Between: Champaign and Chicago
Off: I-57 (N-S)
Onto: U.S. 24
Gas stations: Many close by
Food choices: Several. Monical’s Pizza is the
best of the lot.
Car tunes: A good range. Try 99.1 for
once-shunned 1980s metal.
Exit: Recommended
Between: Gilman and Chicago
Off: I-57 (N-S)
Onto: Illinois 116 (W-E)
Gas stations: Within one mile, may not be open
24 hours
Food choices: One, but a good one. The Loft
lives up to its name.
Car tunes: You’ll start to pick up 95.1,
offering the polar opposite of 99.1’s mix.
Exit: In the daytime or if you’re hungry at dinner time.
Between: Gilman and Chicago
Off: I-57 (N-S)
Gas stations: One close by, open 24 hours
Food choices: Inside convenience store
Car tunes: Chicago stations may start to
come in. Try 97.9, the Loop for classic rock.
Exit: If you need fuel, a snack or a restroom. Otherwise,
keep going.
Between: Gilman and Chicago
Off: I-57 (N-S)
Onto: Illinois 17
Gas stations: Go west, if you dare.
Food choices: A few, if you dare.
Car tunes: Enjoy what’s blasting from
stereos nearby.
Exit: Abandon all hope all ye who exit here.
Between: Kankakee and Chicago
Off: I-57 (N-S)
Onto: Illinois 50 (N-S)
Gas stations: A few to the south. Some driving
required.
Food choices: Numerous. Boston Market has
closed, though.
Car tunes: Seek, and you shall find good
variety.
Exit: Recommended.
Between: Kankakee and Chicago
Off: I-57 (N-S)
Gas stations: Nearby, may not be open 24 hours.
Food choices: Several. You’ll find another
Monical’s and the last Hardee’s for a while.
Car tunes: More Chicago stations, for
better or worse.
Exit: Recommended.
Between: Kankakee and Chicago
Off: I-57 (N-S)
Gas station: Nearby
Food choices: Inside convenience store.
Car tunes: Same as before, possibly better
reception.
Exit: For a burger or snack.
Between: Kankakee and Chicago
Off: I-57 (N-S)
Onto: U.S. 30 (W-E), aka Lincoln Highway
Gas stations: To the east
Food choices: Numerous, including a sports bar
and a Fuddrucker’s, if you feel like rucking some fudd.
Car tunes: Good variety.
Exit: For a break before hitting city traffic.
Between: I-57 and Indiana border
Off: U.S. 30 (W-E), aka Lincoln Highway
Onto: I’ve never tried any other roads; you’ll see why.
Gas stations: A few; stick to the well-lit
ones.
Food choices: Eat snacks in the car.
Car tunes: “Christmas At Ground Zero” would
fit the area.
Exit: Don’t.
Between: Gary and Michigan border
Off: I-94 (W-E)
Onto: U.S. 421 (N-S)
Gas stations: Several. Beware of Hoosier
drivers leaving the pumps.
Food choices: Many. Chili’s and Popeye’s await
if you go north.
Car tunes: The Chicago stations start to
fade, but you should get new choices out of South Bend.
Exit: Recommended.
Between: Indiana border and St. Joseph
Off: I-94 (W-E)
Onto: Some minor Michigan highway
Gas stations: A few, but they have cut their
hours.
Food choices: Several, but the formerly
24-hour places are now closed late at night.
Car tunes: More soft rock, less classic
rock as you move away from Chicago.
Exit: Only if you have a time machine to take you back a
few years, when the 24-hour selection was better.
Between: Indiana and St. Joseph
Off: I-94 (W-E)
Gas stations: A huge truck stop.
Food choices: Several inside the huge truck
stop.
Car tunes: Pick a station before you exit;
the ramp can be tough to negotiate. Watch for trucks at the bottom.
Exit: Recommended.
Between: Indiana border and St. Joseph
Off: I-94 (W-E)
Onto: Red Arrow Highway; be prepared to use this road as
a backup plan if I-94 is backed up
Gas stations: A couple
Food choices: Sparse
Car tunes: A soft rock paradise
Exit: Before 9 p.m.
Between: Indiana and Kalamazoo
Off: I-94 (W-E)
Onto: Business 94, aka Red Arrow Highway, aka Exit 23
Gas stations: A few
Food choices: Several. You’ll encounter the
first of many Big Boys in Michigan.
Car tunes: You should have many choices
here.
Exit: Recommended.
Between: Spurts of laughter. This is
really the name.
Off: I-94 (W-E)
Onto: Michigan 40.
Gas stations: A few.
Food choices: Several, including a fried
chicken eatery with good deals at low prices.
