Northern Tier Day #21 Cornell, IL to Kewanne, IL
Northern Tier Day #21
June 9, 2019
Cornell, IL to Kewanne, IL 88 Miles
Ride Time 7:17
Tour Total 1699 Miles
It was confusing finding my way out of the campground and back to the route this morning. I’m amazed that I was able to do it last night in the pitch dark after a number of beers. Google Maps is amazing.
I think what stood out most about Skunk Holler Fest last night was the context. It was an elaborate set up with two different stages, a beer tent, a food table, wristbands, an event photographer, and even a Facebook page. But just across the street was a complex of ginormous grain elevators, the volume of which could have buried us alive in seconds. I enjoyed watching two older ladies (they were probably younger than me) do the side step to the rock and roll covers. Their clothes were faded and it looked like they were wearing cowboy boots under their jeans. Middle America is not affluent. The wristband people had recognized me from when I entered town a few hours earlier. As I was leaving in the dark, the event photographer asked to take my photo.
The morning wind was from the west when my ride began. Pedaling north was tough. After a ridiculous stair-step around Manville, I finally got a nice stretch on a westbound county road. The corn was 20 inches high in the field to my right and 12 inches to my left. It was explained to me yesterday that, because of the late planting this year, farmers are using a faster maturing seed. The downside was that there would be a lower yield.
I regularly pass underneath so many high-voltage power-lines that endlessly stretch to the horizon. They really marvel me. I wonder which way the energy is flowing and from where to where.
Outside of Ancona I had my first real dog chase. I was headed west with a tail wind, and was going 15 miles an hour. Dogs always start barking when they notice me, so I had advanced warning. Plus, he had to run from his house and across his yard to get to the road. By the time he reached me, my pepper spray was in my hand. He was fast though, and was quickly right up underneath me. I squirted him right in the eyes and he flinched, but he didn’t give up. He kept up with me for at least another 100 feet, and I gave him three more blasts. I could hear his owner calling him. I was able to finally out-run him. There were railroad tracks up ahead which I needed to slow down for. Thank goodness I had lost him by then. My heart was pounding. He was fast.
I passed a field of soy beans, that were about 10 inches off the ground and planted in perfectly combed rows. I stopped to apply sunscreen and put on my sunglasses. The grass alongside the road here in Illinois seems less manicured than what I noticed in Ohio and Indiana, not that I’m complaining or mind. I prefer it not so perfectly trimmed.
Coming into Wenona, I could see a freight train far off on the horizon, about a mile to the south. I watched it for several minutes. It must have been a mile long, and was mostly containers and some tanker cars. I wonder where it was coming from and where it was going.
I had ridden 25 miles and was looking forward to my first stop. In Wenona, I had to travel about a mile off route to get to the Casey’s General Store. I met a guy in the parking lot who said I was the first cross-country cyclist he’d seen this year. He told me that the town let cyclists stay in the park, and had organized goody bags with energy bars and coupons as a giveaway this year. I had an egg sandwich (which took forever to prepare), a Starbucks Frappuccino, and an orange juice.
After breakfast the wind shifted and was coming from the north. So now when I was going west I had a crosswind, which wasn’t particularly bad. Whenever I stair-stepped north I had a headwind. I’ve noticed that a lot of the fields have corner posts, made out of either concrete or stone.
Today marks three weeks on the road. I’m definitely deep into it. I can barely remember where I was a week ago, let alone three weeks ago. This journal enables me to retrace the journey. Speaking of the day to day grind, I’m amazed at how I’m able to figure out where to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, night after night, in unfamiliar places.
After Varna it clouded up and became overcast. It was definitely better than the beating sun. I had a pretty strong crosswind and could only pedal 15 miles an hour. Everybody waves in Illinois. People on the side of the road mowing their lawn, motorists, and folks on tractors. It’s not a two finger salute either. It’s a full wave of the hand.
As I approached the Illinois River valley I saw for the first time in a long time, a warning sign with a truck going down a ramp. I suppose this meant that I’d have an uphill on the other side of the valley. The Illinois River Valley was swollen from flooding. The various tributaries and islands were all submerged.
From the bridge I spotted a nice lunch spot, Landings at Henry Harbor. The marina was flooded. I talked to my mom for 30 minutes. Afterwards my son Caleb, his mom Luisa, and his girlfriend Kahvi showed up. They were on their way back from Iowa City to Brooklyn. Caleb and Kahvi had performed at a gig at my friend Donna’s house. It sounds like it went really well. It was cool to see them, out more or less in the middle of nowhere.
Leaving Henry, the wind was out of the north so I had a crosswind pedaling west. I had to crank it hard to make 10 miles an hour. It had become cloudy and gray, which was fine. I passed a bunny running alongside the road.
By 3pm I was still 30 miles from my destination, with a headwind. I saw a wind farm to the south and another wind farm to the north. I took a right onto La Prairie Road also known as the Galena Trail. The Galena Trail had been a Coach Road from Peoria to Galena and was the first state road in northern Illinois.
The wind was out of the north and I was stair-stepping north and west. Every time I went north it was a brutal push. I found myself using my smallest front chain ring. I took a left onto County Road 200 North headed westbound. It was such a relief to be back in a high gear and making time. I stopped at Casey’s in Bradford for two Gatorade’s and some cashews.
It was getting late in the day and I was tired. It was a long day. I rode around Osceola. There were no services, so I didn’t stop. The roads were quiet and the sun was now in my face. Finally I saw the Kewanne water tower about 4 miles in the distance. When I finally reached town, Stan’s Ice Cream van was making the rounds down the residential streets.
I’m staying at the $56 a night Kewanne Motor Lodge. I showered, shaved, did laundry, and dried my camping equipment. I went to the Barn House Restaurant for dinner, and ordered fried catfish with salad and fries.
I learned tonight that fellow westbound Northern Tier cyclist Amanda is calling it quits. We had met on the Kancamangus pass in New Hampshire, and had stayed in touch. It doesn't seem like there are too many of us cyclists out here on the Northern Tier.
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