5. August 11 Elmhurst, Il.

Had a leisurely start from Whitestown, IN leaving the hotel at 09:30 EST. We delayed leaving as we were going into Central Standard Time and Kay and Mike were expecting us in the early afternoon.

Word of advice: do not travel interstate 65 in Indiana for any reason. Your car and the shock absorbers will thank you. I have been on some poorly maintained roads in my travels but this one takes the cake for potholes, tar-filled cracks, poor markings and extensive truck traffic.

Daily stats: (the boring stuff)

• 185 miles driven
• 2 hours 50 minutes

We got to Elmhurst (a suburb of Chicago) about 12:30 and were able to check into the Springhill Suites motel early. We got to Kay and Mike's house around 1:15.

It sure is nice to visit friends. We gassed for a long afternoon, had several libations, and Kay served a really great spaghetti dinner, complete with a nice chianti.

Early to bed for an early start toward Glenwood, Minnesota to see Jan and Dareld.

No fotos today. Probably more tomorrow. Just heard Robin Williams is dead. Damn.