Bicycle Touring in Indiana and Illinois : Monday June 9

Average Speed: 11.5 mph

Max Speed: 33.0 mph

Total Riding Time: 6:47:35

Trip Mileage: 78:15

Total Mileage to Date: 981

Wake Up Time: 6:00am

Leave Time: 7:30am

 

Wrote 9:30am on the next day: Tuesday June 10...

Have I got a story to tell! So much happened yesterday that it took till this morning to get a chance to write it down. From the beginning:

 

Woke up from my tent in the backyard of the automotive store. It was damp inside the tent from the morning dew since I had to pitch the tent on a thick bed of grass. Got dressed and had breakfast across the street and then hopped on the bike and started on my journey.

 

Passed through the farming areas until I reached the urban area of Gary, Indiana. In Griffith, I stopped to call my friend Doug in Chicago to let him know of my arrival. To my horror his answering machine message at work said he was on vacation till the 11th of June--he had told me the 9th! I was hoping perhaps he would be home. I pedaled a little more and at 11:30am figured he would be awake so I decided to find a pay phone and call him at home. Before I had a chance to call a man by the name of Bob Friend (a.k.a. Pirate Bob to his bicycling buddies) saw me and the loaded Cannondale and we became engaged in an hour long conversation about my tour and his biking background. He let me use his cell phone to call Doug at home, but all I could do was leave a message. Inside, I was starting to worry-just a little! Bob, who is an avid bicyclist gave me great directions through local roads to Chicago. He even took some photos of me and the bike and mailed them to my family. He told me about some bike races he had done in Paris and Europe, which sounded real exciting. As we talked I discovered he designed signs for a living and he briefly showed me his portfolio.

 

I thanked Bob and left following his directions pedaling into the wind. Bicycled through some scary sections of the south-side of Chicago, but at around 3pm I finally made it to Lake Shore Drive and the lakefront bike trail. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and Lake Michigan was a strange greenish blue color that left me awe struck. I just stopped for a second when a cyclist on the trail stopped to talk to me. His name was John and he was originally from the Bronx, New York. We spoke for a long time and he gave me hints on places to stay in the area and directions. 

 

Soon after John left I hooked up with another bicyclist on the trail named Greg Vlasak. We spoke as we rode and he was excited about my trip. I told him about my friend Doug and the possibility he may not be home. Greg knew the Chicago area very well and offered to ride with me to Doug's place and said if he was not home that I could spend the night at his place near Fullerton. He said he and his wife had a spare bedroom and wouldn't mind.

 

Well, Doug wasn't home so we rode to his townhouse on the north-side. Met his wife Ellen and later went out to a local Italian restaurant. We had a great time talking about the bicycle trip and everything else. I was very lucky to have met such wonderful people. I slept in a guest bedroom, which had a wonderful bed and was out like a light.