Omaha to NYC Day 11
Animated map: https://www.relive.com/view/vPOp7YXP9Ev
It was, in my mind, supposed to be a 53 mile day. It was going to be in the mid 90s with high humidity, but I'd get to camp early and rest and relax. Plus, much of the day was going to be on a flat bike trail. It turned out to be one of the most grueling days of the trip so far.
I decided to eat at the restaurant at the park. I couldn't finish the enormous spread. It was my fault. I was warned the pancakes were huge. Eating at the restaurant also gave me time to dry my tent. I was moving at 8:30. The old 2022 me would have left at first light.
I quickly made the trail on a busy-ish road with great shoulders. Then it was time for the Hennepin Canal Trail. A canal trail just seems cool even though the canal was never a commercial success. It opened in 1907, way after other canals. By 1948 there was no commercial traffic. Someone I chatted with at Bishop Hill told me that the military used the Illinois canals, including the Hennepin in WWII to transport submarines from Kenosha, WI to the Gulf of Mexico.
The trail started with older pavement but quickly became two track or sand. It was beautiful, but the going was slower than I anticipated, especially the sand. I enjoyed the frequent shady stretches because it was getting HOT.
Soon I came across my first lock. It was cool seeing a lock in a different part of the country. This one had both sets of doors. All the others had their doors removed turning the lock into a waterfall.
The trail was very remote. It didn't pass through any towns. I didn't have a proper lunch and my water started to run low. Hardly anyone was on the trail. I saw one pair of cyclists, a couple with grandkids, and two maintenance people in three hours. One section was closed causing a detour. At noon, draining my last water, I headed into the town of Tiskilwa for Gatorade, lunch and AC. I got the Gatorade and AC in the gas station, but I was out of luck on lunch. I made a meal of bars and enjoyed a full of electrolytes.
By 1:30, the Hennepin had ended. I was back on the road until I picked up the I&M canal trail in La Salle. The road didn't have a shoulder, but wasn’t too busy. I really wanted to stop to get out of the heat, but there was nothing. I tried the library in DePue (insert joke) but the sign in the door read “Back in 30 minutes” so I soldiered on.
Salvation came in the form of Valley Babes in Spring Valley. I was able to cool off and get an iced Americano. You could wring the sweat out of my jersey at this point. When I saw an inexpensive, but very nice looking bed and breakfast right on the I&M Canal I sheepishly booked a room.
Leaving Spring Valley a firefighter noted my bike and started a conversation. He'd once ridden all the way to Chicago in one go, 138 miles! He warned me the road out of Spring Valley was awful and it was, I busy 4 lane with no shoulder. There was no alternative. My app showed a way to bail off onto a side road, but it was closed. Closures of businesses and roads was a theme today. Instead, I had to go back to the busy road.
I made Peru where I could get off the busy road. Peru has a working riverfront only the Illinois. I was too hot to stop to take pictures except for a tug, but it was cool seeing all the waterfront businesses. Peru merges into LaSalle where I got on the I&M Canal. It's older and smaller than the Hennepin and even further out of use than the Hennepin, but the trail (what I've seen) is better maintained. I saw my first cyclist on a fancy gravel bike in many a mile. Was he out from Chicago?
At 5:05 I was at North Utica and Lander’s House. At 5:15 I was in the shower. The turn seems to be going all in on becoming a tourist destination. The popular Starved Rock State Park is nearby, but I didn't see anyone in the outdoor seating on their main street plaza. Let's hope it's just the heat. I talked with one business owner who'd been to Leavenworth which seems to fit the becoming a tourist town theme. Such to contemplate as I call it a night.
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