May 8-15, 2006

From our homes to Kankakee, IL

55 miles

May 8, 2006

Amtrak Kankakee to Carbondale 

Chuck was at my home, only 4 minutes late.  So we were right on time picking up Dieter at the OPRT and Hickory Jct. trail, then onto New Lenox to pick up Bill.   We were at the designated meeting place a few minutes early, so Dieter went inside to buy a cup of coffee, then discovered he left his money at home.   So, back to Frankfort so Dieter could pick up his wallet.   I then had to change the route to compensate for our back tracking.   No problem.   By the way, I had a problem with my tail light, so I had to remove it.   We got out of Frankfort around 1115 am, headed for Kankakee.   I didn't want to go down Center Rd. out of Frankfort because I knew there was a three-mile section of road closed.   Well, yes, it was closed at North Peotone Road south for 3 miles.   No way we could bike it because they are rebuilding the entire road.  We used Rt. 50 from Peotone to Mantino.   Then south on the side roads to Kankakee.

We did stop at McDonald's and Taco Bell in Peotone for a snack.   While in the Taco Bell (I really needed a taco, I miss them from Texas), we met a local couple that was interested in our adventure.  So, we had a nice conversation with them.  

Outside Mantino, Chuck had a flat tire.   Repaired that, and moved on.   Even with all the minor problems, we still had about 2 1/2 hours to kill in Kankakee before boarding the train.  We stopped at a McDonalds, had a snack, sat there a long while, then, none of us wanted a big meal, so we went to the grocery store and purchased a sandwich to take on the train.  

he conductor was expecting us, so he had a place where he wanted us to park our bikes, which worked out nicely.   We leaned then against the wall in a baggage area at the end of the car.   We did not have to remove anything from the bikes.  People on the train were interested in our adventure, so we entertained the passengers for the next 4 1/2 hours on the train.  

We were on time into Carbondale.   It was dark out, so, we had only 2 miles to bike to the motel.  Well, coming into Carbondale, they turned the train around and backed into the station.   We were not aware of that, so, we headed out of the station south, thinking we were headed north.   We wound through the college campus before figuring out we were backwards.  Got back on track, and made it to the motel.   The two mile treck turned out to be 5!   Oh well, the 40 mile day ended up being 55 for me, Chuck was the furthest, 59 miles.   But, we are having fun and eating breakfast now.   Weather is a 40% chance of storms this afternoon.   Temperatures into the upper 70's.   Should be a fun day of biking. 

Tuesday May 9, 2006

Carbondale to Ullin, IL.  

62 Miles. 

We departed the motel in Carbondale around 9 am Tuesday morning.  It was cloudy, and it did sprinkle on us as we left town.   We had a fox run across the road as we left the congested area of Carbondale.   After about 5 miles, the roads became all to ourselves.   Beautiful scenery through the Shawnee Forest on the nice and quiet HILLY roads.   Yes, we did some major major hill climbing today.   I was able to do them all, other than I was slow up each hill.  Dieter walked one hill, I was able to bike it, but only at 3 MPH in granny gear.  So I did not make it to the top of the hill much quicker than Dieter.  Of course, Bill and Chuck just blast up the hills like they just do not exist.  

We arrived Alto Pass around 10 am, and, since Dieter did not want to bike up to Bald Knob (1066 feet), he stayed in Alto Pass and we took our bags off the bike for him to watch.   It was 10 miles round trip to Bald Knob.   Took us almost two hours.   And, it was quite a climb.   There was a large cross on top of Bald Knob, and, of course, the view was wonderful. 

We biked back to Alto Pass, had lunch, then the rains came in.   We sat under the shelter for another 2 hours while it rained.   So now, Dieter has been in town (400 people) for 4 hours!  There was a root beer bar, which, after talking to the former mayor, said no one likes that owner because they are trouble, and have sued the town.   Not sure what that was about, and we really did not want to know.  

After the rain, we headed out.   It was quite humid and in the mid-70's.  Steam was coming off the pavement, and it was somewhat foggy from the moisture.   Yet, it was quite beautiful as everything was so green and clean.   The clouds lifted, and the sun came out.   We biked through Anna, then south. When we got onto Rt. 127, the pavement was nice, the traffic was very light, and the hills flattened out.   Plenty of trees to block the wind.   We were headed south, so this was our second day of headwinds.   The difference between today and biking to Kankakee is that you forget about the headwinds when the hills are kicking your butt! 

