Drivers out of Control, Where are the Cops?

[Tom Wesenberg]

I've had to make 4 trips to Michigan and Indiana this summer, and that means I had to drive through Chicago 8 times. I try to hit Chicago about 1 to 3 in the morning, but there really is never a good time to drive through Chicago. Each time there are several drivers who think it's fine to drive 80 to 100 MPH and weave in and out of traffic. I have yet to see any police cars on the freeways I take through the city. Coming back on Sunday some jerk with extra lights on his big pickup turned them all on and put high his beams on, the drove one foot off my rear bumper. After a few miles of this he passed on my right and drove as close as he could without knocking off my outside mirror, then cut sharp in front of me. I absolutely hate Chicago and need to find a good route around it.

Sure seems like the cops are missing a good opportunity to write at least a thousand tickets a night on those roads.

[pAAt]

Tom, there is a ferry that will take you to Michigan or let me drive and you can shoot out the window !!

[DaWizard]

Tom, I really hate to say this, but 01:00 to 03:00 is when all the drunks have been thrown out of the bars, no wonder you are running into the idiots. You should think seriously about being through there between 03:00 and 05:00 in the pause between drunk and asleep.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

IF you were a COP, would you like to stand out in the COLD & write TICKETS??
Dad Warm

[Mitch]

Tom next time flash your VFF badge at them.

[Grit Kid]

You hate Chicago????????????? You don't even live in Illinois and you hate Chicago???????? Now you know how I feel!!!!!

[Big-Foot]

I refuse to drive through Chicago anymore. I have taken the 39/90 bypass numerous times and found that to be more acceptable but longer in miles (generally shorter in time however)..
Our last couple of trips to Michigan and back, we took the ferry from Manitowoc to ludington. While this adds expense ,it’s a 4hour trip across the pond...

[Tom Wesenberg]

I refuse to drive through Chicago anymore. I have taken the 39/90 bypass numerous times and found that to be more acceptable but longer in miles (generally shorter in time however)..
Our last couple of trips to Michigan and back, we took the ferry from Manitowoc to ludington. While this adds expense ,it’s a 4hour trip across the pond...

Back in the 80's I also rode the ferry across the lake. It was 4 hours late coming into port, and I arrived 2 hours early, so I had a 6 hour wait. The second time I rode it across, the deck hand turned on the steam powered winch to pull the cable tight, then he must have walked away for coffee and forgot about it. Pretty soon the ship is leaning quite a bit, so I walk over to port side to see what's going on. Just then the cable snaps and the ship jerked back the other way The deck hand came back just as the cable snapped and said something about the cable being bad. Yeh right, if the cable didn't snap the ship would have capsized.

The first trip was pretty hot outside, and they didn't have enough chairs for the passengers. The second trip was so cold, I had to stand by the smoke stack to keep warm. These were coal fired steam piston engines at that time. The Badger was one I rode, but I don't recall the name of the other one. I asked if I could go to the engine room to see the engines, but they wouldn't allow that.

[Mitch]

Tom your VFF badge is OTW

[Big-Foot]

The Badger is all we’ve sailed on but found accommodations quite comfortable and the crew very professional. Odd that your experience was so bad!
It’s a huge ship that used to also be an Icebreaker for the lake. It is still coal fired steam. Can carry roughly 400 cars & 800+ people. The only time it was late i the crossings we made, it was 30 minutes late in arriving in Ludington as we were sailing through a relatively mild storm and the swells were something like 15’ tall. The ship was not tossed about but was rolling from time to time as we had to zig-zag during the crossing.
I dunno - We’ll probably do it again next summer as we head over to Michigan for vacation again.

[Tom Wesenberg]

As I understand it, the railroad owns the ferry boats, and both times I rode them, they lowered the rear of the ship and drove train cars in.
Are they still doing that?

[Big-Foot]

Nope - I’ve never seen any train cars or even tracks in the Badger... They did have a couple of large trucks (semi) but most of the other vehicles were everything from motorcycles to motorhomes...

[BNCHIEF]

Try driving a semi in these places if you like an event filled day.

[Fixitphil]

That "A****hole pickup driver must have learned in CA!!!!

[Ted Duke]

It's everywhere. Not enough cops and they sit in known places, so the idiots just drive like idiots. I-81in Virginia is horrible. Virginia can't keep state troopers. They train them, but don't pay enough to keep them after two years.

[pAAt]

Ted, is that the valley the song was sang or sung about ? Still trying to learn me some English ! P.S.- Is Daisy your sister and if so, tell here to come to Branson the end of June

[Ted Duke]

The Shenandoah Valley is the valley to the west of the Blue Ridge mountains. The song is of unknown origin. Some versions portray it is a love song about Chief Shenandoah's daughter, but others that it is about the Shenandoah River(s) in Virginia and a lover left behind. A lovely melody in either case. NO, Daisy was (if she was) no relation, NOR is DAVID, although I did have a brother Captain David W Duke, USNR RIP. I'm sure there will be SOME Daisy Dukes in Branson. (Shenandoah, the daughter of the stars.)

[Tom Wesenberg]

Ted, glad you mentioned Shenandoah, because here it is by one of the greatest singers of all time.
I never heard of Sissel until a year or two ago, when a Model A member sent me an email of one of her songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5grgB-dV2o

[Ted Duke]

Tom,
Beautiful song by a lovely lady. It has always been one of my favorite songs whether instrumentally or vocally performed. Thanks for introducing me to Sissel. I'm glad she goes by her first name.