Movies, Big Band Music and Da Bowl

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10

Saw a movie double header at Fox Lake Theatre:  "80 for Brady" and "Plane."  So good to be back at the movies again.  Enjoyed both movies.  Then met Kevin and Kelly at the Fox Lake Legion for 50-50.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11

Went to Sunnyside Tavern in Johnsburg, ate at Taco Bell in Fox Lake and went to the Fox Lake American Legion where they were having a Valentine's dance with the Lakes Area Swing Band.  

They are 16 musicians who put on a great Swing/Big Band show.  There was a good crowd and most everyone was dressed like people used to when they went out dancing.  Most really could dance those style of dances.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12 

Went to Culver's in Fox Lake for that great double butter burger meals and then the SAL (Sons of the American Legion) meeting at the Fox Lake Legion.

I then went to Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, to Donovan's Reef where I had paid to have a seat at the Super Bowl party with AUCE and drink during the game.  I also had a room at the motel behind the bar, so driving home was not a problem.

That was sure a great game.

--RoadBowl

Saying Goodbye to Stucky's: No Tacos But Oh Those Burgers

MONDAY, JUNE 27

This was to be the last week that one of our favorite places to go was to be open.  Stucky's in Johnsburg, Illinois.  (Stucky's was also the same place that Tom's Cafe was located back in the 1990s and we also hung out there a lot.)

So, we decided to go to Stucky's as much as we could.

I went to the Fox Lake Theatre and saw "Top Gun:  Maverick."  Then Liz and I went to Sunnyside for their $1.50 Monday draft beer special and then over to Stucky's where we planned on getting their $1 tacos.  Sadly, however, they ran out of tacos before we could order.

That is a problen there right now.  They are running out of many things.  You never know "what" you can order and hope to get."  Enjoyed the $2 12 ounce cans, always ice cold.

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TUESDAY, JUNE 28

Went to Stucky's for the last half price burgers and were happy to find out that they had restocked a little, but there were many times employees were sent over to the next door Angelo's grocery store to buy stuff.  

I had my last Roland's Swiss cheese and mushroom burger with loads of grilled onions and Liz had her last bacon cheeseburger.  Both came with fries or tots of homemade chips.  I dare you to get a burger that good and big anywhere for $4.75 anymore, especially in these days of runaway food prices.

--RoadStuck

Good Times Last Week: No Q But Stucky's, Donovan's Reef, Perennials, Gas Gouge, Nothin' Runs Like a Deer and Best Dog Ever

TUESDAY, AUGUST 31

We were going to meet Kevin and Kelly, Glenn and Barb at BB*Q in Spring Grove, but they weren't open and we fear are closed for good.  Fall-back plan was Stucky's in Johnsburg, Illinois, and their great half-price burger and $2 domestic cans special on Tuesdays.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

FP (Front Porch) which I do every day for breakfast and coffee.  The FP chipmunk has me trained so well as his or her food requirements.  I had to help the guy from Buck Brothers push the lawn tractor across the yard and up a small hill to get it on the trailer so he could take it back to Wauconda to have them find out why it stopped running last week.  I'm getting too old for this sort of thing.

As usual, met Kevin and Kelly at Donovan's Reef in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin for trivia and drinks.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2

Drove to McHenry, Illinois, where gas had jumped to $3.46 for Labor Day and Hurricane Ida.  Big Oil needs to make their profit, you know.  Sad to see that Meijer is now requiring face masks, but at least they had three bricks of cassette recording tapes.  Bought three hostas and two red perennials at Meijer as well for $4 apiece.  Then  bought five small mum plants for $1.25 each and two $4 gladidora perennials at Home Depot.

Found out the lawn tractor would cost $380 to fix and was happy to hear it as I was figuring that I'd have to replace my 27-year-old John Deere and that would be over $3,000.  So, I was happy about that.

Later went to Sunnyside Tavern in Johnsbirg and had probably the best hot dog ever for $2 and a dollar extra forb tater tots.

Eatin' and Drinkin' Cheap in the Neighborhood.  --RoadDog

17 Facts About McDonald's That Will Blow Your Mind-- Part 4: 100 Miles From a Mickey D's

14.  From 2011 to 2013 the company plans to open one restaurant a day in China.

15.  McDonald's makes deliveries in 18 countries.

16.  The only place in the lower 48 states more than 100 miles from a McDonald's is a barren plain in South Dakota.  (A long way to go for your Big Mac attack.)

17.  Americans consume one billion pounds of beef at McDonald's in a year which cost some five and a half million cattle the ultimate sacrifice.

That's a Lot of Beef.  --RoadDog

ACCIDENT REPORTS:  "The guy was all over the road.  I had to swerve a number of times before I  hit him."  Sounds on purpose to me.

