2 September 2002

Rain... Here I am sitting on a porch waiting it out. I missed writing yesterday. I wanted to get as far as possible; and, since I was traveling slower, I didn't stop to write. So I have a lot of catching up to do.

Yesterday I got up early and packed. Took some pictures and left. I was on the road by 6:30. Very humid. My knees were sore from pushing myself the day before. I slept better that night although the bugs were worse. I would expect them to be though, since I was only a few hundred feet from the Mississippi River. I woke up very thirsty. No food. No water. I am going to have to plan ahead next time for this. I had some bananas that evening that I ate but that was the only nourishment that I got.

There were numerous stretches of road with "Watch for Fallen Rocks" signs. That is an illustration of the kind of terrain that I was riding through. Bluffs and hills alongside the River. Absolutely gorgeous countryside. I will probably repeat that over and over but this trip has convinced me that the Mississippi River country is one of my favourite areas of the US. Traffic was light. This early in the morning, it looked like mostly fishermen. There certainly were a lot of them out on the water. It was quite calm and chilly and humid out...

Ferryville and Lynxville were both very nice little River towns. I think nearly every house is within sight of the water. There were a number of places with stone walls built into the hillside. Each wall had a door attached. I couldn't help wondering about their purpose and history. Cellars? Coolhouses?

This ended up being a long tiring stretch of road... Largely, I think, due to my need for food and water.

Finally I reached the outskirts of Prairie Du Chien and stopped at a gas station/mart just after a big Cabela's store. I ate 2 small strawberry yogurts and an omelette. Bought 2 PayDay bars for the road and drank lots of water. Once I felt reasonably refreshed, I got back on the bike.

I rode through Lacrosse which forms one continuous metropolis with Onalaska and several other towns. It was not a very enjoyable particularly. The ride through town got old quickly. Neighborhoods that surround highways seem to always be a bit rundown and unattractive it seems.

Crossing the Wisconsin River I saw a lot of canoers...

Rode through Patch Grove and Bloomington... Refilled my water bottles often.

South of Bloomington I took County Road U since Hwy 35 seemed to go somewhat out of my way. I am not sure that it was the best choice, though. Very hilly. Steep hills. I had to drop into my granny gear and the steepness coupled with the sun and humidity really drained me. I had a very hard time on that stretch. After the first hill, I told myself that I wouldnt be able to take many more of them. Then there were several more! And they were long! They seemed to go on forever. Quite scenic... ( I certainly was going slow enough to notice every detail.) But very difficult. There were several canoeing spots on the various creeks and rivers that I encountered. (Which tells you a bit about the terrain I was on) I rang my little bell at all the cows I saw. I think they enjoyed it. (Of course I may having been on the edge of my sanity...)

After much struggle, I reached Potosi. Rode through town and saw a couple working on their yard. I stopped to ask for water. The woman filled up my bottle and I drank it like a camel. She refilled it and we talked for a bit. It was a nice little respite. The man said that past Dickeyville I should go to Cube City and then drop south instead of staying on 35 because it would be less hilly that way. Seemed like welcome advice.

Potosi runs into Tennyson and there I stopped to look at the map. Based on the advice and the map, I decided to take the alternate route.

At Dickeyville I passed some Catholic shrine called The Grotto which was made of small stones cemented together. Very cool. There was more to see in the back off the street but I didnt feel like stopping. I really wanted to get to IL before nightfall. Grabbed some snacks and left town. I took Cty HH to Shoestring Rd to Louisburg Rd. It worked out well. A nice route. Farm roads. I dropped down Park Rd to WI 11 and entered Hazel Green.

As I crossed the border, WI 80 became IL 84. Immediately the shoulder disappeared. That was quite annoying and very non-bike friendly. A sad commentary on the difference between IL and WI in regards to their respective acceptance of bicyclists.

Entering Galena, I stopped at MacDonalds to eat and recoup. Had two fish sandwiches and a vanilla cone. The girl managed to give me a cone with the highest tower of ice cream I have ever seen. From the base of the cone to the top of the ice cream had to have been 12 inches or very nearly so. Of course there were no napkins and I wasnt sure that my stomach wanted that much ice cream but I managed to get it all down once the napkin situation was fixed.

I called my parents and talked with them for a bit. Updated them as to where I was and my route ideas. Pop suggested a bike trail south of Galena that would take me as far as I wanted to go. I did want to keep riding even though it was 7pm and had planned on going down Cty 8 or Irish Hollow Rd depending on how they looked once I got to them. I really wanted to make some distance while I was feeling well. He said that the trail ran alongside Cty 8 so I decided to check it out while I was there. By the time I got off the phone, it was dark. I turned my strobe light on and removed all of the items attached to my backpack and re-attached them to my handlebars to allow the reflective striping to be visible.

