The Trip Begins

Wagz and I added some extra time at the beginning of the trip, so we could visit a few unusual sights. It makes the trip fun, and adds some variety to the trip. The first stop on this trip was in the town of Gays, Illinois, to see the double-decker outhouse. This was originally the site of a two-story building. The store, on the first floor, wanted to have bathrooms for their customers, and provide separate facilities for the apartments on the second floor.  So, in 1872, the solution was to build a two-story version of an outhouse. The ‘facilities’ are placed on opposite walls, and a wall hides the, um, waste, from the second floor. I am sure many people were very happy someone thought of that.  When the two-story building was demolished, the outhouse was carefully preserved. The property is now a city park.

As we rode up to the park, there was a guy riding a four-wheel ATV up and down the street. He had his young granddaughter with him, and they were having fun.  He stops to ask where we are from, and says “I don’t know what it is, but lots of people seem to stop to see this outhouse.” I told him how I read about it on the Internet, while trying to look for unusual sites. We laughed about it, and he sped off down the road.  We got some photos and read the message board with news clippings detailing the history of the outhouse.  As we were leaving, a van pulls into the parking lot.

Next: The Fire-Breathing Dragon