Author: linfordfisher

(Lin) Up early to hit the road. Got our last glimpses of the Chicago skyline heading northwest out of the city on Rt. 90. We stopped in Madison, Wisconsin, a cute little university city nestled between two large lakes, to walk the quaint quasi-pedestrian State Street and eat brunch at the Sunroom Cafe (the french toast was amazing!). State Street runs right into the University of Wisconsin campus, which is lovely, perched along the shore of Lake Mendota. Upon recommendation, we had ice cream at the Terrace overlooking the lake.

From Madison, it was 4.5 hours to Minneapolis, where we will be for two nights, staying with friends who used to live in Boston. It got much hotter as we drove west and north — 88 F or so; it was the first real test of the van’s AC. All systems a go. A huge thunderstorm rolled through just after we arrived, dumping sheets of rain and triggering a flood warning. Still, it is very green and clean here. Looking forward to exploring some of the city lakes and parks tomorrow.

It’s been fascinating to track the topography; Wisconsin was much hillier than we expected after the flatness of western Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. The true flatness, I’ve been told, is yet to come.

(Lin) Today we got to spend a lovely day in the Second City and on the Third Coast (Lake Michigan). After a lazy start (including runs along the lake for Jo, Lin, & Eden), we walked and scootered from our hotel down the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Ave — full of shops), across the Chicago River to the Bean, Millennium Park, and the new Maggie Daly Park and playground. Lunch was, of course, large Chicago dogs (mandatory toppings: tomatoes, onions, relish, pickles, mustard, hot peppers, and celery salt). Normal hot dogs are just not quite the same after having Chicago dogs — and I say that as someone who appreciates Rhode Island’s New York System Weiners (chili, onions, mustard)! After making our way back to the hotel, Eden and I swam in Lake Michigan while the others opted for the hotel swimming pool (boo…). For dinner, we got Lou Malnati’s deep dish pizza to go and ate it on the waterfront. Mmmm. I have yet to find authentic Chicago deep dish on the east coast! We worked our way through the crowds around Navy Pier before opting to watch the fireworks from a bridge over the Chicago River. Happy 4th, everyone!

 

 

(Eden) Today we got to Chicago, yay!

After a relatively short Hamilton-filled drive across the time zone, we reached the Windy City. It didn’t quite live up to its name today because Lake Michigan was placid. It was a pretty brilliant hue of turquoise.

We spent the last twenty minutes of the drive excitedly remembering all the cool things we had done the last time we were in Chicago.

Our first stop was the Museum of Science and Industry. It’s a HUGE museum, one of our favorites from before, that has so many different sections to explore it’s impossible to get through it all.

We got to pick our favorite rooms, like the model train set up of Chicago,

the baby chick hatchery,

the big weather section,

the farm section (this is the third time we’ve recreated this picture),

a VERY confusing maze of mirrors where I kept bumping into my reflection,
and the dining court. But this isn’t just a bunch of sticky plastic tables with matching chairs, it’s got the world’s biggest pinball machine! 
After checking one final time to see if any new chicks had hatched (they hadn’t), we headed north to Edgewater, where we lived for five months about two years ago. It was so weird driving through the area again!

We visited our favorite local city beach and just sat, soaking in the sun, the smell of salt, and the beauty of the lake.

Just kidding. Lake Michigan is freshwater, so no salt. However, it did smell very reFRESHing.

I’ll stop now….

Next was Taste of Peru, “Chicago’s Best Kept Secret.” We got to catch up with some old friends and eat a fantastic Peruvian meal. I highly recommend the fried plantains if you ever get the chance to visit. 😉

Then, back to our single hotel room, where hopefully no one will snore too loudly.

(Lin) Chill day in South Bend with friends that included attending the St. Joseph’s County 4-H Fair, going to the beloved South Bend Farmers’ Market, hanging out at Potawatomi Park, a brief stroll in the downtown (including a stop at the South Bend Chocolate Company), and dinner with friends. A nice relaxed start to a long trip so far. Tomorrow is our much-anticipated return to Chicago, a city that stole our hearts two years ago!

 

(Lin) Lovely puffy white cloud day to drive to our old stomping grounds in South Bend. We moved here in 2008 for my first teaching job at Indiana University — South Bend. Harrison was also born here — our only official Hoosier. Such wonderful people and memories. Enjoyed a dinner on our old street this evening.

The kids had fun on the 10-hour trip holding their breath through the PA Turnpike tunnels and looking for three-trailer trucks once we crossed into Ohio (there were also movies, screens, reading, and napping, of course!). Listening to Harry Potter also inspired some art by Harrison (below). Seems we are in for a cooler spell here–it is downright chilly tonight.

(Lin) Usually, summers in PA are unbearably humid, but today was gorgeous. We spent the day splitting and hauling a winter’s worth of wood for my dad and mom, in addition to hanging out with relatives (including some from Colorado), and eating a ton of good food. The kids love it here — hoards of cats to play with, a lawnmower to drive (backing up a trailer not so much), and tons of open outside space, including a huge grassy hill to fly down (today, on a toddler plastic tricycle and a plastic horse on wheels). Tomorrow we head to South Bend, Indiana, where we lived for one year in 2008-2009.

(Lin) We’re off! Up first: two nights in Elverson, Pennsylvania, to connect with both of our families. We’ve driven to from New England to Pennsylvania dozens and dozens of times over the past 17 years, but today I looked at the familiar terrain of each state differently, knowing all the states that we would be traveling through over the next six weeks. In case you have interest in these things, our route looks like this:

Northern route out, southern route back. Super sad to miss the northwest! There’s only so much one can do in 39 days.

One item of note along the way to PA today was the construction for the New Tappan Zee bridge across the Hudson just north of NYC:

Here is what it will look like when completed:

Upon crossing into Pennsylvania, I was reminded that this state is just beautiful in a way New England is not — much more open with sweeping, open farming valleys and gentling rolling hills. (Don’t get me wrong — I love Rhode Island! The access to water–beach, bay, etc.–is unparalleled.)

The kids were eager to get out and run around when we arrived at Landis Homes, where Jo’s father and his wife live.

All in all, a good start to the trip. Don’t worry, we’ll have more exciting posts in days and weeks to come. Thanks for reading!

Greetings! Thanks for dropping by. We will be using this site to post pics and info from our upcoming West Coast trip / National Parks tour starting TOMORROW. I wanted to get a post up and running to see how it all looks first. Below is a picture from our lovely time camping in Pawtuckaway State Park (NH) last week. Wonderful, as always. Stay tuned!!