Day 12 - Biking in a Car - Part 1

Day 12 - Monday, September 1 Morning

Last night’s sleep was terrible. The traffic was constant - not an issue, but when you are  aware you are not sleeping in front of the brightly lit 7-Eleven, but instead a few blocks down where the street lighting is not so sharp, you tend to feel a little less secure. 

Therefore, at 6:45 AM, when I awoke for the final time, I crawled out of my warm bed, gathered my important items, woke the children, and with hair uncombed, make-up not applied, climbed into the van and set off into the empty streets. None of us needed to dress, since the previous two nights we had slept in our clothes, in the odd case we needed to depart quickly. The irony of this whole situation is that I had paid over $300 to stay for these nights just a couple streets over. A bit of a rip-off situation, if you ask me, since the owner clearly knew his street would be chock-a-block full of cars night and day!

We left the sink full of dirty dishes. Now that our water tank was empty, we were working on using bottled water from the Dollar Tree. That is fine and dandy when you have time for dishes, but knowing I had a long road ahead of me, I figured I could wash dishes a little later in the morning. 

I had deliberately stayed out of Chicago, so that I could avoid traffic. Unfortunately, it appears that my GPS has a mind of its own. I know all about the programming of it, but for some reason it has taken off on me.

 It took me right through the heart of Chicago, past Millennium Park, and round and round in circles. I was keeping myself calm, but I could see that soon the people would awaken and join me, and then I would have more traffic to contend with. I also knew that out there was Lakeshore Drive where trucks are not allowed to travel on. I must get out of Chicago and quickly!

I pulled over a couple people and got misinformation, and then stopping on a quieter area not right in the heart of the city, I read my map to see if I could find a location south of the city that I could punch into my GPS. A short while after I saw a clean cut man of about thirty or so, on a bicycle driving past the front of my van. 

I leaned out and called to him to see if he could help me. Hearing my situation, and knowing that ultimately I was heading for Pennsylvania and was trying to avoid heavy congestion, but couldn’t get out of the city, he suggested I take a couple roads and I would end up on the I90 east. 

Probably seeing a look of confusion on my face, this incredible Chicagoan told me that if I just followed him he would lead me to the I90 East. And when I got to where I was going there would be I90 East, I90 West, and I55 - be sure to take the I90 East. Okay, I was good to go, I sort of felt. Off we went with our bicycle escort. The streets were still rather bare, so I didn’t need to worry about going too slow, and besides, in Chicago, bicycles are everywhere!

He took us through tunnels and roads, and finally pulled over told me to go forward. 

I thanked him profusely, and headed off, just to immediately realize there were two lanes and neither told me which was which. As I came out of the tunnel, there were three lanes and no clear signage. I was in a dilemma. Where was my trusty helper! Enter sad face.  I sat there perplexed. Starting to pull forward, knowing a decision had to be made, as cars would come up behind me, I looked in my rear view mirror, and what wonderful thing did I see? My guardian angel peddling calmly up behind me, smiling broadly and waving at me. 

He drove up beside me, and agreed that the signs were bad, and it was no wonder I got lost! He told me, No problem, follow him again, and he would lead me back. Off he started on his bicycle, and I began following him. 

I realized this was crazy, and how long could he keep this up!! Pulling up beside him, I asked, “Do you want to get in?” 

He said, “Where do I put my bike?” And I told him to put it in the side door. He easily slid it in beside Song, and then led us to the I90. 

I was concerned of how he would be getting back, and he kept saying, “I’m from around here. It’s okay.”  I have no idea how far we drove, but it must have been miles! He was so smiley and good-natured, full of help, and from ‘around here’, that I almost wonder - half joking, of course, if he were an angel? He showed me where to let him out, and the pointed at the car in front and told me to follow it. I could not thank this considerate, life-saver enough!  After a few breath-holding moments, I passed through the very expensive Chicago toll bridge and was on my way - at last!

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1:00 PM:  I am so glad I had chosen to leave Chicago at 6:45 this morning. The van has been running fine, partly helped, I’m sure, by some careful management, but I’m going to give God the rest of the credit, as the check engine light went out yesterday. Keep in mind, God put a lot of believing people in our path, who have been praying for us. We are now half-way through Indiana. I have decided due to lack of sleep and vehicle issues that we will take it as easy as possible today. Our drive was supposed to take twelve hours in two days, but so far we are over schedule, and I can see it is going to take much longer than that. 

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I changed routes in the hopes of picking up some time. This GPS is wonky. It is telling me the trip will take 12 hours, and the time keeps falling off it, and now apparently, we have arrived, and yet I know we must be hours upon hours away from our destination!! This crazy machine has us going in a wide circle around Fort Wayne - a hugely wide circle, and the check engine light is back on. But the light of the Holy Spirit is brighter than any engine light, and I shall keep on keeping on, trusting the Lord. It’s been a strange day for weather. After a suffocatingly hot night in the caravan, we woke to overcast skies, and very humid air; there’s no hope for my hair. My children, with their loving natures, say they like the curl. They say curl; I think frizz, and Miss Frizzle drives the Magic School Bus, not the Silver Limousine.

Drenched

Lunch on the Run

The Town That Time Forgot?

Along with humid weather we drove through bucketing downpours and clear skies. I kept driving, while checking the maps to see where the GPS was taking us, and it appeared to think we should go north to Cleveland, so that was when I figured it was time to pull into a town for the night. It was getting to dark to drive, and I really needed to figure out what to do.