Outbound

When planning was in its infancy, we asked my brother-in-law where in the United States he would like to see during his visit and he immediately told us Washington D.C. So with that as our rough framework, I started to plan how to make it a reality. Since there would be ten of us (turned out to be eleven), I first rented a 15 passenger van and had the rear seat removed so we could fit all the luggage necessary for a two week trip with 10 (11) people. Less than a month before we were to leave on the trip, my mother-in-laws sister announced she would be visiting us during the same time and of course would be joining us. That is how we ended up at ll people. 

With that many people, I decided to carve the journey up into small chunks with lots of stops, especially on the way out and so the first stop was the filming location for the movie Field of Dreams which is only a few hours away from where I live. I have been there many times over the years and each time it gets more and more commercialized. We had been planning on having a picnic on some tables underneath some shade trees along the first base line as we have done in the past but found out food and drinks are now forbidden to be brought in and must be purchased (for a hefty premium) at the recently built snack shack. We declined and after a few pictures and some batting practice for the kids, moved on.

We drove a few miles down the road to an active abbey, a place we have visited before too, and ate lunch under their beautifully shaded front lawn of their abbey. After lunch, we went in and I rested my ears for awhile in their chapel. The last time I was there, I actually got to listen to one of their five daily services but today, nobody was in sight.

They were probably all working on building more of the above, which they sell to fund their religious pursuits. They are quite well known in this area and one of their beautiful solid wood caskets are much cheaper than those metal brethren that a monopoly sells through every normal funeral home these days. Although I don't plan on being buried in my body form, if I were, it would be in one of these.

Onward down the road, we made a quick stop in Dubuque, Iowa to ride the hill train. I had ridden it before so I dropped everyone off at the top and drove around to pick them up at the bottom to save half the fair. Then it was on the road again to get some miles behind us before pausing for the evening. 

We paused for the night in Rockford, Illiniois, home of four behemoth giants built out of rock. Picking Rockford was a strategic move. It shortened the day but yet set us up for an arrival in Chicago shortly after rush hour was over the following day. Chicago had been the final destination of the last road trip with my brother-in-law and his family seven years ago but a phone call from my dad to let me know my mom was being ambulanced to a regional trauma center caused us to abort the trip and turn towards the trauma center. As it turned out, it was the event that led us to learn my mom had terminal brain cancer and she would live another two and a half years after that phone call. So this trip was to pick up that remnant of a trip and continue on.