago here we come!

Made it to Missouri.

Supper at the Sonic Drive-in, Anna, Illinois.

End of travel day 1 - Fairfield Inn, Marion, Illinois.
Tomorrow, Chicago!

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Lowe's

Spring requires a visit to Lowes for gardening supplies and new plants. The Troll family can spend a lot of time (& money!) in Lowes.

No matter what time, there's almost always at least 1 old
farmer dude in suspenders or overalls in Lowe's

Gotta kill the weeds & feed the lawn!

Can never resist being distracted by the pretty little cacti.
Never buy, never touch, but always look.

Troll at Barnes & Noble

It's a good way to spend a Saturday evening!



Lil Dude Troll checking out the latest magazines &
 photography books...

...and visiting friends!

Troll at Work

Lil Dude Troll hard at it at the office. Gotta earn the money to pay for his trips. Too bad he's not Rich Lil Dude!

Now, if I could just remember what my new password is!

Gotta keep up those skills!

Art on the wall always adds class to any office!

The Toad Suck Festival

Summer is almost upon us and that means it's time for the Troll Family to start attending every small-town shindig they can!  First up for 2012 was the Toad Suck Daze Festival in Conway, Arkansas. The tempature was high and so was the humidity level, but fun was had by all.

The Legend of Toad Suck

Long ago, steamboats traveled up and down the Arkansas River when the water was at the right depth. When it wasn’t, the boats and their crew tied up to wait where the Toad Suck Lock and Dam now spans the river. While they waited, they got drinks at the local tavern. The folks living nearby said: “They suck on the bottle ’til they swell up like toads.” Hence, the name Toad Suck. The tavern is long gone, but the legend and fun live on at Toad Suck Daze. (Learn more about Toad Suck Daze here!)

Stuck On A Truck - where participants have to keep a hand on a brand-new truck through loud music, noise, high temps, short and very few potty breaks, and whatever else the boss' come up with to get folks to quit. The last one remaining, usually after 3 or 4 days, wins the truck!

Plenty of people still standing after 47 straight hours!

The Conway downtown square is named Toad Suck Square

At the Toad Store you can buy all kinds of
toad things; from a t-shirt...

...to Toad Suck coffee!

Fun on the midway!

Riding the Ferris Wheel...

...high above the festival grounds.

Lots of laughs at the toad races!

Checking out last year's #38 car driven by Kasey Kahne.

A quick potty break...

...then it's time for a coke, a foot-long coney dog, then sit down
 for a while & enjoy the live entertainment!

Trudy's - Troll Telling It Like It Is

Got a bite to eat at Trudy's in Austin. Food was pretty decent and the waiter was fast and efficient, but certainly not friendly. No smile, no chit chat, no personality - just a guy doing his job waiting to go home. Adios, Trudy's. Lil Dude Troll will not be back. Too many competing places with friendly, smiling employees and food just as good or better to put up with indifferent attitude from the staff.

Trudy's in south Austin.

Hope the waiter that brought the food finds a job he enjoys.