Great trip Charlie. I'm going to do that when I grow up.
Your never too old to have a happy childhood! Get out there and do it!
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/45....d28d!2m2!1d-86.1086228!2d41.9842123!3e0?hl=en
This is roughly the route I did on a Friday. I am always concerned about traveling through big cities during rush hour, especially ones I'm not familiar with. I commuted in the San Francisco Bay area for 24 years, and live in LA early in my driving career so it's nothing new to me, just seriously concern. I was in Chicago once in 1972 with my Grandparents because my Grand mother wanted to re-experience her childhood memories of shopping at Marshall Fields(?) and we got lost. It think if I hadn't mentioned to my Grandfather that the afternoon sun was on out left (west) and if we didn't head for it we'd be in Wisconsin be fore to long. These thoughts caused me to wake at 4:30 in the morning wanting to leave as soon as possible. I was thinking I'll be hitting Minneapolis for the morning commute and Chicago for the afternoon. The free breakfast is at 6:00, so shower, pack, and check the bike. Well, let's get going and have some fun! (fool!)
Minneapolis at quarter to 7:00 is pretty nice. The traffic was pretty light by Bay Area standards and with the exception of one single lane, left hand exit for I-94 that snuck up on me (thank god there was no one behind me as I merged

nthego: left!!!) Minneapolis and Minnesota have grown to mythical status over the years from listening to "Prairie Home Companion" and I was left with only kind thoughts as I found myself crossing the Mississippi river into Wisconsin. Did I mention this is my 45th state of our 50?!
Initially I really liked Wisconsin. The land along I-94 reminded me of portions of Virginia or West Virginia, with green hills, mixed with farm and forest. I was enjoying for quite a while...until all these idiotic drivers and fuel tanker trucks, who were barreling along at 80mph, 10 feet off the bumper of their fellow ee-gits vehicle, passing and weaving back an forth, with and without signals. If I left room for a Honda Civic to get in front of me a Chevy Silverado would wedge in there, and signal by taking a drink of coffee in his left hand! Worse than 405 in L.A and the 580 McArthur freeway headed to the Bay Bridge combined. Just as everyone seem to settle down from trying to clear the Interstate of me, it decided to **** like cats and dogs for a good 1/2 hour. Being the drowned rat I was , I headed for a Subway shop and gas station for lunch. I was joined by 25 other Harleys.....
After I dried out at bit, fueled up and chatted with a couple who were returning from Sturgis, each on there own Harley and headed to New York. The lady being the expert navigator of the two was convinced that deviating off I-94/90 and taking I-39 south was the best way to avoid the pending Chicago mess. I figured what the heck! Illinois here we come!
I traveled back and forth through Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Ohio as a kid, in our military induced tours and I have some memories of what the country side is like. Let me tell you that the roads in Illinois may be wider, but they are in the same state of ill repair as they were in 1966 in one of my more memorable trips. One thing about riding a motorcycle in stop and go traffic, you really get a good look at the roads and exposed rusty rebar in the concrete bridges and overpasses. I now understand the grumblings of inapt government bureaucracies in the Chicago area, Who thought of tolls on an Interstates and then chose a $1.90 as the toll?!!!!! If you are unprepared to pay a toll and don't have money, ready it is a pain to take off gloves, get the wallet out of the jacket pocket, get that fiver out and give it to the totally bored young lady, who I tell to keep the dime as I see four dollars in dimes laying on the ground at my feet. I respectfully suggest, pay more in fuel taxes, car registration, have a bake sale but fix these roads and dump the tolls on the Interstate!
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My 46th state!!!! Am I whining too much??