The Windy City

When one hears of Chicago, Illinois there are several things that come to mind. Scarface and the Mafia, Chicago Thick Crust Pizza, Illinois Politics, Mike Ditka and Da' Bears and of course the curse on the Cubs. Being our first visit into this metropolis we were excited about what we would see. The city did not disappoint. From the moment we arrived and walked out of the parking garage we fell in love with the city. The busy activity of cars everywhere and people packed onto the sidewalks. Tall buildings that seemed to bend toward the sky when you would look straight up.

We were also surprised at how much "green" space spread around the city. This park in the picture above held an interesting piece of art. A huge reflective bean. The surface is polished to a mirror finish and as you get closer you can see the skyline of the buildings around you reflected in this curved piece of art.

With several rivers cutting the city apart there are over 50 bridges that keep the city connected. Another way to explore the city was to jump on a River Cruise and take in the sites of these beautiful buildings. With the tour guide trying to quickly give a brief history of each building we passed we sat with our heads turned up looking at these fingers touching the sky. There is the new Trump building going up...there is the building that Oprah lives in...there is the tallest building in Chicago.

The second day we brought our bicycles with us and rode along the Lake on a wide path filled with joggers, walkers and bikers. We started down at Solider Field, Home of Da' Bears and peddled all the way up to North Beach. An area large enough to hold 12 volleyball courts and plenty of sand leftover for people to relax by the always cold blue water.

We were thankful that during our visit we never encountered Bobby the Shoe or Jimmy the Hit Man with mini machine guns strapped under there London Fog Rain coats. Instead it was just the normal busy crowds of a big city. It seems at every turn in this city you will find a hidden gem.

Enjoy this slide show of all the great places we visited.

Need Help

Ok, here is the story. As some of you may know already, I discovered that I really enjoy writing our experiences on the blog. A friend called me about a week ago and told me about this winery in California was looking to hire someone. This person would be responsible in writing a blog about their experiences of learning all about the wine making process. They would help out in the fields, in the wine making process and bottling. The whole process would be told through this person on a blog. What a perfect job! After some pleading from Reta and our friend Deborah, I finally decided to upload a video. To my surprise the next day I get an email requesting a phone interview. Today, Wednesday, I spoke with the representative and she said that she has chosen to interview me because she really enjoyed my writing and loved my sense of humor. The only thing she questioned me on was why no one has voted on my video. This is where you come in. Please click on this link and enter your email address to say you think this is the best video.
http://www.areallygoodejob.com/video-view.aspx?vid=2YY7RY5ggDg
The results will be posted on June 15th and they will pick 10 people out of the bunch to fly out to California for the final interview. Oh, by the way the company is Murphy-Goode and it's a six month job. The pay is actually not bad for what I would have to do. Now that I've gotten this far I allowed myself to get a little excited about the possibility. I appreciate your help in voting for me and will let you know how we do.

Glove State

The Road Hazard is sitting in the city of South Haven, Michigan. Beautiful city on the water along Lake Michigan. With the winds coming off the water with the storm yesterday, the waves looked like you were standing on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. Huge 5 foot waves breaking on the sandy shore. We sat there in amazement watching this wonder of nature before us.
It looks like we were able to find a campground here that wants our service of site maps. The campground is beautiful and we have a site overlooking a small lake they have on the property. They even have a fitness room that we both intend to use. I'll upload some pictures that we took while visiting Chicago a few days ago. I'll also update our status here in South Haven.

