After arriving back at the camper late Monday night, the goal was to spend some quality time with Percy before preparing for work and packing up the next day. Tuesday was a frustrating day of IT issues. I made the best of it, then did a quick weights workout at the trailer in the heat before taking one last shower in the trailer. I didn't want to carry all the water needed for a shower while driving almost 1,000 miles to Chicago. Temps reach 88 as I broke camp to leave. It was nice to get on the road with the AC blasting, less nice that the high winds were causing AWFUL gas mileage.
My destination was Pal Brewing Company in North Platte. This is a Harvest Host with a large, grassy area for RVs and trailers to park. It was one of the most convenient and easy set ups out of the Harvest Hosts we've used. I forgot that Nebraska is on Central time and arrived too late to eat dinner before it closed. Wednesday morning I woke up early to head to The Espresso Shop in town for breakfast. This was a solid spot with lots of sun, space, good wifi, and good coffee. I would recommend stopping by if you are ever passing by North Platte!
After a solid morning of work, I headed back to Pals Brewing for lunch. Part of using Harvests Hosts is patronizing their business, which I was only happy to do after checking out their menu. I had a delicious lunch of Hawaiian Pizza with house BBQ sauce, accompanied by a Big Nob Hazy IPA and Sprucendipity Black IPA. It was a relaxing afternoon of work. I was sad to pack up and leave! But I had to keep moving on schedule. Wednesday night I drove to a Walmart in Council Bluffs, Iowa, just past Omaha, NE. I walked to a Dairy Queen for dinner, the first time ever deviating from my usual Reese's Blizzard order. Their cheeseburger and fries were decent. I'd certainly get them again in a pinch.
After a restful night in the Walmart parking lot, I got dressed and headed to The Table, a café in Old Market. Their signature breakfast dish was a breakfast sandwich with waffles for bread. It was delightful! The atmosphere was great, so was the coffee. As I started to get hungry again, I reupped my parking meter and went around the corner to Blue Sushi and Sake for a light lunch. This is a medium sized chain with locations all around the US. I absolutely loved the Cucumber Sunomono, a sweet, lightly pickled cucumber dish. Their miso was also very tasty and had shitake mushrooms in it. Overall, it was a really delicious meal. I wrapped up lunch and called a brewery nearby to confirm they have wifi. They do! A flight and caramel cheesecake desert later, and I had put in a full day of work. I purchased some crowlers to go. Upstream Brewing is definitely a place I'd go back to. Honestly, I was tempted to stay an extra night and explore more of Old Market, Omaha. It seems like a great spot!
My plan after work was a Row House class, both to get a workout in and get a shower. Unfortunately, they didn't have showers! I pivoted to a Love's on my way and packed up the camper and Percy. The Love's shower experience was practically luxurious. It's a large shower space and they provide towels for you as well. Very nice! I grabbed McDonalds for dinner, filled up my water bottle and gas tank, and was on my way to a Walmart in Grinnell, IA. It was an uneventful drive and a nice, quiet parking spot for the night.
Friday was a full travel day, no work. I had breakfast and coffee in the trailer before heading to the gas station. My goal was to set up at the Walmart in Naperville, IL, as early as I could. I reached Naperville at 3 and tucked myself close to the curb in their garden section, near the delivery trucks. I put the slideout out so Percy could run around. He was pleased with this.
After set up, I headed to 2 Fools Cider to do a little work and write more for the blog, something we're trying to keep up on now that we're getting to the end of our trip. This was a really fun spot with a spacious taproom, outdoor area, some arcade games, and rotating food truck. I got sushi at Sushi+ Rotary Sushi Bar, before heading home to binge Love is Blind and drink a crowler from Upstream to end the night.
Saturday was a more chill day with minimal travel. I went to a morning Row House workout (and called to confirm beforehand that they have showers!) so that I could get a work out in AND be clean for a night out in Chicago. It was a good class and it felt good to take a cool shower since it had been 80+ all week. When we're boondocking, we can't use the AC. Thankfully the nights are cold still.
When I got back to the trailer, I found myself blocked in by cars parked in front of the trailer. I slowly moved the truck further into the spots in front of the camper as cars left until I could hitch up. It felt like it took ages! I was finally able to leave and started making my way further towards Chicago. I ended up going to my second choice Walmart due to road closures which kept making an already difficult drive with the trailer even harder. But it worked out and I was able to get a decent spot at a Walmart in Berwyn. I bought a few things from the Walmart and chilled with Percy in the trailer while I got ready to go out. Berwyn is fairly close to River North, my destination for the night. I took an uber to Crushed by Giants, a brewery in the AMC building, for a few samples and a snack. They have a small but diverse beer selection and I enjoyed everything I tried.
From there, I wandered over to The Berkshire Room for a few bartender's choice cocktails. One was a less bitter negroni which was delicious! I was craving the pulpo and some pisco sours from Tanta, so off I went. While I was ordering, someone next to me recommended a special--the salmon belly nigiri, which ended up being a great addition. From Tanta, I walked around the corner to Roka Akor, a high-end sushi restaurant, for a lighter dinner (since I'd already eaten quite a bit). I love this spot. They have really high quality fish and great non-fish selections.
I kept the night going with a fancy cocktail at Three Dots and a Dash, a basement Tiki bar. The drinks are fantastic, but I can't have too many because they are pretty sugary. Nevertheless, it's one of my favorite places in River North. I fell in with some people there who were heading to The Green Door. I tagged along to end the night. It was a fun time, though I wish I had gone to the speakeasy in the basement, just to check it out. I ubered home and passed out, excited to be reuniting with Shawn the next day.
Sunday morning got a little hectic as I drove an hour closer to O'Hare and found out the Walmart I chose did not allow overnight parking or trailers/trucks. I sat for about 10 minutes in the parking lot calling around to confirm other Walmarts in the area allowed overnight parking. A few don't. Some didn't answer the phone. I took a chance and started driving out to Palatine. It ended up being a very solid spot. Much better than my original choice! I set up, including putting the slideout out, before getting lunch. Shawn landed a few hours later and I picked him up. It was a nice reunion! We went out for a cozy pho dinner as it was cold and raining. Back at the trailer, I packed for my work week in Chicago, while Shawn settled in after a weekend of partying in Cancun at our friend's bachelor party.
No comments:
Post a Comment