John Aylward Photography

Today’s Highlights:
I had a very easy sixty mile ride today into Indianapolis, the state capitol. I rode with Ken, and we moved along quickly, not stopping at some of the optional attractions on the route. The entire route was flat. Most of it was on smooth country roads, and the last five miles was on a nice bike path along the White River which brought us right into the center of the city. Even the wind help us just a little. It was primarily a crosswind from the southwest as we headed southeast. We averaged 17 mph for most of the ride, until we had to slow down to navigate many turns through Indianapolis and ride the bike path at a reasonable speed. We reached the hotel at noon.

Most of the route was through farms country, very similar to the past couple days. We rode a few miles through the Eagle Creek State Park, which was a very pleasant ride winding through the forest. I saw a deer there. After exiting the park and navigating through Pike Township, we made a very brief stop at the Major Taylor Velodrome. It was not open yet, but I stopped to take a picture of the track. Some of our riders who arrived there later, when it was open, rode around the track. They said it was fun. I’d rather ride through a forest.

At the back of the Velodrome, we entered the White River Wapahani Trail. It was a nice winding bike path along the White River. When we were close to the city center, it became part of the White River State Park, with brick paths, benches, gardens, and a canal where people can use paddle boats. The Indiana State Museum is there too, and I hope to go back to it tomorrow on our rest day. Our hotel was only another mile away. Ken and I had a delicious lunch at the Tavern on South. And tonight we all had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory, which we all enjoyed. I am already appreciating Indianapolis and looking forward to seeing more of it on the rest day.

Day 37

Statistics: Zoom and pan the map to explore the route.

Time: 7/8/2013, 4:31:59

Duration: 04:33:39

Ascent/Descent: 1128 ft 1183 ft

Distance: 59.61 M

Today’s Highlights:
We finished our 250-mile crossing of Illinois in two and a half days, and entered Indiana about half way into our ride today. The timezone also changed at the state border, so we are now on EDT. Our last forty five miles in Illinois were on nice rural farm roads that were very flat and very straight. For most of that stretch there were high voltage power lines on one side of the road and power poles on the other, which interrupted the scenery. Overcast skies also limited photo opportunities. However, it was still a pretty ride through soybean and corn fields. The corn has been getting taller everyday since we started seeing it in Kansas. Today, I noticed corns husks on some stalks.

There were a few unique things that happened today. For the first time on this trip, I passed a large tree farm that had several kinds of trees. There was also a small farm with two llamas and miniature donkeys. I saw a large windmill farm in eastern Illinois, and I hadn’t seen one since central Kansas. Finally, Ken Harris blew by me a few times today, and I couldn’t catch him until he stopped. Remember, Ken turned 70 back on June 16. It’s great to see him riding so well. Steve has also been very fast through this Midwest stage, and I was able to catch a photo of him as he passed by once.

Emma caught up with me at the Indiana border. We stopped for a picture, then rode the rest of the way together. We entered Indiana on a newly paved road, but unfortunately it was very rough pavement (chip seal). I think it lasted about twenty miles, and was tough on the body. We passed through the towns of Covington and Veerdersberg, each showing their patriotism with flag-lined streets. There were also some very tiny towns like Hillsboro and Waynetown.

I finished the eighty miles today with a good average of 16.5 mph, but it still felt just a little long. Over the past six days, we have averaged ninety miles per day. I am looking forward to the rest day after one more ride tomorrow.

Day 36

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Time: 7/7/2013, 5:34:25

Duration: 05:43:53

Ascent/Descent: 1764 ft 1765 ft

Distance: 79.85 M

Today’s Highlights:
Our ride today took us another ninety six miles across Illinois, from Springfield to Champaign. Part of our route followed the Lincoln Trail, which highlights notable areas and events associated with Abraham Lincoln, the 16th USA president. We crossed the Sangamon River close to where his cabin was, and had our first rest stop at the Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park.

The terrain today was flat. We traveled on some main roads, although they were very quite on this Saturday morning, and also on some small country farm roads. The scenery was primarily farms, with the main crops being corn and soybeans, but also some occasional wheat. The most notable difference today was the thick cloud cover. We have not had rain this entire trip, and we are in our 35th day. Today it looked like it might rain, and I did actually feel a few drops just before reaching the hotel, but I won’t count that as being rained on. So we had some nice cloud cover and a break from the sun, with brief moments of blue sky showing. Photo opportunities were minimal today. It was just a pleasant ride through quite farms.

Day 35

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Time: 7/6/2013, 5:17:39

Duration: 06:53:02

Ascent/Descent: 1516 ft 1357 ft

Distance: 96.27 M

Today’s Highlights:
Today’s ride was 106 miles long, from Quincy to Springfield. That distance is a challenge regardless of the other elements involved. We had a mix of terrain, from long gradual hills during the first half, and long flat roads into a light headwind during the second half. The morning was warm and a little humid, and the afternoon was hot. Two highlights that stood out for me were crossing the large Illinois River about half way through the ride, and seeing the Illinois State Capital building in Springfield near the end of the ride. Most of the route was on major roads, so although we still cycled through farmlands, it did not have the landscape intimacy of the country roads we enjoyed during the previous few days. It was refreshing to get to the flat lands again and see the farms stretching to the horizon and the big sky fill with high cumulus clouds in the afternoon.

The last several miles took us through the center of the city, and directly in front of the capital, courthouse, post office and other government buildings. It also took us through a less attractive neighborhood with stop lights at every block for three miles. The last seven miles were slow going.

My pace today was average, finishing in about eight hours elapsed time. There were no major hurtles today. It was just a long, tiring ride.

Day 34

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Time: 7/5/2013, 4:48:37

Duration: 08:08:13

Ascent/Descent: 4706 ft 4892 ft

Distance: 106.08 M