Wednesday, July 1, 2009

"Roger, Initiating Cyclist Escort Now"

Add ImageDay 26 - July 1, 10:08pm
80 miles. Springfield, IL to Pittsfield, IL

Today was great. Smooth is really the word. I'm pretty sure it came down to the great breakfast that we had courtesy of the Church in Springfield. Having just cereal some mornings was really not cutting it and seriously affecting our ability to bike. Not the case with egg casseroles! The 5am wakeups are also becoming pretty standard procedure. I'll say it again, my morning routine is rocking and I officially packed my bag before Rob, which if you know how much of a zen master he is at organization says a lot.

A little cloudy and chilly this morning as we went back into corn country but the headwind was not serious. We were keeping a great pace all day and it was the first time ever that I haven't been waiting for lunch even though it was at mile 43 and we only snacked once. Conclusion: Big breakfasts from now on.

Couple of serious highlights today. Around mile 6 we stopped in this empty lot with three huge gravel piles to stretch. Of course, it wasn't long till us guys started to race up the tallest one we could find. Yes, It was a challenge even for our quads of steel. It was also super unnecessary, masculine, and fun. Aren't the best things in life?


I rode with Ryan Farr, Dan, Miranda, Clarissa pretty much all day and we had a great rhythym going. At one point we had to cross this super steep bridge to get over the Illinois river. We slowed to let this silver car go by us and then began our ascent. Little did we know that the driver of the silver car was actually an undercover cop who immediately turned on his sweet hidden strobes and proceeded to give us a full escort over the entire bridge. We couldn't have been more amped and he enthusiastically returned our fist pumps. Seriously, we are always joking about how funny it would be if a police cruiser spontaneously decided to escort us. To have an undercover car do that just blew our minds. How cool would it be if he had been tailing us since Providence as our hidden guardian accomplice only to appear in times of need. Hmm...Maybe we're not that important.

Highlight #2: Now that the corn is finally tall enough we decided that the time for frolicing was ripe. Let me tell you, running through corn stalks is just super. It's as overwhelming and crazy as you'd think it'd be. It was even better when we played our game of hide and seek for about 25 minutes. I had some time to really look at it up close and i realized that corn is actually a very interesting plant. It grows so tall and its stalks are super strong. It also has a really weird texture that just makes you want to run your hand along them.


The last part of the day saw some smooth cruising despite my 3rd flat of the trip. But it was all good since Clarissa gave me her Muscle Milk bar which apparently had 25 grams of protein(!?) in a little 5 inch bar. All i was missing was a creatine injection. We found a post office and i finally got to send some out that I've been holding since Kentucky. It's way harder than you'd think to send post cards on this trip given how little time we spend in each state and how little time we have to stop and look for them. Trust me though, everyone is trying their best to get them all out.

The church in Pittsfield put out an amazing spread for us as well as arranging for us to get some pool time in, as well as free haircuts and organizing homestays. I kept my hair but had this great Pizza/pasta dish and for dessert this wonderful strawberry fluff, jello like substance that i had to have them take away from me for my own safety.

I'm staying along with Max, Ryan Ellis, and Dan Coop with Lawrence and Rachel. They're such a sweet and warm couple. Rachel used to be a school teacher while Lawrence used to raise hogs(pigs). In fact, our very own Pittsfield was once the hog capital of the world. The details on when and how that title left are still oddly hazy with everyone i ask. Though the tradition of Pigs Day is still alive and is actually next week.

Their house is awesome. Lawrence showed us how he converted his old hog barn into a great woodshop where he keeps busy on fun projects including this great bench. (fun fact: Metal inside of wood turns it black, who knew!). He also has a great arrowhead collection. They had this great pool deck that literally overlooked 80 acres of corn right next to their house along with a sea of fireflies. The sunset on the drive home was nothing short of breathtaking in its fiery orange and pink and their Golden Retriever Denver is just a great bundle of energy.

Just hearing Lawrence talk about his hog work and looking out over the huge field of corn really took my head for a spin. I've never ever been to a place this rural and to see the kind of quiet, simple, lifestyle here(at least relatively) is so mindblowing. All i can see from my back window is a parking lot, and here i am in someone's backyard where there are 80 acres of corn extending almost infinitely. What gets me even more is the generational history of these places. Ever since it was settled, farming has been the way of life here, plain and simple, with duties passed on from children to grandchildren. The kind of freedom to travel around and see new places that i take for granted may not have been necessarily present for these folks growing up here. At least thats the impression I get. All i could think about was how two people (Lawrence and myself) could lead such tremendously different lifestyles and what different worlds we were both from, and how many more great honest, hardworking people like him there must be in our country. The cool thing though was that despite our differences and my awe for his work we were just two dudes having conversation and laughing. I mean isn't that what it all comes down to?

You can also clearly see how large scale agrobusiness with its thousands of acres has disrupted the traditional family farm but thats a whole other conversation. I'm definitely gaining a much greater appreciation or at least consciousness of where the food in my grocery store comes from and how this whole process of massive food consumption is fueled.

Anyway, farming blows my mind and Lawrence and Rachel are great. Tomorrow is relatively short into Hannibal, Missouri. It's apparently the home of Mark Twain(Samuel Clemmens) or something so im sure there are many adventures and stops awaiting us!`

1 comment:

  1. Hey George!I haven't posted a comment lately but that doesn't mean that I haven't been following your trip! You are amazing! I love what you're doing and I love your stories and the photos! You make us feel like we are riding along with you!Although I couldn't see ME doing something like this! My athletic abilities..well..let's just say that THEY ARE NOT THERE! Where they went I don't know.. In fact I don't recall WHEN exactly they went.. That's why we have people like you George!! The undercover car escorting you across the Illinois river-COOL!!You should get special treatment like that more often cause you guys deserve it for what you're doing!The photo in the corn field-SUPER COOL!!I love that photo! Well keep riding, writing and keep enjoying this adventure!Love from all
    Nikie

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