The OOIDA tour trailer stops in Effingham, Ill.

Marty Ellis is headed to Effingham, Ill., with the OOIDA tour trailer.

Ellis and the Spirit of the American Trucker are scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday, April 11-12, to be at the Effingham Petro.

The Effingham Petro is at the West Fayette Avenue exit from I-70/I-59. That is Exit 159.

The Effingham Petro has parking for 212 tractor-trailers. There is an IHOP sit-down restaurant.

The last time the OOIDA tour trailer stopped in Effingham, it was one of the final tour stops for Ellis’s predecessor as driver of The Spirit, Jon Osburn. Osburn had driven the Spirit of the American Trucker for nine years. He reminisced on Land Line Now about his tenure behind the wheel of the OOIDA tour trailer.

Huge cross along I-70

Effingham is home to a 198-foot tall cross, the Cross at the Crossroads. The cross is visible from I-70. It is just south of the Effingham Petro, between it and the junction of I-57 and I-70.

The cross was built in 2001 by Bud Althoff, an area resident who was inspired by friends who had seen a similar cross in Groom, Texas, which is 30 miles east of Amarillo.

Stop by when you see The Spirit

If you see the OOIDA tour trailer, stop by and say hello. Ellis looks forward to visiting about the Association’s activities and current issues. There are copies of Land Line Magazine to pick up there. You can join or renew your membership with the OOIDA 50th anniversary promotion of two years for $50. That’s a $40 savings. You can also use the promotion as many times as you like.

After Effingham, Ellis plans to join the fun at the Swamp East Missouri Truck Show & Convoy on April 14-15 in Sikeston, Mo. After that, the schedule says he’s headed to Jackson, Miss.

Here is the schedule for The Spirit. LL