Longer Bridge

Further north from the footbridge we see another addition to Raceway Woods in recent years.  A small creek has altered the landscape tremendously in recent decades, and the straightaway, nearly a mile long, was impassable without hiking down into a valley for some years.  This footbridge does not replace anything folks walked on years ago; this replaces a portion of the race course itself.  The views it affords of the area are quite interesting, and the 2.7 mile course is now walkable.

Rust Never Sleeps

About the time that Meadowdale was closed and abandoned, Neil Young recorded Rust Never Sleeps.  Today at Raceway Woods we see graphic evidence of that fact.

Bridge Details

Details of the old footbridge at Meadowdale, the best being a huge tree which, having grown up through the struts, appears to be biting on the rust-protected metal.

Bridge Remnant

Both bridges along the roadway in Raceway Woods are new, perhaps five years old and clearly not wide enough for any automobile race course.  One bridge remnant does remain, though.  Parking years ago was on the east side, near Rt. 31, and a footbridge allowed spectators to cross over the race course.  While all of the decking is gone, it is an interesting artifact, as trees that did not exist fifty years ago have grown up thick and huge.
On this quiet and pretty afternoon, it is far too quiet here.  A half-dozen years ago, my first visit to Raceway Woods was also on a quiet day, but I could almost hear the roar of the engines as they spun around a turn.  Today, those years seem impossibly long gone.

Meadowdale International Raceway

Our mystery location is Raceway Woods, a public walking/jogging/bicycling park between  West Dundee and Algonquin along Rt. 31.  A silo from the earlier farmstead was painted for the Raceway back in 1958 and it still stands, now repainted as a wonderful souvenir of the times.  From 1958-1967 this was Meadowdale International Raceway, a 2.75 mile track for the much more complex European style of racing.  The course had hairpin turns and a Monza wall, where drivers had to keep up to speed as they raced along the upper areas of the wall without falling.  A straightaway nearly a mile long promoted high speeds.  Google the Meadowdale name and find out much more about this interesting place to visit.