MERRILSVILLE, Illinois -- It was 408 miles to Chicago. We had a full tank of gas, half a pot of coffee, it was dark out and we were not wearing sunglasses.
Eight hours later we had cleared the Windy City and passed well into in Indiana before finally deciding to call it quits for the night at sometime around three o'clock in the morning. I am pretty sure we could have driven straight through to watch the sunrise over Ohio and be home shortly thereafter.
Wisdom, however, trumped all-night-driving valor and we decided to get a few hours sleep at the local Mejier's parking lot, which -- like Wal-mart -- is RVer friendly.
Probably all for the best as Chicago -- and the long road into town -- lived up to its name. The wind was probably the worst of the trip. At times we were getting smacked around so badly it felt like we were doing a hip-slapping tango with a drunken Sumo wrestler on roller skates.
And even in the wee hours of the morning, Chicago traffic made for a wild ride. The inner city Interstate connection to the highway that would lead us to into Indiana will perhaps win the award for "Most Harrowing" of this trip, although the judges are still consulting. The Heart of Gold was forced to navigate through the longest-yet-narrowest, single-lane, no-shoulder, concrete-barricade-encased, under-construction stretch of highway I have ever seen. The Heart of Gold is 95-inches wide. I'm pretty sure this "road" -- more aptly described, I think, as gauntlet -- was only 94-inches wide. It was that narrow.
At times there was razor-wire-topped fencing passing, I'm not making this up, within inches of my left ear. It felt like I was driving through the DMZ in Korea or the Green Zone in Baghdad.
Anyway, we made it through, got what can only be described as an extra mediocre night's, um mornings', sleep and now with freshly-bought provisions of Dunkin Donuts and coffee aboard, we are set to begin, this, the very last leg of journey home.
We might just be there by noon, if -- as Marley and the kids are reminding me for only the first time on this trip -- I can quit writing this blog and get going.
It will be good to be home again.
The Blog from the HOG
About Us
- Jon Anderson
- A family of four on a grand adventure to Seattle and back, and then back again.
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost
-- J.R.R. Tolkien
(They) attacked everything in life with a mix of extraordinary genius and naive incompetence, and it was often difficult to tell which was which.
-- Douglas Adams
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best...
-- Paul to the Philippians
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed
by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.
-- Mark Twain
Not all those who wander are lost
-- J.R.R. Tolkien
(They) attacked everything in life with a mix of extraordinary genius and naive incompetence, and it was often difficult to tell which was which.
-- Douglas Adams
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best...
-- Paul to the Philippians
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed
by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.
-- Mark Twain
3 comments:
"It was 408 miles to Chicago. We had a full tank of gas, half a pot of coffee, it was dark out and we were not wearing sunglasses."
It must have killed you to NOT be playing the Blues Brothers' soundtrack.
"like we were doing a hip-slapping tango with a drunken Sumo wrestler on roller skates.
This deserves a string of comments all on its own. It rates right up there with "The ships hung in the air in much the same way that bricks don't." Of course, this really only applies to Vogon Constructor Fleets.
I have been through that stretch you are speaking of in Chicago in a mini van a couple of times. I was very thankful that I was not the one driving. I passengered with one eye open. That treck alone should earn you good driving discounts with your insurance company for at least a year!
Diana
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