Over the Christmas holiday, we visited relatives in the Chicagoland area and went geocaching at Raceway Woods - formally known as Meadowdale International Raceway. It was built in 1958 near Carpentersville, Illinois, some 40 miles northwest of Chicago - designed to rival the great race tracks of Europe. The track was 3.27 miles long, and had a variety of turns and elevation changes. Its signature feature was the Monza Wall, a 180 degree steeply banked turn that led onto the 4,000 foot main straightaway. Raceway Woods is open to the public for hiking, biking, horseback riding, picnicking and other outdoor recreation - including geocaching.
Here's a 1958 view of the Monza Wall.
Below is a view of the straightaway in 1968.
Here's what it looks like today.
Meadowdale International Raceway has a great website, chock full of vintage and contemporary photos. I encourage the reader to visit that link.
It was a beautiful Christmas day for geocaching at Raceway Woods. The skies were clear with temps in the mid 30's. With no leaf cover the GPSrs were spot on and the caches easy to find.
The nephews show the size of this hide.
And here's the whole gang at the wall.
Save the Silo!
The famous Pure silo that graced the early track was slated for demolition
until racing enthusiasts and local residents got wind of it. A fund was set up to save the silo, the goal reached, and the silo is nearing complete restoration. The addition of benches, landscaping, and possibly a geocache will make it all complete. Click on either picture to read all about the restoration.
