Here is the complete list of features published on Cody’s Road Trips. The list begins with the most recent trip. Keep scrolling and scrolling to read about earlier trips and see some photos.

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. This happened to me while wandering around Rockford one day. Trip taken on July 30, 2025.

250 years of Chief Shabbona: In northern Illinois, two legendary Native American chiefs are known well enough today that their names are familiar to the residents who live on their lands today. Black Hawk is one of them. The other is the Potawatomie chief Shabbona, whose friendliness to the migrating White man is largely the opposite of Black Hawk’s. Shabbona was born around 250 years ago, giving me a reason to take a road trip. I go through Channahon, Morris, Seneca, Earlville, Shabbona, Utica and Triumph on this trip. Trip taken on July 15, 2025
Bonus photo album coming soon!

The Quad Cities in the War of 1812: One of the most notable facts about the War of 1812 is that it affirmed that the United States was here to stay. The Quad Cities had a role in the affirmation of our nation’s prosperity during the War at two different sites: Credit Island in Davenport and Campbell’s Island in East Moline. Trip taken on June 29, 2025

Indian Head Trail: 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. Trip taken on July 5, 2025 (Parts I and II), Part III trip coming soon.
Introduction — Part I: Peoria to Princeton — Part II: Princeton to Rock Falls — Part III: Rock Falls to Galena

Saint Who? In Harmon, it’s “Flannen”: When you drive by a Catholic church and find that it’s not named after the usual people – like John, Paul, Peter, Patrick or Mary – do you wonder who exactly that person was? In Harmon, in Lee County, the saint’s name is Flannan. Trip taken on Nov. 17, 2023

Franklin Creek – a frog’s perspective: Some creeks have names, and that’s it. Some creeks don’t even have names. Franklin Creek in northern Lee County has some interesting sights around it: parks, history, machines and a grist mill. Trip taken on April 29, 2023

Before Rock Island, there was Saukenauk: Black Hawk’s birthplace in Illinois now is a museum, woodland and lodge dedicated to the Sauk Native community and the lodge builders.
DYK: There’s a Revolutionary War connection here? Trip taken on June 29, 2025

History enCASEd: Brand loyalty is a big deal to an Ogle County farmer, and so are his old tractors he still uses many decades after they were built. He’s acquired quite the collection of Case tractors and memorabilia for his museum. Trip taken on October 10, 2023.

Pop-etstown treats: This year marks the 125th anniversary of a Prophetstown woman’s popcorn prophecy, and her kind of corn has become an attraction to this Whiteside County town – now from a stand outside the town’s grocery store. Trip taken on June 26, 2025.

Toying on the farm: Dyersville, Iowa has a certain meaning depending on what people like. It means baseball to baseball fans, a mecca for local Catholics, and farm toys to farmers. On this trip to Dyersville, my stop was inspired by a desire to want to learn more about agriculture due to my work on an agriculture magazine. Trip taken on March 29, 2025.

Wandering the Freeport Area: A town wiped from the map due to cholera, an old brick one-room schoolhouse and an old dam site were highlights of a mini road trip I took on this day.
Trip taken on June 11, 2025.

Iowa Route 136: Clinton to Dyersville, a driftless edge: When I’m bored and want to travel, but don’t quite know where, I’ll sometimes pick a road and travel its entirety. On this occasion, that road was Iowa state route 136, which goes from Clinton to Dyersville. Linked in the post is a Flickr photo album from my journey. Trip taken on March 29, 2025.

Between Chicago and Milwaukee: “Chicwaukee”: I took a 3-day tour around Chicago’s north shore suburbs and the Kenosha/Racine area to wander about and see what all was there. I left wanting to come back for more, there’s plenty of interesting places to see and visit. Trip taken on April 15-17, 2025.
Introduction — Day 1: Chicagoland — Day 2: Kenosha area — Day 3: Racine area

Visitor centers are worth the stop, including Galena: How well do you know Galena? Those who know about it but haven’t explored it real well likely know two things: 1) Ulysses S. Grant, and 2) Downtown. There’s a lot more to Galena than that, as you would probably expect. Its visitor center – and, in fact ANY visitor center wherever you go – adds to your road trip experience. Trip taken on March 31, 2025.

