Before any great or small journey I do some presketching.

On my October Fall break I planned to visit two midwestern states: Missouri and Illinois. I had been to Illinois before but only to Chicago. Now I planned to visit it’s capital, Springfield. And Missouri, Gateway to the West, would be a first visit for me.

My starting point would be St. Louis, Missouri. I had a few sites, destinations, and sketches on my list, chief among them was the National Museum of Transportation.

This 42 acre museum is in the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood. Its collection of railroad history includes: Aerotrain No. 3, Big Boy No. 4006, Norfolk & Western Y-class No. 2156, UP Centennial No. 6944, the Silver Charger No. 9908, and the steam locomotive that I was really looking forward to seeing/ sketching: Southern Pacific’s GS-6 No. 4460 (featured sketch).

I also want to sketch the world’s tallest arch, the 630 foot Gateway Arch in St. Louis. I booked at ticket to take me up to the top to see the city of St. Louis and the mighty Mississippi River.

Illinois is known as the “Land of Lincoln” and the epicenter of Lincoln is the state capital of Springfield. It was here that Lincoln lived for 17 years before he left from the Great Western train station to become the 16th President of the United States. In Springfield are the station where he departed, his home, Presidential Museum and Library, and his tomb.

I had much to sketch and many miles to traverse on my short Midwestern jaunt so I drew it out as a map.

Before any trip I like to draw a map to help me visualize where I am going. I like to add travel times (St. Louis to Springfield: 1 hr 27 min) because it helps me plan my time deciding how much time to spend in either city. I’ve always been about seeing less while having quality time on the ground.

In circular inserts I illustrated four of my sketching targets: Lincoln’s house in Springfield, the Lincoln bust at his his tomb (visitors rub his nose for good luck), the National Museum of Transportation (featuring Southern Pacific’s No. 4460), and the Gateway Arch on the banks of the Mississippi in St. Louis.

Let’s go!