East Moline to Palatine

 

Heading Home

This trip is the third in this group. I rode out to Davenport two weeks ago and rode RAGBRAI 2023 last week. For my trip home, I wanted to try something different. I have done the Grand Illinois Trail, both north and south, across Illinois. I had not yet tried the western edge, which includes the Great River Trail up toward Savanna. Also, my previous trips were planned using Ride with GPS. This time, I let Google Maps pick the route. Google's plan was 60 miles shorter than Ride with GPS, and I was tired of riding and just wanted to get home quickly and safely.

East Moline to Dixon

Day 1: 67 miles, 2,000 feet of elevation gain. I started from Fisherman's Corner National Recreation Area in Hampton, Illinois, just north of East Moline. They had good campsites which could be reserved in advance.

The ride north on the Great River Trail is a mixture of bike path and side roads. Some of it is right along the Mississippi. Other parts are more inland. The river parts are very pretty. The inland parts are more just another Illinois country road.

There's very little in the way of services in this section. I stopped at a convenience store near Rapids City and that was the last stop I saw. I think there were other services not too far away, but I've found when you let either Ride with GPS or Google plan your route, by default they take you away from traffic, which also means away from services. You need to actively plan your own stops and go off-route to get food, water, or a rest stop.

There are a lot of rollers in the western part of the state. This section isn't nearly so bad as up toward Galena, but there are still a lot of ups and downs. In terms of traffic, there was effectively none. The route is quite remote and this was on a Sunday, so I really didn't see many cars at all. I stopped for lunch at the Double G Saloon in Morrison. That was very good and had a friendly crowd. They apparently don't get too many bikers there and everyone wanted to talk about riding across Illinois.

The ride was uneventful, but I was hot and a bit tired. I stopped along the way and asked a homeowner who was out mowing the grass if I could borrow the hose for water. As I approached Dixon, I decided I was done for the day and even willing to get a hotel room for the night. I stopped and picked up Subway for dinner, checked in, turned up the air conditioner, and sat in the tub for awhile. A good night of rest and recovery was needed.

Dixon to Palatine

Day 2: 100 miles, 2,500 feet of elevation gain. Today I had more incentive. It was 90+ miles to home, but I knew if I got to trails I was familiar with, it would be easier. I also knew that, with sleep, 90 miles was doable.

This part of Illinois is more long, flat, and cornfields. But keeping with the infrastructure theme from the ride across the I&M Canal, the Hennepin Canal, and the many bridges across the Mississippi near Davenport, I thought this view of the cornfields with nuclear reactor cooling towers in the background was a good representation of central Illinois. It's rural, but there are constant reminders of the impact other parts of the state have on this area.

My wife was kind enough to meet me in Dekalb and take my panniers and camping bag. 30 pounds lighter felt like flying for the remaining 50+ miles and I made good time. Just east of Sycamore, Google had me go north and then east to South Elgin rather than taking the Great Western Trail to St. Charles. It saved four or five miles of distance, but coming into South Elgin from the west is more road traffic than I would normally prefer. Fortunately, it was almost all downhill and I was able to avoid the cars with only a few pullovers to get them to pass safely.

Once I got to South Elgin, I followed the Fox River Trail up and then east through the forest preserves, one of my regular routes. It was nice to be home and know every curve. As I approached home, I realized I was only three miles short of a century ride, so I took a slight detour and added a three mile loop around Harper College at the end.

Epilogue

Two days and 167 miles. That's all it took to cross Illinois by the most direct route. If you're going on to Chicago or the lakefront, add another 35 miles or so to that. This was much faster than the four days I needed for either the north or south parts of the Grand Illinois Trail. In terms of sightseeing, I think the Grand Illinois Trail routes are better, certainly the southern route with the canals. But if you just want to get there, straight across the state is good.

This was a significant trip for several reasons. First, it ended my two week, 950 mile adventure riding out to Iowa, taking a bus to Sioux City, putting my feet down in South Dakota, and then riding home. I actually rode home from South Dakota. Pretty cool.

Second, I did two century rides in less than a week, with a third ride in between that everyone on it said was harder than almost any century ride they had done before. It took effort, but I did it.

And third, today is/was my last official day of "work". I am retired as of midnight tonight. It seemed only fitting that I would end my career by "riding off into the sunset", and so I did.

RAGBRAI 2023

RAGBRAI is the Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. It is the oldest, largest, and longest multi-day bicycle touring event in the world. This year is the 50th anniversary ride, and the 5th longest and the 5th most challenging in terms of elevation gain. 28,000 riders are registered, and thousands more are expected to ride "bandit" (unregistered).

I normally try to blog every evening while the events of the day are fresh. However, on RAGBRAI there is effectively no Internet from the time you get to the overnight town until perhaps midnight, and often no service during the day as well. So this update is after the ride ended. It will be more highlights than some of the detail I include on other rides.

Davenport to Sioux City

Day 0: 17 miles, 300 feet of elevation gain. We got up early, waited in line 45 minutes for a bus to take us up the hill, then waited another 45 minutes for the bus to Sioux City. Our bus driver was a former rock and roll band driver from the 80s. He had amazing stories of the different groups he had transported. He then did investment banking. Driving now is his retirement fun. He clearly doesn't need the money, he just likes the open road more than sitting at home.

Once in Sioux City, I got set up and then went up river to South Dakota. It was only a couple of miles and I wanted to start my adventure there and be able to say, "I rode home from South Dakota!"

After South Dakota, I went back about five miles in the opposite direction to the RAGBRAI expo. It was extremely disappointing. Lines 50 people long for food and hundreds long for merchandise. I went to Burger King instead, then went back to camp. The bike traffic along the trail was intense, sometimes tire to tire. The good news is that this experience convinced me to take an alternate route tomorrow morning and bypass the pending mayhem.

I showered and spent the evening talking with Tom and Dave from Montana and Michigan. They met on RAGBRAI last year. We turned in early but were woken up by people returning from entertainment talking and laughing. There wasn't much sleep, but I did find that the Internet works at 3 a.m.

Sioux City to Storm Lake

Day 1: 74 miles, 3,400 feet of elevation gain. I left before sunrise and followed an alternate route into town. There were maybe a few dozen riders who followed this path. We heard later about the traffic jam and accidents on the main route. Two people were carried off on stretchers only five miles into their 500-mile ride.

