Day Twelve (62.7 miles, 475.4 total): Over The River We Go!

Rrrrrrr! Grrrrr! Ruff! Grrrrrrr! Scratch, Scratch! RING! RING! Ella is jumping up on the door and my alarm is going off. 6:00AM why can't I go back to sleep?? I walk out the glass doors to let Ella out and the heat floods in. Its going to be a warm day! My new friend Ed, who arrived later last night, is already up and packing his gear. I walk back in and get my gear together before I get changed for the day. The smell of burnt coffee drifts from the kitchen, letting me know the hot water is ready. I finish wrapping up my stuff before I make my oatmeal. Ed is already out the door and headed for Elizabethtown. A few minutes later, I have Ella in her harness and loaded in the basket.

The weather is pretty nice once we get moving. It's the first time I have actually enjoyed a headwind. The wind isn't so strong that I'm struggling, but provides a nice cool breeze against the hot sun. I hit the first couple of hills pretty hard to warm up my legs.

The valley opens back into miles of farm land on either side of me. The neighborhoods are gone and are replaced by machine shops and farm equipment. Rolling hills continue around each bend in the road. Farms have become immense, only separated by rusted barb-wire, or the occasional ditch and hedge. The tractors look like something out of a Star-Wars movie, towering above my head, each piece of equipment attached like a weapon of some kind. I am really moving this morning, flying through the waves of asphalt.

Speeding down the backside of a dip in the valley, an old man stops me in his car. His name is Bobby Joe Rudd and he just wanted to see my dog and talk to me about my ride. 77 years old, short, stout, and just a few pearly whites left in his smile. Sporting a flannel with suspenders and a John Deer cap, he goes on to tell me about his time in the FBI, growing up by the Ohio River and about all his children off to college. After a few minutes of conversation, I was back on the highway headed to Illinois.

Twenty miles later, I stopped at a gas station to get my daily dose of Gatorade and let Ella run around for a bit. The woman at the gas station counter told me I had about three more miles till the Ohio River. I load the little fur ball back in her basket and speed off for the border. Just a few minutes later we reach the end of Kentucky and head across the narrow bridge to Illinois. There was no shoulder on the bridge, and the drivers weren't to keen to share the road. At last we reached The Land of Lincoln! A quick picture at the state welcome sign and it was back to the grind stone.

The supposed flat road wasn't to be. I had been told once I reached Route 13 it was going to be smooth sailing, flat roads and wide shoulders. The wide shoulders were like riding on the rumble strip. My gear was shaking and I'm pretty sure I could feel my spleen bouncing around. So I quickly veered back onto the road at the mercy of traffic. As for being flat, it turned out to be one endless uphill. It was very low grade and manageable but then the heavy winds came. Unlike this morning, the headwind was hot and strong. The combination of heavy wind and afternoon sun started to sap my energy away.

The landscape of Illinois was like a carbon copy of Kentucky farmlands. If the Ohio River didn't separate the two states, you would never know the difference. On and on the hill climbed. The sun was creating mirages of the treeline against the hot pavement. I would occasionally stop to chug some water and take a quick breath. Ella would look at me with slight annoyance as we battled the never ending wave of hot air. I would pour some water over her head and she would shake herself off happy to be cool again.

HARRISBURG 20 MILES.

I knew I wasn't going to push on to Marion or Carbondale with this kind of headwind so I set my goal for the twenty mile ride left. After about another hour or so, burning rubber on the stove top asphalt, I saw a water tower just barely visible in the distance. A cop had someone pulled over on my left and he waved as I passed by. About fifteen minutes later he flies by me again, lights flashing, to pull someone else over. He isn't that far ahead of me but it takes me almost 15 minutes to reach his parked car.

The wind is holding me back from that far off tower and my goal for the day. Another 35 minutes and I can finally see the exit. A few more minutes and I'm resting beneath the shade of a massive liquor store. It had a massive awning to hide from the sun, while I figured out a place to stay. Because most cyclists don't take this off shoot, there was no church or cycle hostel for me to stay this evening. This appears to be a pretty run down town and staying in the park doesn't seem like the best decision without another cyclist.

So after a hot day in the sun, I am camped in a Super Eight. Fortunately, this one is much nicer than the one I stayed in on day two. With a Kroger next door, I was able to pick up some fruit and a half gallon of rich, delicious chocolate milk. Despite the extra cost, I am quite glad to have some air conditioning. Ella is nipping at my toes and jumping up the side of the bed, so I am signing off for the evening! Thanks for following our adventures and hope you continue as we cross more state lines!

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