Another 6 hours riding 54 miles, with 20 mph headwind gusts. Good biking temperature, at 18 – 22 Celsius and overcast most of day. (My weather app loaded in metric.)
Beautiful country, with pathway near the river, through the woods and prairie, and winding hilly road in an area the glaciers missed, leaving many hills and at least three I walked, due to a grade of up to 15%, and length, and tired legs.
The challenge of making each day work is part of what makes the ride satisfying, and I do feel satisfied and alive.
Carrie is flying solo ahead of me now. She is a capable rider and part of the experience is doing it on your own. We had a good time together for 3 weeks and helped each other adjust and had some great conversations. I thought I’d have a solo trip, and then the entire first 4 weeks were a social experience with the Warm Showers hosts and Carrie.
Everything about this trip has been a surprise, and a unique adventure like none other before. The time was right to get up and bring it on.
Galena is a tourist town with the most complete restored downtown and old homes I have seen. It is unique. Feels like you got time warped to the early 1900s and before, and Main Street is about 10 whole blocks of living stores, instead of the usual run down and empty old relics.
I will spend 2 nights here to rest up and mosey around. For me the trip is both a bike ride, and an adventure in the natural areas and history I’m traveling through. It’s bringing alive much of what I had only read about or seen in the movies.
I think it’s unique on a bicycle because in your car you would be on the freeways, and even if you got on these quiet back roads you would just whoosh by and never make all the little stops and talk to folks along the way.
