Before leaving camp, I called the mother of my dear WA friend (Rhea) to see if she might be available for dinner. We decided to make a beeline through Chicago and up into the southeastern corner of Wisconsin and thought that it would be fun to connect. She was thrilled to hear from us and looked forward to our arrival.
Driving through the fertile farmland of southern Michigan and seeing the hills patch worked with orchards of apples, pears and blueberries made the ride very enjoyable. As we approached the Indiana border, we were caught up in heavy and higher speed traffic. With the confusion of traffic and detour signs, I knew that Chicago would be on the horizon in no time. Bruce had worked on the GPS mapping a route that would skirt the windy city and get us beyond its borders before commute traffic formed. Unfortunately, with the smog and lack of wind, the city had a hazy skyline at best.
We were abruptly diverted onto Hwy 90, which threw our byway out the window. Instead, we drove past “US Steel” for miles and miles. What a HUGE industrial site! Coughing up coins for the toll road, traffic came to a halt with yet more road construction and the merging of freeway lanes. The blessing to me was that everyone was creeping at 45 mph…including the semi trucks! Feeling the pull of our rig into those monster piggyback carriers can be a bit frightening. There have been a couple of days where my hands felt arthritic until I realized that I had been gripping the steering wheel for hours!
Soon the urban maze of freeways led back to the rural farmlands as we arrived in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin…Four states (MI, IN, IL, WI) and six hours later, we set up camp and were off to dinner at the Inn at Lake Geneva. Our friend, Peg picked out a wonderful location that overlooked the lake and was quiet enough to sit and visit. The view of the lake at sunset was magnificent and we had fun watching the old wooden pedestrian ferries crises-cross the lake with passengers.
Lake Geneva was apparently a hidden jewel until the big Chicago fire (Mrs. Brown’s cow) in the late 1800’s, when wealthy families were moved there for safety. Among others, the Wrigley family soon bought up water front lots to build summer homes on. The estates and homes still stand and are enjoyed by the heirs. “Playboy” even had their exclusive club in Lake Geneva!
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