Day 24
Harrisburg IL, 59 miles
Fifty-nine miles doesn’t sound like a lot, but the temperature hit 93 degrees today. I had to work to keep hydrated and even then by the end of the day I was pretty exhausted. I have 135 miles to go to get to St. Louis. If the temperatures continue to hover in this range, that’s at least a three day ride. That won’t be a problem. My tickets for the Cardinals Reds game aren’t until next Friday, so I’ll be getting a few days of rest in St. Louis.
The good news today is that for the first time on this trip, I’ve had to use the small chain-ring on the front derailleur very few times! It’s been a good day. I actually have a lot of good news to share…
When I got to Smith Mills, about mid-day, I stopped in some shade to cool off. A guy from a block away yelled at me and told me to wait-up. (That was not really going to be a problem.) He walked over to me and we chatted for about 20 minutes. He was just a friendly guy and wanted to hear about what I was doing. (It’s pretty obvious I’m traveling, one look at my bike gives that away.) When I was getting ready to leave he pulled out his wallet and give me three dollars. I told him I couldn’t accept that but he insisted. It was a beautiful gesture and I appreciate it. I thanked him and got on my way but I will remember his generosity.
I crossed the Ohio River on the Shawneetown Bridge. This may not have been the best choice, but the route I’m following (back roads) doesn’t offer a lot of extravagant options for getting over the Ohio River. It was a two-lane bridge with barely enough shoulder on one side for a bike. Given that prudence is the better part of valor, I decided walking the bike across the bridge would be a good idea. I suppose that means I can tell people I walked across the Ohio River…
About mid-afternoon I stopped for water at a convenience store in Shawneetown. An old guy on a Pinion Drive bicycle rode up as I was walking into the store. I headed into the store without paying much attention to him, as I was standing in front of the cold drinks he came up and started chatting with me. We ended up having a long conversation. (Of course I mean no disrespect when I say “old guy,” because naturally, one of the reasons he stopped to chat with me was because I’m sure to him I looked to be about his same age.) He told me about his crossings of the U.S. back in ‘78 and ‘79. He’s made the crossing twice but he included Canada in his routes. We had a really nice conversation and he told me about his Pinion Drive bicycle. It’s a belt drive with all internal gearing. I don’t know if the concept will ever catch on, but it was a sweet set-up. He looked at my bike and asked me how I got there from Virginia with an 11-22 rear cassette. I told him there were times when I wasn’t sure myself…
When I pulled in to Harrisburg for another water stop a guy offered me a tube of hydration tablets. People have been so kind to me, it is truly impressive.
At the beginning of this post did I say I had “tickets” (plural) to the Cardinals Reds game on Friday? That’s because my Sweetie is flying out to St. Louis to meet me for three days and I’m taking her to the game! She’s also flying out with a new cassette and chain for the bike. The cassette she’s bringing is an 11-34. That will make the hills a lot more manageable. She went in to Davidson bicycles and talked to Bill Davidson and his mechanic Mark and they got her all set up with exactly what I need. They are great guys and they build awesome bikes. Their reputation precedes them far and wide.
After passing through Kentucky, the birthplace of Lincoln, I’m going to have to do some brushing up on my history to understand why Illinois is called “The Land of Lincoln.”