Got back on the road.

Email update from my Mum:
1 Sep 2002
Update -- 7:45pm Sunday He called and he's not going to make it to Erie tonight. He was in Galena at the McDonald's when he called just now. He is planning to continue riding tonight, at least for a while, since he was still feeling fine and up for it. There is very little daylight left now, however, so would appreciate your prayers for safety now in particular. He is hoping to get to Hanover tonight. That's another 17.5 miles approximately -- another hour's riding or so. He will call again when he stops for the night. We'll send another update then. Love, S

I rode through town and kept on riding. (There was some sort of city celebration or party/concert happening that I considered stopping for but decided against it.) Eventually I began to think that I had missed my exit. So at the next intersection I saw, I stopped to check the map. It was so very dark because the moon was not visible. The road sign told me that I was at Mt Hope Rd. That meant I had gone too far. I was still OK though. Devils Ladder Rd connected US 20 with Irish Hollow Rd. So I just needed to find it. Fortunately there was a wide shoulder along here so I basically had a lane to myself which was good considering the darkness. On I rode and a bit further I saw a little factory off to the left. Up ahead was one of those "Steep Grade" warning signs for trucks. It only took a moment for me to decide that I didn't want to go down that hill in the dark while looking for a little country road. So I changed my plans. Since the factory had well manicured lawns and was gated, I decided to camp there. I lifted my bike over the fence (Just a low wooden thing mostly for show and decoration) and rode around to the back once I was sure that no one was around to see me. There was a gravel and cement area behind the furthest building. I went to a spot that was in shadow out of the light cast by the area lamps. Unrolled my tarp and prepared to spend the night. There was a nice breeze that seemed to keep the bugs at bay. I called my parents to let them know that I was done riding for the evening and then I laid back to watch the stars.

After a few moments, out of the corner of my eyes, I saw movement across the yard. Dogs? Nope. Racoons. 3 maybe 4. They loped along until my slight moving alerted them to my presence and they stopped. They must not have seen me earlier since they were in the light and I was in the dark. One was to my right between me and my bike. The big one stopped a few steps from my feet. Another one was a few feet beyond that. As I moved to shine my pencil torch on them, the big one crouched back and growled at me. I decided to minimise my movements. Slowly, warily they continued past me and I heard the bushes rustle behind me as they disappeared. It was quite the moment. My campsite must be a thoroughfare for animals traveling alongside the fence at the edge of the area light's influence. I decided to call Mum again to share the experience. Then I went to sleep.

Email update from my Mum:
1 Sep 2002
J called again about 8:30. He couldn't find the route he was wanting as he left Galena, realized after a bit that he had missed the route but didn't want to backtrack, particularly in the dark so began looking for a place to sleep for the night. He found a location behind a warehouse near a field. About 9:15 he called again to say that he had just been 'visited' by a family of raccoons! They were passing by on their way to a late dinner in the corn field, no doubt. He figures at this point that he will be in Erie by noon tomorrow. Love, S

At 1:30-1:45 I was awakened to thunder rumbling in the distance. There was a lot of lightning activity on the horizon. I decided to pack my gear and either find shelter or try to outrun the storm. Unfortunately the clouds made it quite dark so I couldnt easily travel... That meant looking for shelter. It started to sprinkle as I finished getting organised. The main building (the one with the area light attached) seemed to have the most eave protection so I went over there to take advantage of the little refuge that it offered. There wasnt much but the light rain coupled with the direction of the wind gave me a narrow area that seemed to remain dry.

As the rain appeared to be increasing, I knew better shelter was needed. Some corrugated steel panels nearby looked like a possible source. That would be plan B. Plan A was over on the right. A shed whose roof jutted out a bit. I went over to investigate and saw that the shed was unlocked! Inside were two compressors connected to the back wall of the factory. The room was dry and there was enough space for me and my bike.

As soon as I was settled inside and the door was closed, the storm hit at full force. Nasty. Once when I peeked out, I couldnt even see across the yard. Even with the light flashes there was almost no visibilty. Lots of lightning! Probably the worst electrical storm I have ever experienced. We lost power twice! I was a bit nervous because of the big propane tank that sat just a few dozen yards away from me... Even the wind was incredible. It took me quite a bit of maneuvering to get the door to stay closed (just a shed door with no latch). The wind kept pulling it open. I managed to bungy it shut but even then I had to physically hold it occasionally. At one point during a slightly lesser part of the storm, I peaked out and saw a creature of some kind using my little campsite/thoroughfare. I could barely see it but I am betting that it was not a very happy traveler!. The rain continued with fierce power until 6:30ish. At 7am I got back on the road.

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