Monon, Indiana - Figuratively speaking, that is. After all, for a bicyclist the phrase "it's all downhill from here" is great news.
After the massive amount of consternation I detailed in my second-to-last entry, my trip to Kankakee (home of the Fightin' Irish high school football team, and didn't Notre Dame sue them a few years ago?) went off without a hitch. It was a long, straight, heavily trafficked, no-fun-at-all detour past such eternal sights as the Dwight Correctional Center. But at the end of the haul, glory be, was a fully licensed Trek bicycle dealer and a brand-new wheel and tire waiting for me. An hour later, I was back on the road, and this morning I crossed over into Indiana (and my final time zone of the trip.)
So all is, finally, well. The wind isn't even blowing in my face today - it's blowing due south, which is okay with me as I'm going due east. The temperature is in the high 60s, the sun is out, and all is right with the trip, for the first time in what feels like quite a while.
The only downside: I just discovered that the extra day it took to straighten out the bike means I am, as we speak, missing America's only circus parade, which is taking place about 60 miles east of me in Peru, Indiana. Alas. However, if I feel like it, I can still spend tomorrow afternoon perusing the storied halls of the Circus Hall of Fame and Museum. Sounds like a keeper.
After the massive amount of consternation I detailed in my second-to-last entry, my trip to Kankakee (home of the Fightin' Irish high school football team, and didn't Notre Dame sue them a few years ago?) went off without a hitch. It was a long, straight, heavily trafficked, no-fun-at-all detour past such eternal sights as the Dwight Correctional Center. But at the end of the haul, glory be, was a fully licensed Trek bicycle dealer and a brand-new wheel and tire waiting for me. An hour later, I was back on the road, and this morning I crossed over into Indiana (and my final time zone of the trip.)
So all is, finally, well. The wind isn't even blowing in my face today - it's blowing due south, which is okay with me as I'm going due east. The temperature is in the high 60s, the sun is out, and all is right with the trip, for the first time in what feels like quite a while.
The only downside: I just discovered that the extra day it took to straighten out the bike means I am, as we speak, missing America's only circus parade, which is taking place about 60 miles east of me in Peru, Indiana. Alas. However, if I feel like it, I can still spend tomorrow afternoon perusing the storied halls of the Circus Hall of Fame and Museum. Sounds like a keeper.
4 Responses to “On the upslope”
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About me
I'm Tom Moran, a bicyclist from Fairbanks, Alaska. I'm spending the summer of 2006 riding from Anacortes, Wash., to Bar Harbor, Maine.
Back home again in Indiana :) Wave to the Dome for me.
Hey Tom -
You go Lance...er..Tom... Uncle Mike and Aunt Joyce are proud of you!!!
Hi Tom -
Hey - you're in our time zone now! Glad to hear you finally got your rear wheel in order. I still can't understand why a brand new Trek wheel would go bad so fast.
I'm home in PA now and just checked my journal for comments about Illinois. On August 6 I camped at "Thrasher's Woods" in Monon, where the proprietors were having a big family reunion. That night there were severe thunderstorms and I ate dinner in the bathroom. The next morning I treated myself to breakfast at a little restaurant in Buffalo.
On August 7 I stayed at the "Indian Trails" campground in Peru. This was pretty but dominated by a permanent community of RV'ers. On August 8 I stayed in Huntington, IN, and visited the Dan Quayle Museum (a must see).
Now that I'm home and have my original journal in front of me I could go on like this forever--but I won't. Happy trails - keep on pedalling and writing!
Gretta - I can't believe I missed the Dan Quayle Museum! You, on the other hand, missed the Circus Hall of Fame in Peru. But then, so did I, as I passed by on a Sunday. :(