Because I was ahead of the crowd, I was able to make my way along pretty well. We heard later that the railroad crossing coming out of Sioux City became so dangerous that the police made everyone get off and walk their bikes, causing a half-mile backup.

Storm Lake was beautiful. We set up camp in a park and then went into town to the United Methodist Church for spaghetti dinner. Everyone was very welcoming and pasta hit the spot. We then returned to camp and I spent the evening talking with Tom and Dave again. Their tents were beside a concrete soccer court and the local boys and young men played a pickup game. All ages were welcome, and they went out of their way to encourage even the youngest players. Everyone got a chance to score and everyone who was a teen or older took a turn as goalie.

Unfortunately, camping space was at a premium, and when I went back to my tent, I found out someone else had set up almost on top of my tent, nearly touching one of the corners. So I packed up everything and Tom and Dave helped me move over to their area and I spent the night there beside the soccer court.

Storm Lake to Carroll

Day 2: 57 miles, 1,600 feet of elevation gain. We were up early again and on the road before sunrise.

I saw someone go down today. Apparently a bike crossed in front of him and hit his front tire. Down he went. It looked like he was okay, just a bit stunned sitting in the middle of the road.

There are several well-known regular vendors on RAGBRAI. Chris Cakes has pancakes at the first breakfast town and Mr. Pork Chop sets up somewhere either just before or just after the lunch town. I didn't try Chris Cakes, but I stopped for Mr. Pork Chop today.

On the one hand, it's a well-made grilled pork chop, juicy and tasty. On the other hand, there was so much salt on it I had to actually wash it off before I could eat it. Once washed, it was pretty good. But a bit more solid protein than one should probably have before biking another 30 miles. I'm glad I selected a short day for this experience. Half a pork chop would probably be a good choice in the future.

Carroll to Ames

Day 3: 103 miles, 2,000 feet of elevation gain. Because of the distance, everyone started early, again before sunrise.

I saw someone down again today. This time it was due to the heat. About a quarter of the way around the Karras Loop (100-mile path), someone went down due to heat exhaustion. I'll admit I was also very hot. But I have found that, if I find a homeowner out in their yard, I can usually get them to let me use their garden hose. On the loop, I stopped and used a hose until I was almost chilled. That was enough to get me on my way again and finish the loop.

In Ames we got to ride the whole way around the inside mezzanine level of the Iowa State football stadium. All of the teams' cheerleaders where there rooting us on. And, as an added bonus, I hit 100 miles for the day on my way back down and out of the stadium.

Just after that, in terms of near misses, I was passing another rider and someone came up from the other direction. I didn't have time to complete my pass, so I just tucked in right beside her, handlebars offset just a bit. The other rider passed within an inch or so coming the other way. In any other environment I would have been totally freaked out. But as other riders confirmed later, it's just another day on RAGBRAI. There are so many close calls, but with skilled riders who handle the situations as they come. We regularly ride just inches from disaster. As long as everyone holds their line, it works fine. If someone won't hold their line, you move away as quickly as possible.

Ames to Ankeny, Ankeny to Newton

Day 4: 74 miles, 2,100 feet of elevation gain. The scheduled RAGBRAI ride was Ames to Des Moines for 50 miles. I followed the main path for 34 miles to Ankeny, then turned off on my own and headed for Newton. I had no interest in dealing with 50,000 bikers in Des Moines. Instead, I had some of the most memorable experiences of the entire week.

Riding alone out of Ankeny after riding with thousands of people was such a pleasant shock. I really prefer solo riding. I can enjoy the scenery, focus on the local people and places, and just get a good feeling for the area without worrying about getting run over or knocked down.

I followed a bike trail out of Ankeny, went by the (very large) Facebook Data Center in Altoona, and stopped in Mitchellville for lunch. While I was there, I met a couple who lived in Newton and owned a bar somewhere east of there. They visited with other bar owners during the day and then ran their own bar in the evening.

After talking with them for awhile, they invited me to stay in their yard in Newton that evening. They even turned on the hose and put a cooler of beer on the porch for me. It was the best tent night of sleep I had the entire trip, and I am so thankful for their hospitality.

Newton to Toledo

Day 5: 54 miles, 2,600 feet of elevation gain. This was a tough ride for me, and I had it far easier than everyone else. The regular ride was 88 miles and 4,000 feet of elevation gain. By heading toward Newton a day early, I made my ride a third easier.

I went out of my way to support non-profits and local lemonade stands today. I managed to avoid traditional vendors the entire day, and felt I got much more value and my money was much better invested in the local community. I appreciate that RAGBRAI has to include the large vendors, but almost exclusively I found the local non-profits to be a better experience.

While having breakfast lunch (lunch at 9 a.m.), I met a fellow teacher from Iowa City. We spent quite a while talking before I headed off down the road again. This meeting was very important for tomorrow.

Toledo to Coralville

Day 6: 84 miles, 2,900 feet of elevation gain. This ended up being the worst ride of the week. We could tell from the haze at sunrise how hot it was going to be. We had 15+ MPH headwinds for most of the day with an eventual heat index of 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Pretty much everyone who had done century rides in the past said this ride was worse than a century ride. We got to the point where we were looking for hoses in back yards every five miles or so. Thankfully, there were homeowners willing to do this, or many of us (me included) wouldn't have been able to finish the ride.

One of the stops along the way was a lemonade stand. Mom was handing out lemonade and her five-year-old daughter, Hazel, was drawing pictures. Several of us commissioned Hazel to draw for us at $1 a picture. She drew a bicycle for me and signed it. The image is correct. She wrote her name backwards.

Along the way, I saw the teacher I met for breakfast lunch the day before. He was wearing an Iowa City shirt and I commented on how he was going to get to sleep in his own bed tonight. He immediately asked me if I wanted to sleep at his house rather than tent camping for the evening. We exchanged phone numbers, and I contacted him to confirm once I got to Coralville.

He came and picked me up (it was 2 miles and 700 feet of elevation to get to his house from the campground) and he and his wife made a wonderful dinner for us. We talked until 9 p.m. and I got to do laundry, charge my devices, and sleep in the guest room. Another amazing experience of Iowa hospitality.

