Chicagoland

Our final leg today was a short one into Chicago on the last 40 miles of old 66, then an hour up I-94 to Milwaukee. Our overnight in Joliet seemed to mark precisely the transition from corn belt to rust belt. This is where stuff gets made.

We came into Chicago on Ogden Ave. and down Jackson to Grant Park on the lakefront. Buckingham Fountain there marked the endpoint of the route. We went down to see Soldier Field then ran back uptown through the Loop on Michigan Ave. and up Lake Shore Drive. Katrina would have been jealous of my ride up the Magnificent Mile among all the luxury brand stores.

I was really impressed by the city and have to admit it seemed a lot nicer than New York. The only other time I was here was also on the bike, but it was in via the expressway and right back out. I'm kind of surprised by how much I liked it. Very cool indeed.

At the rest area outside of Chicago, it was a mob scene with bikes. From there it's been all bikes, all the time. We hooked back up with the others at the H-D Museum and checked ourselves in to the swank Hyatt Regency downtown. Quite the contrast to the $80 specials we've been sharing the last 4 nights. Lisa, and Jay's wife Scoop flew in today and we are making plans for tomorrow. Life is good...