AND
RECORDS ARE BROKEN!
Dateline: Gratiot, Wisconsin
Where???
You heard me….. Gratiot, Wisconsin.
Ok, we give up. What and/or where is a Gratiot?
I’m glad you asked that Mr. and Mrs. Geography!
Just take that little toe of yours and step just that far over the Illinois/Wisconsin border just about fifty miles northwest of Chicago and Presto! Here you are!
And guess how far Gratiot, Wisconsin is from Augusta, New Jersey?
It’s far enough to qualify as a new World’s Record Driving Distance in One Day!
While we are positive that someone has driven more miles than us in a day, we are also quite confident in our latest claim to glory. We are confident because these World Records are quantified under the very strict guidelines of the “World Records of Anything Organization” and we are quite sure that our defining category, that of “Elderly Drivers from Augusta, NJ driving Westbound on Interstate Routes 80, 90, 94, and Local Highways 20 and 78” is safe in awarding us First Prize for both mileage and time driven in one day.
The new World’s Record (in our category) is…….
910 miles and 14.376 hours!
Our previous record was 774 miles and 13 hours.
But, why Gratiot and how in the name of all that’s confusingly pronounceable, does one enunciate said destination?
I will answer your second question first.
The locals say “Grass-sh*t”
It’s named for Henry Gratiot. He lived and worked here in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. Coincidently, he was quite friendly with the local Native American tribe, the Winnebago’s. Hmmm….. maybe that’s why we were drawn to this area!
As for why Gratiot…..
That’s where Danny, Paula’s son is presently working. He’s one of the “Pipeline Inspectors” that need to be employed for all of our collective safety. The USA has a myriad of spiderweb-like underground pipelines delivering everything from natural gas and oil to chocolate milk to our urban centers for consumption. Someone has to make sure that these highly pressurized arteries are able to move their expensive cargo from Point A to Point B and lots of places in between. (I have been asked by the Authorities to check the taste of the Chocolate Milk in this location. I was honored to be able to help out. I did not even put a bill in for my services.)
When we looked at the Map trying to ascertain the best route to take from Augusta, New Jersey to Seeley Lake, Montana (which is another story to be related later) we discovered that the best route took us down a little dirt road in southern Wisconsin that had the campground where Danny stays at, right on it!
Wow!!! Who’d athunk that??? 😊
No, really, that’s exactly what happened!
We inserted the appropriate data into the Navi-Computer and (hoping that it avoided the destroyed planet of Alderaan) we discovered that we’d barely need to turn the wheel and we’d be here!
So our plan was to leave the Augusta environs and our friends at Yetters Diner early Saturday morning and put as many miles under the tires as we could before stopping for the night, probably around South Bend, Indiana. Danny’s day off is Sunday, so we figured that we’d start driving again early Sunday AM, arriving morning or so, spend the day and night, and then book it for Seeley Lake, Montana, first thing Monday morning.
There was no guarantee on how we’d feel come Saturday afternoon. We usually crash (oops! bad word!) er…. stop driving in the late afternoon.
But…..
What if we could pull this off?
What if we could keep going and arrive late evening?
That would mean that we’d have to be on the top of our game, which over the past few days I really wasn’t.
But…. again…. what if?
Turns out that with the right amount of time swapped between driving duties and co-piloting, the judicious use of not stopping except to roll into a rest area, Chinese Fire Drill the driving duties, and taking turns eating while not driving, we found that this may, in fact, be possible!
The key was me and my non-sleep issues that tend to give me a narcoleptic-type daytime personality.
I know!
Monster to the rescue!
Now we could make it to California if needed!
The Chicago Traffic helped us out by not being Chicago Traffic and we whisked our way through and found ourselves rolling into the Backyard Campground just as it was getting dark!
It felt like we were a taxiing jetliner as Danny confidently guided us into our berth, directly next to his.
What to do in Gratiot, Wisconsin?
I dunno… but we’ll find out today!
And so will you!