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Kelly,
What! Not going through Eureka, Illinois!
Researching now, I see there are too many states with a Eureka, and you've done a good job selecting Eureka locations that plot out a reasonably straight line.
After returning from a trip which took me through Metamora, Indiana, my friend Kris, who lives in Metamora, Illinois, suggested I map out a "Metamora" trip. That would only be four towns (IL, IN, OH, MI), which makes a nice looking triangle, since three of the towns line up straight.
By-the-way, as so many others have said, "Welcome to CycleBlaze!" I'm looking forward to seeing the thumbnail images you select for each of your completed journals.
Jeff
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/33917623
Here is a Tour of Ten Eurekas -who knows if it will ever come to fruition, but the towns did lay out nicely . . .
Kelly
Ha! Noon report! I knew there was something missing. Well, it's a weird year and so much has necessarily gone by the wayside, so you're forgiven.
4 years agoKathleen,
Thank you! I'm looking forward to reading more of your entries showing the SF Bay Area. That's a whole different world to me.
Jeff
Kathleen,
Thanks! At least on these rides, there was no need for a noon mileage report, since I knew where I'd be each evening . . . eventually.
Jeff
Nice rides, great country. Thanks.
4 years agoSo great to read about your adventures again. One more disappointment about this year was missing a trip journal from you this summer. But glad you're writing up the day rides you took to make up for it.
4 years agoScott,
I don't think any amount of day riding would get me prepared for a trip all the way to the Pacific Northwest!
Getting out on these rides was to make up for not being able to tour this year. I did notice that having no concerns about where to stop for the night was a plus.
I've been checking out Cycle365. Looks like the perfect site for day rides!
Also, I've been enjoying your and Rachael's daily reports. Your pictures/videos are in a totally different league.
Jeff
Bill,
Thanks for your comments! I'd been to Mona's or Capponi's (I don't remember which) just a few times before years ago, remembering the visits as special occasions worth the drive.
Glad I brought back good memories for you. All my rides would have been flat, except for the Mackinaw getting in the way.
Thanks for the Cycle365 link. Definitely the place for day ride reporting. Those Challenges are creative!
Jeff
Bill,
Thanks for all the flower identifications and the links you provided, which is interesting reading. It's nice knowing what I saw.
Jeff
Thanks for posting these here, Jeff. It’s nice to get another look at this country - I lived for half a year in West Lafayette 40+ years ago, and was out on county roads every bikeable day that spring in preparation for a ride back to the Pacific Northwest.
I’m glad Bill mentioned Cycle365, which I was going to mention to you also. It’s another small but welcoming community.
Hi Jeff,
Great stuff! I lived in Bloomington-Normal for five years, and my wife was born and raised in McLean County, which she still thinks of as home. She says many years ago she used to drive all the way to Toluca to eat at Capponi's and Mona's. I've biked across the mighty Mackinaw many times and I've pedaled to some of your destinations (like Carlock and Minier), but from the east instead of west. Honestly, judging from your photos I think the route looks about the same from either direction. ;-)
Anyway, I enjoyed your rides, and they brought back many memories about living and biking on the prairie in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
By the way, not to steal you away from CycleBlaze, but check out http://cycle365.life/ if you're interested in day rides. Some of the folks here also post over there, and we have at least one other rider in central Illinois who is intimately familiar with corn and beans.
A species of Coreopsis. Possibly large flowered Coreopsis.
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/large_coreopsisx.htm
Looks like poison hemlock.
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/poison_hemlock.htm
Jeff,
4 years agoThe town theme is a fun diversion, isn't it? I started out looking at Eureka in MT, CA, and UT and expanded from there.
I am very slowly getting photos on the front of the journals. The photos I pick don't always look good on the page, too much gets cropped out . . . but, I'm happy you cared enough to notice!
Kelly