Jumping on the Northern Tier

It's been quite awhile since we's done wrote on this thing to let y'all's know how we been doin' out here's in the Midwest, so here's the happenings of the last week and a half....After our last writing we had one more full day riding North along the Mississippi. We spent the day jumping back and forth across the river from Illinois to Iowa, eventually ending in the smelly town of Muscatine, IL where there's a huge corn processing plant, among many other industrial endevours. Around a large portion of the population 23,000 town there's a very strong noxious burnt corn/gasy odor looming that cannot be ignored. Luckily that night Mark and Julie opened their country home to us with great hospitality. After first having a burger and beers with the local bicycle club we found ourselves relaxing in their basement, freshly showered, catching up on some good 'ole T.V. Mark and Julie were yet again another inspiration; both in their 60's yet healthy, fit, and still competing in triathlons.

The next morning after feeding us a great breakfast Julie personally rode the couple miles back to town with us to assure we get started on our new route, the Northern Tier, without difficulty. With full stomachs and righteous coffee buzzes we were once again pedaling East through endless corn and soybean fields. That evening found us camped in a city park literally on the bank of the Illinois river. We sat cooking dinner, watching an amazing and unbelievably colorful sunset, while tugboats pushed huge barges full of corn downriver. 

 

The next days pedal found us in the small town of Odell, IL where we were picked up by some friends to spend a long weekend in the Chicago area. Much thanks to Dustin and Elsa for having us over for a relaxing weekend and for spending a day as our tour guides around the big city!

After a rejuvenating three days out of the saddle come Monday morning we were once again pushing East. The scenery has been more of the same, however, a couple days ago we had our first constant all day tailwind of the whole trip. Cruising at a steady speed of 16-20 mph while hardly pushing on the pedals was oh so refreshing. It's a good thing we enjoyed it as the winds shifted during the night and we spent the following day riding into a cross/slight head wind. The owner of the diner where we stopped for lunch mentioned in conversation she had heard of a couple cyclists being welcomed into the church for the night in the next town, Brooks, fourteen miles up ahead. Upon arriving in town Sarah went to check out the church and soon came back with the pastor as our personal chauffeur, in car with hazard lights flashing, to lead us down to another town members house to shower. Post shower, after giving us a tour of the church, we walked across the street where he treated us to a great dinner at the local restaurant....the best food we've had in quite awhile! Just when things couldn't get any better settling into our little room in the basement, complete with cushy couches and a TV/DVD, we discovered one of the two DVD's laying around was "What about Bob"; one of my all time favorites. This morning was a treat having coffee with a handful of old time locals and hearing little bits and pieces of the towns history. We cannot thank pastor John and the people of the United Methodist church in Brook, IL enough!

Todays pedal was very enjoyable. Lately there's been a good mixture of woods and undeveloped land along with the corn and soy fields....a nice change from the last week of strictly the later. Which brings us to this evening.....camped in a nice little spot along the Tippecanoe river. Sitting here watching the river flow reflecting on having cycled 3,600 miles; how fast it's gone, from the rainforest of Oregons coast, up and over the Cascades, across the Plains, through the Rockies, across the Heartland, up along the Big Muddy, to this here Tippecanoe river in good 'ole Indiana! What a journey!