Illinois + People Doing Nice Things

So far Illinois has given Brett and I everything we could ask for. This includes free stuff. From nice people. They exist.

I must have looked like shit on Friday morning. 

Maryann went by our campsite and offered me coffee. 

Out of nowhere. 

After seeing our breakfast she invited us over for eggs and bacon. There was toast too. 

We had ridden 125 miles the previous day. We really needed it. 

They also had a dog named Winston. 

Kind of Like That

Then we met a guy in a random town in Illinois. 

He ended up buying us all the food we wanted at the gas station there.  

That included coffees, gatorades, donuts, and candy. 

Thanks Mike. 

Then we got to Nick and Stacey's house. They live right on the border of Iowa and Illinois

Nick owns a bike shop in town and hosts cyclists that come through Burlington Iowa area. 

They gave us the use of the shower and washing machine. Then, they gave us dinner and a place to stay for the night. With wifi! Hell yeah. They're really nice people. 

Y Axis = Faith in Humanity

X Axis = Miles Ridden

I usually don't go through specific days. I wanted to avoid stating, "this happened, then this happened, etc. However, everyday is a huge ass big adventure and I thought I should catalogue an example or two. 

Date - Thursday, Sept 25. 

Distance - 126 Miles

Ride Time - 7 Hours

Monticello Indiana - Moraine View State Park, Illinois

We stayed in a motel the night before and got a good night of sleep. The first part of the trip was filled typical with Indiana scenery, beautiful dirt roads without a car in sight. 

Then we went into Illinois (there was no state sign. BS if you ask me. What kind of state doesn't have a welcoming sign? Needless to say I didn't feel welcome. ) and we gained an hour in the day for extra riding. Things were looking up. 

Sixty miles in we got lunch in Watseka Illinois. The token bike rider of the town pointed us toward a Mexican restaurant on the West side of town. That's...

Steak Fajitas

Side of two chicken tacos

Side of beans, rice, cheese, guacamole, sour cream. 

All for $11

Hell Yeah. 

But then we realized we ate too much. 

Kind of like this cat I found on the internet. 

Everyone has their limit. 

That day we found ours. 

So then we biked fifteen miles and decided we were going to stop. We were to full to continue. 

My mind immediately shut off. I couldn't wait to lay down and read. Forever. 

However, 

 the campground was right next to the highway. It was awful and people there that did not take kindly to us. I.E. they didn't like us. 

We had to leave. 

So then we got back on our bikes. 

It was awful. 

I had to recalibrate my mind to suffer again. 

Eventually we rode fifty more miles. 

It was terrible and great. 

And then we saw this sunset that was amazingly great. 

Another pic. Holy Illinois eh? 

This is the same sunset expect there's a building in the picture. 

10 Miles later we got the campsite. 

And got ready for the next adventure. 

Disclaimer: I am not a hobbit nor do I approve of hobbit related activities. 

Indiana Etc

After a long night of dogs barking, mosquitos, and incessant raccoon activity, Brett and I decided to bike 28 miles today. The rest day felt excellent. I ate food, watched television, repaired my down jacket, and went to Walmart. A full day of non-stop action.

The campsite chosen last night. 

Innocent enough during the daylight. 

Hellish after dark. 

Other than last night we really haven't experienced a bad night's stay.  Usually the places we stop are very inviting. 

This is a cyclist only lodging in Monroeville Indiana. It's hosted by a guy named Warren. He's not even a cyclist. Just a really nice guy. In exchange for being a cyclist we received laundry service, access to a kitchen, sleeping cots, and a shelter for the night. No wifi though. What the hell? Bullshit. 

Dinner 

Pizza

Macaroni

Wine(s)

Fish Sandwiches

Assorted Deserts

While Watching Indiana Jones

On VHS

Purchased from Monroeville Dollar Store

Then we went further into Indiana. 

I want to preface this state with a few sweeping generalizations about the people of Indiana. 

1) They like grass and all grass accessories. People cut their lawns. A lot. 

3) They drive on roads that are quaint as shit. (see pics below) 

2) They enjoy leaving their dogs off leash. 

4) Everyone is nice. 

5) Roads go North South. Roads go East West. It's hard to get lost. 

In the words of Brett, "Man, I can really settle down here". 

Quaint roads forever. 

Gentle rollers through the countryside. 

Long flat roads. Perfectly paved. 

Bike paths in Indiana are AT (That's A capital plus)

More Bike Paths

Tree Canopies. Lots of them. Disgusting. 

Popcorn dispensing mechanism for further Indiana enjoyment. 

How I know I Am Hungry

1) I want to eat everything with my hands. Caveman style. I sometimes give into that want. 

2) I get inexplicable cravings for guacamole. The most delicious of foods. 

3) I stop to drink water and end up eating 800 calories. 

4) I pick the corner booth in restaurants so I can eat more akin to an animal. 

5) Family size isn't enough. 

Finally...

Buck's Math Formulas To Live By

Planning Route With Alcohol Law = (10km added to route)(amount of alcoholic beverages)

Actual Miles Ridden Alcohol Law = (-10km from route)(amount of alcoholic beverages imbibed) 

Just About Halfway There

 

Erie Debauchery + Ohio + Touring

 Bike Touring 

Bike touring so far has been a lot like walking down a hotel hallway and all the doors are wide open. While riding it's possible to look in on towns/rooms and see what's going on. However, it's not necessary to go inside. Especially if the room yells "fag" or "lance". It's also possible to go inside the rooms and spend some time. Then you can go back down the hallway and keep riding until there's a cool/neat/interesting room. For example, some rooms contain a  giant rocket, cool bridge, an actual cafe, or a burger. Then you have to look out for cars, pedestrians, and assorted wild life. That's about it. 

