Day 20 - Chicago

Welcome to Illinois.   The roadway system is made up of nearly all toll roads.   Being a California driver I now have a new appreciation for the word 'free'way.   In California if you drive a toll road you pay as you exit.  Our first encounter yesterday as we were driving along was a turn out to pay if you don't have a pass. (passes take 14 days to receive).  So we read the sign, cars $3.60 and Martha gathered up exact change.  Aren't we good.  Upon reaching the booth we were informed it would be $8.00 because of the trailer.  Silly me, of course the additional space consumed by the trailer should require an additional $4.40.  We smiled, and paid.  Twenty miles down the road there was another booth.   Well, the same road, and we already paid so I proudly displayed my receipt upon reaching the booth.   NO, another $8.00.  Now we are $16.00 poorer in a 20 mile stretch...  Today, without the trailer we drove into Chicago with a mere three toll stops, $1.10, $1.50 and $1.90.   Coming out another two tolls before we turned off of the toll roads.   I am glad to report to you that the state of Illinois learned from its gangster days and now legally extorts funds from the wallets of its citizens and travelers.   What really bothered me is that they named the road the Ronald Regan Toll Road.  I am pretty sure that Ronny is not seeing a dime of this money and would rather be remembered with a statue surrounded by flowers and a few benches.  Why not give these roads the proper nomenclature...   The Vito Corleone Highway, and the Bugsy Malone Toll Booth.  Let's get real here!

Any way, we had a great day.   Saw the first White Castle since leaving Ohio when I was 14.

We went to Wrigley Field

Across from Wrigley is the biggest Starbucks I have ever been in.  Baseball bat door handles.

An actual coffee Bar

A huge sitting area and stadium sized restroom.

We enjoyed seeing the roof top game watching platforms

With their stadium view.

A few nice statues surrounding the stadium.

Then we drove Lakeshore Drive alongside Lake Michigan.  Crowds were assembled everywhere as the Navy was putting on an air show over the Bay.   We couldn't see it because of the trees but heard the jets overhead between random claps of thunder.

A great day.   After a few toll booths during our trip back to the trailer we decided to take the slower moving more direct Highway 20.   It was dotted with signal lights and shopping centers but a nice change from the toll booths and toll road manufacturing sideshow.   Once onto Highway 20 there was a sign that displayed someone in the highway system could properly name a road as it read....  Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Highway.   Dare I say, the absence of toll booths on this road was a relief as we were finally.... "Free at Last"