In Defense Of Simplicity

April 29, 2015

Red Bud, Illinois

Oh cup of coffee / Comfort on a 44-degree morn / Steam rises off the lake / I am not forlorn.

For the billions of people out there who have never read one of my previous journals, I'm going to repeat and expand on a little quirk of mine. Here it is: I do not carry a bike computer, a Kindle, a Go Pro, a GPS device, an MP3, etc. I don't hate technology, I embrace it. I think it's a wonderful part of today's world. I just choose to keep it to a minimum while riding my bike. In my opinion bike touring is a return to simplicity. Yes, I understand that plenty of technology went into the design and manufacture of my bicycle and tent and camp stove, and I DO carry a smart phone, but it seems more quaint and more in the spirit of our bicycling forefathers to follow paper maps, to read a book or newspaper with pages you can turn, to hum or sing while pedaling, and to write a journal in a little notebook with a pen. I guess it would be even more rustic if I used an ink pot and fountain pen, but even I know that would be carrying this lo-tech thing a little too far.

Despite everything I just wrote in the previous paragraph about the quaintness of riding without electronics, I must admit that I sure wish I had a device to tell me how fast I was flying down that crazy hill out of the campground this morning.

Another contradiction in my semi-Luddite ethic is that I transcribe my handwritten journal to this on-line blog using the computers at public libraries. Libraries are also great places to take a break, enjoy a little air-conditioning, thumb through a book in the local history section, and meet some interesting people--especially librarians. And it's all free. Libraries, in my judgement, are one of the best expenditures of our public tax dollars and a great asset for cycle tourists.

Those were my thoughts as I sat in the Chester, Illinois public library for a couple hours this afternoon.

Apparently Popeye--the spinach eating cartoon character--originated here in Chester.

Today I discovered for myself that everything that has been written about the worthless shoulders, the extremely heavy truck traffic, and the big hills around the city of Chester is completely true.

I left the library (Chester's one redeeming quality) and rode another 25 miles in the hot sun to Red Bud where I decided to spend the night.

Today's ride: 54 miles (87 km)
Total: 882 miles (1,419 km)

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