A Total of 16 MG cars, both from the Chicagoland MG Club and Vintage MG Car Club met at the LaQuinta Inn in Rockford IL at approximately 5:00pm Friday night. We congregated in the lobby and then admired each other’s cars in the parking lot as Russ and Amy conjured us up to guide us to our dinner destination. We ate at a spectacular Hibachi restaurant in town -- JMK Nippon. The ambiance was quite stunning, displaying indoor and outdoor ponds filled with beautiful Koi fish, rocks and greenery.

We sat at 2 large tables where we were served delicious Japanese food while entertained by a Chef cooking hibachi style at the table. The Manager was extremely hospitable by offering complimentary plum wine drinks with our desserts. Our dinner concluded with a surprise visit by a “Sheik”, reciting eloquent words of poetry and a makeshift ritual prayer for safe driving and good times.

Immediately following dinner, we went back to the LaQuinta Inn and decided to rendezvous outside on a concrete patio by the indoor pool. We set up our chairs taking advantage of the beautiful weather and had wine and beer and chatted about until we wound down and turned in to get a good night’s rest for the next day’s rally!

We all gathered for a quick complimentary breakfast in the lobby and then promptly met outside where Russ and Amy handed out and went over an impressive line by line driving directions, no less, in an excel spreadsheet format! A bit more sophisticated from our usual tulip system style directions.

We lined up one-by-one and followed our fearless leaders, Russ and Amy. Our tour began on pleasant newly paved roads. On both sides of the one-lane county road we were surrounded by majestic tall pine trees and mature leafy trees. Massive acres of cornfields, soybean fields, dairy farms and more cornfields were the only “scenic” views we had for a while. We eventually emerged uphill as we headed our way into Wisconsin.

We had a first-rate feel for “Good old pure Midwestern living” as we cruised down the back country roads. We finally saw some goat and cows on enormous farms. We turned and weaved, gaining elevation as we journeyed through the path of the “Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive”, which we would follow throughout most of this tour.

An abundance of yet more cornfields trailed our voyage as we eventually passed through quaint towns reminding me of “Mayberry” from the Andy Griffith show. There were sweet vintage churches, old style gas stations and little corner shop type stores. Populations of these little towns could not surpass 2,000 if that!

We drove past many appealing State and County parks and an abundance of Forrest preserves. As we continued our excursion, there were pretty lakes alongside our route. We manage to always get a thumbs up by the people in the towns as we drive through, even the bikers on the roads all acknowledged our prestigious group of motor cars!

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