MoDayTrips: Peoria Trip, Day 2, Peoria to Keokuk. 12 May 2026

Day 2, Tuesday, May 12^th – Peoria to Keokuk

After a good breakfast with waffles at the Best Western Plus, E. Peoria, I headed back to Peoria Skeet & Trap to get ready to shoot. We hit the range on-time at 1100 with temps in the mid 70s with wind and relatively low humidity. My hydration plans were right on – I finished the 100 targets with no ill effects. Score was mediocre, but better than I had been shooting and not-at-all embarrassing. I hung around the club for a while, met another old USAF MO shooter, and pulled out for Keokuk at 1333. That’s when the adventure began.

I planned to take US-150 through town, pick up I-74, switch to I-674, the exit onto IL-116. Would have worked had I written it down to reference. Missed my turn, took the “Cook’s Tour” of the city including downtown Peoria, and finally found IL-116. Which had an extensive detour – my 20-mile estimated jaunt took 36 miles and 48 minutes.

I did pick up a few Sandra-worthy tidbits: Peoria High schools appear to play their football in a bubble-dome facility. Political graffito – a Stop All Ways sign was altered by covering the ‘Y’ with an ‘R.’

After I finally got out of town on a very-straight IL-116, I was hit with a quartering southwesterly headwind associated with an incoming front. I was sure glad I was through shooting for the day. Time for some seen-along-the-road observations.

The Olde Country Lane is near Trivoli, home of Flifinger Farm Supply. Steward’s Family Restaurant (and the associated motel) are long-closed. Farther west, I passed a boarded-up stone schoolhouse. Critter Castle pet boarding is housed in an old Queen Anne that’s seen better days – gone to the dogs, you might say. Farmington, “A Small Town with Big Hearts,” hosts Smithers Furniture in a nice downtown. Near Middle Grove, an old railroad right-of-way parallels the hiway. A number of farms are set up for tourist activities. London Mills is on the Spoon River; Sandra, poet that she was, would have made me stop to take a picture of the river crossing sign. A bit farther west a building has corrals (one occupied) and fence posts wearing saddles. Roseville, where I take leave of IL-116 for US-67, has one of the old Big Boy Hamburger boys welcome one to the town.

South of Rosedale the wind really affects the car – a wind farm nearby appears well-located. Does Curly Creek Construction construct curly creeks? Is Farmers Fork one of them? IL-336 bypasses Macomb – it may eventually become a 4-lane highway.

I’m now on US-136 for the rest of the day. I stop at Colchester, home of Full Scoop ice-cream, for a comfort break at Casey’s. The next town, Tennessee, has a barber shop with pocket billiards. It also has a siding to the active RR lie that passes through, but its elevator is sadly defunct. US-136/IL-110 passes through the nicely-wooded La Moine River bottom land.

Carthage once hosted Carthage College; the parklike grounds are still well-maintained. A sign tells me Carl Sandburg College is north of the road. Carthage has a Fortress Bank, an historic jail, large saddle club grounds, and a Prairie Winds Motel. Evaston’s large brick schoolhouse is long-abandoned. Hamilton has Wren House Coffee and Inner Peace Massage.

I finally cross the Mississippi into Iowa, right into downtown Keokuk. This is an old river town with lots of frustratingly timed stop lights, and gas prices 60 to 80 cents below Illinois’. I find the Quality Inn, check in and unload, then have supper at the Hawkeye Lounge nearby. Here’s a view of the motel from the restaurant – don’t mind the Wal-Mart traffic