After 3 days in Chicago, where i spent most of the time relaxing / walking around and doing sight seeing, i met with my friend Rich for lunch on Navy Pier before heading to St Joseph in Michigan. Small town of 8700 people, it felt so peaceful and everything seems to go at a slower pace - true that the humid 80F temperature didnt help! we walked by seafront where the beach is so nice... just felt weired that Lake Michigan is fresh water - people fish trout and salmons - its size is just unbelievable (118 miles wide / 307 miles long) they currently have a bear festival going on for few months so they have lots of bears on display in the streets - i have taken few photos. On saturday, we went to a place called Saugatuck, 50 miles north of St Joseph, which is a really nice harbour with some great houses. talking about houses, we went to see some houses built on the shore, 3 storey high - where on one side you park your car and on the other you park your boat underneath your house.... how cool is that!!!! and they are only $850,000!!!! bargain...lol then Sunday we made our way to Chicago for a night out in town - well put it that way, my hangover was a really bad one the next day! but it was good being out with Rich and we had a good laugh - only problem, trying to travel when you feel s*** is no the best... but that was self inflicted. anyway, next stop is San Francisco! looking forward to it! would like to thanks Rich for his hospitality, that made a big difference when visiting Chicago - he is a really nice guy! facts: had diner at the Boulevard Hotel on Saturday night, great food, but the fact is Collin Powell stayed there! and Whirlpool head office is in St Joseph - one of the largest company in the world providing electrical appliances! we then spent the next 2 days visiting the area and Saugatuck