Day 36: Champaign Illinois to Crawfordville Indiana

Today’s Highlights:
We finished our 250-mile crossing of Illinois in two and a half days, and entered Indiana about half way into our ride today. The timezone also changed at the state border, so we are now on EDT. Our last forty five miles in Illinois were on nice rural farm roads that were very flat and very straight. For most of that stretch there were high voltage power lines on one side of the road and power poles on the other, which interrupted the scenery. Overcast skies also limited photo opportunities. However, it was still a pretty ride through soybean and corn fields. The corn has been getting taller everyday since we started seeing it in Kansas. Today, I noticed corns husks on some stalks.

There were a few unique things that happened today. For the first time on this trip, I passed a large tree farm that had several kinds of trees. There was also a small farm with two llamas and miniature donkeys. I saw a large windmill farm in eastern Illinois, and I hadn’t seen one since central Kansas. Finally, Ken Harris blew by me a few times today, and I couldn’t catch him until he stopped. Remember, Ken turned 70 back on June 16. It’s great to see him riding so well. Steve has also been very fast through this Midwest stage, and I was able to catch a photo of him as he passed by once.

Emma caught up with me at the Indiana border. We stopped for a picture, then rode the rest of the way together. We entered Indiana on a newly paved road, but unfortunately it was very rough pavement (chip seal). I think it lasted about twenty miles, and was tough on the body. We passed through the towns of Covington and Veerdersberg, each showing their patriotism with flag-lined streets. There were also some very tiny towns like Hillsboro and Waynetown.

I finished the eighty miles today with a good average of 16.5 mph, but it still felt just a little long. Over the past six days, we have averaged ninety miles per day. I am looking forward to the rest day after one more ride tomorrow.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Statistics:
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