Yet Still More Road Trip!

THURSDAY, APRIL 5

So began the longest day of the trip...starting out in Nebraska with a bit of snow on the car and a nasty windchill, we headed across rolling plains of grain and cattle, angling towards Omaha. Our goal was to reach the far side of Iowa, or perhaps western Illinois, before stopping fopr the night. Just before reaching Omaha, we skirted the city to avoid mid-day traffic and crossed the Missouri River into Iowa, hooking up with the I-80.

Nebraska

Making good time across the plains, we traversed Iowa at high speeds on the interstate, until traffic chaos at Des Moines slowed us considerably. Before long, we had reached Davenport, and this time crossed the Mississippi River for the second time on the trip, stopping a short ways into Illinois for more food and gas. Given the cold temperatures, and our general state of mind, we decided just to keep driving....

Mike's Eye-View

Iowa

Enjoying a beautiful sunset in the rearview mirror, we plunged on into Illinois, skirting Chicago, and then found ourselves ensconced in the industrial complex that is lower Lake Michigan. In growing darkness we forged ahead, thinking perhaps to stop in rural Michigan once we had cleared the urban areas of Chicago and Gary, Indiana.

The Weary Travellers

Out of the traffic and into the wilderness again, now in utter darkness, we drove on. With only one headlight and flagging strength, we began to conceive of actually crossing the border this very night, so as to avoid the traffic of morning rush hour in Detroit, and longer wait times at the bridge to cross the border. Flying across 94E in the solitude of night, we made one last fuel stop in Ann Arbor, MI, to fill up on cheaper gasoline.

Utter annoyance set in as we searched in vain at several exits for a McDonalds, that signs kept declaring to be open 24 hours - it was late, and we needed a washroom stop! After about seventeen hours of straight driving, Mike muttered something under his breath about how he was going to "punch that &*#* clown in the mouth!"....and got back on the highway. Shortly thereafter, we found the Ambassador Bridge easily, with no hindrance of traffic or line ups....and stopped just long enough to visit the duty-free shop for $17 cases of Alexander Keith's!

Crossing the border without incident, we motored east on the 401, back in familiar territory, stopping finally at Chatham for the night. With plans to do some general house-hunting in the morning, we grudgingly ate Tim Horton's chili at nearly 4am (there was nothing else open in Chatham!). After 19 hours of driving, we fell asleep quickly in the car at a truck stop on the 401, in sub-zero temperatures......