Waking up in cool weather felt great. Knowing I was going to see my big brother, Gary, today felt even greater. I couldn’t wait to hit the road and see him.
One small problem tho leaving the campground early...
Ned rode his bike to the local store when we checked into the campground to pick up a few things. Unfortunately, he inadvertently left his wallet on the counter. By the time we came back from our bike ride and took showers it was close to 10 pm. We tore Winnie apart looking for it, finally riding back to the store. This was the sign in the door. Whew. Glad “Mr. Hamilton’s” wallet was found. (Ned aka Ned Hamilton Russell). Now, we just had to hang out until 10 waiting to pick it up! We spent the time at the Indiana Dunes National Park Visitor’s Center watching a couple of films.
Even tho I’m a native Californian, born in Oakland, my coming of age years were in Chicago. I consider it my second home. Ned and I’ve been back many times but never biked the Lakeshore Trail. It was a foggy and a cool mid 70’s, but such a fun ride!
Unfortunately for Ned, it was also a trip down memory lane for me. So instead of him just getting to stretch his legs on a 10 mile ride, he got to hear me tell stories of all the places we passed. “Look Ned, that’s McCormick Place where I went to my first concert”. Three Dog Night circa 1973 for those curious. Shed Aquarium and Planetarum - first kiss on a dare. (The Rush Street I remember of funky, head shops and lava lamps no longer exists).
Know how you can tell Chicagoans from a tourist? They are the ones wearing t-shirts, (or no t-shirts at all) or bathing suits on the beach in 70 degree weather. All the tourists were wearing hoodies or jackets. We had fun hanging out at the beach watching the lifeguards battle the wind and waves in row boats, and a couple of brave souls swimming.
Of course the highlight of the day was seeing Gary and Dru. We arrived mid afternoon and spent the time just catching up. And yes, we were THOSE relatives that showed up with bags of dirty laundry. Can’t believe my big bro actually did my laundry! Ha, growing up that would have never happened. Tonight was hanging out at the Rusty Nail, a great local joint. Great ribs, chicken and beers. Tomorrow, we all hit the road for Wisconsin. Lord only knows what kind of shenanigans we’re going to get into. Dru’s been coming up with some pretty fun suggestions. Stay tuned...
