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June 6, '03 - Muscatine, Iowa to Kewanee, Illinois
Today is the day I ride through the old home country. Up early and down to breakfast. By 7 a.m. I am ready to go. At 7:01 it starts to rain. I decide to wait it out. At 7:30 I re-think waiting and take off. Good decision. It did quit raining, but it wasn't until 7:30 at night. Road all day in the rain. The Muscatine bridge was a mess. Eighteen wheelers sending spray in all directions. But three miles into Illinois, it was Adventure Cycling to the rescue. They sent me on secondary roads where I saw very few trucks the rest of the day. I headed up the Mississippi toward New Boston and then headed east to Reynolds, Illinois, home of Rockridge High School. The Rockets of Rockridge kicked the butts of we Cambridge, Vikings on a regular basis in football. From Reynolds, I rode on to Sherrard, the home of the Tigers. They were always a W no matter what the sport. And while Sherrard must have a new school somewhere, that little band box gym we used to play in still stands at the end of main street. From Sherrard it was on to Orion, home of the Chargers. When I was in high school they were our arch-rival. Now the two schools don't even schedule one another in any sport. We had lunch in Orion at Cookie's where I had a killer breaded pork tenderloin. Not as good as the one at the Blue Moon in Grand Junction, Brad serves the world's best pork tenderloin but still very, very good. Jan had joined me for lunch and then headed to Wells-Fargo in Galesburg to pick up my new ATM card. It's a long story and besides being lengthy it is also un-interesting so I won't bore you but many thanks to Liz Wilhelm at Wells Fargo in Grand Junction for coming to my aid in an hour of need. The wind and the rain picked up as I headed for Osco. I was riding into a stiff head wind, guesstimated at 20 mph and the rain cut like a knife. From Osco I came straight across to Cambridge and entered the town from the south past the farm where Claire and Wayne Hagg used to live, past the bowling alley and past Suzanne Vinckel's. Cambridge was really quite impressive when compared to when I last saw it in '96. For the most part the buildings in the business district are filled. The dairy is now a doctor's office. They must have gotten rid of the sour milk smell over the years. The courthouse looks terrific. The house my folks moved into in 1946 after WWII, the one where my Mom had to use a cook stove for six months, looks great. Whoever lives there has done an outstanding job in sprucing the place up. Next door to that home is the "new" home my folks built in my junior year of high school. It has not fared so well as it appears that Jethro and Elly Mae have moved in sans the cement pond. There is a boat in the front yard the don't even bother to mow around or under. The golf course south of town looks spectacular. Again it was raining hard and golf courses always look better in the rain but I was quite impressed with Valley View. I continued south on 82 and then caught a straight shot road to Kewanee that ran a mile north of Bishop Hill. (All of this means nothing to those of you who weren't raised here but bear with me as I cater to the fellow Cambridge-ites who are reading this). I have been gone from Cambridge since the early 60's but Kewanee hasn't changed. It is still a dump. Not as dumpy as Muscatine but then what is? Miles ridden today 76...total miles 2571.
June 7, '03 - Kewanee to Pontiac
Today was as nice as yesterday...was ugly. Rolled out of Kewanee at 7:30 heading East on a secondary road to Osceola. Got lost and dropped down to State Highway 93 and rode it all the way to Bradford. This was a wonderful mistake. 93 are covered with trees. They sit on both sides of the road and touch overhead giving the road a European feel. Bradford is a picturesque community of less than a 1,000 folks that have evidentially worked hard to give their town a picture book look. I headed south from Bradford toward Peoria on state highway 40 and then turned onto a straight shot secondary road that took me to Henry, Illinois. I stopped for lunch in Henry and after a big plate of spaghetti at Mom's came back to a flat front tire. I got the tire changed and crossed the bridge over the Illinois River and headed south on a road that would have taken me to Washburn, Dick Liable's hometown. Then I was turned to the East. I could not get my front tire fully inflated with my hand pump so I called Jan who was about 20 miles away and I asked her to bring my big pump. While waiting for Jan, Gere came riding by so after pumping up the tire he and I headed east together toward Pontiac. We had a wind at our back and wonderful secondary roads. We averaged between 17 and 20 mph most of the afternoon. The farms through this section of Illinois are as pretty as any in the country. And probably among the most valuable in terms of price per acre for tillable soil. Plus the country is as flat as a table top so it was great riding. Total miles for the day 92...total miles 2663.
