Larry's log:
There was no Weather Channel at our motel last night. That might have been a good thing. I'm not sure I would have wanted to know how hot it was going to be today. It was close to 80 at 6 am when we headed out of town. Most of the morning's scenery was pretty flat and unmemorable. More farms, etc. The roads were basically state highways and a few back country roads. The state roads sure carry a lot of trucks here.
As I left the second rest stop at 61 miles at about 9:30 am it was already hot. We were in the small town of Raymond. A lady was walking her dog and asked me where I was from. I guess everyone knows everyone here. I told her Dallas, but that I was with a group biking across the country, and told her we started July 11 and would finish in Charleston August 5. I told her it was a vacation. I told her we were going to Salem today.
"Salem, Illinois?" she asked. If she knew of a closer Salem, I would have been interested. "That's a ways away," she said. I told her I knew it was about 70 miles.
"It's already pretty hot," she said. She didn't have to tell me that, since I had just been at the rest stop and rode off with ice in the vents of my bike helmet to cool off.
"That's why we have these rest stops set up," I told her, pointing back to where I had just come from.
"I guess you need to rest and change bikes," she said. I should have pursued the "change bikes" comment with her, but was anxious to get going. She wished me luck.
About ten miles later, we rode through Hillsboro, which was another crowded stretch. Lunch was after 81 miles in Coffeen, in a park pavilion, a welcome relief. And the fresh corn at lunch was great! We were told we would not be allowed to leave Illinois unless we ate some. Around Mile 100, we rode through Vandalia, which was the state capital during the 1830s. I took a picture of the old statehouse. At the Mile 104 rest stop, it was really hot. I had been downing a 2-liter bottle of soda, plus water and Gatorade at every stop (spaced about every 25 miles) and this one was no exception. I was also drinking between the stops from the waterbottles and backpack I was carrying. With only 28 miles to go, I was hoping I could be done in maybe another hour and a half.
Unfortunately, that was not to be the case. The last miles were on back roads with loose gravel, hills and melting tar. It probably took me two hours to cover. It was made worse by the fact that my bike shorts seemed to be rubbing a new area of my posterior. This was the worst stretch of riding I have done in as long as I can remember. The only good thing was that there were trees shading the road every once in a while. Everyone else had pretty much the same comments (except the bike shorts). When I got in at about 2:45 pm, I was told that the Weather Channel said it was 98 degrees with a heat index of 123! I'm glad I didn't know that while I was riding, but it certainly did explain a few things. We will be in Kentucky tomorrow after 106 miles. I will be glad to leave Illinois!
I think tomorrow I may tape a yellow caution sign to my bike that reads, "Caution: This vehicle stops for shade!"
-- Larry Schwartz
Hot and humid!! I was drinking 70 oz of fluid every 25 to 30 miles plus the additional litre at each rest stop just to stay hydrated.
Scenery was mostly corn fields. Not very exciting. And many of the roads were not very good to bike on. This made for a rough ride.
Lunch was at a park in Coffeen and we finally had a corn boil. Daniel and I had been joking about the corn and the fact that we had not had any corn for lunch. Too bad I was afraid to eat it due to the heat. I figured that Gatorade and bread and pretzels would sit better.
Our excitement of the trip was having the chain fall off at about mile 96. We managed to get the chain back on but the pedals were out of synch. We continued to bike until the motel truck passed us. We flagged it down and Roger, the mechanic, helped to fix it up. We stopped at the last rest stop at mile 104 to top off our liquids and started the final stretch. Boy was that a horrible stretch. The roads were mostly torn up with gravel and potholes. That was the longest 2 hour ride!!! We followed the markings on the road and prayed for better roads with every turn!! No luck. The lunch truck stopped to give out lemonade about 10 miles from town, but we opted to keep riding. Fortunately we did, since there was a steep hill just after the stop and I am sure that we would have had to walk it if we would have stopped.
We made it in about 330 pm and we were both wiped out. Tonight was laundry night and there was only 1 washer and dryer. Too bad there were 2 people in line for it. So laundry was an all evening event.
Dinner was Wendy's and we were pleased that they offered a salad bar. The walk was good for me since my knee has been bothering me and I need to stretch it out.
Bed time and we need some serious sleep for the 157 miles tomorrow and the 100 degree weather!!!
Judith Jolly (and Daniel Schaaf)