The car was buried under a good eight inches of snow this morning, but the interstate was clear, and I made great time… until Chicago.

I took the easy route, which meant toll roads. I usually avoid interstate highways with tolls out of pure principle, but today I grudgingly paid the tax. From Illinois to Indiana I shelled out $14.40 in tolls, using several one dollar bills that I had very recently been saddled with. Whose pocket gets lined when tolls are on the interstates? I ask, because they certainly are not lining the roads with anything. The short section of Indiana was by far the worse section of road I have traveled since the Yukon Territory.

At 1:15pm I hit traffic west of Chicago. It wasn’t until 2:45pm when I was able to visit 4th gear again. I don’t know what you Lower 48-ers see in traffic, but I think it’s seriously overrated.

Once I escaped the potholes of Indiana, I was able to make good time again until 85 miles outside of Detroit, when a five mile section of I-94 became a parking lot. Through the wonders of technology, I could find out that a wreck at an off ramp up ahead was causing the delay. 75 minutes later, I passed the offending ramp, which had no sign of a wreck.