And it was fortunate that I was able to do this. Thunderstorms came through around 9 p.m. Any tents that weren't staked down blew away, and some people had to sleep in the high school gym for the evening.

Coralville to Davenport

Day 7: 88 miles, 1,800 feet of elevation gain. I left before sunrise again. While I did get a ride the night before, it was two miles in the wrong direction. So I did bike the full Iowa experience and can honestly say I rode home from South Dakota.

Shortly after starting our ride, we went through Iowa City and the Iowa Hawkeyes football stadium. It was nice, but only about half the experience of Iowa State. In terms of rivalry, Iowa State did a much better job of welcoming RAGBRAI riders. But the effort was appreciated.

The official ride today ended in Davenport. I added an extra 14 miles to have a reserved campsite at Fisherman's Corner National Recreation Area on the Illinois side of the Mississippi, far away from the bikers and trains in downtown Davenport. And it was definitely worth the extra effort. I had a quiet campsite and was able to get ice cream at the nearby Illiniwek Forest Preserve. I also got a free Spotted Cow beer from a neighbor camper who had done RAGBRAI in the past. Again, Iowa hospitality, this time on the Illinois side of the river.

Epilogue

Eight days and 551 miles, including more than 3 miles of elevation gain. This was rough. It's really too much riding and too little sleep to be enjoyable. I'd prefer 60-65 mile days (at least with this much elevation gain) and quiet campgrounds or perhaps even stay in hotels. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that the other 20,000 people out there with me were enduring the same thing and we were all in it together. That and I really wanted to ride home from South Dakota.

Riding with this many other people is a very different experience. There are male pace lines going by on the left doing 25 MPH+. There are female pace lines going by one line over doing 21 MPH+. Even just regular riding in the middle is in the 17 MPH+ range for extended distances.

The people you meet on RAGBRAI are amazing. I had wonderful conversations with Tom and Dave every evening and treasured their welcoming me and making space for me every night. I had conversations for miles with people along the way as we were riding. There was a veterinarian listening to AC/DC who had just finished her residency as an internal medicine specialist and was about to start her first job. There was a telecom expert and we talked about infrastructure issues and how the last mile wasn't a problem anywhere we had been. It was the backbone that couldn't support the traffic. There were newlyweds who chose RAGBRAI for their honeymoon, etc.

There were also the crazies. Mostly in a good way. There was an apparent hippie well into his upper 60s or maybe older who pulled a trailer with a large stereo system playing oldies as loud as he could. There was a guy riding an old-time big-wheel bike with a single gear. He had to take his feet off the pedals to go downhill and stand up to go up hill. There was a guy who rode the whole trip backwards, sitting on the handlebar. He didn't have a seat on the bike so he couldn't change his mind. Wild stuff.

There were literally dozens of other people I met along the way, both riders and locals. I really enjoyed their time and their conversation. If I had to do it over again, I would spend more time talking with people, and make a better effort to support the non-profits and lemonade stands. But as of now, I don't think I will do it again unless RAGBRAI limits the number of people and shortens the distance, and I can find a way to get more sleep.

Palatine to Davenport

 

Heading to RAGBRAI

The last week of July is the RAGBRAI ride across Iowa. This year's ride starts in Sioux City and ends in Davenport. Having completed the northern portion of the Grand Illinois Trail last month, I decided I would start my RAGBRAI adventure by riding to the ending town. This will take me across the southern portion of the Grand Illinois Trail. I have a bus seat reserved to take me from Davenport to Sioux City at the end of the week. The plan is for two easier days on either end and a couple of long days in between.

Palatine to Naperville

Day 1: 40 miles, 1000 feet of elevation gain. I have a friend who lives in Naperville, so I'm very familiar with this route. It's almost all bike trails from my house to his. The route includes the Paul Douglas Forest Preserve, Poplar Creek Forest Preserve, the Fox River Trail, and the Batavia Spur of the Illinois Prairie Path. The Cook County and Kane County parts are paved. The DuPage County trails are mostly gravel.

The forest preserves are very nice and rarely crowded. Depending on the time of day, you can see a variety of wildlife, including deer and occasionally turkeys. There are sometimes deer along the Fox River Trail south of South Elgin. I saw a coyote once on the Batavia Spur.

The Fox River Trail is always nice. I met a couple once who drove out from Evanston (an hour's drive) to ride along the Fox River. They preferred it to riding along the lakeshore. You can ride the Fox River Trail north from Elgin to Algonquin and then pick up the Prairie Trail and go all the way to Wisconsin. Riding south, you can go down to Oswego. The only part I don't really care for is going through downtown Elgin by the riverboat casino. It's okay, it just has several street crossings and tends to be more populated with pedestrians.

The most interesting thing I saw on this trip was a horseshoe throwing competition in Batavia. They had four games going at the same time and official scorekeepers with clipboards to record the points. The trip was otherwise uneventful. It's a nice ride.

Naperville to Illini State Park

Day 2: 79 miles, 1,300 feet of elevation gain. The most surprising thing about this ride is the extreme variation in trail surfaces and views. Some parts are typical gravel trails. Some parts are paved. Some parts are two-track. Some are single track. Some are dirt. Some are sandy. Some are grass.

The views include everything from rivers to old canal channels, woods roads, prairies, corn fields, and swamps. It was much more diverse and pleasant than I was expecting.

I was able to find food and water every 15 to 20 miles along the way. The only things to watch out for are trail conditions. There are some washed out spots east of Joliet and a lot of deep muskrat holes around Channahon.

Illini State Park is larger than I expected. I selected a campsite at the far end, which meant 2 miles round-trip to the camp office and shower, and 4 miles round-trip to town. Water was about a quarter-mile away. The site was quiet, with just a few neighbors in this section of the park.

Illini State Park to Hennepin Canal

Day 3: 82 miles, 1,900 feet of elevation gain. Today was a race against the wind. Calm early but 15 mph headwinds with gusts to 25 mph by mid morning. So I got up early and made as much progress as I could before then. It helped, but not enough. It was still a long day into the wind.

The rest of the I&M Canal is not canal so much as it is woodland and a dry riverbed for long stretches. It's nice and the trees did help block the wind. The canal trail ends in La Salle. From there you cross the canal and head west on the road. There is a really interesting historical display at the end of the canal describing its history and the history of La Salle and Peru.

