Prelude
[A note: This journal was composed after I’d returned home from this, my first touring trip. It was first sent to family and friends by-way-of email (one day per day) in November 2009. Shortly after, it was posted on-line by friend Michael Legel at www.mjlegel.com/Pictures/2009/jeff/ (and is still there). Then in February 2010, I posted it to www.crazyguyonabike.com. The mention of crazyguyonabike in this journal reflects its previous posting there. Now the journal is on-line here, at www.cycleblaze.com.]
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After I finished this trip, my sister Laurie asked for an explanation on what brought me to riding my bike to her and her husband Bill's house in Springfield, Missouri. Thinking back, I'd have to say it was my wife's uncle Don who started the events that led me to this trip. He introduced me to 'geocaching' in the spring of 2002. In 2005, I started using my bike to get from one geocache to the next, since many of them were along bike trails. Soon I was doing more bicycling than geocaching.
In the winter of 2007-2008, I read many on-line bike-trip journals and imagined bicycling the 535 miles of the Grand Illinois Trail. I tried a trip to nearby Eureka (where my folks live) and back (35 miles round trip) in 2008, followed by a few more later that summer. Early in 2009, when I started talking again about actually doing the Grand Illinois Trail, my wife Tahdra suggested I ride down to Bill and Laurie's instead. That was shorter, and Tahdra and our son Isaac could drive down when I got there to give me a ride home.
I loved Tahdra’s idea! Laurie had commented (about me) to our folks after my first Eureka trip: “My goodness, I’ll bet his legs ache! I could send him some gas money...” It seemed that Laurie didn’t think I should be riding my bike between towns. “I’ll show her,” I thought. “Let’s see what she thinks of me riding to another state!”
So I started researching. One early question: where to cross the Mississippi River? Maybe Hannibal - certainly not at Louisiana (no shoulder on the bridge). Google Earth was a big help with information like that. Then I read about the Katy Trail - 225 miles across Missouri on an abandoned railroad bed. That meant no hills steeper than a train could climb! Even though that route would be somewhat out-of-my-way, it sounded better and better. Then I could also use the Frisco Highline Trail for the last part of the way. I purchased the book, The Complete Katy Trail Guidebook, and started planning a route to get to the start of the Katy. I also disassembled my bike for maintenance, which it had never had in its thirty years of sporadic use.
Loren, a friend at work helped me pick out these items to purchase: tires (Continental City Ride 26 x 1.75 Inch), tubes (Michelin C4Airstop), cleaner (Dumonde Tech Citrus Solvent), grease (Park Tool Polylube1000), and tire pump (Park Tool PMP-4). On March 12 they arrived - all but the tire pump - that was a birthday present received later from Bill and Laurie. I was keeping the trip a secret from them (to surprise Laurie), so asked for that rather than the Katy Trail book. Further bike disassembly revealed that I also needed a new bottom bracket bearing set. That arrived on April 16.
On Saturday, May 2, the bike was finally ready for a test trip, which I made on a very muddy Rock Island Trail.
I'd hoped to do 56 miles that day but ended up with only 44.5, and worn-out at that. Tahdra suggested that I'd better find out if I could do two days in a row. So I planned an overnight trip to Moraine View State Recreation Area, leaving on Monday, May 11, and returning on Tuesday, May 12. I made it! That was 115 miles over two days. Maybe I could plan on doing 55 miles per day.
There were only a few people who knew what I was up to (planning this Missouri trip). This was in part to keep word from reaching Laurie, and in part due to seeing what happens when you announce at work that you're going to do something, and then aren't able to. Those who did know were quite supportive: co-worker/bicyclist Loren, my father-in-law, church friend Jim, and good friends George and Kris. George used my trip as an excuse to purchase a BlackBerry, which he turned over to me an hour later for use on the trip! That was on the Saturday before I left.
On Sunday, we attended Isaac's graduation from Morton High School. During free moments, Jason, our other son, helped me learn BlackBerry basics.
My family was also bike-trip supportive - they gave up the time and money we would have spent on our family vacation. Though, with a smile, they put it this way: “We've been saved from another Teel Torture Trip!”
Sunday evening I was still trying to get my route finalized and loaded into my two GPS units (a Magellan MAP 330 and my newer DeLorme PN-20). I was also busy printing out county bicycle maps covering between here and there. I was hoping to take ferries across the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, but with the recent heavy rains, wasn't sure that they'd be open. Through email exchanges, here's what I knew on Sunday evening.
Subject: are you running?
Date: Saturday, 5-16-2009 5:30 PM
From: Jeff
To: Calhoun Ferry Co.
I'm hoping to bicycle through Calhoun County on Wednesday using the Brussels Free Ferry and your Golden Eagle Ferry. Do you expect to be running that day, or is high water from recent rains a problem or anticipated concern?
Thanks,
Jeff
Morton, IL
Subject: Re: are you running?
Date: Sunday, 5-17-09 8:06 PM
From: Calhoun Ferry Co.
We hope to be running on Wed. but I can't say that for a fact. If we close I will send a new e-mail to you.
Hope you have a great bicycle ride!
Subject: Re: are you running?
Date: Sunday, 5-17-2009 9:28 PM
From: Jeff
To: Calhoun Ferry Co.
Great!
Thanks and hope to see you Wednesday.
Jeff
Before I was ready, it was Monday morning.
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