Ullin is a no-nothing town.   Very depressed black town.   But 2 miles outside of town at the I-57 interchange, things were different.   This is where the white folk hang out at.   They all sit in the convenience store next to the motel.  That is their meeting place.  There was a restaurant next door and that is where we had our all-you-can-eat fish dinners.  It was ok.   The motel was just a basic motel.   And, it rained hard all night.

 Wednesday May 10, 2006

Ullin to Metropolis. 

38 miles

We awoke to a rainy morning.  We headed over to the convenience store because we were told that they do make hot breakfast sandwiches.  Well, remember I mentioned that the locals hang out there....well....by 830 am all the breakfast sandwiches were gone except for one.   We all decided Chuck needed it the most, so he bought it.   Bill and Dieter purchased a left-over sandwich from yesterday,  and I ate cookies.   The rains quit, so we headed out.  The temperature was in the upper 60's or low 70's, humid, so we did not need our jackets on.   It did rain lightly on us early in the ride, and, by the time we reached Metropolis the sun was peeking out from the clouds.   We had some traffic at first as we headed to Grand Chain, then the road that followed the Ohio River through Joppa was again nice pavement, and light traffic.   Yes, there were some hills, but not as bad as the previous day.  Chuck had another flat tire on the front again.  

We took some pictures with Superman (in Metropolis), checked into the motel, then went exploring Metropolis.   Off to Ft. Massac.   We spent a couple of hours there wandering through the old French fort, and along the Ohio River.   Back to the motel, get cleaned up, then the rains moved in again.   We took the shuttle over to the Harrah's Casino and had dinner.   It was a nice buffet, lots of choices, the food was good, excellent service.  Cost was $11.95.   We did not qualify for any of the gambling discounts they offer for a lower meal price.  After dinner, we each put in a dollar, and it took less than 30 seconds for Bill G. to lose it all.   Back to the  motel and everyone was asleep quite early.  Again, it rained all night.

Thursday May 11, 2006  

Metropolis to Golconda.

48 miles. 

Up early, still raining.   The motel had a Continental breakfast that included waffles.   We had some.   Quickly packed as we could see the rain had ended and blue skies were off to our west.   East we headed from Metropolis along the Ohio River.   The roads were wet, but the sun was out.  The air quite cool, in the low 50's.  But we had a 20 MPH tailwind!   That was good because the road did have quite a few dogs.   The pavement was good, and no hills!    But that only lasted 20 miles.   Now we  had 20 more miles to go north with a strong west wind.   The sun was warm, and it felt good biking.   We had to take a layer of clothing off because now there were some nice hill climbs.  Now we were back into the forest.   So, again, the wind is no problem when the hills are kicking your butt!  Dieter walked another hill, I was not going to walk, so I tufted it out in granny gear, between 2 and 3 MPH.   I made it!   We did have some nice views of the Ohio River.  

We were in Golconda in time for lunch.   We ate at the senior center, and entertained all the seniors.   Dinner was chicken and dumplings.   My favorite.  Bill G. asked a local how it was, and they highly recommended it.   Chicken & Dumplings, with carrots, beans, cake, salad, ice tea, bread, small sloppy joe sandwich,  all for the high price of $2.50 per person!   What a deal!   And, it was really good.   We then explored the town, located the marina where we catch the water taxi tomorrow morning, checked into the no-nothing motel, located where we can get breakfast in the morning, then off to the library to write on the computer.   Everyone is quite friendly in this town.   We had an offer by the minister's wife to eat dinner at her place, which we declined.   She even offered her vehicle so we could drive to Vienna for dinner.   Again, we said thank-you, but declined.   The afternoon became cloudy with showers.   Quite windy and raw.   So it was good that we biked early.   In the sunshine.   There is a flood wall along the Ohio, then a concrete wall around the other 3 sides of the town to prevent it from flooding.   Did I mention, the motel we are staying at is on the edge of town....up a steep hill!   Dieter was not looking foreword to biking back up that hill.   At least this time we do not have our bags on the bikes.  

