June 26, 2025
After breakfast I packed up all my gear. Today I will continue riding west. Nancy will also pack up and leave for Lincoln Trail H.S, a campground in Marshall, Illinois. I will join her there tomorrow.
10:04 AM
I am back on my route and heading for Terre Haute where I plan to camp tonight. The campground there will split the distance to Marshall, Illinois. It is already hot and humid. I’m riding in the sun, mostly. Route 42 rolls through farmlands without shade. Today I wish for a headwind to take away the heat.
11:50 AM
Nancy drove by with the window down and asked if I was ok. Moe was leaning out barking with excitement seeing me. He didn’t want me to leave this morning. Now see Nancy driving toward me, she signals that she is stopping so I turn back and follow her as she pulls off the road. She brought me a Dr Pepper and a couple of cookies. What an awesome treat! It’s hot out here at 94° with a heat index of 107. The Heat Advisory says to stay indoors with air conditioning. Umm?!?!
2:30 PM
I am now at Hawthorne Park Campground, right off my route, the National Road Heritage Trail in Terre Haute, Indiana. It is 94° and I am hiding from the sun under a canopy of leaves shading my site. My tent is under cover and I’m hoping this heat will continue to drop. At 4PM it has only done so by two degrees.
6:30 PM
Dinner is Mountain House meat lasagna and a lukewarm ice tea that I picked up along the way. I will also eat one of the cookies that Nancy handed me on the road. I am relaxing and visiting with people walking the camp trails. The sun is beginning to set at 7:45 and the temperature is 91°. I will try to sleep without the rain fly for maximum breeze but it is clipped onto the tent in case I need to roll it down if a thundershower comes through tonight.
