Day 24 ending near Cisco, IL

September 16, 2015

At home, my workday get-up time is 4:20am, and that is when I woke up this morning. Worked on report. The sun started hitting the tent at 7:47am. Though I was warm enough last night, I was looking forward to warming up a bit more.

As I sat in the sunshine, I spent half-an-hour on the phone with my wife catching up on home news. It's Pumpkin Festival time in Morton, so extra activities plans were part of the news.

Packed up the camping gear and checked the bike's tires. The tread is still good and they haven't lost any air since I last added some a few days ago.

I had a shorter day, mileage-wise, planned for today: just make it to Friends Creek Conservation Area Campground near Cisco.

Breakfast was on my mind first, though, as I left (at 10:08am) this morning. I had already decided that the Red Apple Family Restaurant in Sullivan would be the place to eat. With the still-here south tailwind, I mostly just coasted the few miles north to there, arriving at 10:29am. They were still serving breakfast, and what a selection the menu offered! I decided to go for steak and eggs, plus a pancake. It was all good. When I left at 11:30am, the place was getting busy with people ready to eat lunch.

Following GPS waypoints, I skirted around Sullivan, taking roads on the south and west sides of town. I was a fair ways north of town when I heard a faint whistle. That must be Sullivan's noon whistle, I thought. I checked my watch. It was noon. Oh! Time for recording the noon distance! 5.9 miles.

I was on non-busy, good-condition country roads, with the wind pushing me along. This is perfect! Lots of farmers out harvesting - I love watching that.

I turned a corner and ahead saw farm trucks on the road and a combine sitting nearby in the field. Three people were sitting on the shoulder beside one of the trucks, taking a break. I pulled up and asked if it would be OK to get a picture of the combine. Yes was the response. The fellow sitting in the middle, who I later learned is Carroll, started telling me about the combine (it's 32 years old) and the expected crop yields this year. Sitting on one side of Carroll was Nancy, and on the other side, Roy. What they were doing - besides finishing their lunch - was "opening" this cornfield. I didn't know this, but that's harvesting a few of the outer rows to help the inner rows dry. Carroll said moisture right now is around 20-to-21 percent. Opening up the field helps bring the moisture content down to 16-to-17 percent.

Carroll is one of those guys who's fascinating to listen to, and will keep talking as long as you're willing to keep listening. Carroll said Roy is sixty. Roy looks sixty, but he's actually in his eighties, and is a quiet fellow.

Nancy is pretty quiet also, though Carroll said she didn't hold back one evening after a late road trip. Nancy had escorted Carroll as he'd brought home a newly-purchased 35-year-old combine. It'd been a 77-mile trip at combine speed!

Carroll likes Country music, and had lots of stories about Country songs/singers and a relative who works with those in the Country music business. Carroll is also good at telling stories. He asked what my family thought about me on these bicycle trips. I told him my wife sees it as a vacation from me. Carroll said it's like that saying, "How can I miss you if you won't go away?" I said that must be from a Country song.

Though Carroll didn't seem to mind, I felt bad for delaying them from getting back to work. It was such a highlight for me to get to sit with farmers on break.

At 12:53pm, they did get back to work, and I got back to heading north. I crossed IL-32 at 2:00pm, and was at US-36 at 2:26pm. I was hoping to find a Dollar General store today to restock my lunch bag. I ended up in LaPlace (at 2:43pm), not paying attention, and thinking it was Cerro Gordo, which I knew has a Dollar General. The elevator in LaPlace was super-busy today, with farm trucks pulling in and out. The grain dryers were running, putting orange-red dust flakes in the air - all of it blowing north and swirling into piles by the post office.

Since I was now off my country road route, and was heading to Cerro Gordo straight north, I just stayed on IL-32. At 3:23pm, I arrived at the DG store there. Finally had my hands on another bag of ginger snaps! Asked for a double sack for my purchases, and hooked the bag on my flag pole. I hope that works until I get to the campground. I'd also purchased a single-serving cherry pie and a chocolate milk for eating/drinking here.

Left the store parking lot at 3:59pm, heading north through Cerro Gordo. The road north of town, though not a quiet country road, isn't bad. There wasn't much traffic and half of the traffic was farm trucks. I crossed the Sangamon River at 4:26pm, and arrived in Cisco at 4:45pm. Cisco has a railroad depot in fair shape, and there were two train engines up the tracks to the east.

A short ride west and north brought me to the Friends Creek Campground entrance at 5:31pm. I enjoyed my visit with the camp host, who accepted two dollars of my $12 camping fee in quarters. He said pick any non-electric site I want. I decided on #30, and started setting up at 5:54pm.

With this extra time, I finally took a shower in the nice, clean showerhouse here. This will probably be the last time I'll be cleaned up and in fresh clothes before I get home, so here's another self-photo for checking-out the beard.

Next I packed away my food purchases, which made it here in good shape. Then I ate supper in the near-dark. Since it was too dark for a supper picture, here's what I had: Beanee Weenees, toaster pastries, pudding cup, and ginger snaps.

Lots of stars to be seen again tonight. Being all cleaned up is making me sleepy. Finishing this report will have to wait. Good night.

Jeff

Spent: $16.61 plus $3.50 (breakfast) + $8.20 (food supplies) + $12 (campsite) = $40.31.

Day 24 - Sullivan, IL to Cisco, IL

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+ plus signs indicate pictures added after returning home from the trip +