I had a great morning ride today. I knocked out over 40 miles before noon and am making good time. I’ll leave Indiana behind today for Illinois, I’m not sure if I’m happy about that or not. Indiana has been crazy unfriendly for bike riders. I have seen less than a dozen bike racks and not a single bike lane the whole time I’ve been here. The drivers have also been generally awful. I don’t know if Illinois will be any better and I know the laws and police are much more draconian. I guess I’ll find out soon. With any luck I’ll go through Illinois fast and just the tip of it so it probably barely counts.
I had my first offer for a ride from a stranger on the highway today. It probably would have been a great story but I wasn’t really in the mood and the day was still young. The weather is beautiful but a bit windy, I’m starting to see a lot of wheat fields and they are quite hypnotizing when the wind rolls over them.
I change time zones for the first time today. I guess I gain an hour but really my schedule is determined by sunlight, hunger, and muscle fatigue, the actual time has little to do with it. The roads certainly seem to be flattening out but the heat is increasing, so far it hasn’t bothered me much but I think I’m more accustomed to heat than most. The miserable hot and humid DC summers have set a high standard of suffering. I started wearing tank tops today instead of tshirts, they are definitely cooler (temperature wise) and more comfortable but I am now sunburnt.
They day is finally over. I hit 1000 miles total and had my first 100 mile day today. Kind of cool. Tomorrow I’m heading to a sweet lake near Carlyle and then on to St. Louis.
This post seems oddly spastic… Sorry about that.
Wandering Oak 