Rush

Rush is probably one of my favorite bands. However, rush is not something that I like to do. Yesterday, I was in a rush.

The day started with picking my car up from the shop. It had been giving little concerns that I wanted looking at, but finally, after being delayed for two days, I was able to get on the road. My bags were packed (mostly) and I was ready to go.

I'll skip some of the mundane crap and just tell you that I didn't actually hit the road until about 13:30 or so. Guess what? I drove a lot!

Driving through the Western portion of Michigan was pretty tough for me. Not the drive itself, but the emotions that stirred. If you get into a mood when you see Exit 104 on I94W, it's time to get the hell outta Dodge (Exit 104 is FireKeepers Casino. Nice enough place.)

Eventually I got to Indiana and went through there as quickly as possible. Leaving MI felt like a slight weight had lifted, but entering IN brought up new memories that were NOT working with me. If you've never been to the Blue Chips Casino...eh, it's alright. Just don't expect a hotel nearby other than the casinos, which is ridiculous.

After leaving behind IN, I finally made it to IL, which is where I'm currently at. Driving through Chicago wasn't too bad. I have some great memories of it and the traffic, while being really slow and backed up, did allow me to take photos and even a video while in it. I know, it sounds idiotic, but trust me, we weren't go anywhere. There was minimal danger.

After I finally got through Chicago, I made it to Nile, IL. Niles is a town most of us probably haven't heard of. However, if you're in the area, it would behoove you to check out the YMCA. No, not because you need to get into shape, but because of what's in front of it - a 1/2 scale replica of the leaning tower of Pisa! It's pretty cool, costs nothing but some time, and I think it's worth checking out.

Now, my next stop was supposed to be Ahlgrim Funeral Home. The Ahlgrim family has owned and operated this funeral home for over a hundred years! Not to shabby. But why would I want to go there? Because they have a mini golf course in the basement!

Unfortunately, because of the Chicago traffic jam, I wasn't able to make it to AFH until about 20:30, and they were very obviously closed. Being that my trip had many miles to go and it was still relatively early for me, I decided to move on. But, just to prove that I was indeed there, here are some pics (that are kind of a let down when you think about it). Oh well.

And that's it. The rest of the night was driving and a LOT of construction. Now, I'm in Dixon, IL - the childhood home of Abe Lincoln. I have a feeling that I'll be pretty quick here. Maybe snap some pics of the house and statue, then move on. I gotta get to John Wayne's house, after all. :)