17 Facts About McDonald's That Will Blow Your Mind-- Part 1

From the December 7, 2012 Yahoo! Finance Business Insider by Gus Lubin and Manmta Badkar.

1.  Sells more than 75 hamburgers every second.

2.  68 million eat at McDonald's per day.  That is 1% of the world's population.

3.  $27 billion in revenue makes it the 90th economy in the world.

4.  The $8.7 billion in revenue from franchise stores alone makes McDonald's the richer than Mongolia.

And, There's More.  --RoadDog

ACCIDENT REPORTS:  I was on my way to the doctor with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way causing me to have an accident."

About Last Weekend-- Part 1: Chain's Open, We're Not On It, Though

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3

Saw the movie "War for the Planet of the Apes" and was pulling for Caesar and his apes.  A great movie and so realistic.

The Chain of Lakes opened for no wake yesterday, but we're staying off for awhile due to the semi collapse of Rick's pier and all the floating debris from the  flooding (even worse, the submerged stuff).  Checked the boat which is alright.

Went to the Route 12 Bar on US-12 (Rand Road) for their excellent $2 black angus burger special.  Add $1 for bleu cheese and double slices of pineapple for one of the great eating experiences anywhere.

Drove to Veterans Park in McHenry for their Thursday night concert, but it was raining off and on so didn't stop.  A band was playing Frank Sinatra era songs.  Went to After the Fox on the Fox River and got a stamp for the Chain Crawl and then checked out a new place called My Place on Il-120.

Last stop was Sunnyside.  The Sox and Cubs both lost.

--RoadDog

SOX-CUBS CROSSTOWN RIVALRY:  Sox fan to Cubs fan:  "The last time your leadoff hitter got to second base was at his high school prom.

Emission Testing and Coupons Run Out: We Hit the Road-- Part 1

Because of two emission tests we had to take on our vehicles, we have four of them, we've been on the road some this past week.  that, and the fact that our Chain Crawl coupons ran out of date yesterday, March 31.

Last Saturday, March 25, I took the Dakota truck to Crystal Lake for emission test and went to the McHenry County Civil War Round Table discussion group meeting at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake.  On the way home, I stopped at a Barnes & Noble.  I sure miss my Border's store in McHenry.

Sunday, March 26, we went to Fox Hole in McHenry for pizza, but weren't happy to find out that the coupon had a March 31, 2016, expiration date. Just one year off.   But, their beer nuggets made up for the lack of pizza.  Also stopped at the PLAV (Polish Legion of American Veterans) and Sunnyside.

Tuesday, March 28, we went to Vickie's in McHenry on the Fox River and used a Chain Crawl coupon, BOGO sandwich.  I had the Big Kahuna: 1/2 pound burger, pulled pork and onion straws.  It was huge and good.  Great view of the river and tasty popcorn.

--RoadDog

Using Those Chain Crawl Coupons: A Taste of the Caribbean in McHenry

MARCH 22, TUESDAY--  We went to Vickie's Place in McHenry, right on the Fox River to use another Chain Crawl coupon.  It was buy one burger, get one free.  This is a place with a definite Caribbean feel to it with a huge deck area and a big stop for boaters during the summer.

They also have some of the best and most unique burgers around.  I had a Big Kahuna which is a half pound Angus with pulled pork, cole slaw and onion straws.  Mighty good eating and it comes along with a side of seasoned fries and onion straws.

We then stopped at Sunnyside.  The big topic there was the horrible terrorist attacks in Belgium.

MARCH 23, WEDNESDAY--  We went to Donovan's in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, and the Grove in Spring Grove.

Big Kahuna Me.  --RoadDog

EXERCISE!!  I like long walks, especially when they are done by people who annoy me.

NTNing Down the Road Part 2

This past Saturday, we went to three new NTN sites and revisited two others in Rockford, Illinois.

We have been to Rockford and played NTN before. However with NTN there are constantly places closing, dropping it, and adding it. So every so often you can go back. Of course, playing NTN is NOT the main reason we go on road trips, but something we try to add whenever possible.

We go to the NTN Buzztime web site and there you can look up places in towns you intend to visit. We always go here before taking any trip.

The first new place was Brewski's, which we found after some serious looking. The street is divided and at one point we thought perhaps it might be in a gentleman's club, but we just couldn't imagine why such a place would have NTN. I would imagine patrons have other things on their mind. Brewski's is located downstairs in a banquet facility, very dark, and someone should turn the air conditioner back as we like to froze.

