*Anchor Bar and Grill, Superior, Wisc. (Ate a great cheeseburger there in April 2020)*

Cody’s Road Trips is my personal website devoted to the many regional road trips that I like to take away from my hometown of Sterling, Illinois. I like sharing my journeys with you. Perhaps there is something that you haven’t heard of that becomes of interest with you, or someone you know. At this time, my typical travel area is about 3-5 hours from Sterling, which includes most of Illinois, eastern Iowa, southern Wisconsin and a little of northwest Indiana.

New content will be posted on an intermittent basis, as time allows due to my primary work schedule as a journalist for Shaw Media. The best way to get new updates is by subscribing – there should be a button on the bottom right corner of your screen that reads “Subscribe.”

Learn more about this website by clicking HERE. Thank you for visiting!

**Update on 2026 website activity** — The following road trips taken in 2025 are planned for content release in early 2026: The Ernie Pyle World War II Museum (Dana, Indiana), Golconda-Rosiclaire-Elizabethtown, Shawneetown and Old Shawneetown, The original Burger King (Mattoon, Illinois), Apple River Fort (Elizabeth, Illinois) and Part 3 of my Indian Head Motor Trail trip (Sterling to Galena). I also made some random stops in Eastern Iowa in January 2026 that will be written about in a single post.

Trips taken by date ––– Trips taken by location ––– Trips by topic
**Recent road trip features are further down this page**

“Road Trip Random” Photo Album

These are odds and ends from various road trips I’ve taken… they don’t quite make it into special features, but they are cool and interesting nonetheless!
Updated 2/18/2026

← Go backward — Go forward →

View my newest road trips!
I use the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to post live updates on my most recent trips – and then I write about them for features on this website later. X users can go to #CodysRoadTrips to check it all out!

↓ RECENT ROAD TRIPS ↓

Click on the picture to read about them!

COMING SOON —- Illinois’ Fluorite County: Nearly 75% of the world’s fluorite was mined in southern Illinois at one time. This road trips takes you to towns such as Golconda, Rosiclare, Elizabethtown and Cave-in-Rock – all along the Ohio River. Trip taken on Oct. 21, 2025.

Illinois Route 1 road trip
Route 1 largely follows a historic trail in eastern Illinois. At 323 miles, Route 1 is the largest ORIGINAL state highway.
The trip took place in late October. Trip logs were completed in January 2026.
Click here for a preview
Part 1: Log – Album
Part 2: Log– Album
Part 3: Log– Album

Seeing Sheen:
Peoria’s venerable Catholic son
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen brought the Catholic Church to a worldwide audience through early radio and television with programs such as “The Catholic Hour” and “Life is Worth Living.” His journey begins in Peoria.
Trip taken on Aug. 1, 2025

Animals and Pioneers:
an Eastern Iowa road trip
This trip is proof that there are interesting places right under your nose that you might not have known – all you have to do is go out and roam. That’s the true beauty of a road trip.
Trip taken on July 27, 2025

Roaming around Rockford
Sometimes when you think you’ve seen everything there is to see somewhere, there’s always something different that piques your interest all of a sudden. Each trip seems to give me something new to appreciate.
Trip taken on July 30, 2025

The Indian Head Trail: a 3-part series on an old motor trail
Before numbered state and federal highways came into existence in the mid-1920s, getting from town to town involved a drive, buggy ride or horse ride on dirt or gravel roads. During the World War I era, roads were improved and named to help motorists get their way around Illinois. The Indian Head Trail connected Galena and Peoria.
Introduction
Part I: Peoria to Princeton
Part II: Princeton to Rock Falls
Part III: Rock Falls to Galena (coming soon)