Illinois - state number 7 on my trip - and I've definitely deviated from my planned route. The more I looked at the maps, the less I wanted to head north on my trip across Illinois only to turn south again. It looks like Muscatine, IA - the end of my current Northern Tier segment - is a good 45 miles further north than I am right now. I'm still riding on US 24, which goes straight across the state until it hits Peoria, then heads diagonally south. I'll rejoin the Adventure Cycling route in Quincy, IL, which is on the Great Rivers South route. The only negative to US 24 that I can see right now is that there are some 4-lane divided sections around Peoria, and I still have to figure out how to get through or around Peoria. Hopefully that won't be too bad.
The mornings haven't been too bad temperature-wise, but by the end of the day it's been in the upper 90s. It's less humid than it was last week, so even though it's hot it doesn't seem as bad as it was. I got a late start this morning (9AM) mainly because I had trouble sleeping last night so I had trouble getting up this morning. I just don't understand how I can ride 70+ miles and still not fall asleep at a reasonable hour! It doesn't seem to matter what time I leave though, because I seem to manage to spend the entire day on the road. I do prefer to leave by 8. I think I'm going to want to leave earlier than that soon, but I'm not sure that I'll be able to pull that off.
As I was leaving this morning, a man came up to me and asked if I was riding cross-country. He looked pretty shocked when I said yes, then pulled his daughter over to join our conversation. He saw me arrive last night and said he thought then that I was riding cross-country. He and his family are from somewhere near Dayton, Ohio, but he grew up in this area. He looked at the Illinois map with me and said that from what he knows of the area that US 24 is a good road. He didn't know much about hotels or campgrounds much past the eastern side of the state, but he confirmed that most of the towns are pretty small.
Leaving Kentland this morning, I knew of places to stay in Gilman, which was only 30 miles from my starting point. I also knew from the Adventure Cycling maps that there were places to stay in Pontiac, which was 10 miles north of my route and 8 miles south of the Northern Tier route. I knew that there were 2 interstates that intersected with US 24 west of Gilman, and I was hoping I could find a place to stay in one of those intersections. I figured if all else failed I could head up to Pontiac. I stopped in Gilman and asked at a truck stop, but that was too far away for good information. I also stopped at the Super 8 in Gilman to ask if they knew if there were motels or campgrounds in either Chenoa or El Paso since I've found that most motel managers and owners are very aware of other properties in the area. The dingbat at the desk told me there wasn't anything in either place. It turned out that there were Super 8 motels in both places! Not my favorite place to stay, but there isn't anything else - no campgrounds, no motels. Before I turned north to head to Pontiac, I stopped at a gas station convenience store in Forrest. I needed more Gatorade anyway - but the stop was worth it for more than that since the women that worked there thought there was a motel in Chenoa and verified it with the phone book. I've been having pretty good luck checking the yellow pages for places to stay.
I stopped to take a look at the map to figure out how far I was from Forrest just as I got to Chatsworth. A man pulled out of a side street, rolled down his window, and said "Hey lady - you have to be crazy to ride in this heat!" At that point I almost had to agree with him!
I headed toward the downtown area of Fairbury after seeing a sign to "shop historic downtown Fairbury". There wasn't much there, but sometimes these historic downtowns are fun, so I just had to see if there was anything to it. The only thing that hit my funny bone was a sign for the "city auto park". My initial reaction was "what's an auto park?". It really only took a minute for me to realize that it is a parking lot - but I can't believe I actually had to think about it. What is happening to my brain? Must be the sun!
There doesn't seem to be much in the town of Chenoa, population 1800. The motel is just off the interstate, and it is surrounded by the usual gas station convenience stores and fast food places. Luckily, there is also a great diner - the Chenoa Family Restaurant. Another great dinner for $6!
Is there any significance to a boot on a post in the middle of a field?
