Illinois Interstate 39/51 was all our's Saturday morning

March 22, 2020 - Sunday morning

7 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

We pulled onto Pentoga Road yesterday afternoon around 3 PM, give or take an hour. We weren't really sure since the time change had taken place during our absence and we'd forgotten. Since leaving Laurel, we'd been operating on Sargie and Tom's body time, not that of the real world.

It made no difference. We were home!

At least the drive is mostly melted

Yesterday morning was a bit spooky, almost strange. We awakened to an empty hotel parking lot.

Illinois is in a state of lock down with penalties for not staying at home. I was worried that we'd be stopped before reaching the Wisconsin border far to the north. Our car didn't exactly blend in with none of the others.



Having an entire two lanes to ourselves was somewhat boring. Sure, we made good time, but what to do? 

Why we did what any older retired folks might do early on a Saturday morning.

We grooved to the sounds of Meatloaf. It began with Sargie humming along with. Moments later, she began to sing with increased intensity. With eyes closed in music bliss, the girl began movin' and groovin' to the tunes.



I began laughing and soon joined her.  The volume was turned to the near maximum and we began having our own two-person dance party, well, as much as we could while driving. 

My Sargie became a front seat dancing queen. Where was Dick Clark and Casey Kasem when you needed them?

Fun is infectious, especially during grave times, and gyrating to the sounds of the 80's while on an empty interstate made the miles fly by.

Oh, shake it baby!

Southern Wisconsin saw about the same amount of traffic. 

None.



We flew up the interstate between Rockford, Illinois, and Janesville, Wisconsin, making record time on a corridor that normally sees bumper to bumper traffic.

As we traveled north, the traffic became somewhat heavier. By the time we reached central Wisconsin, driving had returned to normal and we were forced to end our dance party.



A quick stop was made at Aldi Foods where the absence of the crazies we'd witnessed further south was refreshing. Though somewhat crowded, our fellow shoppers were smiling, polite, courteous, and we found all the staples in abundance except... yep, toilet paper and corn flakes. 

I heard last night that there seems to be no shortage of tp in our local stores. I forgot to ask about corn flakes, THE most important survival commodity.

Dang.

 Well, one can only hope and pray.

Strangest thing. We found the price of gas declining as we headed further north and took advantage of the least expensive of our entire trip at a station just fifty miles from here on the Wisconsin/Michigan border.

Snow depth increased rapidly. There's still plenty on the ground at home.



Though spring is in the air, it's yet to arrive in the north country.

Last night was spent unpacking, warming the house, and freezing to death. The temperature in the living room was registering 80 degrees (with the wood stove blazing) yet Sargie and I were still cold. 

Seems our blood might have thinned in the seventy and eighty degree temperatures of the past three weeks.

With the aid of the circulation pump, the pond is showing signs of further opening.

Today officially begins maple season. I'm going to take a quick three mile stroll then begin unpacking the tapping equipment from storage. My goal is to collect and boil enough sap to make at least five gallons of delicious maple syrup. If that doesn't happen, I'm going to have some disappointed nieces.

I expect to see the Vice President in Charge of Maple Operations, Jambo, any day now.

OK, time to get walking. Monday begins my official spring diet with the goal of losing twenty pounds of Miss Jody's delicious southern cooking by summer.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Party down, Pawpaw!