Eastern Utah
EMAIL ME AT: mgypsy97 at aol dot com

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

In Illinois

I am in Illinois this evening; I stopped early and will try to get going very early in the morning to try to beat some of the Chicago area traffic.  The desk clerk told me I should leave by 6 am or wait until after 10:00.  I don't want to wait because that is half the morning gone, and I definitely drive better i the morning.

Today I traveled through Iowa and it was foggy for most of the way.  I came across the bridge into Illinois, and stopped at the rest area just after the river.  I love rivers, but there are just a few that I have a special feeling for -- The Ohio, the Hudson, The Snake, and the Mississippi.  Of all these I think the Mississippi tugs at a string in my heart when I see it.

The photos were taken just inside Illinois and you can see overcast and hazy Iowa on the other side.  I couldn't get much of the bridge in either photo, but that's how it goes, for me at least.  Click to enlarge.  I wish I could get a shot from the middle of the bridge looking down-river.  





I'm having a terrible time with internet connections.  I would have thought I would have more trouble in the mountainous states, but the connections in Utah and Colorado were flawless!

I watched the Weather Channel this morning to see the developments in weather patterns.  Evidently CA is going to get some much needed water, but I wanted to see what my chances were of running into storms.  It's hard to tell because the Weather Channel seems to dramatize the forecast and it always sounds worse than it turns out to be.  That's why I only watch them when traveling.

People in this part of the country are so friendly.  This morning I stopped for gas and then went inside the store to buy coffee, a banana, some danish, etc.  The manager insisted on helping me carry them to the car - it was cold and windy and he had short sleeves, but he insisted anyway.  How nice of him!

I'm hoping to have a decent trip around the Chicago area in the morning.  It's never easy, but I hate to think of hitting it at rush hour.

5 comments:

  1. Have you been to Itasca in Minnesota where the headwaters of the Mississippi are? Really wonderful. The weather channel is the worst for trying to scare us to death but that seems to be what all the weather forecasters do. Continued safe and dry travels to you!

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  2. Your doing great on this trip. To bad internet is so bad or could check the weather on Wunderground weather. they are pretty much on spot. That was really nice of the clerk to help you out to the car.
    Continued safe travels

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  3. This time of year the weather can change very fast. You are doing the right thing by keeping up with the weather where you are traveling.

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  4. I only part of the weather channel that I follow is the TOR-CON numbers where they rate uncoming storms from 0-9. I always check these numbers when traveling.

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  5. "It's hard to tell because the Weather Channel seems to dramatize the forecast and it always sounds worse than it turns out to be."

    This is the best description I have read of the Weather Channel and so true!

    I am getting caught up on your trip but I am doing some back tracking so I do not miss anything.

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