Day 6: The Windy City, where Windy = Weird

• Yet another thoroughly mediocre continental breakfast


• Start the day's driving by running a toll for lack of coinage at an unattended coin basket


• Arrive in Chicago, which suffers from a distinct lack of signage. Other interesting features of the Chicago driving experience include drivers (especially taxi drivers) who use their horns too much, pedestrians that don't jaywalk, a preponderance of trucks, and generally bad driving.


• Lake Michigan is very big. One might even say it is great.


• G calls to arrange factor pickup in Pittsburgh. G's parents can stop fretting.


• Drive by Lincoln Park, then decide to proceed to Navy Pier. End up seeing much more of Lincoln Park than originally intended due to aforementioned traffic features.


• Arrive at Navy Pier and wander around. There is apparently some kind of pirate show going on a stage in the middle of the stores. They attempt a little Irish jig, and it becomes readily apparent that one of the four pirates apparently has some training in Irish dance and has taught a (very small) bit to the others.


• LEGO HAGRID!


• Navy Pier gets even weirder closer to the end. Next comes the self-proclaimed largest museum in the world devoted entirely to stained glass. Finally is the anti-drug museum featuring history of enforcement and pictures of famous and non-famous people who have died from overdoses.


• Lunch at a Mexican restaurant on Navy Pier. We are still in the Midwest. We know this because the waiter told us the salsa was a little spicy but quite flavorful. By the end of the meal, G's mouth burns more from the salt than from the salsa.


• Consider sightseeing cruise, but decide on mini golf instead. G wins despite bounciest mini golf ball in the world. Twice his ball bounced off the edge of the cup on his first shot, and twice his ball actually bounced off the middle of the bottom of the cup and back out. He is not the least bit bitter.


• After exploring more Chicago neighborhoods due to further encounters with aforementioned traffic features, find Costco and purchase new spare tire. M and J's parents can stop fretting.


• Enter main part of Costco, apparently via a portal to a parallel universe. The entire store is mirrored on the diagonal passing through the entrance/exit, and it sells hard liquor and tobacco.


• Inconvenient construction and rush hour added to list of traffic features upon departure from Chicago


• Indiana also contains corn


• Unremarkable dinner at a travel plaza in Indiana


• J takes another shift, this time driving through sunset. Upon setting of sun, trucks take over entire highway.


• G takes over at the wheel, curses truckers who feel they can take several minutes to execute a single pass, and is subsequently vexed by RV caravan with tail vehicle traveling at times under speed limit in left lane to guard passing room for first two vehicles


• Crash at Days Inn in Fremont