Breakfast at the motel and then north to find the interstate. We got on the road at 9:00 or so and took hwy 41 to I-64 west. We stayed heading west on that road for about 75 miles and then took I-57 north. We figured that we could make up some time that way. It was very warm when we left and got a lot warmer the farther north we got. It was a rather bland interstate experience as there were no hills or interesting scenery to watch. We got off about 80 miles before Chicago and stopped at a Dennys for lunch, which was much cooler than the 102 degrees outside. A fill up of our water containers and back in the heat again.
We hit the Chicago traffic and found a rather warm experience getting hotter. It was stopped traffic and it took us a couple of hours to go 30 miles. Our bikes were getting very hot as we were practically walking with them on the parking lot of an interstate. Then more roads were merging into our lanes. It seems that just because a car is bigger than a motorcycle, they believe that we will move when they come heading toward us. I didn’t feel like playing that game and I ended up opening my train horns on 3 separate occasions for rude drivers. One guy kept going and just when it looked like he was going to pinch Joni into the vehicle to her right, I stopped right in front of him, so Joni could get by, and he got a very loud horn experience! Sure he tried honking his horn but it was drowned out by my LOUDER one. Shortly after that happened, he decided that it was in his best interest to find another lane to travel in….
Wow there are a lot of rude people in the big city. We finally got to where we were able to travel at 25 or 30 mph and felt a little relief from the hot engines. I decided to not get on the toll road and got off on Hwy 41. I did not know the way to Gary & Nancy’s place from that direction, but figured that we could find it anyway, as their home is very close to Great America. Joni rode up next to me and asked me if we were going to play the get lost game again? I said that we just might have to. We found ourselves in Gurnee and on Grand ave. I had a 50/50 shot at the correct way to turn. I guessed wrong again. We discovered that after going a few miles down the road, and asking someone where Great America was. She pointed behind us, so we turned around again, and we found a familiar intersection and their house just a few blocks later. We were very glad to finally get to our friends home and into their air conditioned coolness. We will be here for a few days as their daughter, Kristy, will be getting married on Saturday.
Fast forward two more days and today is the 9th. I rode Joni’s bike about 20 miles north to UKE”S Harley Davidson shop to get her bike serviced. Oh by the way, it is raining again! No problem……..My rain gear still works…