Life After Cows...Part Eight...

On to Chicago!

It's hard to believe it's been over three months since we're back from our trip, and I still have two posts to go!!

We spent the day after visiting Rock Creek Park, travelling across Iowa and spent the night just west of the Illinois state line.  This was the day that I think we would both say was the least exciting, and the day that we got really tired of being in the car!  We had hoped to make a couple of stops that would have been fun, but they didn't work out.  We did stop at the world's largest truck stop for supper!

Early Thursday morning, we crossed the Mississippi River, and here is where we saw the most evidence of the flooding that affected the midwest...

We don't know what it looks like normally, but this certainly has to be much, much more water than usual!  Powerlines with water covering the bottom few feet?  I can't imagine how devastating the flooding must have been to so many people...

We had planned to stay close enough to the city, so that we would easily be able to reach my sister's house before rush hour.  We made it by mid afternoon...

Jim and I had been here for Marge and Hermann's wedding, and I had visited with our kids and my Mom when the kids were 6 and 3!  We were so happy to finally be in Evanston, to see family, and to relax for a couple of days!

My sister's family lives about a ten minute bike ride from Lake Michigan.  There's a nice bike path along the lake, and Jim and I enjoyed several hours on Friday, riding around and seeing the sights from a different perspective...

One of my nephews participates in a sailing club, and I rode along to pick him up after.  Marge and I took a stroll on the beach...in the wind...

Such a different kind of beach than we are used to!

At the sailing club.  All the boats have been put up for the night...

That evening, Marge, Jim and I took the El downtown,

...where Hermann met us after work.  While we waited to connect with him, we visited Millenium Park, and "the bean"...

After Hermann arrived downtown, we found a coffee shop and enjoyed catching up some more. This is one of my most favorite pictures from the whole trip...unhurried and relaxed...

We began walking...just to see what there was to see.  The Chicago River at night was beautiful, with all the lights reflecting on the water.  There was just something fun about being in a large city on a Friday night...

Try as we might, we couldn't get a good selfie, so we traded favors with another group...

On the way home on the El...almost an hour's ride...

Jim was the only one who wasn't on his phone doing something...surfing, reading, or taking a picture! (my self included...see my reflection in the window?!)

We are so glad that we were able to spend time with family on this trip...it was definitely one of the highlights!  Thanks, Marge and Hermann, for welcoming us and taking time out of your already busy schedules to show  us around your neck of the woods!!

Next stop...Lancaster PA...with a few pit stops along the way!