Bobby and I managed to survive the entry into the big city of Chicago. Actually, some of you think I don't like cities at all. I really appreciate many big cities, including Chicago. I would just rather arrive at them by plane and use taxis and public transportation. I love them for their art, music and sometimes their architecture. None of this is possible when you're in a little RV with a dog who needs shade if you stop anywhere. They are just two very different experiences. I like both. But driving strange freeways of big cities is not only hugely anxiety causing but also fraught with dubious outcomes. I think back about the hours I spent just trying to get out of Quebec City on a wet, dark night. I think I probably described my horrible experience there having a huge RV coming down a steep, wet, curving hill street and swinging so wide because of his length that I had to stop in my tracks going up or let him crash into me. Each time I tried to resume my driving up the hill I just spun tires and burned rubber. Some super Canadian teenagers came to my rescue. Handled down coming and up coming traffic until one of them called 911 resulting in four police cars appearing — two to handle the down traffic and two for those below. Then the lovely policewoman insisted that the only solution to getting me "off the spot" was for me to follow her backwards down that steep, curved hill with a cliiff on my right side. I did it but I was shaking in the knees when we got to the bottom of the hill. So sorry to repeat myself if I have. I really think I told you about this already, but I'm writing this as a draft without wifi, then I'll walk over to McDonalds and use their wifi to send it off. So I can't review old posts to check on myself.
Back to getting out of Chicago. A lovely toll taker gave me all kinds of advice as I came out of the turnpike and onto the Chicago Skyway to cross town. Miraculously I managed it. But I felt exhausted when I finally hit agricultural lands again.
Now I am about an hour and a half from Saint Louis, Missouri. I'm on Route 66, Interstate Highway 55 at this point. Though I must say, I think official map makers, city engineers, anyone who has to do with signs would rather just not bother with telling anyone anything about Route 66. That will probably change when I get further out into the lower states, but the official Illinois map that they offer people at the rest stop does not have one mention of good old Route 66. By patching various maps together I'm beginning to get the picture.
I think Art would say to just sing the song. Right? I have a good book by Rick Antonson who traveled the Route with a friend in a Mustang convertible. The book is titled: "Route 66 still kicks. — Driving America's Main Street." Their stories are very entertaining and I'm trying to race through it so I don't miss some really vital tidbit about what I shouldn't omit from my own trip. I know now that I should have bought several more or those books listed besides this one. So we'll see how it goes and where it goes.
When I arrived in this little community where there is a Subway, a McDonalds, a truck stop and a Super 8 Hotel. I thought I'd treat myself to a hotel room to get caught up with various things and have a really good night's sleep. "Do you have a reservation?" asked the sweet young lady behind the counter. "No" said I. As you might have guessed, they are all booked up. This is a little god forsaken place in the middle of agricultural fields. Seems various kinds of work crews fill up the motels. When we tried to track down a campground, it began to sound very uncertain for tonight. Then she asked if electricity was all I needed. I said that could work. I mainly needed to charge things. — Camera, laptop, etc. Then she showed me some electrical outlets placed outside on light posts. Why were they there? Who knows? She said it would be fine for me to tap into one of those. Seems she works at the hotel and the Subway next door. Not to worry says she. So I found the adapter cord I keep in the trunk and used that to utilize this generous offer. I'm fully curtained just outside the Subway which evidently is closing at 9:00 which is in 5 minutes. Then, maybe it won't seem quite so odd. But I'll be able to charge everything up and run next door to send this post off into the world. Could I have imagined doing such a thing 15 years ago? I don't think so. It's amazing what we can do with even the rudimentary equipment I have. If it's there, why not?
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