They advertise the world's largest cocktails, and, judging by the huge glass, I would have to agree. You can get a margarita for $150 and they say there are about 50 drinks in it. I sure would have liked to see them make one of those. They also have a raffle to win a Brewski's Girl Lamp. This was a whole lot better than the one the father won on a "Christmas Story."

Several people were playing when we went in, but they all stopped for some reason.

Next stop was at Miranda's in a Muhlford Village, a shopping center that would appear to be essentially out of business.

Last new stop was called Cousins located right off the main shopping/restaurant thoroughfare called Business US-20, State Street. This is your standard sports bar; nice place, though. NTN was not on when we arrived, always a bad sign if they are going to keep it. Then, we could only get the Texas Hold Em. The bartender spent a lot of time getting Countdown on the screen. Then, they moved it to another set when the Bears-49ers preseason game came on. A big part of the floor was buckled from all the rain we've been having.

We got a room at the Motel 6 out by I-90 and played at the Damon's located nearby. This is one of the few Damon's that still has the game. At one time, pretty much every one had it. This is where they began the Glory Daze games for them exclusively before it went out to all sites. We like Damon's, but they are a bit on the expensive side. I LOVE their onion ring loaf!! And we also tried their new menu item, the Mini Burgers, which are two inch patties of Kobe-Black Angus beef. Those were so good that I almost didn't want to put all the other stuff on the sandwich as I normally do. I actually ate half the patty before putting all the extras on.

We then went to Scoreboard's in the Holiday Inn and played NTN. Their top player is Cactus who has over 20 million Players Plus Points. You usually get a 1000 PP points if you score above 3000-9000 points out of a possible 15,000. So, he has played a lot. Liz and I both have over 9 million points. Not easy to do because you get a wide variety of questions. Cactus, however, did not play team, and kept his answers to himself. And he definitely knew the answers.

Still Spendin' Too Much Time Playing NTN. But Really Enjoyin' It. --RoadDog

Where Are the Nearest Places to Chicago for That Great Food?

The Tribune had a graphic and of the US and a table showing 8 different food places, closest location, miles, what they're known for, and if they are planning on coming to Chicago. I added my comments at the end.

CHICK-FIL-A- Racine, Wis.- 75 miles- chicken sandwiches, nuggets, waffle fries- around Christmas 2008.
I have eaten at a Chick-fil-A in Goldsboro, NC. They are good, but I like Popeye's better.

MAID-RITE- Rockford, Ill.- 80 miles- loose meat sandwiches (like sloppy joes, but less sloppy)- by Christmas.
I've had one at the Amana Colony in Iowa. This is a great sandwich. There is also one in
Springfield, Ill, that I plan to visit the next time we're there. A great Midwest tradition.

SONIC- Champaign, Ill- 136 miles- slushees drinks and Toasters (burgers using Texas toast)- within two years.
I've eaten at the one in Clinton, Oklahoma on a Route 66 cruise. Great food and slushes-very retro.

JACK IN THE BOX- Litchfield, Ill- 245 miles- Sourdough Jack sandwich, tacos, curly fries- no plans at this  point. We've been to this one many times. Both Liz and I are big fans of the Monster
Taco. We had Jack in the Boxes in the Chicagoland area at one time, but they've
all since pulled out. We got hooked at the one in Palatine, Ill, at the corner of Pala-
tine Road and Northwest Highway (US-14).

I remember a Jack in the Box opening at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb my
sophomore year. George, my roommate at the Delta Sig house, got a job there. It
was great excitement at the house when he got home after his night shift, as he
would bring home any leftovers. I, as first roommate, always got first choice. It
was a sad day when he quit.

We've eaten at the Litchfield one, even if we were full from eating at the Cozy Dog in
Springfield, about 50 miles away.

FATBURGER- Southfield, Mi.- 277 miles- the Fatburger, a one-third pound burger with all the fixins- fall
of 2007. Never had one of these.

WHATABURGER- Ridgeland, Ms.- Whataburger with cheese, Whatachick'n with bacon- no plans beyond
ten Southern states. I think we had one along Route 66, but can't remember for sure.

CHAROCHICKEN- Las Vegas- 1,760 miles- Fire-grilled chicken with lemon garlic butter--not for a long
time. Haven't heard of this one, but sounds like a place to check out next time
we're there.

IN-N-OUT BURGER- Las Vegas- 1,747 miles- the double-double- no time in the near future.
This chain has been around since the 50s, but only has stores in California,
Arizona, and Nevada. I'd never heard of them until I came across an obituary
on the co-founder and found it of interest. We ate at one in California on last
fall's Route 66 trip. Then, we ate at one of three located in Las Vegas. Well
worth a stop!!!

Gettin' Hungry Just Typing This. --RoadDog