If anyone told me they were taking a “spring break” trip and their destination was Indiana (with a stop in Chicago) during early March, my facial expression would have definitely projected the stupidity of that comment. Needless to say, it was us. Well, the timing just worked out.

I’m finally coming up on my retirement from the Army and I’ve moved around quite a lot. Way back when, I purchased a double axle covered trailer. Unfortunately, most locations I’ve lived, the area forbid storing or keeping trailers at the home.

Folks, one piece of advice if you’re renting (or I would say even purchasing), stay away from HOA’s!

Because of this and to avoid storage fees, my parents let me keep my trailer at their house. My decision to move into an RV and live this lifestyle wasn’t overnight and even with Brandi and I talking about it for about a year, the move did seem to come very quickly. Also, I was working at Fort Knox, Kentucky during the summer leading up to the ending of my lease and our move. I don’t need to explain the differences of moving from life in a three bedroom house to a Recreational Vehicle (RV) but it involved utilizing two storage units where the majority of personal belongings have been.

With Spring break approaching for both Brandi’s kids and the institution where I’m an Instructor, I seen an opportunity to take a small 4-day trip to Indiana where my parents reside, and grab my trailer. Having the trailer back should help with cleaning out one of my two storage units and also help us transport the washer/dryer combo that is in our bedroom. The washer/dryer doesn’t fit inside of our closet and is right in front of the bed, which will not allow the bedroom slide to retract. So that will need to be moved prior to pulling out of here. The other storage will be moved by the military to another storage unit in Arizona.

With the baggage, two kids, brandi and I loaded in the truck, we first went to my storage unit to grab a table saw and pieces of an outside couch made out of cement blocks and wood; along with parts to a waterfall I built during Covid. I planned on setting up my parents backyard with the couch and waterfall and the table saw would go to my brother. This also helped to free up some “big” items in my storage unit.

With the items, we were headed down I-65 for our 13 hour road trip to Indiana. Of course it was longer with pee stops and the almost 2 hour traffic that was backed up due to a vehicle accident. We arrived safely to our hotel in Chesterton, Indiana about 10pm on 11 March 2023. My parents live about 30 minutes away from the hotel, so that morning I introduced Brandi and the kids to them and we unloaded the trailer which was storing some of my parents belongings. It was great visiting with my parents, my brother, and his wife. Even ate some vegan chicken nuggets and cooked some Arby’s frozen curly fries. Don’t knock it, the nuggets were delicious! This was the first time I’ve known that Arby’s has frozen curly fries, which also were delicious.

The plan for Monday was wake up early, take the Southshore train from Chesterton to Chicago, and spend a day sightseeing. I’ve lived in Chicago and have been there numerous times however, this would be the first time for Brandi and the kids. We arrived at the Dunes Park station but when I purchased tickets online the night before, I missed the part that stated the station was undergoing maintenance on the tracks and was bussing individuals from Dunes Park to the Gary/Metro Station in Gary, Indiana. It turned out to be one of the nicest busses I’ve been on and the ride was relaxing. Even the station at the Gary location wasn’t as bad as I remembered as a kid.

Yes, it was quite cold and windy in Chi-Town! The weather didn’t stop us and it actually turned out to be quite mild and an amazing day trip. The train didn’t arrive until about 10:30am in downtown Chicago putting us at around 8 hours to spend roaming around before catching the Southshore back to Indiana at a decent time. We took the train all the way to the Millenium Park stop, as far as it goes. From there, we walked to Millenium Park and took pictures in front of the bean. Giordano’s pizza opened at 11 and that was a pizza I definitely wanted my southern family to taste. The location was right around the corner from the park and we got there right as the doors opened. They LOVED IT! We’ve been back in Bama for a week now and they are still talking about that deep dish Chicago style pizza. While at Giordano’s I purchased tickets online to the Shedd Aquarium. The 30 minute walk along Lake Shore Drive to the aquarium was exactly what we needed after gobling up that filling lunch. The walk also took us past Buckingham fountain (obviously this time of year, it’s not operating but was great to see) and right by the water of Lake MIchigan. The aquarium was bigger than I remember and we must’ve spent 3 hours there. We caught a 4D movie about Octopuses and all of us enjoyed that. The seats shook and bubbles were blown out at us immersing us in the experience.

From Shedd, we walked to the Willis Tower. which was another 30 minute or so walk. By this point, the kids were tired and feet sore. Brandi and I whispered to each other in our best Borat voice.. “great success”. I know it’s probably wrong, but we laughed at their pain and lack of regular exercise. We did stop at a Dunkin Donuts to rest their feet, grab some warm drinks and just warm up a bit. Proceeding to the Willis Tower, knowing we were going up to the “ledge” and top floor. Makayley, Brandi’s daughter is terrified of heights and for the remaining 10 minutes of our walk to the tower, she was crying and insisting that she would stay down in the lobby. She was terrified! I could see it in her face. She was shaking and didn’t hesitate in letting us know how bad she didn’t want to go up. Once we got there, Brandi and I managed to talk her into going. And because I’ve been up there before, I also reassured her that she didn’t need to go near the windows and it felt just like a hotel room up there, which is true. Before getting to the elevator, it’s actually like a museum that you proceed through with several picture taking opportunities and facts about Chicago and the tower itself. There is actually a mock up elevated train (“L”) that feels like you’re actually moving on it. I have to say, it’s really cool and a great use of time that allowed us to further talk her daughter into going up to the top floor. The elevator ride up was about 60 seconds/1 minute and then “ding”, there. The doors opened and as we walked out, Makayley actually felt safe and confident. After about only a few minutes, she had worked herself up to moving close to the windows and really enjoyed the view. The gift shop up there was great and they sell the same items at the gift shop below so don’t feel pressured to grab something there before you head back down the elevator, just enjoy the view. Christian (Brandi’s 11yr old son), Brandi, and I all proceeded to the “ledge” which was the glass area extended outside the windows that you can take pictures. No fear in Christian whatsoever. They also allow you to take a few minutes and take pics with your own phone/camera if you want to.

We left Willis Tower with the intent to go near the bridge and see the river dyed green for Saint Patrick’s Day however, it was getting late, the kids feet were quite sore, and we still needed to take the two hour train ride back. We walked back to the Millenium Park train station which thankfully had bathrooms there, and we waited only a few minutes until boarding the Southshore back to Gary, Indiana for our short bus ride back to the Chesteron station. Back at the hotel, Brandi and I soaked in the hot tub for a while before showering and getting some shut eye.

We woke up and checked out of the hotel Tuesday morning. Drove back to my parents to say our goodbyes to my parents before hooking up to the trailer and heading out on our long drive back home to Alabama. It was a short, albeit sweet trip and although not the ideal time to visit the Midwest, the timing was right and it was a “great success”!