A day at the Autoshow

It was really cold this past weekend. So cold, in fact, that the windshield wiper fluid lines to the BeaterBeamer froze. They would not work at all and I was forced to stop and pour windshield wiper fluid or snow on them to clean off the window. Robert and I were headed to Chicago on Saturday morning to the Chicago Auto Show. It was cold, but we were excited to get there early and enjoy the show. That wasn’t meant to be, however. We proceeded up US31 north and entered the Indiana Toll Road. It began snowing and blowing and pretty soon it was almost impossible to see (especially with my windshield wiper situation). Suddenly, the traffic began to slow and finally came to a complete halt. So we waited. And waited. And waited. We watched ambulances and firetrucks pass by on the shoulder. After about an hour, some news crews went by. Needless to say, we waited for TWO HOURS. Thankfully the heater worked and there was plenty of fuel in the car. But nature began to take it’s course and soon there was a pressing need to use the bathroom…only we were stuck out in the middle of nowhere with the next exit being 15 or so miles ahead and lines of cars before and behind us… It was not a good situation. After a time, Robert decided enough was enough and he ran up the huge hill next to us and took care of business. I was getting to the point of desperation by the point, so I decided to go ask the guy two cars behind us in the shiny RV if he would mind if I used his restroom. I could also tell many others were in similar situations as they would get out, walk around, and look anxiously ahead. So I knocked on the window of the RV and the guy was nice, but he was a transport driver… no water, everything was all plasticized. So, I decided to run up the hill too. You could see quite a bit up there, but I couldn’t see the accident scene. Anyway, it was freeeeezing cold. I know it is illegal to use the side of the road for a public bathroom, but what on earth else can you do in a situation like that. About a half hour after that, we finally started moving. We passed the wreck(s) and it had been at least a 12 car pileup. From what I understand, no one was killed, Thank God.

So the rest of the trip to Chicago was uneventful. Once we got past that bad spot in the Toll Road, it was sunny skies and clear roads. There wasn’t even any snow up in the Windy City. We found a good parking spot and hustled into McCormick Place. Amazing is all I can say about the show. Awesome cars, lots of people. I got to sit in some really nice cars – even a nice new BMW 3 series. Of course there were some exotics and concept cars there, and those were fun to see. It was a great show and I enjoyed being there. Here are some pics of the event…Enjoy!