Fired Up, Ready to Go (Home) — Streaming Sunsets

(Originally posted by Sandra on Facebook on October 4, 2026)

September 30th

We had one more box to check on our summer adventure list. Leaving the slower pace of Michigan, we joined Interstate 90 near Gary, Indiana, and filed in line with the many semis making their way west.

When tickets to the Obama Presidential Center were released in early June, we knew we wanted to make Chicago part of our journey. We found a small city park southwest of the city to stage Belle during our visit.

October 1st

Preparing for a full day in the city, we dressed for the rain and caught a 45-minute Uber to the Obama Presidential Center. Simply put, the exhibits and art in the museum were fantastic, the grounds were lovely, but the words were thought-provoking, meaningful, and empowering! We left Fired Up, Ready to Go!

The Obama Presidential Center museum tower, clad in gray veined stone, with a tall multicolored stained-glass-style panel set into its face under an overcast morning sky — The Obama Presidential Center

Looking up at dozens of tambourines with red, pink, and purple heads suspended from a silver ceiling above curving blue lounge seating — Looking up at a ceiling of suspended tambourines

Large wooden letters spelling YES WE CAN mounted on curved white bands glowing in blue light — Yes We Can

A large framed artwork of eighteen round protest-style buttons — We Shall Overcome, I Have a Dream, Sí Se Puede, Frybread Power, and others — set against bright rainbow stripes — A wall of movement buttons, set against a rainbow

A vast cloud of handwritten script spreading across a white ceiling above a band of windows, with visitors silhouetted against the lettered glass — Words overhead in the museum’s upper gallery

View through large sculpted letters in a window looking down on the green paths of Jackson Park and a tree-lined boulevard below — Looking out over Jackson Park through the lettered windows

We took our second Uber to the Art Institute of Chicago, where we spent a couple of hours exploring the great impressionist and modern art exhibits.

Tom, seen from behind in a black shirt, standing before a large black, white, and gray Jackson Pollock drip painting in a white gallery — Tom taking in a Jackson Pollock at the Art Institute

After the museum we headed out into the rain and walked six blocks downtown toward the Apple Store. Along the way, we made a brief stop at Cloud Gate, also known as The Bean.

Tom and Sandra under umbrellas, reflected in the curved mirrored surface of Cloud Gate, with fog-shrouded Chicago skyscrapers rising behind — Rainy-day reflections in The Bean

From the Apple Store we caught another Uber to The Loyalist, a basement restaurant associated with the Michelin-starred restaurant Smyth. The basement was hopping, and the food was beautifully presented and delicious. We caught our final Uber back to the campground, where we crashed for the evening.

October 2nd and 3rd

Homeward bound. We had three full days of driving and two overnight stops to get us home. Our first night was at Rend Lake in Southern Illinois, and the second was in Little Rock, Arkansas. We scheduled a meetup with Mickey and Janet Slimp, who moved from Tyler to Little Rock a year ago. They gave us a driving tour of Little Rock and downtown before we caught up over dinner.

October 4th

Homeward bound! After 65 days and 6,647 miles, we will be sleeping in our own beds this evening!