Today's ride was again a beautiful ride.   Hills through the forest along the Ohio River.   No traffic.   Friendly people, and dogs that required a sprint from us now and then. 

Friday May 12, 2006

Golconda to Carrsville, KY by Shawnee River Queen Water Taxi

52 mile loop in Kentucky

Carrsville, KY to Elizabethtown, IL by Shawnee River Queen Water Taxi.

Thursday after leaving the library was somewhat interesting. The motel was nothing special…mainly a fisherman’s special. It was clean. It was up on top of the hill above town. Golconda has a flood wall built around it to keep the Ohio out when it floods. We biked between rain storms to get back to town (about ½ mile) to the restaurant. While there, a guy came in, and was talking to the waitress, he sounded like he was drunk. He was talking about being hit in the mouth hard enough to have a few teeth knocked out. We were thinking he was in a bar fight. Then he mentioned that his pet bear did it. He did not know what time of day it was, and said the bear had knocked him out. The waitress confirmed to us that he did have a pet bear that supposedly he had found when it was a cub. Now it is estimated to be about 3 years old. She told him that someday that bear is going to kill him. Leaving the restaurant, Dieter had a flat tire. We repaired it, and headed up the steep hill to our motel for the night.

Friday morning brought more of the same weather. Windy, sunny, cool, in the upper 40’s, as we biked back down the hill to the Dairy Bar for breakfast. The entire town must have been there. We ate, then headed out to the Marina to catch the Shawnee River Queen Water Taxi to Carrsville. We had a 9 am departure. Boarded the boat, paid our $4 each for the ride, and departed for Carrsville, KY, a 30 minute ride up the Ohio River. Out of Carrsvillle, we biked up the hill, through the hills and forest on beautiful quiet smooth roads through the towns of Joy, Lola, Salem, Irma, and Tolu. Not much out there, not even a store. Yes, it was a very windy day, but when the hills are kicking your butt, the wind is not a problem. We didn’t even think about the wind. We were in the forest and the wind was not noticeable….until we reached the Ohio River and the sign said, "Car ferry closed due to high winds." Now what are we going to do? We are on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River, and we cannot get across to Cave-in-Rock, and onto our motel in Elizabethtown, IL. The nearest bridge across the Ohio is 50 miles in either direction. An automobile pulled up and informed us there is a motel and B&B in Marion, KY, about 11 miles away. Sure, that solves our lodging problem, but not our crossing of the Ohio. Bill, Dieter, and Chuck were starting to panic. They wanted to head for Marion as quick as they can. I had a different plan, well, at that moment, I had no plan! I wasn’t feeling well, I had no food, no water…The wind was blowing like a hurricane, what was I going to do? I checked the Water Taxi schedule and there was still a scheduled pick-up in Cave-in-Rock, IL, not KY. I tried to call them. No answer. It was 1245 pm. Sue (the dispatcher), must have been out to lunch. It was hard getting the other three to sit still for another 15 minutes so I could try again. 105 pm I contacted Sue. I explained where we were at, our predicament, and that we needed a ride. She contacted the crew of the Water Taxi. They were at Carrsville waiting on some passengers. They did not want to come to Cave-in-Rock to pick us up because of the high winds, and not sure they could dock on the Kentucky side of the river to pick us up. After about 15 minutes of talking to Sue, and she talking to the crew, it was decided upon that the River Taxi would sit at Carrsville until we biked back there. Direct route was 17 miles through the hills, and, directly into the wind. The 25 to 30 MPH wind. I estimated it would take us 2 hours to get there, and they promised to wait for us. I gave Sue my cell phone number, and told her to call me if anything changed, or if for any reason she needed to contact us. We headed out. Biking through the forest, and up and down the hills (you don’t think about the wind when the hills are kicking your butt) was not as bad as we figured. Bill G. took off and left us behind. I led the way. Pushing as hard as I could. Or, should I say, pulling the others. About 1.5 miles from the water taxi at Carrsville, I gave out. I stopped on the road, about 50 feet from the tree-line that would block the wind. I just could not make it. I put the bike down in the weeds, sat there puking up my guts…the only problem, there was nothing to puke up. I then just lay on the road, and asked Chuck and Dieter to make sure no one runs me over. I stayed there about 5 or 10 minutes, then got back on the bike and continued leading on to Carrsville. Just down the road was a deer laying on the road, still moving, must have just been hit. Bill G. later told us that he saw the truck that had hit the deer. We made it to the Water Taxi. Going down the hill to the boat, I hit a rock just right. Chuck asked me if that was my tire making that leaking sound….I said yes, but I really did not care. I was just thankful to be at the boat. Bill G. stated that when he arrived at the boat, the two-man crew was sound asleep. He woke them up, informed them we would soon be there…so they fired up the engine. We had made the trip in about 1 ½ hours….30 minutes faster than I had estimated. We boarded, and, the captain informed us it would cost us another $2 to take us to Elizabethtown, if he could dock there, but was sure he could dock at Rosiclare, IL, which was 5 miles downstream of Elizabethtown. We could handle that. And,if he had to take us back to Rosiclare, he would give us each $1 back! I tried to tip them, but they would not take the tip. We made it to Elizabethtown. Next to the dock was a barge on the water which was a restaurant. Fresh catfish! My favorite! Just one problem, my stomach would not let me eat it. I had a cheese sandwich and a coke, which I puked up ½ of it. Our B&B was 1 block from the water and restaurant. A very nice place. We walked up there, checked in, and I lay down on the bed. I then got some energy and repaired my flat. I had Bill G. pump it up as I had no energy to do that. My afternoon was spent in bed drinking gatoraide while Dieter did our laundry. They went out to eat that evening…I just rested in bed.

