The Corollary

Corollary: 1: a proposition inferred immediately from a proved proposition with little or no additional proof 2: something that naturally follows

So, if there are many things that I don't know (which there are, I am somewhat reluctant to admit), the corollary must be, then, that there are some things that I do know.

One thing that I do know. Oases are cool.

"What?" I hear you thinking. (Yes... I can hear you think.) "Oases?"

Yes. Oases.

As you know, I am currently in the Midwest. More specifically the greater Chicago area at the moment. (Well... I was the last few days. Now I've moved on to Indianapolis.) And the greater Chicago area has a bunch of toll roads. A bunch.

I am generally not a big fan of toll roads.

First you have to stop. Then you have to open the window in your nice comfy car to the 17 degree fahrenheit outside temperature. And then you have to collect a receipt for your sixty or eighty cent toll (which I feel pretty silly about, but when you pay a lot of them, pretty soon you have lots of little receipts in your briefcase that end up getting wadded up into little balls, which you eventually just throw away anyway. At least I do...)

But... I was driving home (meaning back to my hotel) the other afternoon and I was hungry. And the Lake Forest Oasis appeared almost as a mirage... glimmering through the heat waves. Well... no. Not really. Just a bit of poetic license there. (It is, after all, an oasis. Says so right on the sign.)

So, what is an oasis on the Illinois Tollway? An urban rest stop if you will. But think rest stop on steroids. Straddling eight lanes of concrete with a gas station and car wash on either side of the freeway, the oasis spans the tollway in its own glass-walled, weather protected environment. Also a dual parking area on each side of the freeway large enough to accomodate semi-trucks on one side and the mere automotive traffic on the other allows easy access to this cocooned enclosure.

So what does one find in this travelers' delight? Coffee. The blood of every road warrior worth his or her salt. Starbucks franchises have discovered the Illinois Tollway. And donuts. Along with about a dozen or so fast food enterprises both local and national, that let you enjoy your Gyros sandwich as you watch the less hungry whiz by below you.

Alas, I did not discover this until after I left the Chicago area, but there is also free wi-fi! Free Wi-Fi! And how did I not discover this until after I left the area? Because I went to the web site to see about paying the tolls that I missed. The unmanned toll booths that want you to throw your change into a basket before you continue on your journey. Quite often I did not have the correct (or any) change, and as I saw others drive through, I figured I could do the same. The sign said, "Miss your toll? Pay online." So I figured that I could just go online, and they would tell me how much I owe. Ha! When I looked, this is what I found:

Have the required information available

• Name of registered vehicle owner
• Plate State/Number/Type (specialty plates must be identified)
• Missed Toll: Location/Plaza/Date/Time
• Print a copy of the confirmation page as your receipt

The only bit of information that I know is the state and number of my plate. Really.

I guess they'll have to hunt me down.

It was a nice Gyros sandwich though...