The road west is busy with several steep hills. Then I came to a detour with a bridge out. I looked at the map and tried to go around the detour but ended up having to climb back up a mile long hill and then reroute 25 miles on road. I picked up the Hennepin Canal trail just before the Welcome Center. The Welcome Center was closed but I found a water spigot outside and filled up. There is no potable water on the Hennepin Canal after that point.

The Hennepin Canal is a nicer surface than the I&M Canal. More paved or limestone, less gravel and dirt. But it also has some occasional sand to make up for the difference. There is camping at several spots along the Hennepin Canal. My recommendation is to view a Google map carefully. Some camping spots have a lot of space to spread out. Some are more confined. I stayed at Lock 23, west of the parking lot.

I stopped at Mick's Bar and Grill in Annawan for dinner first. It was just a couple of miles out of the way, and well worth the effort. Then I went six miles up the trail and set up camp. I was just about settled for the evening when a family of 10 moved in and set up virtually beside me. So I moved my tent down beside the lock instead.

I think you're technically not supposed to camp by the lock, but it was an amazing experience. The sound of the water rushing over the lock doors drowns out most everything else, including a family of 10. As I went to sleep, I looked up and saw lightning bugs floating over the tent, my own personal shooting stars. I realized I've never seen that before, because anywhere I would have been able to lie down and see lightning bugs would have included mosquitos.

The sound of the water rushing did not stop the owls from making a ruckus. At least I assume it was an owl in the middle of the night. I heard it on both sides of the canal, a really scary nighttime sound. I eventually yelled at it to make it go away. It seemed to work and I got back to sleep afterwards.

Hennepin Canal to Davenport

Day 4: 50 miles, 950 feet of elevation gain. From a Hennepin Canal perspective, this was more of the same, and with a sandy section. Once in East Moline it is mostly side roads over to the Great River Trail, and then 12 miles down to the bridge over to Davenport. I stopped at the Captains Table restaurant for food along the river and it was very good.

Camp was in Centennial Park next to a water park. After getting set up, I dropped off my bike. Unfortunately that was two miles up a long hill, and I forgot my bike tag, so I got to make the trip twice. We camped about 100 yards from the train tracks, and there were trains all night long, including one that parked beside us for about a half-hour. It was a very long night.

Epilogue

251 miles over four days. This ride completed the southern section of the Grand Illinois Trail. The thing I was impressed most by on this trip is the extensive infrastructure that was built to make Chicago a city of commerce and transport goods west and down the Mississippi River. The I&M Canal is not very well maintained anymore. The Hennepin Canal seems to receive better care for the most part. While this trip is perhaps passable on a road bike, a gravel bike is the better choice. If you have a gravel bike and the time, it's worth the effort to experience this part of Illinois' history close up.

Tour de Nebraska 2023

The Tour de Nebraska is a five-day SAG-supported ride. This year's ride is in southeast Nebraska with 350 riders and includes Columbus, Albion, and Norfolk as host towns.

Columbus Arrival

Day 0: Travel day. Camping check-in was any time after 3 p.m. I arrived around 3:15, found a space in the shade and got set up. Then I went over to the hotel to check into the ride. We got a t-shirt, bandanna, and a small pack of road goodies.

Dinner was a cheeseburger and a bowl of mixed fruit. They had a live band that seemed pretty good, but no beer, so few people stayed to listen.

After dinner I walked over to the river. Water levels are very low this year. They could use some rain, but there's currently nothing in the forecast before Saturday.

Temperatures are warm. It was 90 degrees this afternoon and is still near 80 in the evening, with a low in the upper 60s. We're somewhat near the train tracks. It apparently requires eight whistles to go through town. It might be a long night.

Columbus to Albion

Day 1: 51 miles, 900 feet of elevation gain. It was a long night. Between the six or more overnight trains and people driving through the park with loud music, there wasn't much sleep to be had. That made being up early easier. We were essentially all awake at 5 a.m. and packed up. We had breakfast at the hotel and hit the road right around sunrise. The weather forecast was for a chance of rain early and then a high around 90.

Most of the day's ride was very well marked with signs and arrows painted on the street. I don't remember getting lost at all and no GPS issues. My cell phone battery is only holding a partial charge, so I can't use the phone during the ride if I want to save it for emergencies.

The first half of the ride was what I typically think of for Nebraska, quite flat and mile after mile of corn fields. But in early summer with the corn knee high, even that is very pretty. The second half of the ride was much more rolling hills, streams, and a variety of agricultural land uses.

It looked for awhile like we were going to get rain, but the storm moved north faster than we did and it missed us. Speaking of missing things, there were SAG stops in two small towns along the way, but I never saw anything. So I just kept going.

We got to the lunch town about 45 minutes early. I say we. I picked up a riding partner. Travis and I have similar gravel bikes and a similar pace. He rode this ride before and knew where lunch was, or we would have missed that stop, too. It turns out we and another rider were the first three in town. They welcomed us in and we had a nice lunch. They were sponsoring a trip to the east coast for a small group of high schoolers, and most of those planning to go were there helping, somewhat unenthusiastically, to make lunches. We suggested some of them go out in the street to wave passing bikers in and they got more riders coming in after that.

The rest of the ride was rolling hills on a fairly busy highway. There was a good shoulder, and most drivers moved over when they could. The exciting part was when two hog transport trucks were coming in opposite directions. But we survived without any close calls.

Camp is on the county fairgrounds. I found a nice place next to the show barn to set up my tent. It should be much quieter this evening. It rained briefly as I was getting everything set up, but no issues otherwise. Once the rain cleared I went to get a shower. They had a RAGBRAI shower truck, eight stalls, pull the cord for a light stream of lukewarm water. It had stayed cloudy all day. Good for riding, but not as good for a brisk shower. So it was a brief shower.

Then we took a short trolley ride into town for a welcome reception at the local bar followed by food trucks and music. The beer was good, the food was okay, and the lines were slow. Then we headed back to camp and almost everyone turned in early.