June 8,'03 - Pontiac to Watseka
Short day today as it is supposed to rain. Left late, 9 a.m. with eyes on the sky. Headed East on State Highway 116 with puffy clouds, no traffic and a 20-25 mph tail wind. Made the first town, 12 miles away in less than a half an hour. Kept the hammer down until I rolled into Cullom, Ill. where I pulled into the Casey's and ran into Gere who was pulling his BOB and heading toward Indiana. After coffee he and I headed East and two miles later a friend arrived from Indiana, loaded his BOB in her pickup and headed back home. Gere and I continued East with the strong wind at our back. We were riding at over 25 mph most of the way. Just before Pittwood, Ill. Gere continued East and I headed south toward Watseka. What a difference direction makes. I barely averaged five mph riding into a strong crosswind. I can't imagine what it would be like pedaling into such a wind. I arrived in Watseka before 1. Jan and I were going to golf but then the clouds closed in and the rain started so it became a do the wash and get caught up on the computer day. Tomorrow I head into the land of the Hoosiers. Miles today 53...total miles 2716.
The below was sent to me by a former Mid-Westerner who now lives in Florida. It is great advice for any of you thinking of traveling through farm country.
A heartfelt message from the rural Midwest:
Because of misunderstandings that frequently develop when Easterners and Californians cross states such as Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, those states' Tourism Councils have adopted a set of information guidelines.
In an effort to help outsiders understand the Midwest, the following list will be handed to each driver entering the state:
1. That farm boy standing next to the feed bin did more work before breakfast than you do all week at the gym.
2. It's called a 'gravel road.' No matter how slow you drive, you're going to get dust on your Navigator. I have a four wheel drive because I need it...not just to keep up with the neighbors.
3. We all started hunting and fishing when we were seven years old. Yeah, we saw Bambi. We got over it
4. Any references to "corn fed" when talking about our women will get you whipped... by our women.
5. Go ahead and bring your $600 Orvis Fly Rod. Don't cry to us if a flathead catfish breaks it off at the handle. We have a name for those little trout you fish forbait.
6. Pull your pants up. You look like an idiot.
7. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of mallards are making their final approach, we will shoot it. You might hope you don't have it up to your ear at the time.
8. That's right. Whiskey is only two bucks. We can buy a fifth for what you paid in the airport for one drink.
9. No, there's no "Vegetarian Special" on the menu. Order steak. Order it rare. Or, you can order the Chef' Salad and pick off the two pounds of ham and turkey.
10. You bring Coke into my house, it better be brown, wet, and served over ice.
11. So you have a sixty-thousand dollar car you drive on weekends. We're real impressed. We have quarter of a million dollar combines that we use two weeks a year.
12. Let's get this straight. We have one stoplight in town. We stop when it's red. We may even stop when it's yellow.
13. Our women hunt, fish, and drive pickups, trucks and tractors --because they want to. So, you're a feminist. Isn't that cute.
14. Yeah, we eat catfish. Carp, too -- and turtle. You really want sushi and caviar? It's available at the bait shop.
15. They are pigs. That's what they smell like. Get over it. Don't like it? Interstates 70, 80, & 90 go East & West--Interstates 29, 35 & 55 go North and South. Pick one and use it accordingly.
16. The "Opener" refers to the first day of deer season. It's a religious holiday. You can get breakfast at the church.
17. So every person in every pickup waves. It's called being friendly. Understand the concept?
18. Yeah, we have golf courses. Don't hit in the water hazard. It spooks the fish.
19. That Highway Patrol Officer who just pulled you over for driving like an idiot... his name is "Sir"... no matter how old he is.
Now please, enjoy your visit.
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| Ron Lange Cycling Club Welcomes Geezerpoolza |
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| To join our club Ron Lange has to be your Daddy |
| Welcome to Illinois |
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| "Try and stay dry." |
| Where my folks dairy was located in Cambridge." |
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| "The village dairy is now a drs. office." |
| Home in cambridge from 1946 to 1956. |
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| Home built in 1955, next door to the old house. |
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| Henry County Courthouse in Cambridge. |
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