Today’s True Hero

My wife and I went to Marathon, Florida earlier this year to get away from the cold winds of the north. Once there, you wake up to the sounds of Sea Gulls surfing the sky while you inhale deeply tasting the hint of salt in the air, reminding you of where you are. Later, still trying to awaken your other senses, you sit under your awning wiggling your toes in the cool sand with your first cup of coffee. Life is a postcard and we are in it. Nothing to spoil the dream…until I look over and spot someone wearing BLUE OVERALLS? Wait, that doesn’t fit into this postcard image! He’s approaching me now. But why? As he gets closer I see he is wearing a smile that seems to never leave his face. He is accompanied by a much taller fellow that I instantly recognize as my friend Jerry. Maybe Jerry is having some work done on his RV? Mr. “Overalls” extends his hand to introduce himself to me and in a soft spoken voice says, “Hello, I’m Jim. Jerry’s nephew.”
First impressions are everything and Jim showed me in those first few seconds a few of his characteristics. He loves to work which is obvious by the overalls. He can “modify” just about anything and make it run or perform its function better. Has a great sense of humor and not just because he laughs at all my jokes. He loves to polish his car and RV so much that I often wondered if it was possible to rub the paint right off. He also loves a cold beer and to play cards or board games. He’ll play his hand as well as the hand of anyone sitting next to him.
I met his wife Betty a day later as she likes to wake up a little later after everyone is busy on tasks and activities. Betty, is also soft spoken and always cautious as to what she says since Jerry and Jim are there to quickly twist her words into something funny. Soon, the friendship grew as evenings opened up to happy hours and turned into night caps. Many stories were told and retold accompanied by laughter and empty beer cans or wine bottles thrown on the grass. It was then that we were told that Jim and Betty would be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this year. WOW, 50 years! My wife and I weren’t even born then! That got me thinking of what it was like 50 years ago. I typed in a few words in Google and was surprised to discover just how long ago 50 years was. Here is just a sample of things I discovered:

The cost of a gallon of Gas was only 25 cents.
You could go to the movies and pay only a $1.00 for a ticket.
The average Cost of a new car was only $2,200.00 while the average cost of new house was $12,400.00. Average Yearly Wages was $5,010.00 Alaska becomes the 49th State and Hawaii becomes the 50th State of the United States that year.
Lee Petty wins the first Daytona 500.The Grammy Music Awards got started that year
The musical from Rodgers and Hammerstein "The Sound of Music" opens on broadway
Some famous singers of the day included Doris Day, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald.
TV was around with Bonanza premiering on NBC as the first weekly television series broadcast completely in color. The Huckleberry Hound Show was also popular.

To just think that when these two got married all this was happening. These are things that I can only read about in history books or see at the Smithsonian Institute Museums today. They were part of history and have been part of all the other developments that have come along since then. Their married lives also moved forward along with a growing family. Today, they will talk about their kids and grandkids with a hint of pride in their voices. Only they know of the struggles that they endured and how it made them stronger. Who would have known that those two little words “I do” spoken 50 years ago would have lead to this great day.
50 years of Marriage?
Today, you can hear women say “The majority of husbands remind me of an orangutan trying to play the violin.” That’s our level of expectations? I once asked Jim what is the secret to celebrating the Golden Anniversary? He told me, over a cold beverage, that at least once a day he always makes sure to say to his bride those three words that have been displayed on cards and written in song, “Honey, you’re right!”
Marriage is a scary thing but I imagine it like being an earthquake, unpredictable, a few ups and downs, but when the hard part is over you realize how lucky you truly are.

Watching these two bike across the Pigeon Key Bridge was like watching two school kids cutting class while giggling to each other. It only makes you hope that one day you can also celebrate the Golden Nuptials. With the media today being quick to label someone as a hero they should look no further than these two and realize what an accomplishment their marriage and lives are. To spend 50 years of your life with someone and to come out productive, healthy and full of life and humor is what I call a true Hero.

Carolina Snow

Have you ever seen Carolina snow? It isn't what you would normally see up north and it isn't the type of snow that you want to be out playing in. This snow is a lime green color and usually starts to fall from the sky in the spring time. We had never heard of such a thing much less seen it. Well, it all started off at a normal pace. The Pine Trees that cover this vast area are starting to bud and produce this little flower on the ends of their branches. These little flowers also produce pollen and as the wind kicks up it gently stirs up the air with this lime green dust.

