This website is a log of my bicycling journey around the world.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

07_27_08

Cycling IN, OH

404 miles

My Location: Willoughby, OH

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Date: 08-01-08
Location: Willoughby, OH
08:00am- 2:30pm Sandusky, OH - Willoughby, OH (77 miles)

Going from Sandusky to Willoughby, I passed through Cleveland and was surprised at how nice the surrounding areas are. Cleveland's downtown is nice and clean, but I was very impressed with the many parks and little streets with cute houses or grand estates overlooking Lake Erie

LakeErieNearClevelandOHA random street near Cleveland, OH overlooking Lake Erie.
LakeErieNearCleveland2One of many parks surrounding Cleveland, OH overlooking a beach along Lake Erie.
Date: 07-30-08
Location: Sandusky, OH
07:00am- 6:30pm Harrison Lake State Park, OH - Sandusky, OH (120 miles)

Staying in Sandusky an extra day to rest my legs and get new tires. Beautiful lakes and rivers everywhere in northern Ohio.
I looked for something photo worthy in Toledo, but I didn't look very long and couldn't find anything. There were many beautiful houses along the river just west of Toledo.

ToledoOHToledo, OH. Green sign in foreground "Begin Bike Route"; Green sign in background across the street "End Bike Route".
SanduskyOH1Sandusky, OH along Lake Erie. An amusement park in background.
Date: 07-29-08
Location: Harrison Lake State Park, OH
06:00am- 3:00pm South Bend, IN - Harrison Lake State Park, OH (108 miles)

Harrison Lake State Park is a very nice park. The park fees are a bit more expensive than in the other states I've visited, but the quality of this park makes it worth it.

HarrisonLakeStateParkOHHarrison Lake State Park, OH at dawn.
Date: 07-28-08
Location: South Bend, IN
07:30am- 1:30pm Portage, IN - South Bend, IN (58 miles)

The Studebaker museum was very impressive. I'm kind glad they went out of business before the ugly 1980's cars arrived.

Walking around the Notre Dame University campus made me miss college, but I don't miss the paper work.

SouthBendIN11downtown South Bend, IN
SouthBendIN13Notre Dame University South Bend, IN
SouthBendIN04Studebaker museum South Bend, IN
SouthBendIN05Studebaker museum South Bend, IN
SouthBendIN07Studebaker museum South Bend, IN
SouthBendIN08Studebaker museum South Bend, IN
SouthBendIN09Studebaker museum South Bend, IN
SouthBendIN10Studebaker museum South Bend, IN
Date: 07-27-08
Location: Portage, IN
08:30am- 1:00pm Chicago, IL - Portage, IN (41 miles)

Just a convenient place to stop.

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posted by Rick Anderson @ 6:18 PM  0 comments

Friday, July 18, 2008

07_18_08

Cycling Illinois

341 miles

My Location: Chicago, IL

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Date: 07-25-08
Location: Chicago, IL
09:30am-4:00pm Kankakee, IL - Chicago, IL (68 miles)

Cool weather and clouds was nice, but another broken spoke and terrible roads (until Cook County) made for an unrelaxed ride. Fortunately, I found a bike shop that had the time to replace all the spokes on my rear tire.

Chicago is a great city! Bicycle trails, forest preserves, and lots of parks. Lots of money here, and it shows. The lake looks like an ocean. Makes the cold, windy winters seem possibly bearable, pun intended. I wonder if anyone commutes by waverunner.

The photos seem down-hill left despite my using the view finder manual alignment squares. And yes, I know, too much grass and not enough skyline in the park concert photo.

Chicago1Trail along Lake Shore Drive, Chicago.
Chicago2One of many museums in Chicago.
Chicago3Grand water fountain in Chicago.
Chicago4Water fun in Millenium Park, Chicago.
Chicago5Saturday concert in the park, Chicago.
Chicago6Silver sculpture, Chicago.
Chicago7Chicago skyline reflected in silver sculpture.
Chicago8Chicago canal.
Chicago9Chicago canal.
Date: 07-24-08
Location: Kankakee, IL
06:45am-4:00pm Clinton Lake, IL - Kankakee, IL (97 miles)

Another easy day of riding in Illinois. Temperature in the low eighties, low humidity, and lots of clouds is my kind of riding. I've been lucky with both Missouri and Illinois having lower than normal temperatures.

The most surprising thing about Illinois is the rampant racism. You expect that in the south, but Illinois surprised me. I wasn't going to include Illinois racism in my blog, but Kankakee was the final straw. There are shining examples of non-racism, like Pat & Pete at Clinton Lake, who had invited to dinner Dottie & Charles, two African-American park visitors from Michigan, and the Boy Scout Troop I met at Clinton Lake were definitely not racist. But, from the time I entered Illinois, racism seems dismayingly abundant. I didn't see or sense any racism in Missouri or Kansas, and racist white people are usually more open about their racism around other white people, unless they knew I was from California and wouldn't go for that. I'm hoping Chicago, where people of differences get to meet one-another and learn of their similarities, will be less racist. By the way, the Kankakee county fair is referred to by the white people as the KKK fair. I think I'll skip that fair.

Date: 07-19-08
Location: Clinton Lake, IL
08:30am-6:00pm Litchfield, IL - Clinton Lake, IL (102 miles)

Flat Illinois with the wind at my back makes for an easy ride, despite breaking another wheel spoke.

