Approaching Chicago

Friday, August 11…

Shorter drive, more shoreline.  Quick stop in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, to say hello to a couple of Greg’s friends at Yaskawa (mfgr of the variable-speed drives he sold). As the name suggests, this is a Japanese firm, and the facility reflected that culture. Pristine, staff in business attire, and the visit was polite and genuinely friendly but no lunch invite or casual hang-out time in the break room. This also turned out to be our only stop in Wisconsin, which surprised me. Greg is a cheese lover; I was sure he’d want to check out some local products.

Oh, darn!

Early afternoon we pulled in to Illinois Beach State Park. It's a huge park (300 sites), but the spaces are large, shaded and steps from the lake. We're still 90 minutes north of Chicago, but Chicago+campground yields zip in a google search. We'll be here 5 nights (that's a luxury), and spend 2 separate days in the city. Works for me.

I walked down to the lake this evening. This portion of the "beach" is quite pebbly, but the water is lovely and clear. The main swimming beach is along the southern half of the campground. Lots of trails and pathways to wander, and the weather is very pleasant. Good spot.