Albion Loop

Day 2: 61 miles, 2,350 feet of elevation gain. It's nice not having to pack up this morning. There were some late arrivals to camp last night with cars driving in but otherwise a good night's sleep. I got dressed and headed into town for breakfast. After breakfast, I started trying to follow the GPS. Nothing was marked and there were riders going in all four directions. I followed the GPS track and it brought me back to camp. So I asked at the registration tent which way to go. With a firm grasp of the obvious he told me that I had crossed the trail and I had to get out on the right direction first before GPS directions would work. Then they looked at it and sent me out on the trail - in the exact wrong direction. As I started to head out of town I checked the map again and realized the error and then used Google to find a waypoint in the right direction. Past the camp one more time and I was on my way.

Lots of rolling hills today. Lots of them. The first leg of the journey is 14 miles down a fairly busy road with only a slight shoulder. Most drivers were safe but there was one idiot in a pickup who decided to pass a car while the car was passing riders. The pickup went off the left shoulder and kicked up dust and gravel everywhere. I passed another biker who said if she was their mom, they'd be grounded for life. Fortunately, all survived without injury.

After 14 miles we were able to turn onto quieter roads. It was a very pleasant ride with rolling hills and nice views. Several towns welcomed us along the way. In the lunch town I stopped twice. Once for a homemade breakfast burrito, or at least a Nebraska version of one, and also for a potato bar that I took to go for a second lunch later.

It stayed partly cloudy for most of the morning. It didn't get hot until the last 12 miles or so. Those were on another busy road with lots of hills. At one point I saw ten cars and trucks lined up behind four bikers trying to get up a hill. I just pulled off and waited for the traffic to pass. But at least everyone was patient and there were no more incidents.

I got back to camp relatively early. This time I went to the local community water park for a shower. That was nice. Warm water and good pressure. After checking email I headed into town for a beer. I ended up meeting new friends from the previous night and we had dinner and listened to music. The food options were better this evening. I got a double slice of apple pie from a high school group planning a trip to Spain.

We met a local family there and got to know them. Very nice family, the daughter is going to be a high school senior this year. A very typical and very pleasant small town experience all the way around. 

We headed back to camp and arrived just before a small thunderstorm went through. It blew the host tent over but everything else was good. After that, we turned in.

Albion to Norfolk

Day 3: 61 miles, 2,000 feet of elevation gain. I signed up for the gravel ride today. Weather was questionable last night but seemed okay this morning. So we headed north out of Albion and turned onto a dirt road. Then we turned down what would best be described as a farm path. Washed out, washboard ruts, etc. There were several miles of this, ending with a hike-a-bike around a 100 yard mud pit as a result of irrigation the day before.

Shortly after the mud pit, another rider had his chain slip and bend between the two front cogs. I got out my Leatherman pliers and he was able to fix it enough to at least ride up the remaining hills and limp into town.

We got into town and stopped at a cafe with good pie. They had at least 10 kinds of pie. I had cherry. While we were there a local metrologist who was on the ride said not to leave because of an incoming storm. So we waited out the storm for about an hour. It was nasty on the radar, but mostly dissipated by the time it got to us.

Anyway, the wait put us well behind the rest of the riders. The SAG stops were gone, packing up, and/or essentially out of food for the rest of the ride. The sun came out and it got hot (mid 80s). I passed a rider who was out of water. Fortunately, I was carrying an extra bottle and was able to share. After lunch there were still 20 miles to go. It was hot with wind in our faces most of the way.

We did get to ride the Cowboy Trail into Norfolk. It's a very well maintained gravel path, and continues on as a concrete bike path in Norfolk. At the last rest stop I realized I left my cooling towel behind somewhere. And then I left my extra water bottle behind at the rest stop. Tired, hungry, and probably a bit dehydrated. I'll have to do a better job keeping track of everything on future rides.

I went to Subway for dinner, got a Mike's Harder Lemonade at the local convenience mart and then sat with new friends until sunset. Then we turned in to try and get some sleep before storms were expected to roll in overnight.

Norfolk Option Day

Day 4: 31 miles, 400 feet of elevation gain.

The police woke us up at 3 a.m. to move us into the field house with severe thunderstorms on the way. We waited until after 6 for the storms to pass, had breakfast, and went back to our tents for more sleep. Fortunately, the tent was dry and I was able to get back to sleep for awhile.

There were planned options for a 42-mile ride and a 101-mile ride today. Unfortunately, I was exhausted and just not up to it. Instead, I decided to ride back to where I left my spare water bottle, and then continue down the Cowboy Trail. The water bottle was gone, but I rode the Cowboy Trail for 8 miles. The distance choice was simply to make it a total of 200 miles over four days. And to enjoy the farm views along the trail.

After returning to town, I stopped at Domino's Pizza and had a Pasta Primavera Bread Bowl. Heavy on the carbs was just what I needed, and I started to have more energy after that. One of the other options for the day was a kayak ride down the Elkhorn River. So I put my swimsuit on and boarded the van to the river.

The water level was quite low. The previous day it was very low. But with the heavy rain overnight, water levels were deceivingly higher. The problem was, once I was on the river, I couldn't see where the channel was. A good bit of the river ride included either dragging the kayak over sand bars, or doing knuckle drag / sitting push ups to move the kayak along the sand. Water temperatures were good, and there were no beasties hiding in the sand, so it was fine, just more work than a typical kayak river ride.

The river was very pretty and very quiet. And there were clear remnants of the awesome power of the river during the spring melt and in wetter seasons.

The end of the fourth day includes a dinner celebration with food trucks, music, and several awards and recognitions. There was also a marriage proposal. She said "Yes!" Then we returned to our tents and had beer and good conversation with new friends. We turned in well after dark and were probably a bit of a nuisance to those around us, but no one said anything.

Norfolk to Columbus

Day 5: 61 miles, 2,100 feet of elevation gain. Wind started to pick up as we went to sleep. We had 25mph winds with gusts well into the 30s overnight and the temperature dropped into the low 60s. I woke up and put on my merino wool and went back to sleep. It was the best night of sleep I've had in a week, despite the constant wind blowing and tent flapping.

I slept a bit later than planned and got on the road around 6:30. We had 25 mph sustained winds with gusts to 45 mph. Fortunately, that was tailwinds to start the day. It was amazing. At one point I ran out of gears and looked down to see I was hitting 26.5 mph. Not downhill. Just flat out riding the wind.