Also.

Somehow Brett and I got out of Erie Pennsylvania. There were no sidewalks, shoulders, or grassy knolls to ride on. We risked everything to get to a host house and eat a burger. 

What it feels like to be a cyclist in Erie PA. 

People stare. 

At grocery stores. 

The clic clac doesn't help. 

What it feels like to ride a bike in Erie PA
Complete indifference.
Really got some good sprint work in.
Stressful times.

osts for the night. Host house dog, Buddy, is pictured below. He wasn't happy we were leaving. He did what he wanted and didn't give any shits about anyone. Good dog.  

Then we got to the Promise land. 

Cleveland was much better than Erie. 

And promptly got a flat. 

Luckily it was on some soft grass near a beautiful field. 

And then drank alcohol. That's a 20oz margarita. 

Good times. 

Found Wifi. Erie PA.

Just got to Erie Pennsylvania. Upstate New York was (mostly) a pain in the ass. Warmshowers.org host fed me. I showered. I ate ice cream, cake, sloppy Joes, pasta salad, baked beans, more sloppy joes, and drank beer. I'm going to sleep in a bed tonight. I am not politely starving. That's for sure.

Thanks Leo.

A quick update. Brett and I are starting our eleventh day on the road tomorrow. We have not murdered each other as of yet. 

Where we have been 

Portland ME - Chatham NH

Chatham NH - Piermont NH

Piermont NH- Middlebury VT

Middlebury VT - Long Lake NY

Long Lake NY - Boonville NY

Boonville NY - Fulton NY

Fulton NY - Sodus Point (rest day)

Sodus Point NY - Holley NY

Holley NY - Evangola State Park NY

Evangola State Park NY - Erie PA 

 - Excited to be heading into Ohio tomorrow. Hopefully the flat riding continues. 

*Most rides are on Strava.com. Most rides average around 23km/h.

Assorted Photos 

Entering New York. 

I was young and naive of what lay ahead. 

*Not my motorcycle*

Lunch/late dinner near Long Lake NY

Salt and Vinegar Chips 

Cliff Bars

Sausage

Snickers Bar

Cream Soda

3 Tall Boys

Rained all day from Long Lake to Boonville. 

I'm going to erase that day from memory. 

Trying to find free camping. 

Stumbled upon an abandoned town. 

Promptly departed. 

Before I got knifed. 

Campsite in Sodus Point. 

Locks on Erie Canal

Eighty or so miles on the cinder path. 

Good times. 

There was a headwind. 

Rowers in Buffalo. 

Buffalo was awful to bike through. 

Not recommended. 

Sunset after 170km or riding into Evangola State Park. 

It looks a lot better in person. 

For real. 

Things I Do On My Bike Part 1 - Replace Song Lyrics With "Muffin"

"Oh Sweet Muffin" - Velvet Underground 

"She's Always A Muffin To Me" - Billy Joel 

"Take Another Little Piece Of My Muffin" - Janice Joplin 

"Can't Sell Me Muffins" - Kanye West

"Muffin Man" - Billy Joel

"Muffin In The Dark" - Bruce Springsteen

"Bridge Over Troubled Muffins" - Simon and Garfunkel

As Promised: The similarities of a touring bike and a bear. 

1) They both have teeth. 

2) You can ride both of them. 

 - That's about it. I've had a lot of time to think about it. 

Something Like That. 

Thanks for reading. I'll update when I find Wifi. 

Coffee Shop Update

Today

 - I found coffee. First we had to ride to ride for one hour. It was some sort of decaffeinated fucked up dream. Never again. 

Tweaking Out

Breakfast This Morning. 

6 Day Old Bagels 

Hot Sauce

Omelette 

Assorted Donuts

Large Coffee

Real Day #1

Chatham NH - Piermont NH 

125k 

Too much climbing. 

5:40:00

 - First day was a real day. 5,000 ft of climbing doesn't sound like a lot. With a metric shit ton of gear and a heavy bike it's was awful. We made it eventually. 

Bike Pictured On Top of Kancamagus Highway

Another Climb. Another Hour of Brett's Ass In My Face

There's A Giant Rocket In Warren NH. Brett Gave It A Hug

Day 2 

 - Late start. Waited out some rain and started at 11:00a.m. This proved to be a problem later in the day. Really, the whole day was a pain in the ass. Headwinds, steep climbs, pain in the ass dirt roads, couldn't find the campsite, it was dark when we found it. Type 2 fun. 

 - Went over Middlebury Gap. A climb I did in the third stage of Green Mountain Stage Race. This time I went slower. 

 - Peirmont NH - Middlebury VT

 - 153K

 - 7:00:00

 - 1750m of climbing. 

Vermont Voted #1 in Quaintness by Brett Peters. 

Sweet Roads On The Way To Middlebury

GMSR Markings On The Route Today. Fun Memories Of Getting Dropped

Should have a post up every couple of days. Stay tuned for an entry detailing the similarities of  touring bikes and a bears. 

Thanks For Checking It Out