Old Retired Guy Blog
Jun 28 - Jul 3, 2007
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On the Road (Page 4/4)
It was overcast when we left the motel in Grand Forks, North Dakota at about 7:30 AM. To get to Madison by the end of the day we said farewell to US Highway 2 and took I-29 south and eventually got onto I-94 east when we entered Minnesota at about 9. The rain started and continued to get heavier. By 10:30 AM it was so heavy that we could hardly see so we pulled off into a rest area to wait for it to let up.
We were barely back on the road again at 1 PM when the thunder, lightening, and rain became more intense than ever so we pulled off again. Cars were stopped along the freeway but with the visibility as bad as it was we decided to get off at an exit and stopped in the parking lot of some small business.
At 8:30 PM we had to stop one last time due to the rain. We were near Lodi and it was very frustrating to have to stop so close to our destination. Driving in this type of weather is very nerve wracking and we were both exhausted. Several times during the day we felt the car hydroplane, which did a great job of getting our hearts pumping and reminded us to drive even more slowly. We got into Madison at a little after 9. The rain was still heavy but not intense. To add to our fun, we made the mistake of driving in on East Washington Avenue where there were miles of construction barricades and single lanes of traffic. I'll tell you, when we finally got close enough to see Mrs. Rennebohm on top of the Capitol building I almost got out and kissed the pavement!
We found the lock box that held our apartment key and unpacked in the now-much-lighter rain. As one final indicator of the weather, when we were unpacking the car I encountered several frogs that were trying to get into our garage. Yes, the frogs were trying to get out of the rain. Who would have thought that? We'll sleep on the floor tonight, go to Racine for the 4th of July tomorrow, and be back here waiting for the movers on the 5th. As the Dead said, "What a long, strange trip it's been." End of On the Road Entry |
[July 3, 2007] The weather was miserable today! Not just
rain, but pouring rain. Actually, pouring rain of biblical proportions!
We
set out again after about 20 minutes and thought that we were now out of the
worst of it. By about noon, however, it was again almost impossible to see
the road so we took the exit to Freeport and stopped for lunch at Cafe Charlie's
in hopes that a longer stop would provide more relief from the rain. One
of the specials for the day was Wisconsin Cheese soup so we knew we were getting
close.
If
you reread the previous paragraph about six more times you'll get the idea of
how the rest of the day went. We stopped about 8 or 9 times in all due to
the heavy rain. A couple of times we found abandoned gas station canopies
to sit under, or rest areas to park in, or truck stops, or a transit park and
ride. We were usually joined by other people who also gave in to the
pounding rain and pulled over for safety. The trucks, however, continued
to fly down the highway, their spray making the visibility all the worse.
The
drive across town was very slow but with Kathy's expert navigating abilities and
my expert obeying abilities we arrived at 8333 Mansion Hill Avenue at about 9:45
PM, having traveled 2204.5 miles. 