Journey on Old Route 5 from Elizabeth to East Dubuque: Illinois state Route 5 used to be what’s now U.S. Route 20 until 1925. This post isn’t about the multi-lane freeway, or John Deere Road or Interstate 88. This is about the REALLY OLD Route 5, which went from Chicago to East Dubuque. Actually, this post is about the very scenic stretch of the REALLY OLD Route 5 from Elizabeth to East Dubuque. Trips taken on March 29 and 31, 2025.

Exploring the Elizabeth Blacktop: Illinois’ gateways to the Driftless Area are most notably located at the numbered highways (20, 78 and 84). One more route has much fewer cars and many more curves, a stretch that goes from Mount Carroll to Elizabeth. Trip taken on March 31, 2025.

Bridging history at his park: Leave it up to A.J. Hinrichs to know so much about an Ogle County railroad bridge that’s more than 90 years old. The piece of local history has become near and dear to Hinrichs, who makes sure its beauty is long-lasting. Trip taken on March 24, 2025; original story appeared in “Ogle County Living” in 2021.

Diamond standard in railfanning: Despite being only 80 miles from downtown Chicago, Rochelle is home to an intersection of two major railroad lines going from the big city toward the west coast. It’s also a place where lovers of all things railroads gather to get close to the big machines and marvel at certain rail traffic particulars they wish to see. Trips taken on March 12 and 14, 2025.

Commentary: Don’t make this early spring mistake: The snow is gone. It’s getting nicer outside. After being cooped up all winter, the road trip lover in you is really, really anxious to go out and explore. So you do. Here’s the problem: It’s still March. Nothing’s open yet. Trip taken on March 22, 2025.

Commentary: So where do you want to go? – As the weather gets nicer, it’s time to start thinking about where I would like to go on my 2025 road trip adventures. The mercury hit 70 degrees on Monday, March 10, but I was stuck at home. Posted on March 11, 2025.

Sand before snow, road tripping while it’s still nice out: Before the first major snowfall of the season blanked northwest Illinois, I needed to get a road trip in. This drive took me to the sand hills north of Mineral, and a few places in the small Bureau County town as well. Did you know a form of cactus grows in the area? Sand will do that. Trip taken on Feb. 11, 2025.

Well, water you waiting for? : In northern Stephenson County, the town of Winslow doesn’t have just any running water faucet, it’s a local tourist destination that people near and far have come to for nearly 100 years – all for a lot of water to take home. This town also is home to a favorite gag of mine. Trip taken on Dec. 28, 2024.

Standing on a corner – Hollowayville: Have you ever stood on the corner of Hollywood and Vine? I now have. Sort of. Did I take part in a Catholic confession, or get free chicken and beer there? No. And No. When I go on my many road trips, sometimes I catch a sight that makes me think of a funny pun or circumstance. Trip taken on Nov. 27, 2024.

Ghost grids of Mount Palatine: This tiny burg in the far northeast corner of Putnam County once was home to a college and 20 blocks of residences. All that remains today are a handful of homes and faint remnants of what was a street grid. Trip taken on Nov. 27, 2024.

Plank Road: Where was it supposed to go: Originating in Peru, Illinois, Plank Road once was a stagecoach trail that led travelers northwest of town. Today, it’s known as one of a few Interstate 80 exits in the LaSalle-Peru area. The road itself terminates in Cherry, but it once went much farther than that. Here’s a look at some of the interesting spots along its path. Trip taken on Nov. 27, 2024.

Indiana, Cincinnati, Owensboro and more: In Spring 2023, I took a five-day, multi-state road trip to various places in Indiana, Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and even some Southern Illinois. Check out visits to the Milan ’54 Museum, the home of President Taft, the American Sign Museum, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, a metal fire breathing dragon and much, much more.

Bureau-Henry Moraine: You don’t have to go to the Driftless Region or the Mississippi River shore to see neat views. Here’s a point in northern Henry and Bureau counties with high sights, winding roads, hills to ascend and descend, and plenty of small lakes where mining once was rampant. Trip taken on March 21, 2023.

Classic Illinois Route 78: Hooppole to Annawan: Illinois Route 78 is one of the longest state roads in Illinois. The highway has an interesting early history, and a pre-history that is intact, but in parts. Here’s a big piece of that classic stretch from Hooppole to Annawan. Trip taken on March 21, 2023.

Pray the “Rollery”: For my first travel feature on this blog, I decided to visit the closest place I thought was cool to me that I had never been to before. Here’s a church and sports connection out in the country west of Hooppole, lllinois. Trip taken on March 21, 2023.