Rockstar Parking in Chicago

September 22-24, 2019

The Dunes National Park Campground, Gary, IN

Day 100-102

I left around 10 am, right after the heavy rain. So happy to be leaving here! I will never come back. Weather report still suggests possible tornados in this area; nothing is scarier to me. Because of possible high wind gusts, I am not going on any highways. I will continue to take state and county routes, taking the shortest route thru the city of Chicago.

I start out by taking the Lincoln Highway (38) east. It’s like a slice of Americana pie, my favorite kind of drive. Sometimes it’s a great ride telling wonderful short stories along the way. Other times, it is a patchwork of roads, some interstate, some state and not very rewarding or even easy to find.

At this point, I am at a crossroads about 60 miles outside Chicago. Thinking, thinking…do I really go straight into, or around, Chicago? If I went directly into The City, I would avoid the possible tornado area and possibly see my sister – if even for 15 minutes! Why not! So, I leave her a message and text, and decide to go low and slow straight into Chicago, to the Buckingham Fountains near Soldier Field. You know the one…it’s on the opening credits of Married with Children.

The road now becomes Roosevelt, and it’s literally a straight line to Soldier Field. There are a lot of lights, and it’s a slow crawl. About 10 miles from the City, it starts to become seedy and gets worse as I get closer. I think… could I be car jacked? So I position the BIG ass can of bear (pepper) spray I keep on hand in the truck, on my lap, with the lock off. The road has 2 lanes on both sides and even though I am following City buses, the lanes are narrow. I know I must be an unusual site, but strangely, no one is staring. I glance at my phone and there are no message from my sister. I pull over and text her again.

The traffic in Chicago is so thick. I get to the Buckingham Fountain and by an amazing chance, I get THE BEST parking space right in front of the fountain! What are the chances of having a 60’ legal parking space open up right there!? This legal space was for any vehicle – it was not a bus or loading zone. I pull in, take Sparky out and cross the street to bask in the glory of my beautiful parking spot. Considering the overcast day, the picture came out pretty well.

By now, I am tired from all the stress of driving into Chicago and decide to leave and get on the freeway. The Dunes are about 45 miles away. The moment I get on the freeway, it starts to rain, then pour, then really pour. I can barley see 50' in front of me. Cars and trucks are not what I would say friendly in these parts. It’s a very stressful drive and lots of route changes on GPS. I basically white knuckle it, in the slow lane, for the next 2+ hours. This is the worst traffic ever. Ever. I could never live here and never want to drive thru this again (though I will need to tomorrow, but without the trailer). The rain stops, I'm on my last highway exchange. Finally, I am greeted by the serenity of The Dunes.

The Dunes are just that. Beautiful sandy beaches – some flat, some with dunes – along Indiana’s Lake Michigan. You can see Gary, Indiana to the left and even see Chicago in the distance, on the other side of The Lake. There is both a State Park and a National Park here. We are staying at the National Park site (this just became the 61st National Park!). This is a primitive site – no water, electric or sewer. Note to self, I think the State Parks have electric, so I will go that route next time.

My neighbor across the way comes over to say hi and ask if I need help backing in. I say I’m okay and can park and unhitch on my own. He seems nice enough, though is missing a few teeth. The parking spot is paved and very woody. It’s patrolled a few times a day by a ranger, so I feel safe; but you never know. Met a nice retired couple (Bob, Luann and their dog) at the check-in station earlier. They came by my trailer later and enjoyed some bourbon and conversation. They have a camper on top of their truck which works well for their needs. We have a nice visit and hope to stay in touch.

There was a Facebook post that I commented on recently that really stung me. Someone on the Airstream Addicts forum was saying how they leave their propane on while driving and others chimed in too saying they do it too. This is a huge grey area. I am convinced somewhere it says it’s illegal – either by federal or state guidelines, but I can’t substantiate it. So, I say it’s illegal and I get pounced on!!! (When I was in Idaho and had my propane refilled, the operator was stern with me about my gas being open. Ever since then, I have turned it off while driving.) The biggest inconvenience is that the freezer defrosts a little. I guess you need to check state by state. I don’t want a reason to get a ticket or worse, be responsible for a horrible accident with a gas line explosion. I am taking a break from that Facebook group for a while. Geeze.

Day 2 - Since I am boondocking, I can’t put on my AC. It’s warm and humid. I slept with the windows open and wake to refreshing coolness. Water is dripping off the leaves, but I can see clear skies thru the thick forest. It’s going to be a sunny day!

I am going into Chicago, near O’Hare, to pick up lawn chairs at Zip Dee; the Rolls Royce of lawn chairs, made by the awning company Airstream uses. Also, I am seeing my friends at Viola Imports and connect with my old boss Robert of Chefs Warehouse.

I decide to drive to Elk Grove via surface streets versus highway. GPS says it'll take 2.5 hours (versus estimated 2 hours via highway). After yesterday’s horrific traffic on the highway, surface streets seem like good alternative. I take The Dunes Highway (beautiful) thru depressing Gary, into Caulmet, to Elk Grove. The drive was painfully slow and riddled with potholes!!! My suspension is crying. It was a horrible drive on all fronts.

Fortunately, all three of my stops are within a mile or two of each other. But, because the traffic is congested, it takes 30+ minutes between stops. I get my chairs - love them, they will last a lifetime! Then met the Viola Imports crew (Alessandro, Michelle and Jessica) for lunch in Rosemont. So nice to reconnect with them! I love all their products and adore their Italian producers. I have them to thank for helping coordinate my epic culinary birthday trip to Italy a few years ago. My last stop was to see my old Director of Sales, Robert, in a cute little area in Des Plaines. It had been maybe 7 years since I had seen him last and it was nice to catch up. What a full day!

For the drive back to camp, I decided to go the highway and toll road instead. Sadly, this was not a better option. Traffic was awful and it took me well over 2 hours to get back to camp. I never want to be on these roads again. It felt dangerous at times. I even saw a 3-wheeled sports car on the highway - is that even legal? I don’t think you could pay me enough to ever drive here again.

It’s now late in the afternoon. Thankfully, I am rewarded with a gorgeous drive thru The Dunes area on Route 12. The road is flat, gently curving and covered with lush tall trees for miles. The beach is about ½ mile to the north (my left) and the forest is just to the south. This road goes all along the Indiana coast to Michigan. We drive over to the beaches on Lake Front drive, not far from camp. The Lake is so big and has gentle waves like the ocean. The color almost looks turquoise, it's gorgeous. Nice well-kept homes are all along the shoreline. We find a small beach where a lot of people are looking at the sunset (see pics) and talked to a few couples about our trip. Then drove east along The Lake until it got dark and looped back around Route 12 to camp. Between the beach and the road, we passed some spooky marshes. The water was murky with a thick film and all the tree vegetation was dead, but scrubs were thriving. Looked like a toxic dump, but I am sure it wasn’t.

Got a text from my sister Jill, she said her battery died and sorry she missed me in Chicago.