Summer 2021: Day 35; Midwest Vacation: Day 4

Our quick visit to Wisconsin ended and we are back in Chicago. I'll miss the North Woods.

I woke up early by default after Ben usurped the entire inflatable mattress when I got up to use the bathroom around 6:30 a.m. I went for a walk around Three Lakes, settling into a bench overlooking Maple Lake for several minutes. The view was serene and, most importantly, without any bears.

Ben and I said goodbye to his grandparents around 11 a.m. and went to Merrill to see Lori's sister, niece, and niece-in-law. Andrew and his wife Kati have a new baby (almost 9 months old now), and we got to see her for the first time. After hanging out at Dakota's house, we all went out to eat Milwaukee Burger Company, which was delicious -- although they forgot to put chicken on Dakota's chicken sandwich.  We went to a park afterward for a little while, then Ben and I hit the road to return to Chicago.

I was nervous that I was going to be too tired for this drive, so I bought a 44-ounce soda and tried to stay as focused as possible. We had a choice of going through Milwaukee or Madison and picked the former -- and made good time, pushing through without stopping along the way. Aside from a close call speeding past a police car, the drive was smooth.

Back in Chicago, Dad made some ravioli and tortellini for dinner. I was exhausted and didn't stay up late. The rest of our vacation will be in Chicago.

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