As much fun as that was, it wasn't to last. We then turned across the wind and the gusts became more concerning. For some reason, the wind catches my front wheel and pushes it to the side. So I had to hold on tight whenever the gusts came up. Just before lunch we turned into the wind. That lasted for two miles before lunch and more than six miles after lunch. It was so windy there were white caps on the lakes.

Fortunately, we then turned south again and were able to ride with the wind the rest of the way into Columbus. There was also a nice pie stop half way down. I had apple. Then we finished the ride back to Columbus, packed up, and got showers at the local water park.

Since we were in by noon, I thought I'd be able to make it back to Illinois by evening. It turned out I was much more exhausted than I realized. I made it about three hours down the road, stopping at multiple rest stops along the way. Then I got a hotel room in Iowa, picked up a turkey wrap and a beer, and slept for 10 hours.

Epilogue

265 miles over five days and 667 miles over the last 15 days. That's a lot of miles.

This was a really interesting contrast between the self-supported Illinois ride the week before, the Le Tour de Shore ride last weekend, and Tour de Nebraska this week. I found out I do a much better job of knowing my ride when I do the planning. When someone else plans the ride, I trust my GPS too much.

I prefer the Le Tour de Shore approach of including food at the SAG stops. The Tour de Nebraska was much more hit-or-miss. Some of the stops were wonderful. Interestingly, the stops that provided food for free and just asked for a goodwill donation were exceptionally good. The stops that had a fixed price for food were mostly overpriced and the quality was usually lacking. For example, I got to pay $10 for a plate of spaghetti and another $10 for a baked potato and a few toppings. But most of the other stops were better.

What was also surprising again on this ride was, even when riding with 350 other people, how most of the riding is alone. Few people ride at the same pace, and for any who do, if you set out at different times, you never see each other. So you do have times early in the ride where others pass you or you pass others. But after that, you're pretty much alone until lunch. Then again, a few miles after the lunch stop and you won't see many people until the next SAG stop.

So I had lots of time to think about family, friends, life, etc. One thing I realized was how much these rural rides remind me of my grandmother's community in southern Pennsylvania. Almost every town gave me that "I've been here before" feeling. It just happened to have been in a different state.

For the most part, the Tour de Nebraska is well-organized. The town of Albion was amazing, well-planned, and very welcoming. Columbus was noisy. Norfolk has good potential, but we were too far away to enjoy the town itself. I'll consider riding this tour again in the future, particularly if any of my new friends want to go again next year.

Dubuque to New Buffalo

The Adventure Begins

This is my first bikepacking trip. The plan is for a seven-day adventure from Dubuque, IA to New Buffalo, MI. The first five days are self-supported. The last two days I will be joining up with Le Tour de Shore, a 100-mile ride from downtown Chicago to New Buffalo, MI.

I first rode in Le Tour de Shore in 2021. One of my daughters lived in the Lake View neighborhood of Chicago near the Lakefront Trail. I rode to her house the day before, and then rode to Indiana Dunes and New Buffalo with the tour for a three day, three state ride.

In 2022, I decided to start in Genoa City, Wisconsin and make it a four day, four state ride. It was only a quarter-mile into Wisconsin, and we only go a few miles into Michigan, but it sounds (and feels) more impressive as four states over four days.

I don't consider either of the first two tours to be true bikepacking trips. I stayed in homes or hotels each night and only hauled what I needed for the days' rides and a change of clothes in a Topeak MTX TrunkBag.

This year, I decided to start in Dubuque and make it a seven-day, five state ride. Three nights will be in homes and three nights are self-supported camping. The route essentially follows the northern segments of the Grand Illinois Trail, except that I deferred to Ride with GPS to hopefully provide the safest route.

I now have four Ortlieb panniers, two Fork-Packs up front and two Sport-Roller Plus in the back. My sleep system (tent, quilt, pad, etc.) fits in a 31L Rack Pack that clips in on top of the rear panniers. These are collectively very small panniers. The approach was intentional to keep weight down and force me to not bring things I don't really need. We'll see if I chose wisely.

Dubuque to Galena Territory

Day 1: 33 miles, 2,600 feet of elevation gain. I averaged a little over 10 MPH, which seems good for the elevation included. Weather was challenging. It was very cool (mid to upper 50s, cloudy) and a strong northeast wind (20+). Most of the ride wasn't into the wind, but there were moments.

An observation: As a flatlander, I didn't know how to judge the hills in terms of effort. My guideline now is, assume each 1,000 feet of elevation is equivalent to an extra 5 miles of distance if it was flat terrain. Calorie-wise, it's a pretty fair assessment. Effort-wise, it may be underestimating, but it certainly helps, Meaning today felt more like 45-50 miles rather than 33.

Important notes: Layering works. You need a base layer, you need another layer, you need a windbreaker layer. Thank God for merino wool. It gets wet, but it doesn't get cold, and it wicks quickly. It's expensive, but worth it. The only thing that got cold today was my ears.

There weren't any special stops along the way today. It was short enough that I just rode from start to finish with stops for snacks I was carrying along the way.

Things to watch out for:

It's not obvious how to get onto Route 20 in Dubuque. Best suggestion is to look for the Burger King just south of the Route 20 bridge. That puts you on the right side of the road.

The hills are challenging. Practically speaking, I walked anything over 5% grade (three hills). Anything below that I was able to pedal up. I ultimately found a good rhythm for the hills. No sprints, no hurry, just ride like you're going to be at it all day and get it done.

My GPS lied to me. It sent me down a road that came to a No Trespassing sign. Three-mile detour to get back to where I needed to be and an extra 500+ feet of elevation to go with it. I need to always compare Google and RideWithGPS / Garmin to make sure they all agree on the best path to take.

The route was mostly very light traffic. The least friendly part was Stagecoach Trail. The "shoulder" is deep loose gravel, and there were several occasions where there were cars coming in both directions and I had to move onto the shoulder to feel safe.

Otherwise, several of the views are breathtaking, with many miles of farms and rolling hills. A nice ride!

Galena Territory to Seward Bluffs

Day 2: 71 miles, 3,600 feet of elevation gain. I averaged almost 12 MPH, which was really good considering the elevation gain. Weather was sunny with a high in the upper 60s and a strong wind over my left shoulder.

The climb out of Galena territory was brutal. I walked three hills that were over 6% grade and rode the rest.

