T Minus 11 Hours! We are on the eve of our travels. The car is packed with our itinerary, provisions, corn hole board & photo frame (for Betsy), maps and guides for every state, and TripTic(s). In the morning we will put the bags in and time will tell if we did a good job of packing for nearly two months away from home (a new PR). Tomorrow, our target is Ottawa, Illinois. Why Ottawa, you ask? First, it is more than half way to Des Moines. Second, it is West of Chicago and the road traffic that nearby roadways would present. It will actually be one of the longer drives of the trip at 414.5 miles and an estimated drive time of 6 hours 16 minutes (without stops). We'll talk with you from Ottawa! Until then, have a great evening!