Sweet Home, Chicago

Yep, before leaving the Midwest, I had to trek to Illinois to reconnect with folks. I played 'Cousin Eddie' at Gary and Bev's house on the southern side of Chicago. They, along with their 3 chihuahuas, played gracious hosts and provided good times, great food and lots of dog biscuits.

I was able to see lots of friends, including one I hadn't seen in probably 20 years. That was the good news. The bad news was that it got cold shortly after I got there. I got in a couple bike rides, but for the most part after the 2nd day I was stuck with taking the truck anywhere. That was till it started leaking diesel fuel in everybody's drive-ways. These suburban guys can be so picky about the toxic waste that, often to no one's fault of his own, can be mistakenly left behind.

Well, fortunately Bill was able to help me track it down and a "simple" trip to a Ford dealership and $65 later, I was no longer marking my territory. Nor was I having to fill up every 40 miles or 4 hours, whichever came first.

Also added into the cold was the fact that the gauge for the propane tanks actually does work, and RED does indeed mean they are BOTH empty. I also verified that the LCD thermometer inside the RV will continue to work all the way down to 40 degrees.
Oh, and that running all of your appliances on electric (versus propane), as well as the engine block heater on the truck, your apt to blow a fuse in Gary's garage. Sure, now they say I should have woke them up at 4:30 AM when it blew, but I'm guessing they would have been groaning a different tune if I had. And afterall, I just opened the door on the fridge to warm up the RV. Besides, it was just another adventure. Like when I ran out of water in the holding tanks while I was taking a shower....while parked in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Those Wal-Mart greeters have NO sense of humor I'm telling ya.
But I digress. As always, I had a great time. There were some friends I wasn't able to get together with, THIS TIME, but I will be back.

One of the many highlights of the trip (besides sleeping in Russ's basement with his rabbit), was a little gathering that Ken and Robin threw. It was like early Thanksgiving with all the great food and good friends.

It was with a full belly and warm heart that we began our journey south for the season. I'd like to express my thanks to all my Midwest friends and family, and just say ....WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!! Its COLD up there! Move south.

Life is good, send long-johns.
Lon

Pictures for this portion of the trip can be found here. After clicking View as Slideshow, click on the "I" on the picture to see the notes as they scroll along.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13971363@N05/sets/72157603158876719/