#2: Bay City, Michigan to Chicago, Illinois

Louisiana-Bound (2008) Part 2 of 40: Bay City, Michigan to Chicago, Illinois The trip towards Chicago was slow and tiring. Not much happened. We boarded the Indian Trails bus at Bay City, Michigan. The lower section of Michigan is shaped like a mitten. Looking at the front of your right hand squeeze the thumb towards the index finger. Not too close. The big "V" shape becomes a little "v" shape. We do not live in the "V" of the hand because we would be floating or sinking into Saginaw Bay. Bay City is just a touch below the "V." That's Bay City, Michigan. Glad you are with me. Now the big palm line which you created with your thumb gently pushing towards the index finger is the direction our bus would be going. That direction on a map is southwest. The bus never goes very straight so on the map the line looks like a jagged diagonal line. The bus had a dozen or more people on it as it left Bay City. Melanie and I sat together. The foot rest was nice for short people once we figured out there was a foot rest. Melanie sat at the window with her blue backpack at her feet. I was on on her left side with my black backpack at my feet. We were close as peas and carrots, as Forrest Gump would say. The major early stops were Saginaw, Flint, Lansing, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, and Benton Harbor in Michigan. At Benton Harbor, we were right where the small finger side of the right hand meets the wrist. Then we say good-bye to the hand because we are leaving Michigan. No worry though, we say hello to the band. As we come to Gary, Indiana. That's for you oldies out there which includes me. Even for some of you who are stuck at 29 and have been for many years. The movie was "The Music Man." The song in the movie was "Gary, Indiana" sung by Dick Van Dyke. "Gary, Indiana, Gary Indiana, Not Louisiana, Paris, France, New York, or Rome, but -- Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana, Gary Indiana, My home sweet home." You notice how the song tells us we are not in Louisiana? That's another 24 hours by bus. We are on the wrist part of the arm, I kid you not. We are also at the southernmost part of Lake Michigan. The good news is that Michigan is now history. We are in Indiana but only about one hour, actually 25 miles, from downtown Chicago, Illinois. The bad news is that we have to go northwest to Chicago which is 25 miles out of our way. Oh well, we are having fun. Melanie and I have seats. You can't beat that. And we are pretty sure our luggage is in the same bus. Getting near Chicago the song I remember is "The Night Chicago Died." A line or two goes, "I heard my mama cry, I heard her pray the night Chicago died." I think Al Capone and his gangsters shot up part of the city in that song. They claim it is true. At least the bus goes right by the Chicago White Sox baseball field. It is called Cellular Field. The bus driver always mentions it as we speed by. I even spotted the stadium on this trip. That was a first for me. Written by Harvey A. Bond April 30, 2008

 

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