Indiana

We threatened to send Shea home with her dad often. :)

REAL!

 She was the best cross country window washer!

 I was heartbroken, always had thought this place would be so grand.. it was so less that than that.

We dropped into Cincinnati, the rain was coming down and I was actually pretty scared!

Ozarkland though St. Louis - Missouri

The change in landscape was remarkable, lush green trees and rolling hillsides!  We woke in a tiny trucker stop and geared up to go.  Fireworks were purchased at "Ozarkland" and Whit Castles outside St Louis.  First ugly driver/navigator squabble was getting on wrong exit for the Arch and getting intoIllinois  then turning back around.  The Arch itself gave me mixed options, the beat up cityscape of St Louis and the amazing piece of architecture really sat uncomfortable with me.  We witnessed some stereotypical scenes, like when heartland folk witness a surfer in San Diego, we saw some ganger dudes all in red parading their sweet rides down the way, looking straight out of the CountryGrammar  video.  I guess it didn't occur to me that the drive across Illinois was grassland. We hit a fantastic rainstorm and ran giggling through a rest stop parking lot, stopping in the small towns that the interstate forgot, and arrived to Chicago safe and on time. We did a 4 hour walk around, saw the skyscrapers, the fountain from Married with Children, ride the huge Ferris Wheel when at the navy pier, thought we were going to die in a limo with a crazy driver, who dropped us off at Mister Js. We enjoyed Italian Beef and mosquitoes and ordered a Chicago Deep Dish for the room.  A good night sleep was had and deserved by all.