Day 20 - Taylorville, IL to Lincoln, IL - Two Far 2020 - NTF (Not Two Far)

June 19, 2020

Day 20 - Taylorville, IL to Lincoln, IL

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Today was HOT! Florida, smothering hot. But, we had good roads, pleasant scenery and memorable encounters with people who made it a wonderful day.

We left the Economy Inn in Taylorville about 8AM. It is a small, older motel, but well maintained and cared for by the owners. They couldn't have been nicer to us. When we were unable to get the beast into the first room they gave, they upgraded us to a larger room for no extra charge. They provided free cold bottled water when we checked in, which was VERY appreciated. This morning, the owners, uncle and nephew, came out to see us off and wish us well. Thanks for a good stay.

The owners of the Economy Inn in Taylorville came out to talk about our travels and see us off.

We had this road for the first few miles. It wasn't a quiet farm road, but the shoulder was great and it was flat. I think we could have ridden it all day.

IL 29 leaving Taylorville is a low volume divided highway with a wide shoulder - NICE!!

The farm roads we were on after Hwy 29 were also very good for cycling.

We saw - you guessed it - corn, soybeans and wheat. There were many very attractive farmsteads.

This was one of the larger grain elevators we saw today and was owned by a Co-Op. The pickups on the right give a sense of scale.

Jeanna loves the name of these elevators.

Grain augers - used to transfer grain from the elevator to a truck.

No - it's not a large swimming pool. When the elevators get full, the grain is stored on the ground and covered with a tarp

We had a 25 mile stretch with no stores, so we took a break off the road in Cornland. While we were resting, we took a couple of pictures of the bike. Which one is a better photo of the bike?

I had to lean the bike very carefully against the tree for fear of toppling it.

The owner of this property in Cornland may harbor NASCAR aspirations. This is another one for you, Stan!

I doubt if these will ever run at Daytona...

A John Deere 9RX tractor. Price starts at $575,000.

About 12 miles before we got to Mt. Pulaski, where we planned to have lunch, we saw sign noting road construction for the next nine miles. Again, it was a sign of good things ahead. It was new pavement, just not yet striped.

Just outside Mt. Pulaski, we passed the first wind turbines we've seen on this trip.

This substation collects the output from the wind farm and sends it on its way down the high-tension lines seen in the middle.

We finally got to Mt. Pulaski, very hot and tired. We rode past a couple of restaurants that seemed to have no outdoor seating and were takeout only. We really were longing for a sit down meal in air conditioned comfort. Our new friends in town were there to help! We were standing on the sidewalk outside the Old Brickyard Grill and Pub, looking forlorn and rather withered, I expect, trying to decide what to do. A young man, Josh, pulled up and asked if he could help in any way. We told him we needed a cool place to rest and eat and he gave us directions to the local convenience stores. As we were mulling over that option, the restaurant door opened and Renee came out and said she'd be happy to get us something to go. About the same time those words came out of her mouth, Kathy, from the insurance office next door, offered us the use of her conference room for lunch. We very gratefully accepted. Menus and a pitcher of Diet Coke were quickly provided and we had a nice conversation with Kathy while we waited for our food. It turns out she has friends in the area who do some cycle touring and are Warmshowers hosts. When we went to pay, Renee told us it was already taken care of and nodded toward Kathy. It is hard to express just how much we appreciate the kindness and friendliness of Kathy and Renee. They turned what probably would have been a hot, uncomfortable roadside lunch into the most memorable experience of our trip so far.

Kathy Letterle of DPC&M Insurance in Mt. Pulaski, IL - our road angel of the day. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

Renee of Old Brickyard Grill and Pub - angel #2

We didn't get a picture of city employee Josh, but if he hadn't stop to offer help, we might have left before the rest of this story could happen. Huge thanks to our friends in Mt. Pulaski!

Today's ride: 59 miles (95 km)
Total: 294 miles (473 km)

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