26 May 2000
The next morning I got up just a bit after the sunrise and headed back to Hardee's. People were beginning to arrive at the church as I was leaving. After eating breakfast, I talked to my parents again. Pop gave me a route suggestion that he had just found. After doing some online searching and making some phone calls, he found a caretaker at Rock Cut State Park near Rockford who invited me to stay the night. At this point, my goal was to make Janesville by Saturday night where I would be able to stay with Connie. There is a threat of storms and I would prefer to avoid having to sleep outside if an alternative can be found. So making Rockford by nightfall seemed to be perfect for that scenario.
After much uneventful riding, I reached Rochelle IL at 2pm and called my mum at a gas station. So far I had stayed ahead of the rain but it was beginning to catch up with me and gaining with every minute. The same southeast tailwind that had been so nice all day was bringing rain at its heels. A "concerned" motorist passing by warned me that there was a nasty storm coming and I needed to find shelter and fast. I thanked him for the warning! ... As I began to head north on Route 251 to Rockford, it began to sprinkle.
I arrived in Rockford about 8pm. After more than 5 hours of consistently steady rain, I was pretty thoroughly damp! Finally I reached Rock Cut State Park and rode up to the gate. Expecting to have to explain myself, I was pleasantly surprised when the ladies at the gate said, "Oh, you're here!" and waved me on through to my own campsite, #322, where there was even a tent already set up for me! It was especially nice considering that the park was booked full! The rain by this time was pretty sporadic and light so I was able to get set up with some semblance of dryness. I was disappointed by the fact that there were no trees to set up my hammock and tarp between. (Why sleep in a tent when you can have a hammock and tarp?) But I reminded myself that I was blessed to finally be here at all. That night I had to remind myself again how blessed I was when I discovered that the tent leaked which forced me to sleep in a cramped fetal position to avoid the largest of the several puddles that formed inside... After many attempts at finding a way to stay warm and dry, I resigned myself to my fate. I had a great sleeping bag which wicks moisture but there is only so much it can handle! I only had three sets of clothes with me and had changed out of the one that was wet from the ride as soon as I got to the campsite. Once it got dark and I was settled in and dry, I wandered over to where my benefactors, the Webers, were camped but they weren't home. Much to my frustration, the rain started up again as I was heading back and I was once again thoroughly soaked in the downpour. This forced me to change into my last pair of clothes which of course got damp in the night as I slept.
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