Got to go

Woke up earlier than usual today. I got ready for my interview with Lindsay from fox 28. It went great, it was run on the 9 oclock news. The article inthe South Bend tribune with Patrick was nice too. I hope this media stuff will raise some awareness of my trip. Before I made my way to Chicago I visited the Norte Dame campus, it was the most beautiful campus I've ever seen, way better than Penn St. I lit candles at the grotto,and saw the stadium Rudy made famous, and even got to see TOUCHDOWN JESUS. I then took off rt. 20 west, and made it to Michigan City,and hopped over to rt 12 and down to a place called Joes where I stopped off for a bite,and it began to pour, but for only a few minutes. In Joes I met three great ladies who worked there and showed me lots of love, and were actually very concerned about me riding through Gary. I figured it couldn't be any worse than riding through the Bronxat night. So I moved on with my stomach full and my wallet the same size as I arrived. Gary, Ind. was fine, I stopped off at a Mc d's and talk to an older fellow named George who assured me I was heading in the right direction towards Chi town. I made it to the state line at about 8pm and almost made it to the heart of the city near the tower when I took a wrong turn and ended up riding by a fire station at about 10pm. It was engine 28, and ladder 8, and as I approached with an inquiry of where the Sears Tower was, no quicker as I got out the question did Lt. John Joice offer me food which was plentiful, but he also chatted with me about things like his mother-in-laws battle and survival with pancreatic cancer. Oh yeah did I forget to mention that we also woke up Tim Jarosz who was getting a well needed rest in the kitchen/t.v. room watching I robot. Abel, who is the baby of the crew, and also the cook(compliments to the chef, the meal was great) came in shortly after and they all donated some funds to help me out. They all spoke nice of N.Y., and how the C.F.D. had participated in the 9/11 efforts. Before John had retired upstairs for a while he had given me an official C.F.D. shirt, and also offered me to ride out with them on their calls on the fire truck, which I did, and enjoyed. Talk about feeling like a kid in a candy store, thats what I was I felt like I was three all over again. I stayed over the night, and when that first alert sounded, you should of seen Tim move. We were just kickin it about stuff and then all of the sudden Tim yelled lets go, and like that we were out. I jumped in the truck with Abel in the back, it was quiet, and I wasnt too sure if I should talk. You know maybe they have a ritual or something,but abel later on the ride back said no. The south side of Chicago hangin in a fire station on their truck man I couldn't believe it . Later Ron came in and shot the breeze for a while and said" Man New York is a nice place to visit, but I would never want to live there", I think it's just a little too fast paced for Ron. He seemed calm and cool, and drove that truck with precision. I actually got to see first hand how firemen lived their lives there at the station and how hard their jobs are. As I left in the morning I reminded them how appreciative I was and they reminded me how good the N.Y.F.D. was to them. The new shift came in and Joe P., the medic gave me his info just in case I needed a safe place to stay. I then cycled through the city down Canal sT. THROUGH THE FLEA MARKET, FROM THE SOUTH SIDE TO THE NORTH SIDE to Wrigley Field, and back, through Howard which reminded me of the Bronx, and then it started to pour so you know where I headed, right back to the fire house. I got out of the rain and then headed to the heart of the city on Congress st. where I STAYED AT THIS STATE OF THE ART HOSTEL WITH NICE DORMS,TElephones, and computers. It was only 35 bucks for the night , and there are hundreds around North America. I showered and then pranced around the city to the tower, Millenium Park, Lake Michigan, and took many pictures, and ran into people from what seems like so many colleges in the area like, Loyola, De Pual, John Marshall, Robert Morris, AND EVEN Columbia. I then came back to the hostel, used the computer, did some laundry, and ate my tuna sub, and called it a night, but not before I had a heart to heart with an Angel. The choices we make really do shape our lives forever. So now off to St. Louis. I wonder how many days it will take. I just hope the weather is kind, and that the bike holds up ,peace. Thanks everyone in Indiana, and Chicago.