Talking about important people (11 June)

It's time to talk about someone who is very important to the well-being of the Cross Roads riders: Tom. From dawn until after dusk he and the rest of the staff are busy stocking the SAG vehicles, setting up SAG stops, making sure all rooms are ready as soon as possible, transporting duffle bags to said rooms, organizing dinners and completing a myriad of other tasks, all pretty much out of sight of the riders. And he does all this without losing his sense of humor!

Today the riders had a long stint of over 100 mi. to ride. Pleasant temperatures  and a moderate headwind made riding quite enjoyable. I did my stint in the fitness room and pool, and then headed toward Springfield, where I intended to meet another very important person: Abraham Lincoln.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum has the most elaborate dioramas and technically advanced shows I have ever seen. One such exhibition is a Holatheater, of which there are only three in the world. The audience is guided through a presentation on the importance of the Presidential Library and its contents in reconstructing our history by a man walking back and forth behind a scrim and conjuring up pictures from the artefacts. He seems real enough...until at the end he reveals that he died at the Battle of Gettysburg and he himself disappears!

Below are some impressions of the dioramas and a painting.

Debate against Douglas

Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd

A slave auction

At the Ford Theater shortly before he was shot

The Battle at Fort Sumter; the begin of the American Civil War

A question for my blog followers: which four presidents came from Illinois?