My favorite part of the ride was the Jane Addams Trail south into Freeport. It's a nice dirt and gravel two track for most of the part I was on, and it's an old rail trail, so nice and flat.

My least favorite parts were the climb, the distance, and the lack of water or anything else before Freeport. I stopped at a BP gas station and got a cheeseburger in Freeport. That was about it. It was a surprisingly good cheeseburger, or I was just really hungry.

I camped in Seward Bluffs Forest Preserve. It was very quiet. maybe five to ten families in the whole campground. Not much in the way of amenities. An outhouse and some water spigots here and there. But it was good for a night and close to where I needed a stop.

The rain held off until I was able to finish making dinner. We had rain for the rest of the evening and some overnight.

Seward Bluffs to Genoa City

Day 3: 75 miles, 2,000 feet of elevation gain. It looked like it was going to rain when I got up, but it held off and cleared for a while. But it started coming down by 11:30 and rained for the rest of the day. The theme for the day was "Embrace the suck!" Wind from the northwest and totally soaked by the end of the ride.

They say there's no bad weather, only bad clothing. I'll disagree. There is bad weather, but good clothing makes it tolerable. While I was soaked, I wasn't cold at all. The biggest challenge was having to remove my visor to see the GPS.

There were really nice parts of the ride today. The Pecatonica Trail is a nice gravel path. The river trails in Rockford aren't contiguous, but are very pretty when they are there. The trail from Rockford to Rock Cut State Park is gorgeous. The Long Prairie Trail is nice. The Hebron Trail needs work along the train tracks, but the rest is okay.

The parts between the trails were fairly light traffic-wise, so from that perspective it's a good route. But I'm kind of done with long straight country roads for awhile. I'm glad tomorrow is all trails.

I want to highly recommend the Broken Spoke in Genoa City. Food was excellent, Spotted Cow on tap, good music and excellent service. Stop in if you are in the area.

The only things to watch out for are to fill up (food and water) in Rockford. There really wasn't anything after that until Hebron. And Rock Cut State Park's south road was under construction. Harlem Road was a good alternative.

Genoa City to Palatine

Day 4: 51 miles, 1,100 feet of elevation gain. Weather was cool to start, but warmed up enough for a long sleeve jersey and shorts by the time I departed. It was a slow start today. I didn't get on the road until almost 9 a.m. It was also a slow day in general. I had a real energy deficit going.

I pretty much ate all day long. Breakfast before I started. Snack 10 miles in. Multiple snacks (basically grazing) 20 miles in. Stopped for a big lunch 30 miles in. Got to the end and had dinner, twice. And I just finished with a late-night snack. If you're going to do long rides over multiple days, plan your food and count your calories. I wasn't really hungry until today, but I should have been eating more all along.

This is one of my favorite rides. The first 8 miles are gravel, but quite pretty. Last year I saw a coyote cross my path. This year it was a deer. Once you get to McHenry, the path is paved all the way to Elgin, and then on to Palatine. There are several rest stops along the way north of Crystal Lake. From Crystal Lake to Elgin, there are water stops as well. Then a quick 16 miles or so east to Palatine.

While I was riding today, I was struck by how much more we are capable of than what we typically expect of ourselves. As I rode past farm after farm, I was reminded of the Europeans who settled in Northern Illinois. They came by sailing ship, and then horseback and covered wagon. Some of them walked. They endured hardships, worked the land, and built their farms. They worked harder than many of us ever do, but most of us are still capable of that effort if we set our minds to it.

Riding 230 miles in four days makes you think about what you can accomplish if you want to.

Things to watch for:

Depending on the time of year and water level, the views of the Fox River can be very nice from Algonquin to Elgin. South End Park in West Dundee is one of my favorites. There's also a bridge under I 90 with a park to the west, and several nice parks on the east side along the river.

D.C. Cobbs in East Dundee has good food. I've stopped there several times and never been disappointed.

Things to watch out for:

There are serious hills just north of Crystal Lake. I walked all three of them today. Between my low energy level and the extra weight of the overnight packs, pedaling wasn't an option. I also walked up the hill from the river in Elgin. Sometimes, you have to focus on getting to the end rather than how you get to the end.

Make sure you go through the neighborhood in Hoffman Estates (just east of Elgin) rather than going down Shoe Factory Road. Shoe Factory is busy, there's no shoulder, and the drivers typically aren't bike-friendly.

There is no water on trail from Elgin to Palatine. But there is a hotel about half way, between the two forest preserves. I've stopped there for water when necessary. There is also the Assembly Bar and Cafe on Barrington Road, which is a convenient bike stop if you're hungry or thirsty.

Palatine to Winnetka

Day 5: 30 miles, 350 feet of elevation gain. This was an easy day / rest day. I left in late afternoon and arrived just after sunset. Weather was cool/cold with a strong northeast wind off the lake. I dressed for the temperature, but underestimated the wind chill and had to stop and add an extra layer before turning north.

There are several ways to head east from Palatine. The one I've found I like the best is to go over to Rolling Meadows High School and then down White Oak and Lincoln and then zig zag south and east until you get to Algonquin Rd. Then there are bike lanes that will take you to the Des Plaines River Trail.

If you head south on the Des Plaines River Trail and then take Sibley and Howard Street, you can follow bike lanes to the North Branch Trail and go north to Winnetka (and beyond) or south and east to Chicago and the lakefront. The North Branch Trail is amazing, and one of my two favorite trails in the Chicago area. The other would be in the Oak Brook area on the way to Brookfield Zoo.

Things to watch for:

Wildlife. I had never been on this trail in the evening. I saw at least two dozen deer, some within just a few feet of the bike trail.

Things to watch out for:

Traffic between the two forest preserves. This ride wasn't too bad, but in the past I almost got run over on Howard at Milwaukee and Harlem by someone turning left across the bike lane.

Winnetka to Indiana Dunes

Day 6: 81 miles. 950 feet of elevation gain. The longest day of the trip, but also the flattest. We stayed essentially along the lakefront for the entire journey. Weather was cool with a strong northeast wind. The lake was angry, with 8-10 foot waves crashing against the breakwater.

I got started around 6:15 and made it downtown by 8 a.m. The Green Bay Trail is good, but you have to pay attention to your GPS, as there are frequent side street detours to stay on trail. South of Golf Road, you pick up the North Shore Channel Trail. The trail seems like it would be good under normal circumstances, but most of it was under construction with several detours to the east or west part of the trail, depending on which side they chose to dig up.

