Will summer ever arrive in Northern Illinois? Car guys didn't seem to mind on Friday in Rolling Meadows. Many classic cars were in attendance. A beautiful 1961 Black Corvette stole the show. It was immaculate and flawless. See for yourself.

Motorcycle Pictures

Pictures from local motorcycle and car shows.

Smooth as Silk

Three days of rain have finally come to a halt! Looks like its time for a ride to the Illinois Railway Museum. My son agreed to ride along with his Suzuki Hayabusa. http://www.suzukicycles.com/Products/GSX1300RK8 I rode over to his house on a bright but chilly Sunday morning. Temperature was a breezy 50 degrees. I wore my fleece neck wrap as well as all safety gear. I traveled on Palatine Road to Quentin Rd, and took Lake Cook to Ela and rode north to Lake Zurich Illinois. All this because Route 68 to westbound 14 was closed.

When I arrived, Dan came out and we discussed our route. He then fired up the 'Busa. We began our ride by passing through picturesque lake Zurich along the scenic lake shore to route 12. We headed north to Wauconda (home of beautiful Bangs Lake). Bangs Lake was featured in the Blues Brothers Movie. Anyway, at the Wauconda exit, we headed west on route 176.
Route 176 is a great ride for motorcyclists. Nice smooth two lane semi-rural asphalt road. You pass through beautiful Burtons Bridge, historic Crystal Lake, and touch the outskirts of Woodstock Illinois (featured in Bill Murray's Ground Hog Day Movie).
Before long we arrived in Union Illinois, population 249 (home of the Illinois Railway Museum). http://www.irm.org/ After traversing a few rather rustic streets, we arrived at the museum. We took advantage of the free parking. We secured our helmets to our bikes using the built-in Suzuki locks.

We then approached the ticket booth-I paid Dan's admission, mine is included in my annual associate member's fee ($40 annual that includes unlimited admission and newsletter). With admission you receive unlimited rides on that day's operating equipment. We then started to roam through the museum barn by barn. Three pieces of equipment were running. One electric trolley, one electric interurban and an F7 diesel pulling three antique passenger cars. (See the above link for a description of all equipment) There are always more people on the grounds then you think. One to two trains are always out on the main line with guests aboard. The trolley travels in a loop on the immediate property. We took the trolley and received a very informative short history of the museum and available attractions. It is important to note that the museum is an all volunteer facility. Individuals are dedicated to the preservation of the historical railway pieces on site.
After an hour visit, we mounted up and took U.S. 20 east through Hampshire Illinois. We stopped at McDonalds for lunch. When finished we continued on 20 and picked up 72. We passed through Sleepy Hollow and entered West Dundee.
We noticed two gentlemen on Harley Electra Glides. One had a strobe tail light that appeared to have a three to four second flash as he initially pressed the brake, it then operated like any other stop light. Drivers behind him really knew he was there.
As the early afternoon warmed, we noticed many more motorcyclists on the road. Everyone was operating in a safe manner. It was a beautiful day for a ride! In northern Illinois one has to seize the day whenever the weather decides to cooperate. Our Suzuki's operated Smooth As Silk!