May 28 catch up

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I haven't written here for a couple of days, just my journal. Last night we grabbed almost the first motel we could find after riding through 30-40 min. of steady rain and departing daylight. (no computer in this motel of our desperation!) It was a fun day of rolling green vistas in backwoods Wisconsin. The only problem was the wide weather system blanketing most of the midwest. We were in mist and cool air mid-morning and then finished the day in rain. I can affirm that "hole-in-the-wall" authentic Mexican food tastes amazing when you are tired and wet! (Also, rainsuits are a good thing.)

"It's not at all the way I pictured it."
Today's scripture was Abraham's call to journey from Haran to the land God would show him (Gen. 12:1-9). He heard from God, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." We did indeed feel that we were aliens in a foreign land today in Chicago. We have in the past navigated downtown Detroit and Minneapolis, even bits of New York City, but Chicago on motorcycle is not recommended for non-natives. I'll just say that the city especially, but Illinois roads in general, are pocked, cratered, and strewn with hazards that jar, rattle, and threaten to crack the spine. We wore traffic yellow T-shirts over our clothes as an added defense against those drivers who tend to visually block out motorcyclists. Got some amused and outright gaping stares from those sophisticated denizens of downtown.

Steve had dithered quite a bit about what route to take downtown. I typically don't engage in that process because it's his baby and it's also something I don't have to think about. The stop-and-start secondary route we took into downtown was hard on him, but I loved seeing and smelling a constantly changing landscape of people, buildings, and cultures. We missed the turn-off exit for the museum we thought we wanted to see (Art Inst.) and had to ride through another chunk of downtown to get back and try the exit choices again. By then Steve was starting to get tense and tired with all of the stopping and starting. We finally saw the exit sign (the first of several key signs that were all or partially covered by trees! I am telling the truth.) Got ourselves parked (only $16), had a little lunch outside with flocks of school children and gulls, and entered the museum only to learn that it WASN'T the one we had planned on seeing!! Reconoitering in that expensive parking lot, we decided that too much time had elapsed in the day and that it was more important to get out of Chi-Town before rush hour than to see some great paintings that will wait a while longer until we can back here (in a car, thank you). Steve lamented "It's not at all the way I pictured it." I told him that as much as I love good art, I'd really be upset to miss something like the Grand Canyon, and to forget about the Art Institute.

Abraham had no maps or travel almanacs to consult, no mile markers or highway signs, but he did have God's promise, "Go to a land I will show you." Abraham didn't have to worry about wrong turns or missing exits, because God was feeding him the directions as they were needed. He just had to trust and obey. We have a sheaf of maps and Steve's "onboard library" and together, we still managed to get turned around a few times today. I like God's way better. Keep showing us, Lord, and we'll do our best to follow. Blessings, Grace.

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