Melting in the Midwest

How many times have I complained that Edinburgh was too cold..??  Why wasn't there ever a Summer..?? I take back those complaints a hundred-fold.

We are now in a small town in northwest Illinois called Freeport. It's a lovely old-time place, with rocking chairs on porches and American flags flying and Mom & Pop diners. We took refuge here when the temperature soared into the 90s, with the humidity about the same, due to this enormous storm plowing it's way across the Midwest. We've run into two smaller thunderstorms today, with the lightning flashing like strobe lights and the thunder cracking overhead so loud you can feel it in your bones. Ozzy, of course, nearly had a stroke.

We left Maumee at 8:00am this morning as there were weather warnings that were pretty grim, about this super storm headed for Chicago by afternoon...the very direction we were going in.  With the temperature rising, the humidity building, we drove out of Ohio and blazed across Indiana, hoping to get through Chicago by Noon.  Just before we left Indiana and drove into Illinois and Chicago, the sky went from sunny to black and ominous.

 I know I said I would stop with the "road photos", but I couldn't help it.  This storm happened so fast, we couldn't believe it--from daylight to darkness in moments.  Thank goodness there was a rest area where we could pull in to wait it out.

This is the rain pouring down the windshield, while lightning flashed and thunder rolled.  And Ozzy had a nervous breakdown.  When the storm ended, we forged ahead to Chicago, still hoping to avoid the impending super storm.

The heat in Chicago was incredible.  It didn't help that we got stuck in a 2-1/2 hour traffic jam.  We managed to get there just before Noon, then it took us until nearly 2:30 to get through town and out the other side.  Honestly, I will never, for any reason, go through that blasted town again.  Why anyone would live in a place that generates sweat from every pore in your body, is beyond me.  Ozzy was losing the plot even with the A/C on, and though Alan followed my navigation perfectly, the heat drives you insane...especially when you can't get away from it, so there was some snarking, though we both had to laugh in the midst of the yelling.  Then the skies burst into a rain squall and for about ten minutes it was cool, before the whole process began building up again.  It got to 92* at one point and I swear, I could hear my brain boiling. 

We finally got out of Chicago, drove north to Rockford so we could get off the freeway and onto US 20, and breathed a sigh of total relief. What a great highway. Almost no trucks, little traffic, and the road meanders through lovely, green farmland. We got as far as Freeport and just couldn't go another mile in the heat/humidity. We found a wonderful hotel, with lots of grass and fields around for Ozzy's walks, and decided to take a day off from traveling, so we'll stay here until Sunday, and hopefully by then this blasted super storm will have either blown over, or out. 

Ozzy is happy with the room, and the air conditioning. We went to a 50s diner place for dinner, ate outside while 50s rock and roll played, then came back to our chilled hotel room. Ozzy is now collapsed on the bed sound asleep, Alan is sprawled in that chair (above photo) and I am writing at the desk about a foot from the arctic blast from the A/C unit. Ahhhh, bliss.

Tomorrow, before the heat escalates--the storm is still coming--we plan to wander around the town. Apparently, Abraham Lincoln was here in 1858 to make a speech. There's a statue of him in the town park. It's really cool to see an American Midwest town, with all the stuff that should be a cliche, but is really Life in a small town. Hopefully I'll get some good photos of the beautiful old houses.  Until then...I'll just be here...melting in the Midwest.