Saturday May 13, 2006

Elizabethtown to Harrisburg, IL

42 miles.

Another day of the same weather. Cool, in the low 50’s, sunny and windy. I did not sleep much through the night. I was up most of the night sitting on the throne! Chills, sweats, and so on. I just kept on drinking water so I would not get dehydrated. Morning brought a better feeling. I drank orange juice and ate Ritz crackers while the rest went up town for breakfast. Chuck said he was awake all night with stomach problems. He and I must have gotten into something! Bill & Dieter were not affected. We departed Elizabethtown, and up we went. And more hills. Climbing and climbing. Again the forest was beautiful. The hills were beautiful. Good roads, no traffic, no towns. Nothing. We stopped at Garden of the Gods. Dieter, Chuck and myself hiked part of the trail to one of the overlooks. Bill stayed at the parking lot. I did not have much energy, so I did not hike too far.

We continued on biking the hills. Up and down, never ending. I was slow. Bill took off and left us like usual. We biked into the town of Equality for lunch. I was feeling better, so I had a ham sandwich. Then onto Harrisburg for the evening. Biking from Equality to Harrisburg was on Rt. 13. Traffic. But there was a nice smooth wide shoulder to bike on, and, it was flat. Just one problem…it was 11 miles into the wind.

It was Ponderosa for dinner.   I was feeling good again, and hungry.

Sunday May 14, 2006

Harrisburg to Vienna, IL

Tunnel Hill Bike Trail, 50 miles

Again we awoke to wet roads, some sunshine through the clouds, windy, and cool, in the 50’s. We headed out of the motel and biked about ½ mile to the Tunnel Hill Bike Trail. The trail was flat. Crushed limestone…but hard and smooth. Not a problem with our bikes. The trees blocked the wind, and, IT WAS FLAT. Still, it was a tough ride for me as I was still recovering from my one-day sickness. We did meet some other bikers and hikers on the trail, even though it was Mothers Day, and cool and crummy out. The average high in this area is 78 degrees. Sure would have been nice to have been anywhere near normal!

We ate lunch in Vienna at Dolly’s. Then checked into the motel. Bill, Chuck & I ventured for an extra 10 miles biking down the trail south of Vienna until the trail had a detour. We also toured Vienna, past the Paul Powell museum. It was closed, and Bill was disappointed he was not able to see the shoe box collection. Dieter played with his bike in the motel room while we did this exploration.

Monday May 15, 2006

Vienna to Carbondale, IL

44 miles.

