We love NPR

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Waltonville, IL to Effingham, IL
Total Miles: 95.0

Last night I got in touch with the bike shop in Mount Vernon (about 13 miles away) and the owner agreed to meet us at the shop early so we wouldn’t have to wait around till 10 when they opened. He also gave us ‘better’ directions than the ones we had, assuring us that these roads were fantastic; we’d miss the morning traffic and be there in a jiffy. 24 miles later we finally arrive at the shop. This may not sound like much extra, but keep in mind that this is about an hour detour for us and an 84.6% increase in the mileage we had anticipated. A slower start to the day than we had expected. Bernie, the owner of the shop made up for the shoddy directions with fantastic service and advice on the route to come. We even discovered these bike trail maps that the state of Illinois has created - they show whether or not roads have shoulders, how busy they are, all the important info for cyclists … we can only hope that the rest of the states we encounter will have these (anyone thinking about going on a bike trip - contact the state DOT and see if they create maps like this for the states you’re going through, they really are excellent - like an adventure cycling map for the entire state).

The rest of the day was saved by NPR. Without it, I don’t think we would have gone on. “I hate riding my bike, when are we going to be there …” sometimes we whine like little kids (headwinds seem to really bring this out in us). Thanks ‘All Things Considered’ for being on twice a day, and to all the other programs for entertaining us on our way. We pushed into Effingham just in time to grab a bite to eat and find a comfy spot in the park. The nice thing (depending on how you look at it) about being off the Trans America route is that people aren’t used to seeing cross-country cyclists, so people are once again impressed by your adventure. We will miss the cookie lady in Afton, VA, the bike hostels in the many churches along the way and all the other oddities and comforts we’ve heard about from cyclists heading west. We will, however, be able to create a little more of our own adventure. So far, so good (I write from Marshall, IL which is one of the cutest little towns with some of the nicest people ever) - about 900 miles to go!

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Comments

[josh]

most...envious...ever
When the head winds are tough, And the going gets rough, So your mood isn't anything zealous. Know that here from this space, I would soon take your place, Of your trip I am nothing but jealous.