Sunday, 4 October 2009
Road Trip Day 46
Though I don't regret it for a moment, I did spend slightly longer in Minnesota than I would have planned. It was all down to Twins scheduling, but given how much I enjoyed the game I wouldn't have had it any other way.
The minor downside to the extra time in the Land of 10,000 Lakes is that I had a lot of ground to cover along Interstate 90 to get to my next major stop in Chicago.
IA
I started my day in Iowa, and the sun was shining. I resisted the temptation to return to the Field of Dreams for sunny shots, and instead headed back north briefly beside the Mississippi. This gave a more scenic route and meant I would enter Wisconsin sooner and take me towards the state capital of Madison.
This extra time also meant I got some better shots of the delicate Catholic churches I mentioned yesterday. Below is the Basilica of St Francis Xavier in Dyersville, the only Basilica in North America outside of a major metropolitan area (apparently) and below that the church in Luxemburg.
WI
I passed through Wisconsin today and took the scenic route, as I so often do, which took me through some delightful little towns along route 60 and the Wisconsin River.
Just like yesterday, as I drove I chewed for The Twins. Again, no coverage of the game itself on the radio down in Wisconsin, but I could receive Milwaukee Brewer's Radio and they gave regular updates.
My chewing must have worked because Minnesota won again and will now play Detroit in a tie-breaker game, at the Metrodome on Tuesday. Now I just have to find a way to watch it on TV.
Also in Wisconsin I visited another state Capitol and, yes, it was a big white building with a dome and a gold statue. Very imposing though and in the middle of a good looking city that I'd have liked to spend more time in had time allowed.
IL
And so to Chicago. A recent silly technicality on the part of Los Angeles means that Chicago is no longer the second largest city in the USA but it has far more claim to the title than the sprawling mass of LA.
I am staying with my cousin and his wife in their plush pad in the Uptown area. I am looking forward to having a local guide and spending a few days in the company of family. I've not seen Chicago in daylight yet, but have seen the inside of a very nice Chinese restaurant and Millennium Park in the dark.
Here's a long shot of the Chicago skyline by night.
Goodnight.
visited 29 states (58%)
View Driving Day 46 in a larger map
Stats - Day Seventy-Two
Distance travelled - 297 miles - Dyersville, IA to Chicago, IL via Madison, WI
State entered - Wisconsin, Illinois
State count - 29 + DC + B.C.
Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229, 111, 207, 206, 40, 605, "Cowboy", 35, 11, 18, 262, 216, 208, 430, 216, 59, 226, 115 / 110*, 309, 30, 8, 255, 428, 209, "Spare"
*room switch
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