Amtrak Carbondale to Homewood

Again we awoke to cloudy weather, some wind, cool 50’s.

We were heading NW back to Carbondale. We are still in the Shawnee National Forest, and, still in the hills. It was slow go for me up and down the hills. We think this area of Illinois is hillier than any other part of Illinois. Today’s route was the hilliest. Tougher than the Up’s and Down’s bike ride…..tougher than Hilly Hundred or Horsey Hundred. It was hilly! Some of the creeks did not even have bridges over them.

But the scenery was beautiful. We biked again through no towns, just forest. We did bike through Giant City State Park, but did not explore it because we were afraid we would get soaked. We had already sat out a rain shower. We stopped under some thick trees near a farmhouse. The three dogs came out to greet us. Two of them sniffed us out while the young mutt stood on the high ground barking at us the entire time. We put on our rain gear, waited for it to end, then departed. It was cool out, so the rain gear kept us warm. About three miles out of Carbondale we met another traveling cyclist. He was traveling from New York City to either San Francisco or LA. We talked while Chuck repaired yet another flat tire. I did not have the energy to help him. He was on his own. He made the repair, then we continued onto Carbondale. It started raining about 1 mile out of Carbondale, so we got damp. We had tickets for Amtrak for Tuesday, May 16. However, since the weather was crummy, and we were tired, we wanted to go home Monday. I called Amtrak upon our arrival in Carbondale to see if we could change the tickets and be on Monday’s train. Amtrak said no problem, there is room, and they could change our tickets…..for a fee of $182.50! I whined and cried! They gave me customer service. After being on hold for 15 minutes, Amtrak said customer service gave the ok to change our tickets and not charge us any difference. We were on the 405 pm train. Pat would pick us up in Homewood, we were due in there at 820 pm. We were about 15 minutes late. Pat was there waiting for us. Four tired cyclists. Glad to be back home, but sad because a good bike tour was over.

Epilogue The Last Hurrah

This was a good ride. The scenery was absolutely beautiful. The roads were good pavement most of the time. There were some rough sections. Southern Illinois and the Shawnee National Forest is a remote area, making it great for biking. Small Illinois towns along the way…some have food, most do not. Just remember, it is hilly! You are in the forest most of the time. So, you never have to worry about the wind. The trees block it, and, if the trees aren’t there, you don’t care about the wind when the hills are kicking your butt! There are many unique places to visit. The Root Beer Saloon in Alto Pass, the cross on top of Bald Knob, Superman in Metropolis, Bay City, where a movie was filmed, Fort Massac, Garden of the Gods, Giant City S.P., the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, the Shawnee Queen River Taxi, Cave-in-Rock, and so on.

The weather was cool. The trip started out warm, but each day brought cooler weather. We did have a few times when we had to wait out the rain, but we never really got more than just slightly damp. Most mornings brought us wet roads from the night’s rain, bright sunshine, wind, and cool temperatures. By noon the skies clouded over with an occasional brief shower. Nothing to soak us. Amtrak was a pleasant ride, both ways.

I kept the mileage down because I wanted time for us to explore the area, and, I knew it was hilly, so I did not want to burn myself out. I was slow. I was always holding the group back. I do not have the energy like in the past. It was hard for me to help with tire problems, but I did what I could. Like I used to. It is hard to lead from the back of the pack. I can’t sprint ahead, take pictures of the cyclists, then sprint back up to them. Those days are gone. We biked 390 miles over the 8 days. Our highest mileage in one day was 61 miles. The last day through the hills reduced my average on bike speed to 10.9 MPH. That is slow! When touring, I would always use the average of 12.5 MPH INCLUDING all breaks. Those days are gone. I love to explore by bicycle. I love the adventure. I love the unique things that only on a bicycle happen. I love the challenge. I love sharing the adventure with other cycling companions. It is freedom. Freedom like most people do not experience. It is great!

Most likely, this was my last bicycle trip. My last hurrah! No way could I do the 60 to 80 mile daily average required on most bike trips. Let alone 100 miles in a day! Then mess with a tent, that energy is gone!

In January and February of this year, I biked a total of 8 centuries (100 miles in a day). I don’t think I could bike a century today. I just don’t have it in me anymore.

Bill