The locals tell me that this is just the beginning and that in a week it will be at its peak. Last night as we walked around the campground with our flashlights we noticed in the beam of the light being cast from the flashlight it looked as though it was snowing. I tried to take a picture to give you an idea of what we saw.

Over night the pollen continued to fall and by the time we woke up this morning everything had a fine layer of this lime green talc.

This afternoon the clouds rolled in and a few sprinkles fell and mixed with this talc creating a nice goo green past when you would try the windshield wipers on. Over the next couple of days they are calling for more rain so it should wash away the dust for now. The bad news is that next week should be the peak for pollen around here and I didn't bring our snow shovel. I may have to call on our RoadSide Assistance to come shovel us out. Hopefully Road Hazard will get traction in this stuff.

So now you can say that you've heard about Carolina Snow.

McCormick

I haven't been able to upload anything to the blog in awhile since we arrived in a small city in the southwest corner of South Carolina. Land of the Palmetto Tree and Crescent Moon. Just 50 minutes north of Augusta, Georgia. Tucked in between the hills and shore of the Savannah River lies the city of McCormick.

The temperature is still quite chilly when I wake up in the morning. Around the low 30's with the low laying mist hugging the ground until the sun warms up enough to burn it away. The campground is away from any busy roads and your only neighbors are the deer and raccoons that come by the campsite to look for anything we may have left out.
The other night we built a nice fire and sat enjoying the heat while talking about our past year on the road. What is it about a campfire that just relaxes you. Is it the crackling logs or the warm heat against your legs? Is it the smell of smoke or the dancing light across your partners face? We burned all the wood we had and then picked up what ever we could find around us not wanting the fire to die.

I have been working this State Park with my new job. Today, my first day, I spent in the small town of McCormick. I say small because there is a Main Street with a few side streets. The railroad tracks go right down the middle of town and still see quite a bit of traffic today. As I walk this Main Street and look into shop windows I can still imagine how life must have been back in the days that these small towns were so important to the Railroads. It used to be that the trains wouldn't run at night so they would stop here in McCormick for the night. Travelers would walk the block down to the local Bed and Breakfast to stay overnight. The local restaurants would be full of hungry travelers. The streets would be a hive of activity. Today, as I look around I am the only one walking around with very few cars passing by. Yet, these old buildings are still standing and telling their stories of years gone by. The faint musty smell gently hits you as you enter through the big tall glass doors. The squeaky worn wooden floor bends under your weight as you walk down the isles of displayed wares.
I am glad to be able to see yet another side of this country. Just when I thought I had seen it all I realize that there are these small communities tucked away like little gems waiting to be found.

Truck Stop

Tonight I am sitting in a huge parking lot filled with tractor trailer trucks all around us. Their big diesel engines running, the constant popping and whizzing of their air brakes and purge values going off. You might be wondering why? We are in transit to our next job site and decided to pull into this truck stop for the night. Since we are only here for the evening and will be on the road first thing tomorrow morning why spend money on a campground. We are headed up to the southwest corner of South Carolina. About 50 minutes north of Augusta, Georgia. The place we will be staying and working is called Hickory Knob State Park. It's more like a resort since they have an 18 hole golf course along with hotel and campground. We'll be there for the next two weeks as we work the area. I hope to get some golf in while we are there or at least go to the driving range a bunch of times.
For now I am entertaining myself by watching these truckers pull up in their big rigs. Maneuver them around, back them up between two other trucks with the ease of a two year old picking his nose. No thought at all.
I can only hope that the weather will continue to be hot as we move north. I think we got a little spoiled being by the ocean for the past couple of weeks. We really had forgotten how much we missed just hanging on the beach all day. Reading, sleeping, watching the waves roll in and people watching. We hope to be on a shore again soon. For now, here we come South Carolina!