Day 58 - 48 Miles to Carbondale, IL

Tuesday, July 22 - 48 miles between storms from Chester, IL to Carbondale (pop. 20,681). Total miles so far are 3,305. Awakened to thunder and heavy rain/wind. Got up and had breakfast - 3 bowls of raisin bran & shredded wheat, French toast, 2 glasses of orange juice, coffee, and a pastry. Then went back to bed w/o any guilt! Got up again an hour later when the rain stopped and hit the road at 8:45 with overcast sky and cooler temperature. First 8 miles were a continuation of residual challenging hills. The Missouri Ozarks had some of the toughest climbs yet. It was like someone had been ordered to make roads straight - regardless of terrain. I used my lowest gear (granny gear) and had to stand on most of my climbs to make headway. I simply couldn't muscle my way up otherwise. Normally I sit through virtually all my climbs, until recent days with the straight, steep, unrelenting up and down, in-your-face climbs that are now behind me. Enough about that. After the first 8 miles, Illinois has delivered gently rolling hills that only require pleasant sit-down climbs. No wildlife today. Lunch was peanut butter on a bagel, pepsi, and a snickers. Dinner was at Denny's, a shrimp skewer, fruit drink, and a chocolate milkshake.

Thanks again to Chris for your visit. For those following the blog, Chris offered (and I accepted) to swap bikes for parts of the two days we traveled together. I felt that Chris needed the experience, and the triathlon power training for his September IronMan race in Wisconsin. Also, with the swap, our combined average speed increased allowing Chris to get back home sooner on Sunday. It also reduced the MO misery index. The weather is expected to improve tomorrow, and I hope to make greater distance. --Tom