Day 26 - Ending at Streator, IL - Wisconsin on the Kick-back

August 30, 2018

Day 26 - Ending at Streator, IL

I was glad I had my warm socks on overnight. It didn't get really cold, but was cool enough when I got up at 6:00am. Report-writing first, and I finished that at 9:50am. I was packed up and leaving in sunshine at 11:17am.

Breakfast, well lunch, was what I wanted next. I'd seen a sign last night for Pokanoka's Cafe, which opens at 11:00am on Thursdays. Referring to my campground map, I coasted down to the camp store by the lake. The place was closed, with a sign stating open at 4:00pm. I figured out then that this place isn't the cafe, it's a "camp store"! Apparently, I don't know where the cafe is. My back-up plan was to ride back to Shabbona, where I know there's a restaurant. I got to see the lake, anyway.

On my way out of the park, I passed a side road with a "Restaurant" sign. There's where it is, but how far down that road? I stayed with my in-town eating plan, and arrived at Shabbona Cafe at 11:56am. Meat Loaf was a special, so I went with that plus a banana shake, after seeing that as a menu item. All very good, plus ice for the road. I left at 12:40pm, after recording the noon mileage: 3.2 miles.

At 12:48pm, I was back on-route, making progress south on Shabbona Road towards today's destination: Relax Inn in Streator (my third and last "planned" motel stay). There was some breeze from the southeast keeping me cool. At 1:25pm I continued onto gravel Harper Road, then paved Hyde Road, which became E 1525th Road. West a ways put me on E 1401st Road at 2:20pm. It was another day of butterflies (mostly yellow ones), dragonflies, and grasshoppers.

At 2:40pm, I crossed US-34 east of Earlville, and stopped ten minutes later to eat a PayDay. At 3:26pm, I was on E 1453rd Road. The road signs had it as "E 1453 RD RD", which I thought was redundant, until I figured it out. I crossed US-52 at 3:48pm, then on south on E 15th Road and over I-80 at 4:42pm. The road was very down-hill and curvy after that, bringing me quickly into Ottawa.

Ottawa has a bicycle-friendly bridge over the Illinois River, and I'd routed to get there on non-busy streets. Most of my town riding was east on West Main Street, which happened to bring me past Tone's Cones at 5:05pm. I stopped for a small root beer float, finishing just after a rush of new customers arrived. It was a short ways south and east to the bridge from here. There's a walled-off-from-traffic walkway that worked for getting across, but it is narrow. I stopped completely for walkers and bicyclists to pass. At 5:32pm, I was across. Sidewalks south, then west a short ways got me to Christie Street - a quiet brick street - so different from the highway a block east.

At 5:50pm, I was at the south side of Ottawa, and back at the highway (IL-23). Between here and Streator, my Illinois Official Bicycle Map showed IL-23 colored green - "Most Suitable for Bicycling". However, there were signs indicating road construction for the next ten miles. New, smooth asphalt with only a center line marked. The lane was wide, but there was no white line. There was a manageable drop-off to the gravel shoulder. I decided to give the new asphalt a try.

My ride south worked OK, with only two trucks passing closer than I like. I rode pass Grand Ridge at 6:30pm, and was at the end of construction at 7:10pm. Two miles left to go on a very wide shoulder.

I arrived at Relax Inn at 7:28pm, and was at my room (#18) at 7:39pm. The room AC requires a room key card to run, and I'd been given a second card just for that. A shower first, then picture-selection. Next, some thinking about the rest of the trip home. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, but rain is predicted for Saturday. I have one more night on-the-road scheduled, but it might be possible to make it all the way home from here in one day, if I start early enough.

At 11:10pm, I set the alarm for 6:00am, and got into bed, with a 70-mile plan swimming in my head.

Jeff

Spent: $12.85 plus $3 (lunch) + $4.09 (root beer float) + $63.27 plus $5 (motel) = $88.21.

Day 26 - Shabbona, IL to Streator, IL

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