June 12, 2020
Day 13 - Elizabethtown, IL to Ullin, IL
My Single Days are over
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Today marked the end of my single days this summer. Starting Sunday, Jeanna & I will be chained together for the rest of the summer.
Todays ride picked up where yesterday's ride ended. We had some poor roads and steep hills for about the 1st 40 miles. I could handle the 10% grades, but had to walk up a couple of other steeper climbs. John just downshifted, got off the saddle and had no problem.
After about 40 miles things got a lot better. We had good roads with nice shoulders and very little traffic. It also flattened out somewhat with the steepest grades being only 5-6%.
| Heart | 2 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Once we left the steep hills behind us, large farms became a common sight.
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Fairly early on into the ride, I got a phone call from John warning me about a large dog that ran out of a house and chased him on a hill. I was just approaching the hill, but by the time I reached the top, there was no dog in sight. I don't know if the owner got the dog back in the house or what, but I was glad the dog wasn't out, because my butt is a lot lower to the ground than John's and I'm a big, slow moving target on climbs!
Later on however, I had a good encounter with a dog. I saw him slowly loping across his yard with a goofy grin in his face, so I stopped so we could chat. I just hope he never runs out onto the highway.
| Heart | 2 | Comment | 1 | Link |
We got in to Ullin shortly after 3 PM which ended Phase 1 of this year's trip. After a short break, I began the process of switching out bikes. It took me the rest of the afternoon to set up the Seavo (install seats, chains and other stuff) and strip down the Phoenix and load everything in or on the car, for John's trip back to Florida. I finished up just in time to go next door to a BBQ joint for some great grilled chops (If you're ever in Ullin, be sure and stop at Triple 'E' BBQ)
I really enjoyed riding with John - he is very easy going (and patient!). Hopefully, next year there will be no pandemic so we can do our WTF trip as originally planned.
Tomorrow is a rest day for Jeanna & me (not for John though, he's driving to Dalton, GA). I am looking forward to Sunday, when Jeanna & I will get on the tandem and begin Phase 2 of our journey.
As a side note, Phase 2 will be a reality check for me. While I could pull 10% grades on an unloaded single recumbent, I'm not sure if we can do that on a fully loaded recumbent tandem anymore. Also, after having SAG support for 2 weeks, I'll miss having someone waiting on me along the side of a road in the middle of nowhere with cold drinks and snacks.
I hope everyone has enjoyed the journal to this point. I'm signing off and Jeanna will be chronicling the rest of our summer's journey.
Kerry
Today's ride: 65 miles (105 km)
Total: 704 miles (1,133 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 5 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |