Logistics:
We woke up this morning at
5AM ( after a 8:30pm bedtime) to thunderstorms! They continued until
about 9 am. The region really needs the rain and we welcomed the
extra sleep and slow start to our penultimate day of Falls to Fields.
In considering our alternatives Theresa had recalled seeing a 60+
long bike path that was intriguing. The Hennepin Canal Park
stretched the majority of central Illinois, how could this be left
out of the route across the state? She googled for any info she
could find and it was slim pickins. She did find the visitors center
for the park. The park stretched horizontally the entire width of
Illinois. Having no Idea what to expect on this trail, Kevin
suggested that we go to the visitor center and scope it out. We can
ride a bit from there and then perhaps stage a care for the next day.
OK we have a plan. The rain was gone and the clouds kept it cool
for a while, although temps into 90's were still predicted. The
visitor center was only 40 miles away so we charted a course to those
coordinates.
The route:
We docked the RV and the Jeep
separately in the parking lot of the visitor center only to find out
that the center was closed for the day. Who knows why? There were a
few folks in the area that seemed to frequent the park so we asked
them for the skinny on the trail. They assured us it was “cinder”
trail with a few hills going east (where we were heading) and paved
to the West. We thought OK this is like the American Tobacco trail
near Cary, NC. We can do that. We hooked up the dog trailer to
Kevin's bike and we were off to investigate. After the recent rains
the trail was very mushy and with the sun coming out over the area
steamy much like being in a giant Terrarium. We road about 2 miles,
Theresa stopped to check her tires to see if the breaks were rubbing
but no. Surely something was pulling her back because she could not
keep up with Kevin with the trailer at who was powering up ahead at a
blazing 10 mph.
This was flat right? A canal? Oh there
are locks that means there will be uphills and later a downhill? Yes
at 4 miles we reached the first historical locks that descended a
whole 10 feet. The locks were pretty cool and provided a photo
opportunity. We continued along in hopes to make at least 10 miles
out before we headed back. We quickly abandond the idea of staging a
car for tomorrow's ride as there was no F@#$ing way we would make 40
miles on this path! We passed several locks that provided a bit of
variation in the scenery and a few tunnels under some roads. We
pulled over near the 10 mile mark and took a bit of a break before we
headed back. The trail back gave a different view of each of the
locks that were more scenic thanthe way out. (see the pics) It was
getting much hotter as the moisture from the crushed rock was turning
to steam under the heat of midday. Moisture was dripping off us like
the moisture dripping off the sides a terrarium. There was only a
hint of a breeze from the South. We finally made it back to he RV
around 2pm CT after 2 hours of biking and did 20ish miles on the
trail. This was as tough as any 40-50 mile day on the road!
Stats:
Day 15 of riding, 20 miles, 9.4mph avg,
total trip miles 739 and 950 calories burned for the days ride.
Kevin's Garmin:
After the ride:
We arranged to meet Theresa's sister at
the the Moline Campsite. We punched its address into the Garmin and
a warning flashed up.. 12.2 ft underpass was part of the route.
Since our RV was 13 ft clearance this was not going to fly! Theresa
called the Campsite and asked if there was a way to avoid this
obstruction. Indeed there was and she made note of the detour and
validated it with google, so she now knew the general plan. Theresa
drove the jeep as to guide the Smitanic into safe shores. The
Smitanic GPS consistently sounded the low bridge warning no matter
how close we got to the campsite. The detour instructions were right
on and we pulled in just before the 12'2” bridge. When we signed
in the manager said there was a RV two days earlier that went under
it and took off 2 of their ACS and their satellite. Ouch that had
to hurt! She guided the Smitanic into port to dock. We thought
this was a full hook up but soon discovered there was no Sewer. Not
good but we will have to make it work. On the up side we were right
next to the Rock River and saw Folks tubing and enjoying the wet of
the river! Theresa's sister Mary Jean had already pulled into the
site with her T@b which got all sorts of
attention because of it's compact sleek look! We enjoyed a good
grilled meal and chatted up with the other campers. During the
middle of one of the converstaions our son Kiehl called , and ended
up to join in on the conversation as if he was one of the members
gathered around the campfire. The T@b and
Zin competed for the most popular park visitor as several campers
passed by asking to pet the dog or see inside the T@b.
Tomorrow's plans:
The debate is on as to ride a bit of
the canal trail or do tubing on the river or maybe both! What every
we do this will be a great ending to the Falles2Fields adventure and
a great start to RAGBRAI. Theresa will pack for her trip to Dallas
and Kevin plans on checking out the area after he takes the RV into
the glass place to get the front windshield replaced. One more day
of the adventure and then Theresa heads of to Dallas for a business
trip. At the end of the week we are joined by one of our bicycling
friends from Cary and then head to the Western edge of Iowa to start
RAGBRAI 40.
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