Home to Winter

Photos.

Our last day on the road was Tuesday, two days ago now. We started in rain from Rockford, Illinois and the first 60 miles or so were already quite stressful. Lots of trucks on the road from the very beginning, all the way home.

I drove for less than 40 miles. By the time I got into the driver's seat, I was already nervous and incapable of lasting very long. The weather was quiet then, but by Black River Falls, the storm was advancing and we put the "real" driver in charge.

It was quite a drive home: rain, snow, freezing rain, sleet, ice. Endless traffic. Vehicles going too fast. Salt trucks. Plows. A semi in the ditch. We crossed the river into Minnesota and almost immediately all lanes of traffic came to a complete halt for an accident being cleaned up off the roadway.

St. Paul was beautiful, under a blanket of white. People seemed very cheerful and energized by the unusual spring storm. We had to shovel our way to the deck and managed to unload some of our bags and the cooler.

It is definitely cold here, with no end in sight. More snow on Sunday.

Enough already!

Photos.

We were dead beat last night and I only lasted till 9:08 with The Kennedys, a series I've been watching on CNN. Bob watched the news for 15 or 20 minutes but I was already sound asleep when he turned off the lights around 9:30. The great thing about a sleepless night is that I usually sleep great on the next try, and that was the case. I had a great sleep and was ready to go when I heard Bob in the shower at 5:00 a.m.

We had a good breakfast and were on the road by 7:20, with hotel coffee in a thermal cup. We gained an hour soon after when we entered the Central time zone, a good thing because we had a long ride ahead ahead of us, beginning with pretty fog in the mountains. Peaceful and serene, except for traffic racing around us.

We went through Nashville in late morning, perfect except for a minor wrong turn which was easily -- and quickly corrected. We had intermittent rain, but fortunately it wasn't very heavy when I was driving. The only slowdown was for an accident, bad for the car involved but only a 15 or 20-minute delay for us.

The temperature dropped quickly during the day, from about 69F when we left Chattanooga to hovering around 32F in part of Illinois. We saw snow on the ground throughout much of the state, a first for us returning from Florida, when we usually delight in the spring plants and flowering trees.

We stopped a couple of times at rest stops, where most people were clad in winter jackets and hats. Gloves too. We recognized fellow Minnesotans returning from points south, because we were all in summer tees and shorts. As always, my Vikings jacket attracted both comments and conversation. Bob mentioned several times that we looked crazy, but, of course -- and perhaps unfortunately -- I really didn't care.

We pulled into Rockford, Illinois, before 6:00 p.m. Unlike the GREAT accommodations at Holiday Inn Express, tonight's stop isn't terrific, but the king room at Baymont Suites is clean and breakfast is a nice early 6:00 a.m.

We had hoped to be returning to spring, a beautiful Minnesota season when we get it, but tomorrow's forecast for the Twin Cities is not particularly encouraging. This year we'll be back in time to blow and shovel snow. 

Chattanooga by Evening

Photos.

I'm really not a good sleeper much of the time. Last night was no exception. I was overtired from packing and a little sad after saying goodbye to our March neighbors, Carol, Joe and Mary. We'll won't see one another until February 2019, which seems very far away, though I know it's not.

I woke up -- if you can call it that -- at 4:00 a.m. and Bob was already rested and ready, looking about 30 years younger than he is. I, on the other hand, felt like the tired and touchy old hag with a sunburned nose. He made us sandwiches (turkey and cheese for him, peanut butter for me -- the turkey wasn't fresh enough for me to consider it safe). I took a shower and got rid of the last trash, noisily because I had to stuff the bag down the garbage chute. Some year, someone is going to make the connection and ID me as the crazy person who obsessively cleans till the very end of our stay in Florida.

We pulled out of the parking lot at 5:20 a.m. I275 to Tampa was fine, but as we drove north the fog settled over the freeway, and by the time we got to the I75 split, there was little visibility. No matter. By then, it was my turn to drive. Magnanimous, as always,  Bob said he would drive if the fog got really bad. It didn't, and I did fine after I settled into the rhythm of the freeway. It's actually somewhat soothing.

Downtown Atlanta

The rest of the ride is something of a blur. Finally, the sun came out and I was happy I had worn shorts. I got to drive once more, into Georgia but not as far as Atlanta.  Bob drove for the rest of the way, breezing through downtown Atlanta.

We stopped at the Tennessee Welcome Center and consulted the customer service rep about a place to stay. He recommended Chattanooga or Manchester ... and I voted for Chattanooga. Bob thought he had "an additional 70 miles" in him to make it through the congestion, but I didn't, and I was not going to drive in the mountains. Been there, done that -- not well.

So here we are for the night. The scotch is good and spring flowers are blooming. I will sleep tonight.