Michigan City is approximately 130 miles from Rockford and 140 miles from the mancave. I figure I get to save 10 miles because I have to deal with the Windy City. Sounds good, right?
Because of poor planning, I had to delay my departure time. I had to stop in Belvidere at the Secretary of State's office and hand-over $99 for one of those cute license plate stickers. I must say, however, the line was super-speedy. I was in-and-out in less than 10 minutes. [Note: This particular branch opens at 7:30 on Saturdays and the clerks were very helpful! I hope I remember this for next year.]
By the time I fueled-up, I believe I left Belvidere around 8:30. I was sitting in Michigan City at 11 a.m. (Central). For Bryan, it was 'noon and lunchtime. I introduced Bryan to my new favorite restaurant (my old favorite still is Panera)...Chipolte is my new favorite! It's gluten-free -with the exception of the tortillas which you can easily bypass by ordering a Burrito bowl!!! Also, all of the employees have been trained in gluten-awareness. Not only do they wash their hands, but they will also change their gloves. I think it's fabulous that they are aware of the potential for contamination. Bry opted for tacos and I chose the burrito bowl. We sat outside on the shaded patio and conversed and laughed... It was wonderful and an hour later...we were at Lake Michigan.
The Lake was lovely. A little crowded but not nearly as crowded as what I imagine it will be on the 4th of July. What intrigued me the most was how the lake and the horizon sort of ran into one another...the blues were soo similar.
We found a nice place to spread out our towels. Snapped a few pictures. Chit-chatted some more. After an hour or so, we meandered down the Cat Walk (we only know it was called this because of a sign :)) to a lighthouse. It was a lovely stroll. Bry stopped and talked to a fisherman and as we walked away, Bry said, "Wanna go back and get a picture with him? You can blog about your new boyfriend." I love my brother's sense of humor. He's cute. Notice there is not a picture of my new "boyfriend." :)
By the time we left Lake Michigan, we were both parched. Our first choice was a Mango Freeze from Panera. Note to self: The nearest Panera is 25 miles away. Our second choice was a lemon-icy-thing from Culver's.
We found Culver's. We ordered 2 icy drinks...and then we sat and chatted. Bry told me funny stories about his work. I interspersed stories about the poop plant. The beauty of the icy drinks from Culver's....they use real fruit in them! I ordered mine with raspberries and they used actual raspberries!!! Bry ordered the blackberry and we saw chunks of blackberries.
All in all, we had a lovely day!!!
Upon delivering me back to Rosie, Bryan and I concurred to meet up like this again. It's nice that it's halfway between our two places of residence.
The Dan Ryan Expressway (Interstate 90) was not bad either way (coming/going). I did have a couple more slow downs on the way back. I love how once you get through the "tunnel" that there's a sign that reads "Left Lane Ends" and then several more feet "Left Lane Ends 1,000 feet" and then as a final warning "LEFT LANE ENDS X" (the "X" is red). Even though they were well-warned, I still had individuals cutting me off. I should probably confess that while I was getting cut off, I said outloud NUMEROUS times, "I'm nice...must you really cut me off?" :) And then, so as not to elevate my blood pressure, I concluded the speech with "Angie Good, it's all they know. They did not have a fabulous driving instructor like you had. Let them cut you off and you drive nicely. You love Jesus."
You know what I wish -- I wish car makers would make different horn-styles. I figure they could put them on the steering wheel with pictures to differentiate between the horn types. A smile face -- kind of a "beep-beep" sound. An angry face -- "HOOOOONK!." And lastly an irate face -- maybe with machine gun noises. :) It's just a thought...
Once outside the Windy City, I stopped at the Randall Road exit and treated myself to a bag of freshly washed and cut raw green beans...OH HAPPY DAY! I love veggies. When Bry called to check on me, he laughed outloud when I replied to his inquiry about my whereabouts, I said, "I'm blissfully chomping on raw green beans, about to enjoy a bottle of water, and getting back on to I-90 headed to Rockford."
Confession: I love raw green beans. When I was a child, I received many-a-reprimand for eating the green beans straight from the garden.
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