The Windy City

It was as if Jethro was talking to Elly-May: “ We is in the big city now, cuzz we be seeing what we breathing.”

We left upstate New York thinking that our trip to the Mid West would be laid back and rural. We camped that night on Lake Erie. It was a nice sand beach – but the fact that we were situated between two power plants spoiled the ambience.

Driving the next morning we crested a hill. There were no clouds in the sky, but the only blue was above us. A band around the horizon was brownish grey. As we drove the band increased, and the blue patch shrank – until at about 100 miles from Chicago smog was all we could see.

Entering into Chicago, multiple power transmission lines began following the ever-increasing freeway system. Buildings got higher and closer together, traffic got heavier and the air got thicker. The Sears Tower was barely visible through the haze.

Not only did we feel a bit like Jethro in the Big City – I think we looked the part too. Visualize TWELVE lanes of traffic. Now visualize us – Jim with the map open on his lap (‘keep on the 94 – that will take us to the Skyway’) and me driving the rig at 100km/hr and still getting passed. I’d like to say that with our bikes, kayaks and trailer on the central Chicago freeway people looked twice at us. However, I think they’re all in way too much of a hurry to notice things like that. That’s what happens when you live in an area smaller than PEI with a population bigger than Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI, Newfoundland & Saskatchewan combined.

Illinois Beach State Park again had a nice sandy beach. This time we were on Lake Michigan and this time the campground itself butted right up against a power plant. And the power plant was nuclear. That evening we walked the beach. The half moon was red overhead.

“It’s like a Harvest Moon – but not as romantic,” Jim commented.

We were in Chicago so that Jim could meet with his Stock Photo Agency. Business over, we decided to give ourselves a treat and go to Wrigley Field to watch a Chicago Cubs Baseball game.

It was a beautiful evening – perhaps even a bit too hot. The stadium was packed. We had great seats. We were about 20 rows back from home plate. We had a cold, cold beer and sat back with a big smile.

Wrigley field prides itself on tradition. There is no Jumbo-tron there. Red-shirted score keepers look over the field from small windows in the scoreboard. They change the numbers by hand when needed.

The Cub fans also pride themselves on their pride. It is a thrill of a Major league ball game that if you catch a ball you keep it –the most sought after balls being from home-runs. In Chicago this is not the case. Cincinnati hit a home run into the left field bleachers. Chants of ‘Throw it back’ were repeated while the fans frantically searched for the ball. Soon it was lobbed back onto the field. This was greeted with wild cheering from the crowd.

A similar performance happened in the 8^th inning. Cincinnati hit a three run home run – putting them ahead of the Cubs by 4 runs. The ball was tossed back, but the fans had had enough. They all booed and started to leave.

Radioactive Beach

Urban Camping

Take me out to the ballgame

Chicago

And he winds up