First thing this morning, just as it got light out, we found the local quarter car wash (remember when it was REALLY just a quarter?), and cleaned the mud off the cars. All of us except Packard Bill, of course.

Then we headed northwest, stopped at the Cracker Barrel for breakfast, and were back on the road well before 8:00 AM.

About 9:00 AM, it began to rain, just like during the thunderstorms we're used to in Florida, except that it NEVER let up!

Just outside Chicago, we stopped at the first toll booth. A mile away, there was another one. And just a short distance beyond that, there was yet a third...over $3 so far, and we weren't nearly done.

They've got a great system here...you pay tolls for the privledge of sitting in traffic for about an hour, as we idled all the way through Chicago. And the rains never let up!

About an hour from Racine, we stopped for lunch at the Turnpike Oasis...the same one we stopped at two years ago to fix Cecil's brake booster. There's six or seven restaurants under one roof, and regular gas for only $3.69!

After lunch, we had just one more toll to pay, and when we finally got there, it was backed up about a mile. We can just imagine what it'll be like when the rest of them come through later this afternoon.

We got to the hotel, checked in, and drove down to the venue. The local police directed us in, we parked (the downtown streets were all blocked off), and walked towards where we though registration was, only to find out we weren't even close.

Back to the cars, and after checking with the cop directing taffic, we made it over to the venue, which was right on the water, and if it hadn't been raining, would surely have been the best HRPT venue in years!

We saw Kevin and AJ, punched our tickets, and immediately drove back to the hotel. There won't be any fast food for the Old Guys tonight...we're gonna find a decent place to eat...yeah, right!

There won't be many pics to post tonight, either. It was raining too hard to even try and take them at the show. Hopefully, the weather will be better tomorrow!

Okay, now it's Cocktail Time, and the Old Guys Evening Meeting. First on the agenda is dinner plans.

Second on the agenda is whether or not we drag race tomorrow. If we do, we have to be there about 6:00 AM, and may not be able to race until noon. That'll mess up our travel schedule. We'll keep you posted.