Chicago

On the drive over from Shipshewana, we were cruising along on the interstate, and a billboard caught our eye. It looked like there was a sniper sitting atop the billboard! As we got closer we realized that it was part of an ad for the arts: it was a violinist! But then...when my eyes came back to the road..I saw in the lane in front of me: a full chest of drawers! I couldn't swing left as there were cars there, so I swung right towards the breakdown lane, but was afraid that an abrupt maneauver would jack-knife the trailer...so...we hit the dresser! A glancing blow. In my mirror I saw the rear of the whale clip the furniture, and heard the sound of smashing wood! There was no apparent damage to the trailer, no flapping trim or blown tires, so we drove on to the next rest area, passing the young couple pulled over on the shoulder, looking at the spot on their trailer where the dresser had been. At the rest area we looked closely, but couldn't find so much as a scratch! Lucky!

We had identified a campground that was a reasonable distance away from downtown Chicago and Midway airport, and with some trepidation had made a reservation there. Trepidation because many of the reviews on-line were bad. The Emerald Trails campground has a kind of strange acting woman host, but is quiet and wooded, better than many of the higher rated camps we've stayed at.

We drove into Chicago in the afternoon, bringing our bikes on the recommendation of Ken back in Elkhart. It was a great suggestion. We parked on the waterfront near the Soldier Field stadium, then rode along lake Michigan, around the Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, and north up to Navy Pier. My Trek Remedy7 full suspension mountain bike was a bit over-qualified for the city streets!

Here is view of the skyline from the aquarium:


And me in front of the anchor from the USS Chicago on Navy Pier:



On the way back we ducked into the city to take in Millenium Park, where the amazing pavillion looks like an exploded tin can:


And there is a captivating fun-house mirror ovoid to walk around and under:



We locked up the bikes and walked around in the theater district for a while, then had a sushi dinner before riding back south. On the way back we got a better look at the Buckingham Fountain:



The next day we got an early start and drove into Midway Airport, where Nancy caught a plane back home. I returned back to camp with the dogs, and the three of us will keep the trip going, looping back to Connecticut over the next couple of weeks. The blogs will keep coming, so stay tuned.