Day 12 and 13: Michigan City, IN to Chicago, IL

Day 12: Sweet Home Chicago!
Thursday, June 10th and Friday, June 11th

After another delicious breakfast cooked by the wonderful Jean at the Hogwarts of Michigan City, we embarked on a leisurely 60 mile ride to Chicago to stuff ourselves with deep dish pizza. I can’t believe how quickly we’ve made it across Indiana already (not to mention Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania).

The first leg of the morning took us through the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and an unexpected flat tire turned into a photo shoot as a Park Ranger spotted my group and started snapping pictures to be used in the park brochure. After handing us some waivers to sign he followed us for a couple miles and snapped candid photos and action shots. Just look for us on the cover of the new park map next season ;)

I was pleasantly surprised by the courtesy and enthusiasm shown by the drivers of western Indiana. It was nice to hear encouraging cheers and toots, as opposed to the jeers and ‘Get a car!’ screams we grew accustomed to in Pennsylvania.

The second leg of the day may have not been the most scenic, but was adventurous nonetheless. Unfortunately, holding our breath wasn’t really an option so we sucked it up (literally) and braved the smells that the city had to offer. And of course, no trip through Gary is complete without some sort of drug deal, and despite our best attempts to evade her, one of the villagers was able to force her experimental nutritional supplements upon two of our riders (but don’t worry—nothing was ingested).

East Chicago was a tease, as it turned out to be nothing more than just a euphemism for West Gary. We were a little disappointed by the absence of a sign welcoming us into Illinois (pictures with state signs have become a staple on this trip!), but within a few miles of entering the REAL Chicago city limits we made our way onto the Lakefront bike path for perhaps the most beautiful stretch of the entire trip thus far. The sky was clear and the lake sparkled, and pretty soon we were admiring the magnificent city skyline.

It was great to get another glimpse of my old apartment, and the bike to UIC was a trip down memory lane for me. We were all blown away by the amenities offered by the dorms, and apart from one amusing mix-up with room assignments everything went swimmingly. And if the prospect of deep dish pizza wasn’t enough, we were all giddy with the excitement of our second day off.

But the very best part of the day for me was the visit from my dad and brother, plus one surprise stowaway, who drove straight from DC to meet me for the night.

In conclusion, Day 12 was a GREAT day.

-Sara Achrati