July 8, 2013- Monday

Today was the first of many as we journey across the US!

We were able to leave just before 4 AM and headed for the hills--or, Ohio.

After about 2 hours of Chris driving, I knew my cozy ride in the passenger seat was about to come to an end. It was time for me to learn how to drive the Tahoe with camper. I spent the first hour or so, white-knuckled, unable to talk, and stiff as a board. Chris told me how much I looked like a little kid driving and I felt much the same-took me right back to being 16 with a license and aware of the road ahead of me and nothing else.

Each hour got a little easier. I also learned today when to tell Chris I needed to pull over for a quick break and then switch with him around all the congested areas.

When we switched again, it landed us in Sandusky, Ohio. Chris and I decided to eat lunch along Sandusky Bay in Lake Erie. The food was delicious and the view was spectacular. Our waitress was impressed with our trip and thought we were very spontaneous for traveling across the US. I quickly corrected her, letting her know just how much planning Chris did to make this all possible :)

The drive was superb for a few more hours. Chris and I took turns driving and enjoyed each other's company.

The dreadful (Windy) city. We tried to avoid all Chicago traffic and ended up in stop and go traffic for 2- 2 1/2 hours. I was gripping the "oh crap!" bar and Chris was gripping the steering wheel. We both decided we never want to return to Chicago...under any condition. To give you a better picture of Chicago, if you have never been, there was a sign for a lane you take if you have had an accident on I-90 and need to inspect your damage. There was also a sign flashing telling us there had been over 400 automobile deaths this year alone. We couldn't figure out if that was Chicago 
 
 
 
 
or across an entire area/country but we were not willing to find out!

The GPS seemed to be playing awful tricks on us. As we dodged moving vehicles in Chicago, the GPS kept telling us we had THREE hours to go. This seemed to go on for the 2 1/2 hours it took to get through the city.

Side note: The tall, black building is the Sears Tower!

Once we got through the rat race, we decided to take Route 20 the rest of the way to Rockford, Illinois. We got to travel through some pretty awesome farm land and through some small towns. We rolled the windows down and appreciated the fresh air and traffic-free environment.

The Wagon Shed was our dinner destination and it really hit the spot. After eating at the Wagon Shed, we were only a few minutes from the Cracker Barrel in Rockford. This is where we are spending the night. Thank God for our camper and a decent night.

We have about 6 hours of driving tomorrow and we are really looking forward to the rest of our trip :)