6/12/2022 0 Comments Land of LincolnIllinois was physically painless but mentally painful.
The topography of the southern tip of Illinois was hilly, and then it quickly became flat. The morning I left Cave-In-Rock, it was pouring. In a lull in the rain, I moved all my items to a pavilion to wait out the storm, eat breakfast out of the rain, and attempt to dry my tent a little bit before packing it into my pannier. Although I had slept through the thunderstorm, I was exhausted. Exhausted Eryn cries at minor inconveniences. So that's what I did. The sky was crying and so was I. The sky stopped the tears and so did I, she packed up the cloudy weather and I packed up my bike. I was on my way to Harrisburg, 36 miles away. There isn't much in southern Illinois, no camping and not much between towns either, so I opted for a motel for the night. Mr. Griffis offered to pay for it, and I didn't decline. Roughly halfway through my ride, I see a familiar motorhome pass me - it was Dave and Laurie - we happened to be going the same direction! A couple miles up the road I was greeted with waves, smiles, and an invitation for chocolate pie. We talked about bike touring, gear, food, and everything else related. It was so so nice to talk about bikes with other people who were also bike tourists. They gave me route recommendations, and reassured me that the Katy Trail from St.Louis to Kansas City was hard Missouri clay and hard packed pea gravel - and that my bike would be able to handle it. (take that, mean Troutdale AT hiker who said the Katy Trail was too rough for my bike) (side side note: take this into precaution when u speak to other ppl bc this man's unkind words from VIRGINIA are STILL WITH ME although I don't give them any weight) The chocolate pie was from a super small corner restaurant, and it was great. In Harrisburg I picked up some more food from Kroger. Real pre-made vanilla pudding as a do-over from my fail the night before. More protein bars. Popcorn deli chicken and a veggie platter for dinner. The next morning I headed out towards Du Quoin, 56 miles away. First 100% truly flat day. Okay, okay, Strava said I only had 594ft of elevation gain, for the whole day. That's really nothing. I usually don't double track my routes. However, today I was going to hit 1,000 miles and I wanted to as accurately as possible see where that would be. Garmin Tracking vs Strava: Garmin sends my location as a point on a map every 20 minutes. So if I go through 5 curves before it can send a dot, there'll just be a straight line from point A to point B. If I'm super slow going around a giant curve, the map will then show that. Meaning that the mileage is always a little off. Strava continuously tracks points, so on the map you're able to see what side of the road I'm on or if I make a circle in a gas station parking lot. Mileage is usually spot on. They both have their pluses and negatives for using as a route tracking service. Around noon, I biked into Energy, Illinois, my 1,000 mile mark for this trip. Energy gave me energy. As a mini reward, I stopped at a Casey's for chicken tenders and bbq sauce & then I was on my way. Again, there was no easy camping available around Du Quoin and I opted for another motel rather than stealth camping. The next day I was on a 60 mile ride (longest yet) to an American Legion Campground outside of Freeburg, IL. I had called a campground on Google maps that turned out to be closed, however the lady who answered gave me two other campgrounds to chose from in the area. I chose the American Legion Campground. That lady had obviously not been to it, because I would not have recommended it to me. To put it bluntly, it was the sketchiest place I've been thus far. As soon as I biked onto premises, I was like … something doesn't feel right. The vibes were off. I can do rural and no one around. But I can't do straight out creepy. Overgrown, underkept, rundown buildings, a camper that looked like it hasn't moved in 5 years in the absolute middle of cornfields as a young, solo, female traveler. Immediately in the campground I pull out my phone to see if I have service. Thankfully I do. Unfortunately however, my phone wasn't working to call nor answer calls. I remain calm. The last thing I want to do is make other people in the campground aware that I'm having a breakdown. I get me and my bike out of there, and park myself the farthest away from the campground part as possible (probably ¼ mi away) while still being on the property (it bordered on a private drive & private property). 20ft from the property line, I restarted my phone and pulled out my hotspot in an attempt to call someone and tell them my situation. The hotspot worked. Worst case scenario, I was 35 miles from St. Louis and Brontë could pick me up. I definitely felt safer 20ft from the property line, and I did not go back into the campground to get more water or use the outhouse. I rationed my water (roughly 90 oz) and peed in the woods. I was tired enough that I slept through the night, but before bed I took extra precautions in case something did happen. At daybreak I have renewed energy to get the heck outta dodge and zoom zoom towards St. Louis and did not look back. I even multitasked and ate breakfast while taking down my tent. Never had I been so happy to see a Circle K to fill up my water bottles. Near the Circle K, I got on a paved bike path - SCCTD MetroBikeLink Trail - that took me to the outskirts of East St. Louis. Some people the previous day told me about East St. Louis, but the American Legion campground was way more sketchy than the subdivisions I biked through in East St. Louis. I biked across the Mississippi River on the Eads Bridge & took the first exit for the Arch. My first time seeing the St. Louis Arch, and it was awesome. It's huge! Shiny! A landmark! Icon of the gateway to the west! Crazy to believe that I've biked all the way to St. Louis from the Atlantic Ocean! I do amaze myself sometimes. What a feat I'm undertaking. In St. Louis, I planned to stay with a friend, Brontë, the one who's so kindly posting these blogs for me :) A 45 minute bike ride later and with a confused google maps, I was excitedly on Brontë's doorstep, ready for a rest day and to hang out with a friend. All is well in the world.
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Author: Eryn corinthCyclist. Feminist. Outdoor enthusiast. Tree hugger. Archives
October 2022
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