Car tunes: A Grand Rapids station has
enough power to reach the Gulf of Mexico, I believe. See if you can find it.
Exit: If it’s not late.
Between: Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor
Off: I-94 (W-E)
Onto: Exit 104
Gas stations: One or two
Food choices: Inside truck stop
Car tunes: Some low-power stations in the
90s on the dial play 1980s music.
Exit: Recommended, because of what’s ahead.
Between: A rock and a hard place
Off: I-94 (W-E)
Onto: Poorly marked roads filled with potholes
Gas stations: Yes, but I’ve never tried one.
Food choices: Numerous
Car tunes: If you like screaming heavy
metal, find the local station; I believe it’s at the high end of the dial.
Otherwise, now’s the time to get out your CDs.
Exit: Are you kidding? I used to watch for the Jacobson’s
store because it meant I was leaving this town. Of course, now Jacobson’s is
closed.
Between: Kalamazoo and Detroit
Off: I-94 (W-E)
Onto: Michigan 52
Gas stations: Yes, but I’ve never tried one.
Food choices: See above.
Car tunes: What luck! The crappy Detroit
stations may start coming in.
Exit: Never tried it.
Between: Kalamazoo and Detroit
Off: I-94 (W-E)
Gas stations: Two large truck stops.
Food choices: A 24-hour Arby’s is inside one
of the stores.
Car tunes: Find the Ann Arbor soft rock
station if you like “Sad Eyes.”
Exit: An oasis in the desert of interstate travel,
especially if you plan to exit onto Michigan 14 at Ann Arbor.
Between: Potholes
Off: Michigan 14 (W-E)
Onto: Beck Road
Gas stations: One hard-to-find place.
Food choices: Eat snacks in the car.
Car tunes: If you’re exiting here, the
radio is the least of your worries.
Exit: Only if you plan to jump the railroad tracks Dukes
of Hazzard-style. Something tells me it’s been done here before.
Between: West and east suburbs of Detroit
Off: I-696 (W-E)
Onto: Orchard Lake Road
Gas stations: Several
Food choices: Many
Car tunes: The finest of Detroit, which
isn’t saying much.
Exit: To get to the lakes. The traffic patterns here
leave something to be desired. Prepare for stoplights.
Between: Suburbs.
Off: I-696 (W-E)
Onto: Cross your fingers. This is the infamous “mixing
bowl,” as one reporter called it repeatedly, where the Northwestern Highway and
Telegraph Road meet. Prepare to be confused.
Gas stations: Yes, but you’ll feel like a rat
in a maze trying to get to them.
Food choices: Several, but see above.
Car tunes: Pick a station, any station,
before you get on a ramp. You’ll need all your concentration.
Exit: If you dare.
Between: Illinois and Indianapolis
Off: I-74 (W-E)
Onto: Indiana 63.
Gas stations: A few.
Food choices: Several. The Beef House is
wildly popular. If you don’t like to wait, beware of buses filled with
customers.
Car tunes: Country, lots of country.
Exit: Here’s the beef, whether it’s prime cut, squared
off as a burger or sliced thin at Arby’s.
Between: Covington and Indianapolis.
Off: I-74 (W-E)
Onto: U.S. 231.
Gas stations: A few.
Food choices: Several. To the south, the
SunShine Café awaits those who shun burgers. Editor's note: The eatery may have changed its name to Vickery's.
Car tunes: John Cougar Mellencamp’s
greatest and not so greatest hits fill the airwaves.
Exit: Recommended.
Between: Crawfordsville and Indianapolis.
Off: I-74 (W-E)
Onto: Indiana 267.
Gas stations: Several.
Food choices: Many.
Car tunes: Once, Indianapolis radio was
good. Then the 1980s station became silly before it changed formats. You get
the leftovers.
Exit: Last chance before Indy.
Between: Lafayette and Indianapolis.
Off: I-65 (NW-SE)
Onto: Indiana 32.
Gas stations: A few.
Food choices: Several, including one of the
better Denny’s.
Car tunes: If you’re headed north, enjoy
Indy radio while it lasts.
Exit: Recommended.
Between: Terre Haute and Indianapolis.
Off: I-70 (W-E)
Onto: U.S. 231.
Gas stations: A few.
Food choices: Several.
Car tunes: Standard Indiana: Country,
Mellencamp, classic.
Exit: A good halfway point between Haute and Indy.
Between: Lafayette and Gary
Off: I-65 (NW-SE)
Onto: U.S. 24.
Gas stations: A cluster around the truck stop.
Food choices: U2’s Bono once stopped at the
diner here. (I don’t know if he ate, though.) There also are some fast food
places.
Car tunes: One of the few choices here may
be 94.1 out of Watseka, Illinois.
