The Second Trip: June 2006

 

All the trips I took in Tammy Zywicki’s case had secondary explanations.  I never took a trip to investigate Tammy Zywicki’s case in the direct sense. I would use another explanation that was the truth in case anyone asked. 

 

In June 2006, this was very much how my second trip came about.  I was very interested in travel and in one road in particular:  Route 66.  2006 was the 80^th anniversary of Route 66.  I had a plan for a small trip to follow the old Route 66 down to the middle of Illinois.  My plan was to explore Route 66 between Joliet and McClean, Illinois, then come back.  I chose McClean, Illinois because there was a famous truck stop called Dixie that supposedly had a bunch of Route 66 memorabilia.  Then I would come back up I-39 to explore the Lasalle, Mendota, IL area and eventually go back east home. 

 

If you do not know anything about Route 66, once you get down near Gardner, IL you can follow the frontage road along the expressway.  I-55 was the road that replaced Route 66 so the frontage road that runs alongside it near Gardner is the actual Route 66.

 

After the historical side of my trip was complete I went north along I-39 and thought that maybe this might be the area where the killer lived.  Since Tammy Zywicki was found in different clothing than what she was last seen wearing, I theorized that maybe she was in someone’s house in Illinois before being driven to Missouri.  From where Tammy Zywicki was abducted on I-80, I thought I-39 south meeting up with I-55 to I-44 was probably the route the killer took.   At one point I even theorized that it could be the Route 66 killer that was involved even though there is no such thing as far as I know.  When you are younger you come up with wild theories that have no basis in fact other than what you think. 

 

Taking some more information from the People Magazine article, “The Long Road Back” I wanted to go to the Mendota truck stop area off I-39.  One eyewitness account of Tammy Zywicki was from a motel clerk who said she swears she saw Tammy asking about information at the motel.  I think it was a Super 8 motel, because that was the closest one I found right next to the truck stop in Mendota.  It made sense.  I took numerous pictures of trucks with logos(today I ask myself why).  But I sat there wondering if any of the trucks driving past me might be the killer. 

 

I then took a square route east over to the road that goes south to the overpass that crosses over I-80 near MM83 and then back west and north again to the Mendota truck stop.  I think when you look at a location you have to look at the location as a whole (north south east west) to get a better picture of the travel and landscape.  Where Tammy disappeared from along I-80 is rather desolate.  Other than some farm houses, her best bet was to try and walk to the next exit along I-80 to maybe find a gas station.  I stopped at those gas stations too off the next exit, which if I remember correctly is Utica.  It is not too far down the interstate from where she disappeared.  But gas stations might have surveillance cameras.  Numerous motorists would have seen a woman walking west along I-80.  I do not remember reading about any people that witnessed this possible scenario.  And so for the most part I eliminated the idea that she walked to the next exit.  My conclusion is that whatever happened to Tammy Zywicki probably happened around the area of her car. 

 

Then I got back on I-80 eastbound and passed by MM83 again.