I decided to take Lawrence Avenue all the way to the Lakefront Trail. I didn't know Lawrence was under construction, so the first mile was dealing with traffic and no bike lane. I had to pull off at least once, but it was manageable. When it's not under construction, this has been a good way to go.

The Lakefront Trail goes all the way to Indiana. Despite the waves and cold temperatures, there were actually people swimming in the lake this morning! This seemed like a, "Just because you can doesn't mean you should", but there they were.

I joined up with other Le Tour de Shore riders as I passed Millennium Park. Typically we end up in groups of 20 or so as different street crossings and lights bring us together. We had breakfast at Whiting Lakefront Park, with pancakes, sausage, and fruit.

Then we turned south and headed to Hammond before turning east on the Oak Savanna Trail. The Hammond part is a bit industrial, but otherwise fine. The Oak Savanna Trail is very pretty, and a typical midwest rail trail, fortunately with trees to block some of the wind. I had good clothing, but there were several riders underdressed for the cold temperatures and wind chill.

We had PB&J sandwiches for lunch in Griffith and stopped for a smoothie at Trailblazers Bike Barn in Hobart. The extra calories were enough to get me to the Village Tavern in Porter, where I think most of the tour riders stopped for a beer and snacks or a sandwich of some kind. Food was good and prices were cheap, at least by Chicago standards.

That left another almost five miles to the campground. I got in after 4 p.m. and set up the tent. We had wood-fired pizza, salad, and cookies for dinner, and then sat around a campfire. I turned in just as the last light of the day was fading. It was very quiet, but also extremely cool. Overnight temperatures were in the upper 40s. I changed or added layers three times overnight as the temperature dropped. 

Things to watch for:

The artwork / sculptures in the Skokie part of the North Shore Channel Trail are very interesting.

The lakefront views are stunning. I always stop and take pictures of the lake and the city as I'm coming in.

Definitely stop in at Trailblazers Bike Barn for a smoothie and stop at the Village Tavern in Porter for refreshments.

Things to watch out for:

The bike lanes and pedestrian lanes on the Lakefront Trail keep crossing. Sometimes they are separate, sometimes they are together. Somehow, I always end up on the wrong one somewhere along the way. Fortunately, this was early in the morning and I didn't get run over or yelled at this time. :-)

Some of the railroad crossings caused challenges for tour riders. People bunched up and stopped, and I saw at least one biker fall over because he couldn't get unclipped. I strongly recommend Magped magnetic clipless pedals. In a panic stop, your feet just automatically come off the pedals, no falling down.

Keep eating on long ride days. 4,000 calories is a lot of calories. Force yourself to eat more than than you think you need. You need it.

Indiana Dunes to New Buffalo

Day 7: 43 miles, 800 feet of elevation gain. Weather was still cool, but sunny today. We started out with French toast and fruit for breakfast and then hit the road.

Just east of Indiana Dunes State Park, I saw a sign for the Calumet Trail. I had read about them planning to pave the Calumet Trail and thought, why not? It's a gravel trail and I have a gravel bike. Let's go for it.

The first mile and a half were good. Course gravel, but manageable. I even got some trail magic. There were three turkey hens on the trail just ahead of me, with six small chicks. The hens went into the tall grass, and then after awhile three of the chicks did as well. The other three thought they would outrun me. After a little of this I decided to speed up so they wouldn't get too far away from momma. I learned that turkey chicks can fly! They took off and circled back toward the hens and I continued down the trail.

Shortly after the turkeys, I came to a few puddles in the trail. Not deep, but manageable. Now I'm probably two miles in, no way to go anywhere else, and the puddles get deep. At the deepest point, probably a foot deep, and puddle after puddle went on for quite awhile. I was impressed that the bike handled it extremely well. No slipping, no falling over or falling in, and no real problems other than wet feet and some sandy mud splashes here and there. My feet squished for another hour or so, but otherwise all was well.

We stopped for donuts and fruit / yogurt in Michigan City, then continued on to almost New Buffalo before turning east and heading to Three Oaks. The Three Oaks loop makes the tour just over 100 miles. Then we headed back to New Buffalo and had Redamak's burgers on the beach. A great way to end the ride!

Things to watch for:

Stunning views of the lake along the Indiana and Michigan shores.

Things to watch out for:

Don't take the Calumet Trail if there's been any rain in the last week. Don't take the Calumet Trail at all unless you have a real gravel or mountain bike and 42mm or wider tires.

The first day of Le Tour de Shore is mostly a trail day. The second day is mostly a road day. You'll feel more comfortable if you have a tail light for traffic. Also, don't try to stay on the side of the road and hope traffic passes you. You're actually safer in the lane than on the side. With a tail light, cars will see you. And you're in their way, so they have to navigate around you rather than passing you without trying to avoid you.

Epilogue

The seven-day adventure was 384 miles! I rode an extra 18 miles today to make it 402 miles in eight days. That's a record that will last six weeks, until RAGBRAI at the end of July.

The hills in the Galena area are still impressive. I should not have used up so much energy early in the trip trying to climb them so hard. When you are doing long distances, go for no pain. No pain is all gain. Otherwise, you end up with no power to climb hills later in the trip.

I really enjoyed the trail parts of the adventure. I saw deer and/or wild turkeys almost every day of the trip. I didn't enjoy the road parts as much. Even when the views are good, you can't relax and look at them without constantly checking your mirror.

I survived riding in the rain. I survived gravel riding through extended foot-deep water. I survived sleeping in a tent for three nights out of seven, with two of them cold and/or wet nights. I didn't eat enough. And I overestimated how far I can go when there's a lot of elevation gain.

I'm glad I did this trip. I learned a lot more of what I am capable of and what my limits are. I don't think I would do this trip again. Not that it wasn't good, because it was good. But it wasn't good enough to repeat, at least not the first half. I'll probably do Le Tour de Shore again. It's a nice ride, very pretty, and supports a good cause.

External Links

• Ride with GPS: Dubuque to New Buffalo
• Grand Illinois Trail
• North Branch Conservation Area
• Le Tour de Shore
• Indiana Dunes