No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.  ~Lin Yutang, Chinese writer and inventor

I’ve been from coast to coast and north to south across these great United States, but I imagine that, despite its faults, Illinois always will hold a special place in my heart.

And since this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge is Tour Guide — what’s special about the place where we live — I’ve prepared a number of photos to show off some of the Land of Lincoln in its glory. If you click the first photo, you can view them as a slideshow. Please enjoy: