Day 34, Garden Prairie to Coal City, 106 miles

Best: Swimming in the Lake at Coal City

Worst: Rotten egg shower at Garden Prairie

Most Unexpected:  Free Food at DQ

Last night my shower at the campground left me more smelly than when I started.  The water smelled strongly of sulphur and obviously had no filtration.  More smelly than when I started is not a good thing, however maybe it helped keep the mosquitos away last night.

This morning it was up early for kp duty, and as we ate, so did the mosquitos dining on exquisite flesh. We traveled as a group for the second time this trip due to some bad dogs which had bitten a Big Rider last year.  We rolled past the bad dog house as a caravan with Charlton driving the van and trailer as a block between us and the house.  We heard dogs barking, but we got through without contracting rabies.  We took a detour that actually took a half a mile off our distance because of a bridge being down, but somehow we were allowed to walk our bikes across a bridge being constructed and off we went.

For riding 106 miles, i really don't have a lot of pictures to show.  Again it was corn, corn, and more corn with soybeans thrown in.  Temperature reached 80 degrees and wind was not a factor.  It was a hard ride because we made it so by pushing the pace. Stupid.  Our route was once again right turn, left turn, right turn, and even going straight sometimes just to screw us up.  We had a pleasant surprise at mile 93 when we stopped at a check point and Charlton informed us we were being treated to $5 at DQ which covered their lunch meal consisting of a quarter pound burger, fries, drink, and a sundae.  A former Big Rider, Jim Adreason did the donation, and my body thanks him.  We got through the last 13 miles without hurling, and after setting up the tent, several of us put on our swim trunks and went down to the lake for a swim.  The water felt great.  After this greatness, i took a shower for two reasons, first because i needed it, and second because a local told us the mosquitos really like the taste of lake water for some reason and will go after you.  

Dinner was in camp and was a feast of several salads, luncheon meats, dips, and pound cake with fresh fruit and whipped cream.  The piece de resistance was the corn which was for humans, not livestock.  

All of the riders except for Cathy who is behind me.  This is an unusual shot.

Walking acros the bridge under construction.  I walked after Cathy with her 70 pound bike because i was being kind, (but really to make sure the bridge was safe)

Just a weird building.

Just a house.

The Illinois river in .....Illinois

Look, no corn or soybeans.

What, trees?

My next house which comes with either this cool lake, or ice skating.

I hope this doesn't give you too much of a scare.  This is the lake at the private club at Coal City where we are staying.  i am not sure what the spray is coming from, but there is a bathroom facility just about 50 feet away.

Getting ready for dinner.

DINNER

This particular blog was probably much more interesting about an hour ago but after finishing the first take on the blog, dinner started, and somehow I lost all of what i had most cleverly written.