Day 1
Day 0 transitioned into Day 1 as we pulled into Chicago at about 8:30 AM on Wednesday. This was one of the benefits of leaving as early as we did, the fact that we were able to spend a solid 6 hours in the beautiful city of Chicago. We spent almost 45 minutes just trying to find a place to park, because although the Suburban was surprising easy to handle in the city, it is still huge. The parking we did manage to find was only 2 hour parking, so our initial exploring had to be brief before having to move the car again. We checked out The Bean, The Navy Pier, and then just walked around the city enjoying the beautiful day. After moving the car to a new location, we hit up the famous Giordano’s for some Chicago deep dish pizza. It is the only time we have ever seen H.B. leave food uneaten on the table. We were stuffed. After that, we walked back towards the car along the Miracle Mile, including a stop in the Ralph Lauren store (mansion). This was quite a sight in and of itself, as a bunch of smelly guys in ratty hiking clothes were causing a scene in a store where a men’s bag costs more than a month’s rent. This is a prime example of the underlying theme of this trip and ultimately our friendship, is that we enjoy what we do, because we enjoy who we do it with. No matter where we are or what the situation is, we can make the most of it. After the Polo store, we headed back along Lake Michigan towards the car, pausing for half an hour to sit on the beach and take in one last view of Chi-town.
Day 0 transitioned into Day 1 as we pulled into Chicago at about 8:30 AM on Wednesday. This was one of the benefits of leaving as early as we did, the fact that we were able to spend a solid 6 hours in the beautiful city of Chicago. We spent almost 45 minutes just trying to find a place to park, because although the Suburban was surprising easy to handle in the city, it is still huge. The parking we did manage to find was only 2 hour parking, so our initial exploring had to be brief before having to move the car again. We checked out The Bean, The Navy Pier, and then just walked around the city enjoying the beautiful day. After moving the car to a new location, we hit up the famous Giordano’s for some Chicago deep dish pizza. It is the only time we have ever seen H.B. leave food uneaten on the table. We were stuffed. After that, we walked back towards the car along the Miracle Mile, including a stop in the Ralph Lauren store (mansion). This was quite a sight in and of itself, as a bunch of smelly guys in ratty hiking clothes were causing a scene in a store where a men’s bag costs more than a month’s rent. This is a prime example of the underlying theme of this trip and ultimately our friendship, is that we enjoy what we do, because we enjoy who we do it with. No matter where we are or what the situation is, we can make the most of it. After the Polo store, we headed back along Lake Michigan towards the car, pausing for half an hour to sit on the beach and take in one last view of Chi-town.
After piling back into the car, we headed off for Maquoketa Caves State Park in Iowa. What we did not anticipate, however, was traffic. Rush hour, which apparently starts at about 2 o’clock these days, was in full force. Evan was behind the wheel for this portion of the trip, and had to quickly learn that being generous and courteous on the road will leave you sitting at a merge point for days. But even with adapting on the fly to the Chicago style of driving, we still sat in parking lot traffic for roughly 2 hours. This set us back to arriving at the park at about 9:00 PM, which gave us enough time to set up camp, cook some food, and get a much needed night’s rest. At this point, it has been a long and eventful day. The real journey begins tomorrow, as we head into the West with Badlands, Mount Rushmore, and Bozeman on the literal horizon. We can’t wait.
Ev
Ev
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