IROQUOIS, IL
DAY 23 JUNE 19 95.7 MILES
There is beauty in silence and silence in beauty and you can find both in a bicycle. Mehmet Ildan
The day started as another perfect one. No hills, slightly overcast skies and even a slight tailwind. A little on the warm side but that is to be expected in mid-June. The scenery continued much the same as the previous days as well. Corn, grain and soy.
The lyrics and music from "America" continuously ran through my head as we pedaled past amber waves of grain. The corn seems to be growing quite rapidly with some fields now reaching nearly four feet in height. I thought it good that we are riding through the area at this time. A month from now, the corn will be so high that we would see only the edge of a field rather than looking across the entire landscape.
When we completed today's ride, we were surprised to learn that we are now 1/3 of the way to Seattle. That amazes me but when you pedal all day and crash at night, time passes very quickly. Everything has been going well but I still wish we had more rest days; not necessarily to rest but to enjoy the towns we pass through.
The daily thunderstorm hit around the same time this afternoon. Fortunately, several of us happened to be in a convenience store at the time. We stayed for nearly an hour, talking with some local people who also were waiting out the storm. The difference was that they were driving.
When the storm appeared to be subsiding, we set out for the last 14 miles. However, the sky had tricked us once again for suddenly we seemed to be approaching a virtual wall of water emitting flashes of light and rumbling sounds. Two of us stopped at a home with a large front porch and the owner brought each of us a large colorful beach towel to keep us dry and warm. Very nice lady! After another half hour, the storm had moved sufficiently that we could proceed uneventfully to our destination.
Tomorrow is a shorter day. Only 62 miles. Sounds easy after the killer days we have done recently. However, only time will tell how easy it really is!
Tip: On descents, your bike is much more stable when you are pedaling than when you are coasting.
