Illinois is, in fact, flat

JayhawkCO · March 16, 2025, 08:15:27 AM

Quote from: TheCatalyst31 on March 16, 2025, 12:09:57 AM
Quote from: Revive 755 on March 15, 2025, 10:11:54 PM
Quote from: Big JohnWhat hills in Illinois?

On I-55

Another hill off to the side of I-55

Another on IL 104

One on IL 336

On I-74

On I-90 (and anyone who disagrees with this one needs to have the pleasure of getting on EB behind a truck[/url]

On IL 130

On IL 130 again

On US 45

This isn't the first time I've seen you post a bunch of links to sad-looking hills to defend the non-flatness of Illinois. Do you have a folder of these saved up or something?

Eureka! I have found another mild change in elevation!

Scott5114 · March 16, 2025, 08:21:39 AM

Quote from: 1995hoo on March 15, 2025, 04:42:29 PMRound and flat are not necessarily exclusive in the case of a planet, unlike in the case of a person.

A person can be round in some places and flat in others.

SEWIGuy · March 16, 2025, 09:22:55 AM

And here's the thing...why doesn't Illinois just embrace its flatness? Honestly there is something awe-inspiring to drive along I-88 east of the Quad Cities and see completely flat farmland for miles in every direction. How something can be that flat, and that fertile, is pretty amazing.

thspfc · March 16, 2025, 09:26:45 AM

Quote from: TheCatalyst31 on March 16, 2025, 12:09:57 AM
Quote from: Revive 755 on March 15, 2025, 10:11:54 PM
Quote from: Big JohnWhat hills in Illinois?

On I-55

Another hill off to the side of I-55

Another on IL 104

One on IL 336

On I-74

On I-90 (and anyone who disagrees with this one needs to have the pleasure of getting on EB behind a truck[/url]

On IL 130

On IL 130 again

On US 45

This isn't the first time I've seen you post a bunch of links to sad-looking hills to defend the non-flatness of Illinois. Do you have a folder of these saved up or something?

This has been a trope on the forum for like 3 years now. Every single time someone does it, they cripple their own point because at least two thirds of the links are unquestionably flat.

Scott5114 · March 16, 2025, 12:24:53 PM

Quote from: SEWIGuy on March 16, 2025, 09:22:55 AMAnd here's the thing...why doesn't Illinois just embrace its flatness?

Living somewhere with mountains now, I can appreciate that places like Illinois don't have much elevation change. But Illinois does at least have enough hills to make biking annoying. People who don't know flat aren't in my former shoes of my former neighborhood...

hobsini2 · March 16, 2025, 12:26:34 PM

Quote from: ZLoth on March 15, 2025, 08:38:18 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 15, 2025, 12:35:55 PM
Quote from: ZLoth on March 15, 2025, 12:32:34 PMFrom what I understand, Illinois is the second flattest state.

Yes, that is accurate. Thing was that this didn't become a forum meme because of anyone trying to defend the honor of Florida. K12 clearly has read some of this Crash_It stuff if he dug up this Flat Illinois business. I don't know why he thinks it is a good idea to champion the cause of this forum's greatest villain.

Was this in any way associated with the thread How to determine the flatness of a state? Pass the aspirin...?

SSOWorld · March 16, 2025, 12:40:23 PM

Quote from: Scott5114 on March 16, 2025, 12:24:53 PM
Quote from: SEWIGuy on March 16, 2025, 09:22:55 AMAnd here's the thing...why doesn't Illinois just embrace its flatness?

Living somewhere with mountains now, I can appreciate that places like Illinois don't have much elevation change. But Illinois does at least have enough hills to make biking annoying. People who don't know flat aren't in my former shoes of my former neighborhood...

see now, Illinois has way more of these than Oklahoma does.

kphoger · March 17, 2025, 09:33:22 AM

Quote from: SEWIGuy on March 15, 2025, 01:21:33 PMIllinois does have its non-flat areas, but I think people overstate how nice they are because the rest of the place is mind-numbingly flat.

This is the most accurate and succinct summary of Illinois's topography that I've seen on here.

Quote from: TheCatalyst31 on March 16, 2025, 12:09:57 AMThis isn't the first time I've seen you post a bunch of links to sad-looking hills to defend the non-flatness of Illinois. Do you have a folder of these saved up or something?

Ummm... Uhhh.........

* kphoger opens up a folder on his computer, clicks on filename Illinois, does copy-and-paste...

Sapphuby · March 18, 2025, 09:23:20 PM

Quote from: Bruce on March 15, 2025, 05:27:57 PMIllinois should build a 1:1 scale replica of Denali in Forgottonia to settle this debate once and for all.

Oh let's please not

Max Rockatansky · March 18, 2025, 10:14:16 PM

Quote from: Sapphuby on March 18, 2025, 09:23:20 PM
Quote from: Bruce on March 15, 2025, 05:27:57 PMIllinois should build a 1:1 scale replica of Denali in Forgottonia to settle this debate once and for all.

Oh let's please not

Are we all suddenly forgetting about Mount Illinois? I thought we were all subject matter experts on flat/not flat Illinois lore?

Revive 755 · March 18, 2025, 11:06:38 PM

Quote from: ZLoth on March 15, 2025, 12:32:34 PMFrom what I understand, Illinois is the second flattest state.

