Thai food, college town, and some of the best roads yet

I woke up to tent stakes being broken down, and realized Old Timer was almost finished packing his tent and gear. Meanwhile, my tent space looked like a child’s 5th birthday party just happened. I quickly reached over my head and released the valve of my sleeping pad while packing up my sleeping bag. I wanted to see if I could pack everything up in 10 minutes. 5 minutes in I almost pissed my pants, so I had to hold off the time trials for another day. The morning was cool, a light windbreaker would do the trick. I was light on food, so three peanut butter granola bars were consumed for breakfast. I’m a volumous eater, so I knew within 36 minutes I’d be hungry, so I was ready to get on the road being that the next breakfast joint was 30 miles away. We tested our luck back at the convenience store with the tick chair, and nothing seemed appealing. When you can see the bottom of the coffee pot, you know I ain’t buying the coffee. Worth mentioning, there was an aisle in this store that sold used toys, DVDs, and many miscellaneous items. One of them was a $3.00 baseball cup, and for those who don’t know what that is, it’s a junk protector. We were happy to be moving along, not from our campground, but from tick chair and this special convenience store.

The first 10 miles were absolutely gorgeous. Steady hills here and there, but generally flat. The cool weather helps make the riding more pleasurable because you don’t sweat much. The miles seemed easy, and slow rolling was done out of choice to enjoy the moment. We stopped a few times for pictures, and agreed that Illinois has treated us well today. The white elephant in the room was our lack of a real breakfast, so we knew we should get going to town. At this point I pushed ahead. I was feeling strong and craving something filling, peanut butter wasn’t doing it anymore. I arrived in town, stopped in what looked like a regular old convenience store, and found a true turned gem. Towards the back was a full kitchen with so many options. At 10AM, I went with two egg and cheese biscuit sandwiches at $1.99 a piece, and a chocolate milkshake for $1.75. Ain’t no WAY I’m passing up that deal. I filled up my coffee mug and mosied up to the register. “Have this, hunny”. The employee handed me a small pizza slice from the warmer for free. I’m sure it’s fate was the trash can had she not thought of me, but that’s why they call me the garbage disposal. By the time I sat down, the pizza was gone, and I devoured the rest in minutes. Old timer and Jim went ahead after lunch, and I stood around to journal and finish my warm coffee.

I soon took off, and with the open road, blue skies, and a milkshake in my system, I was off covering miles like a Harley on Route 66. I phoned a few people when I found myself in some quiet roads with little traffic noise. Eventually, the route leads you into a state park, and this was one of my favorite sections of the trail to date. Dense foliage on either side with plenty of road space and shade, with absolutely no cars. Being alone here felt wonderful, and I took in the vast beauty of this section. The exit to the forest part only led to something more pristine, a massive lake. At this point, the dudes were taking in the moment at a turnoff, so I pulled in and snapped pictures. The last 10 or so miles we rode together into Carbondale with our first stop being the bike shop for Old Timer. He was searching for some new pedals and other gear. Jim decided to have his bars re-wrapped, so in the meantime we chilled at a local cafe for some rich, flavorful coffee. I love college towns for the variety in food and drink they offer, so while we were here we made sure to take advantage of our options.

We then rolled to our warmshowers host’s home. When we arrived, we met Jack, a longtime host of cyclists with a memorabilia book to recount the times he shared his home with others. We conversed a lot about our experiences and origins, but our stomachs were doing most of the talking. Thai food was our decision, and I’m unsure if I’m comparing apples and oranges here by comparing this meal with our usual dollar general dinners, but this was the best damn Thai food I’ve ever had. Perfectly spicy, but no runny nose. The curry’s sauce was so rich and creamy, I made sure every last ounce was drank. The dudes and I bugged out over how perfect this meal was, and well sure miss this excellence.

After a tour of Southern Illinois’s campus, we stopped at an actual grocery store. I loaded up big time, leaving there happy to finally have peanut butter that was just peanuts. We drove back to Jack’s house, and while driving I found being in a car so strange. I almost found myself holding on as we approached stop signs quickly. We each had our own room, which was quite a treat because it allowed each to hit the sack when we chose too. I laid awake working on some journaling and reading other cyclist’s blogs. This is my favorite way to call it a day. We’re grateful to have had such cozy accommodations from Jack, and we can’t thank him enough for the good conversation and hospitality.

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