Day 7 Litchfield to home!

 Home again!

Art work at Litchfield hotel.

Watched weather for several hours this morning No break expected in rain and wind. Original plan to bike to Edwardsville today and St. Louis tomorrow was finally cancelled.  (The Chain of Rocks bridge is also closed due to high water)  So we packed the car with our bikes and headed home.

Summary of ride:

Total mileage: 275

Most relevant people: Tony & Ghian

Best restaurant: Fire and Ale in Sherman

Best lodging: Flagg Farmstead in Sherman

Best quote: "Do I get extra miles because I went half as fast and worked twice as hard?!"  (Lisa)

Best directions: Given by CVS manager in Springfield!

Worst road conditions: I 55 Frontage road, Normal to Sherman

Best day: Normal to Sherman

Prettiest town: Frankfort

Best motel breakfast: Holiday Inn Express

Worst of ride: Canceling early because of predicted severe weather next 5 days.

Best timing: Scott's arrival!

Best of the best: Not one flat tire all week!!!!

Day 6 Sherman IL to Lichfield IL 46 miles (Sagged last 15 because of headwind

Best of day: Scott finding place for lunch in the middle of nowhere!

Worst of day: Riding old rail trail with broken asphalt covered with gravel.

Quote of day:  The B&B owner didn't know they were listed as a place to stay on the Route 66 Adventure Cycling map! (Flagg Farmstead in Sherman, IL)

Day 5 Bloomington-Normal to Sherman IL - 64 miles

Katie and Lisa at corner of Williamsville library.

Best of day: Winds in our favor!

Worst of day: Learning of active coal mines passed on our route.  

Quote of day: staff at mini mart greeting Lisa with

" Ola!" Then commenting, "Oh, you are American? Most cyclists we see are foreign!"

Day 4 Recovery day! 5 miles

Bike cleaning before the rains came!

Best of day: Lisa's new raincoat!

Worst of day: Biking back  from the bike store in the rain!

Quote of the day: "Oh you must mean you're on motorcycles?"

Day 3 Dwight to Bloomington- Normal 55 miles

Original Route 66 filling station (now a souvenir store)

Best of day: Sunshine!

Worst of day: Early morning headwinds

Quote of day:  "Just you two women? Don't you got any men?" (Owner of souvenir store)

Day 2 Joliet to Dwight IL 49 miles

Superman and telephone booth in Braidwood

Best of day: Temporary tail winds

Worst of day: Unrelenting crosswinds

Quote of day: Patron at lunch stop... "Doin' all that work takes the fun out of bikin' !"

Chicago , Buckingham Fountain to Joliet Mileage: 65.3

Quote o f the day: "You were riding with the "Mayor" of South Chicago!

Best of the day:   Superstars Tony & Ghian got us through Chicago!

Worst of the day:  Morning rain, then Lisa lost her rain coat off the back of her bike. At least the rain was over!

A room with a view

Our view of Buckingham Fountain  from our hotel room.   We are at the starting point of our journey.

On the road again....

Katie and Lisa are again venturing a bike ride along old rte 66.   Our plan this year was to continue from Oklahoma City where we stopped 2 years ago.  Because of the flooding, we are starting from Chicago (where the highway was actually started) on Sunday. Bud is driving us to Chicago and Scott will be in charge of picking us up! We will start the ride on Sunday from Grant park and bike to Saint Louis (where the route turns west), possibly farther depending on our time. Scott plans to join us later in the week to provide his awesome support as the “super sag”