Exit: Recommended.
Between: Dayton and Columbus.
Off: I-70 (W-E)
Onto: Ohio 72.
Gas stations: A few.
Food choices: Several.
Car tunes: Ohio offers a good selection,
especially out of Dayton.
Exit: Recommended.
Between: Columbus and Wheeling, West
Virginia.
Off: I-70 (W-E)
Onto: Ohio 60.
Gas stations: A few, but it’s a maze getting
to them.
Food choices: Not sure. The maze has a way of
winning.
Car tunes: The local station used to play a
great mix of 1980s tunes. I believe it’s around 102 on the dial.
Exit: Not bad, but not great.
Between: Toledo and Dayton.
Off: I-75 (N-S)
Onto: U.S. 224 (and Ohio 15 – Ohio loves to piggyback
highways.)
Gas stations: Several.
Food choices: Several.
Car tunes: A good selection close to
Toledo.
Exit: Nothing spectacular.
Between: Toledo and Dayton.
Off: I-75 (N-S)
Onto: Old U.S. 30. (Do they call it the Old Lincoln Highway?)
Gas stations: At truck stops, some driving
required.
Food choices: Inside truck stops.
Car tunes: Some good choices.
Exit: Be prepared to do some traveling to get to the
services.
Between: Lima and Dayton.
Off: I-75 (N-S)
Onto: U.S. 36.
Gas stations: Several scattered nearby.
Food choices: The corpses of many failed
eateries lie here. But there may still be a cheap buffet place. Don’t plan on a
five-star meal, though.
Car tunes: They serve as the escape from a
town that has seen better days.
Exit: For the buffet.
Between: Dayton and Cincinnati.
Off: I-75 (N-S)
Onto: Ohio 122.
Gas stations: Stick to the ones close to the
interstate.
Food choices: I didn’t eat here. Let’s leave
it at that.
Car tunes: Sammy Hagar can’t drive fast
enough back to the interstate.
Exit: I recommend against.
Between: Dayton and Cincinnati.
Off: I-75 (N-S)
Gas stations: Many.
Food choices: An excellent selection.
Car tunes: Cincinnati radio: Enjoy the
music, avoid the talk.
Exit: Recommended.
Between: Cambridge and Marietta.
Off: I-77 (N-S)
Onto: Ohio 821. (Note: In Ohio, the higher the numbers,
the lower the road quality.)
Gas stations: One, maybe two.
Food choices: Eat snacks in the car.
Car tunes: A sparse selection.
Exit: Pass this one up.
Between: Cambridge and the Ohio River.
Off: I-77 (N-S)
Onto: Ohio 7.
Gas stations: A few.
Food choices: Several.
Car tunes: The choices are limited.
Exit: Last chance before West Virginia.
Between: The Ohio River and Charleston.
Off: I-77 (N-S)
Onto: U.S. 50.
Gas stations: Many.
Food choices: Numerous.
Car tunes: About the same as around
Marietta.
Exit: Recommended.
Between: Charleston and Virginia.
Off: I-64 (W-E), I-77 (N-S)
Gas stations: A few along the mighty Kanawha
River.
Food choices: Their presence is not an
endorsement.
Car tunes: In the mountains, the choices
are slim.
Exit: Don’t open this Kanawha of worms.
Between: Charleston and Virginia.
Off: I-64 (W-E), I-77 (N-S)
Onto: A desolate road.
Gas stations: One.
Food choices: You should have eaten before
this.
Car tunes: Mountains + West Virginia = Slim
pickings.
Exit: Pass on Pax.
Between: Charleston and Virginia.
Off: I-64 (W-E), I-77 (N-S)
Onto: U.S. 19.
Gas stations: A few, but the traffic pattern
here is tricky.
Food choices: Several, not necessarily easy to
reach.
Car tunes: The selection is a little better
here.
Exit: The road to Prosperity beckons.
Between: Charleston and Morgantown.
Off: I-79 (N-S)
Onto: U.S. 50.
Gas stations: Many.
Food choices: Many.
Car tunes: A few decent selections.
Exit: Recommended.
Between: Morgantown and Maryland.
Off: I-68 (W-E)
Onto: West Virginia 26.
Gas stations: A winding road gets you there.
Food choices: A sparse selection.
Car tunes: A blend of Morgantown and
Pittsburgh stations.
Exit: It’s not as desolate as it seems.
Between: Wheeling and Pennsylvania.
Off: I-70 (W-E)
Onto: The road to nowhere.
Gas stations: A couple, conveniently hidden
for the truck drivers.
Food choices: Buy digestive aids.
Car tunes: A good choice, but you may want
to focus on other things.
Exit: This Pike is no peak.
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