Going off of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_elevation, Florida, Delaware and Indiana look flatter.

english si · March 19, 2025, 04:09:50 AM

Quote from: Revive 755 on March 18, 2025, 11:06:38 PM
Quote from: ZLoth on March 15, 2025, 12:32:34 PMFrom what I understand, Illinois is the second flattest state.

Going off of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_elevation, Florida, Delaware and Indiana look flatter.

They are lower, and have slightly smaller elevation ranges, but that doesn't mean that they are flatter, which is a descriptor of smoothness.

hobsini2 · March 19, 2025, 07:52:53 AM

This is more of what I had in mind for hills in Illinois.

US 20 east of Galena: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3887854,-90.3769567,3a,75y,154.67h,80.44t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sLHoCx-QXVvu-9nTBp2zxNQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D9.559321352389802%26panoid%3DLHoCx-QXVvu-9nTBp2zxNQ%26yaw%3D154.66890381853625!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDMxNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Bluff Rd near me:
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.6800822,-88.0310647,3a,75y,249.41h,80.7t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sUYmdJC09UHxMZO41Dr0rZg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D9.300139424113468%26panoid%3DUYmdJC09UHxMZO41Dr0rZg%26yaw%3D249.40828281857029!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDMxNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Now that being said, overall, Illinois is a pretty flat state.

Scott5114 · March 20, 2025, 03:30:52 PM

Grab a random Illinoisian and ask them what the gears past D are for.

kphoger · March 20, 2025, 03:36:20 PM

Quote from: Scott5114 on March 20, 2025, 03:30:52 PMGrab a random Illinoisian and ask them what the gears past D are for.

Snow and ice.

TheCatalyst31 · March 21, 2025, 12:10:17 AM

Quote from: Scott5114 on March 20, 2025, 03:30:52 PMGrab a random Illinoisian and ask them what the gears past D are for.

I grew up and learned to drive in Illinois, and I'm pretty sure driver's ed was the first time I saw the low gears in use. We had to go to a specific road that had enough of an elevation change to use the low gears, and even then I'm pretty sure you could get by fine without them. This is the road if anyone wants to add it to their collection of Illinois hills.

SSOWorld · March 21, 2025, 03:36:59 PM

Quote from: TheCatalyst31 on March 21, 2025, 12:10:17 AM
Quote from: Scott5114 on March 20, 2025, 03:30:52 PMGrab a random Illinoisian and ask them what the gears past D are for.
I grew up and learned to drive in Illinois, and I'm pretty sure driver's ed was the first time I saw the low gears in use. We had to go to a specific road that had enough of an elevation change to use the low gears, and even then I'm pretty sure you could get by fine without them. This is the road if anyone wants to add it to their collection of Illinois hills.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/VMRHUe1uCVBsdsRW9

Still flat when view from here.

SEWIGuy · March 21, 2025, 04:02:46 PM

I don't know if I have ever driven a car in any gear but "Drive." Manual transmission excepted of course.

kphoger · March 21, 2025, 04:07:30 PM

Quote from: SEWIGuy on March 21, 2025, 04:02:46 PMI don't know if I have ever driven a car in any gear but "Drive." Manual transmission excepted of course.

How do you ever back out of a parking space?

(Seriously, though, the next gear below Drive (or the overdrive on/off button) is plenty useful for towing a trailer on even the flattest of terrain.)

SEWIGuy · March 21, 2025, 04:28:44 PM

Quote from: kphoger on March 21, 2025, 04:07:30 PM
Quote from: SEWIGuy on March 21, 2025, 04:02:46 PMI don't know if I have ever driven a car in any gear but "Drive." Manual transmission excepted of course.

How do you ever back out of a parking space?

(Seriously, though, the next gear below Drive (or the overdrive on/off button) is plenty useful for towing a trailer on even the flattest of terrain.)

Ha. Good point.

I have never towed a trailer.

jeffandnicole · March 21, 2025, 04:52:50 PM

Quote from: Scott5114 on March 20, 2025, 03:30:52 PMGrab a random Illinoisian and ask them what the gears past D are for.

To be fair, there's many people in many states who have never had to use a gear other than D (to drive forward). Unless they're driving thru mountains or unusually hilly areas, there's usually no reason to shift to a lower gear. And unless they're on a serious lengthy grade change, hitting the gas or brake as needed takes care of their needs without burning out the transmission or brakes.

JayhawkCO · March 21, 2025, 05:07:18 PM

I don't know that I've ever driven an automatic in "normal" first or second gear. I've certainly used 4-Lo though in my Xterra/Jeep.

Scott5114 · March 22, 2025, 11:27:29 AM

Quote from: jeffandnicole on March 21, 2025, 04:52:50 PMTo be fair, there's many people in many states who have never had to use a gear other than D (to drive forward). Unless they're driving thru mountains or unusually hilly areas, there's usually no reason to shift to a lower gear.

The scientific term for areas that do not have any mountains or unusually hilly areas is "flat".

Max Rockatansky · March 22, 2025, 11:29:49 AM

In fairness to the drivers of Illinois I haven't encountered many normals on the west coast that know how to engage lower gears on automatic transmissions either. Normals prefer to ride their brakes down steep grades.

Rothman · March 22, 2025, 02:37:10 PM

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 22, 2025, 11:29:49 AMIn fairness to the drivers of Illinois I haven't encountered many normals on the west coast that know how to engage lower gears on automatic transmissions either. Normals prefer to ride their brakes down steep grades.

Also found this to be stupefyingly true. My father taught me to shift down. It's not even that mysterious of a procedure.

News:

Illinois is, in fact, flat