Moonshine, IL - Home of the Moonburger

Saturday, July 17.  Great day for a motorcycle ride despite the forecast:  heat advisory with the temperature forecasted to be in the low 90's, heat index 100 degrees.  A group of 9 bikes/11 people hooked up at a central location,  Andrae's Harley Davidson parking lot (Urbana, IL).  We were supposed to leave at 9:30am but Andrae's was having a sidewalk sale and we got distracted!  So we didn't get out of there until around 10am.

We headed south on US 130, and rode through a lot of small towns - some I knew (Philo, Villa Grove) but most I did not.  Then east on route 133 to route 49 where we headed south.  We took a break in Casey, IL, then headed east, again.  One of the guys says "human GPS from here"...it was a matter of watching for a teeny little sign as Moonshine isn't really a town but rather a "wide spot in the road" - per the locals.  When I say "teeny little sign", it is exactly that.  So small our "leader" missed it but our second rider spotted the sign so the rest of us turned on the right road, then sat and waited for Rooney to figure out we weren't following him.

We arrived at Moonshine in time to order our Moonburgers (they turn the grill off at 12:30pm, so if you go, make sure you get there in time!).   The process works like this: you get in line and order your food  (they do serve a variety of sandwiches, not just burgers).

Then while you're waiting for your sandwich, you pick out whatever you want to drink and chips if you want those, then you get in a different line to pay. I'd recommend paying before you pick up your burger so you it doesn't cool off while you're standing in the pay line.

There are interesting signs and shelves full of old "stuff" so while you're waiting in line, you're entertained.  This was one of my favorite signs - behind the cash register. (hey, I didn't hang it...I just read it)

Once you have picked up your burger, you head outside where there's a condiments bar (ketchup, mustard, pickles, onions etc).  Then find a seat at one of the picnic tables and enjoy a great burger.

I have to admit I expected rubbery burgers....as many as they were cooking, how could they not cut corners and use what's  most convenient.  However, to my surprise, the burgers were actually great.  One note - there are no indoor "facilities".  If you need a bio break, there are Porta Potties.

There is an organized ride to Moonshine every April. This year there were 1100 motorcycles and 1400 people. They gather in Casey IL - coming in from all over the country.

To finish up the day, we rode to Mattoon to check out Bagelfest. For those of you who don't know this, Mattoon, IL is home of the largest bagel factory in the world (Lenders). I sat next to their PR person on a flight on Friday - she was coming into town specifically for the festival.  All I can say is that it was a bust.  It didn't help that it was 90+ degrees with a heat index of 100, but it was pretty lame.  There were a few food vendors (I had a really good ice cold lemon shake-up) and a handful of arts/craft vendors.  Very few people (probably all home in air-conditioning). No bagels - apparently they give out free bagels for breakfast, but not other times during the day.  To be fair, they were having a band or two in the evening, so maybe things pick up after dark. That said, I still won't be putting Bagelfest on my list of festivals for next year.

We had a great ride through some scenic country (more than corn fields and bean fields). We saw several beautiful horse farms - a couple of them looked a little bit like a Kentucky farm only smaller.  It was a great day!