June 4, 2021
Day 23 - Carbondale, IL to Chester, IL
Midwestern feel
Last night was pretty stuffy in our small hotel room. We had all four of us in there and it got pretty warm. I don't think anyone slept very well, but we did have a relaxing morning. We had to wait for Mark's new tires to be finished at the shop so we packed up and went to a cafe for breakfast.
We met Connor at the cafe and after breakfast we went into town. The bike shop didn't have Mark's bike ready untill 11 but it gave me time to tighten my rear rack. It was sliding backwards and almost off the support rod. Yesterday I got some new pedals since I was worried about mine. One of them had lost a washer that kept water out and it was only a matter of time until it failed. By noon we were on the road again and fortunately we only had to cover about 45 miles. 10 miles in, Connor broke a spoke and I told him to call the bike shop back in town and see if they had a wheel. They said they did and he rode back. We carried on and took the Mississippi levee route down by the I'll river. It was amazingly flat and we had a tailwind most of the ride.
We made it to chester around 4 and stopped at a bike themed brewery. We were all pretty hungry and dehydrated so a beer tasting hit us hard. We left the brewery and climbed the hills into town. First thing when we arrived we showered and ate the food we were supposed to eat for lunch. We never stopped for lunch because it was so hot and we never found any shade. The levee area was all flat farmland. Eventually, Conner made it in and said that the new wheel didn't fit because he had a through axle instead of quick release. They repaired the wheel and sent him back. I think his next opportunity for a new wheel is Farmington, MO. I am also going to look at biking shoes in Farmington because my Achilles is still messed up. It doesn't hurt as bad but it is swollen every day. At this point I better try something else.
We also met up with another cyclist, Wes, who is from Massachusetts. We set up our tents behind a restaurant that hosts cyclists. It's called the fraternal order of eagles. They have a tiny bunk room but we all felt like we could use the fresh air. Mary and I put our tent under an awning so we could leave off the rainfly and save some takedown time. We want to leave early to make it to town before the shops close, it should be another 45 mile day. Also, we heard that the bridge crossing the Mississippi gets really busy. Most people get an escort but since we have 8 people, I think we will be ok.
Mileage:47
Altitude gain:Mary's watch broke so...
Today's ride: 47 miles (76 km)
Total: 1,196 miles (1,925 km)
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