Day-15-heading out

Today was the day to begin our long trip home. We packed sandwiches and drinks in our cooler to not spend a lot of money on junk food. Mark bought Lebanon bologna and farmers cheese from the market on Friday, and what delicious sandwiches that made.

Our departure was tearful, especially for Maggie. Jared and Valerie vowed to come visit in September. Goodbye Hamburg!

Instead of taking the main interstate through Pennsylvania, we drove through coal country. Central PA is hilly and beautiful. This area can take you to another time, away from mainstream culture and back to a simpler time.

Ohio was pretty too, and although there was a $15 toll on the entire ride, there were planned service plazas with clean restrooms, food and other goods necessary for road trips. It was hard to complain about a toll with these planned amenities. Oregon, you can take a lesson and charge a toll on I-5 for all those passing through.

Indiana was a short drive, and I must admit I was disappointed to not witness the greatness of Gary, Indiana (sarcasm). The sun was setting, and we entered the Chicago metro area...

We felt that driving through Chicago on a Sunday night was a wise choice rather than a Monday morning. Traffic was still crazy at 10pm there. We saw the skyline of Chicago at night, and drove by the Sears Tower. Other than that, I wished to get out of the metro area as soon as possible.

We arrived in Rockport IL for the night. We rank it right up there with Shawnee OK, minus the bugs and humidity.