Cycling

A cold morning with heavy dew that didn’t  warm and dry up until 10 AM. I made the best of it enjoying breakfast followed by peach pie and coffee.

There aren’t many choices to stay between here and Geneva of the Lake. I couldn’t find a way to split the distance into two days. So I worked out some options for a three day ride instead.

I rode the North Coast Inland Trail from Fremont to Clyde. On this trail I met an interesting man, I’m guessing in his 50’s, that has never owned a car or has a drivers license. He goes everywhere by bicycle or kick scooter, we talked for a while about the tour and his life. He offered a better way for me to get to Avery by continuing on the trail to the end before turning north to once again pick up my route.

I stopped in Avery for the night to split the distance into thirds. I checked into the Quality Inn. I think I’ll sleep well and tomorrow ride to Lakewood, a city on Lake Erie, to stay with a WarmShowers host.

I started riding at sunup for the short days ride to Gibsonburg to connect with Nancy.

The headwind was 10 mph, half as strong as the last few days.

The afternoon was spent doing laundry and planning where to stay between Cleveland and Buffalo. Nancy brought back some nice treats from the trip into town. Beer, ice cream, and pie!

I stop in the Blueberry Cafe on my way out of town for breakfast. They opened at 7:00 AM so the timing was right. The breakfast special, pancakes with eggs and bacon was a real treat.

This was another push into 20 mph wind that continued all day.

I had planned to camp at Mary Jane Thurston State Park but the park was full. I took plan B and got a motel room in Napoleon twelve miles short of my goal. In kind words, this is maybe the worst motel I’ve slept in. Yuck! I didn’t use the shower and I covered the bed with the tarp I use to cover my bike. I slept in my own bedding.

I was up with the sun and left for Gibsonville for a short 50 mile day.

My day will be fifty five miles to Monroeville where I will sleep in the Community Park. Being a short day I wasn’t in a rush to get going so the morning was very relaxed.

I couldn’t get away from the NE wind. I was either going north or east so I pushed through 15-20 mph headwinds all day. The cool 60° day was a nice riding temperature.

On Yoder Road to Poe I came across a detour sign because of a closure just before Poe. I flagged down a car coming from that direction and asked if I would be able to get around the obstruction. I was told that on a bicycle I probably could so I continued.

The detour would add many miles so I took the chance. The road was closed because the river washed away the ground under the road. There was a two foot sag in about ten feet of the road’s length. The area supported me and my loaded bike so I was able to continue twenty two miles to my sleep spot.

I’m at the west end of EST so it was still night darkness at 7:00 AM and 37°. I waited for daylight to start riding. On my way back to the route I rode by a Buffalo farm.

The small County Roads are very nice to ride with little traffic. There is not much variation today just corn and soybean fields.

Mild headwinds all day to get to Lost Bridge West Campground for a seventy eight mile day. Tomorrow I’ll spend with Nancy and check over Ms R. Green to make sure she is ready to roll down the roads to Nancy’s next campground.

A cold and windy start, winter gloves kind of cold. The NE wind didn’t help today as I was riding east. Indiana doesn’t look very different. I’m not exactly sure where or when I crossed the state line.

Eighty miles of riding brought me to Buffalo, IN. I rode off course for three mile to setup camp in the Tall Oaks Campground. The time zone changed from CST to EST when I crossed into Indiana so it was 6:00 PM when I arrived.

I set up the tent and then cooked dinner. It was dark when I finished eating and cleaning up. I went to bed on the riverbank with the rain fly open to see the river in the moonlight. The temperature kept dropping but I was warmly snuggled in my sleeping bag.

I woke at 6:00 AM to find that it was still dark, the west end of the time zone stays dark until 7. The sun lite the sky at 8:00 and I was ready to ride.

I breakfast with Allan and lingered with conversation and coffee. I stayed until 8:00, the latest departure time to arrive at my campsite mid afternoon. I was only a few blocks away from my route so I began my journey again without delay.

The 15-20 mph wind was in my favor so the miles flew by quickly.

I really like these small Illinois road with nice views and low traffic.

I arrived at the Ashkum Village Park and visited with a few residents before looking for the best stop to setup tent out of the wind. I found a local pizza house that delivered and enjoyed my dinner. The low predicted tonight is 37°. I think fall is here.

Today didn’t start as usual with me riding off to the next place to sleep. I met Dave here at the campground, he and his wife are camping in a nearby site. Dave offered to ride with me to Wenona. As we rode we bonded a friendship while enjoying a bike ride together.

The rolling countryside through fields of corn and soybeans brought us into small rural towns. Henry, the town where we stopped for lunch is nestled on the bank of the Illinois River.

The ride ended in Wenona, where I has planned to camp in the City Park. This is a nice park with a restroom with a shower. A few minutes after I arrived and was settling in, two men stopped in to welcome me and asked if I needed anything. I told them that I was all set and thanked them. We began talking, they were curious about my tour. Allan offered to have me stay in his guest room. He shared with me the history of this town and dinner at the Boardwalk. 

It was raining yesterday as I arrived in Muscatine so I got a motel room that was right on my route. The Travelodge Inn was cheap with no frills but within walking distance of food. This morning I want to leave early for the long day’s ride to Nancy’s campground, Johnson Sauk Trail Park. I ate a small loaf of banana bread before the motel breakfast buffet.

I rode the bike trail around the city to the bridge crossing the Mississippi River into Illinois. The morning fog was a raw cold and I dressed in fall clothes to start.

I stopped for lunch at 11:30 with 40 miles behind me. I removed my outer clothing, the sun was out and now it’s nearing 70°.

At Cambridge I left my route to Kewanee and followed CR 1200 in a straight line to the campground, shaving ten miles off today’s mileage. The day ended early in the afternoon with 75 mile. The last 16 miles were on a small county road that rolled through farmland with scattered wind turbines.

We went to Kewanee for dinner at Cerno’s Bar and Grill. What a great way to end the day.

Cool start and cool all day, feels like fall.

Wind and rain in the forecast. I only got wet for the last two hours.

This will be my last night in IA. Tomorrow I cross the Mississippi River for the last time this tour.