From Columbus, OH to Chicago, IL
From Columbus, OH to Chicago, IL
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After riding home last night in the cold rain, I'm pleasantly surprised to wake up to mixed sun and clouds. I get my stuff together as quickly as possible and get the bike packed. A quick breakfast is in order, so I cross I-71 to hit a McDonalds before getting on the road.
The sun is short lived and the air is fairly cold. It was a good decision to put on all the rain gear as that helps considerably in preserving body heat and turning a miserable ride into one that is pleasant. The ride today is going to be nearly 400 miles and I'm braced for the long ride.
The view from the Interstate is attractive but predictable. Near towns, the roadside is covered with billboards and advertisements, gas stations, motels, truck stops and the usual traveler on the move support systems. Away from towns, the countryside is either farmland or woods. The woods are right up next to the edge of the road. I've learned elsewhere that this is often screen planting to mitigate the presence of the interstate. The farmlands a mix of neat and orderly and nearly abandoned.
I pass the exit for Vandalia, OH and think of one the people I met last night. This is where he lives. When I get to Chicago later, I will find a wonderful e-mail from him. The gist of the message is 1) I didn't get the magnitude of what you were doing when we were talking last night and 2) I have a ton of questions. He further goes on to offer his best wishes for a safe and exciting trip.
When I talk to people, one of the first questions I usually get is a variation on people are idiots. Sometimes it is couched as 'How many close calls have you had with bad drivers?', or 'Do you ever feel threatened?' I would just like to say that the reality is the opposite. I think of how nice people are. I think of how courteous people are. I think of how interested people are. One of my lessons from this trip is a reinforcement of the basic goodness of people. I may have been influenced by overwhelming media reports of crime and violence. My experience has been since I left home that is not the issue. We all need to come out of our houses more and meet each other.
The ride across Ohio past Dayton and into Indiana is fairly uneventful. There has been quite a bit of construction that poses its own special problems. Weather has been very cooperative to the extent that the road has been dry.
I stop at a truck stop just north of Indianapolis for gas and lunch. I have a real craving for a chili size. I figure any truck stop would have such a staple of diner cuisine. I'm proved wrong and have a nice turkey sandwich instead. A couple come in that have been riding a Gold Wing towing a trailer. They are headed north as well.
As I head north, I become aware of a coal black weather system to the northwest. The interstate makes a nice jog to the left and for a few miles it seems like I will pass to the south and west of this weather system. I'm amazed at the life in these clouds. They are growing to cover a greater and greater portion of the horizon while at the same time growing vertically. The wind is now very strong.
There is a rest stop about three miles ahead and I'm really hoping that I can make it there to take cover before I run under this system. As I get closer, I can really see the clouds boiling and turning. Its really amazing. At the rest stop, I ask two truck drivers and a car driver if they have an idea of what the weather is like ahead. All agree it looks bad but don't know what is really going on. There is a crack of thunder. Not a simple thunder clap but rather a rolling timpani of thunder that seems to fill the entire sky. To me it seems like the storm system is tracking to the north east of us.
The rest stop attendant comes out to have a look. "Yup it looks bad." It starts to drizzle but I can see much harder rain less than a mile away. The wind is so strong that I get pushed backwards on my heels and have to step backwards to keep from falling.
Time to go inside the rest stop building and read the maps and historical placards. Everyone that comes in says hello and some people stop to chat for a few. A couple run into the shelter to get out of the increasingly heavy rain. He has a motorcycle -- wait, he HAD a motorcycle. The replacement is due in a few weeks. His knee and leg are healed now but the accident was nearly a year ago. They are returning home from the Indianapolis 500 where he asked her to marry him. She goes out to the truck to get beers so that the three of us can celebrate.
By now the lightening is running nonstop. The sky is dark as night. The rain is torrential.
But indeed, the rest stop only gets skirted by the storm. And within twenty minutes, the rain is stopping, the wind has abated and there is no sign of lightening. This was an awesome event for a person from a weather deficient region.
I give the semis another half hour to squeegee the interstate to a drier state before leaving. In all, I took shelter for about ninety minutes. Not too much of a delay and completely necessary in my estimation.
Interstate 65 ends near Gary, Indiana where it runs into Interstate 90. I-90 is a toll road and I have to take my gloves off and search for the big fifteen cent toll. There is another toll booth before getting to Illinois -- this time fifty cents. Entering Illinois, I have to pay an additional two dollars to cross the Chicago Skyway. I'm waiting for the car to clear the toll booth ahead of me. I drag the clutch just a little to move the bike forward and then kick the bike into neutral. I put both feet down to stop myself at the toll booth window. Funny, remember the discussion in Florida about slick toll booths? Well I basically slide right through. I give the toll booth attendant and myself a good chuckle.
Once in Chicago, I take a short drive along Lake Shore Drive past the aquarium and McCormick Place. The view of the Chicago skyline is just great. What a beautiful city.
Read on: Chicago -- My Kind of Town.
Depart Columbus heading south on Interstate 71.
In central Columbus transition to Interstate 70 heading west.
At Indianapolis, transition onto Interstate 465 heading north.
North of Indianapolis, transition onto Interstate 65 heading north.
East of Gary, Indiana, transition onto Interstate 90 heading west.
Arrive Chicago
(c) 2001 Thomas N. Engler Revision Date: 06/01/2001