Stayed at Clinton Lake and met many wonderful people. Pat & Pette, the hosts of the campground, Dottie & Charles, a couple visiting from Michigan, and Plainfield, Illinois Boy Scout Troop 82. Pat & Pete not only invited me to dinner when they were entertaining other visitors to the park, but they allowed me to camp on their site two days for free. They also provided a lot of local information for my trip to Chicago, and were very nice. Boy Scout Troop 82, from Plainfield Illinois, who were currently on a bicycle trip, invited me to dinner where we discussed cycling.

Clinton Lake may be the nicest lake I've been to so far, just because of the warm water. The water at my little cove was at least 85°. At the dam, the temp. gets to 100°, because of the nuclear power plant at Clinton Lake. Incidently, Clinton Lake has an albino deer. I didn't check for three eyed fish.

Clinton Lake has a thick forest surrounding it, helping to shield my tent from the windy storms that rolled through 3 of the 5 days I was there. The lightning from the storms was like strobe lights, and you could hear the storms for an hour before they arrived. As I'm typing this, it occurs to me that I could've taken a slow shutter picture of the lightning.

ClintonLakeIllinois01My camp, Clinton Lake, Illinois
ClintonLakeIllinois03My little beach, Clinton Lake, Illinois.
Date: 07-18-08
Location: Litchfield, IL
08:30am-5:30pm St. Louis, MO - Litchfield, IL (74 miles)

An easy ride despite two broken spokes and a flat tire. Had been riding with a broken spoke since Peers, MO, but another spoke broke in East St. Louis, IL. Went to a bike store in Edwardsville, IL and they fixed my spokes in an hour. A very well-equipped store for all levels of cycling. The even had Cytomax! Edwardsville is a beautiful mid-sized town with a small town feel. Lots of tree-shaded roads with 1890's porched houses. Paved bicycle trails throughout and surrounding the town makes this place a cyclist heaven. An in-town university also adds to the appeal of this town. My camera was packed away, so no pictures of Edwardsville.

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posted by Rick Anderson @ 7:25 PM  0 comments

Monday, July 14, 2008

07_13_08

Cycling Missouri

226 miles

My Location: St. Louis, Missouri

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Date: 07-17-08
Location: St. Louis, MO
06:00am-3:30pm Peers, MO - St. Louis, MO (64 miles)

The downtown area of St. Louis is pretty, especially the park where the arch is located. I rode north, west, and east St. Louis, and it all looked very rundown and neglected. Perhaps south St. Louis looks better. As a whole city, St. Louis is very disappointing. It's probably not nice to compare every city to Los Angeles and San Francisco, but 75% of those places are very nice. Of course, there's a lot of money in L.A. & S.F.

StLouis_MO01St. Louis, MO "Gateway to the West".
StLouis_MO03Elegant St. Louis arch
Date: 07-16-08
Location: Peers, Missouri
08:30am-3:00pm Jefferson City, MO - Peers, MO (68 miles)

Stopped at a very small town general store/B&B. The store had been around since the 1890's, and had pictures of the store during various floods.

Katy_Trail_MO07typical river along the Katy Trail, MO
Date: 07-14-08
Location: Jefferson City, Missouri
8:00am-5:00pm Sedalia, MO - Jefferson City, MO (94 miles)

Rode the Katy Trail from Sedalia to Jefferson City. It's a very smooth, flat ex-railroad track converted to a trail. Shade covered from Sedalia to Boonville, with less shade thereafter. Katy was the name of the railroad. The gravel trail has fine gravel, so there's plenty of tire traction. With latrines, water fountains, and shaded benches at trail heads located in most towns, the Katy Trail is an excellent, well-kept trail running across most of Missouri.
Following the Katy Trail between a cliff and the Missouri River, I noticed an abandoned dwelling carved into a cliff. With no information posted, the abode seems very mysterious. Perhaps Injun Joe from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer lived in there.
The trail was flat, but Jefferson City had lots of hills. The capital building looks impressive on top of a hill and is protected from floods. My legs were dead tired, and riding up hills in Jefferson City was exhausting.

Jefferson_City_MOJefferson City, MO capital building
Katy Trail,MO02Katy Trail shadded path
Boonville,MOBoonville Katy Trail railroad depot
Katy Trail,MO05Katy Trail along Missouri River
Katy Trail,MO04mysterious dwelling in cliff along Katy Trail
Date: 07-13-08
Location: Sedalia, Missouri
8:00am-3:30pm Olathe, KS - Sedalia, MO (91 miles)

Took Santa Fe Blvd. to Missouri, then Holmes rd. to Hwy 150, then 150 to Lone Jack, then connected to Hwy. 50. Basically east from Olathe, Kansas. Mild temperature and low humidity made today's ride easier. Missouri is beautifully green. Rode by large estates with lots of grass. Met a Missouri cyclist who rode with me 20 miles to Lone Jack. He suggested riding the Katy Trail to Jefferson City and St. Louis.

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posted by Rick Anderson @ 8:03 PM  0 comments

Thursday, July 10, 2008

07_03_08

Cycling Kansas

564 miles

My Location: Sedalia, Missouri

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Date: 07-13-08
Location: Sedalia, Missouri
8:00am-3:30pm Olathe, KS - Sedalia, MO (91 miles)

Took Santa Fe Blvd. to Missouri, then Holmes rd. to Hwy 150, then 150 to Lone Jack, then connected to Hwy. 50. Basically east from Olathe, Kansas. Mild temperature and low humidity made today's ride easier. Missouri is beautifully green. Rode by large estates with lots of grass. Met a Missouri cyclist who rode with me 20 miles to Lone Jack. He suggested riding the Katy Trail to Jefferson City and St. Louis.

Date: 07-11-08
Location: Olathe, KS
4:45am-12:30pm Lawrence, KS - Olathe, KS (45 miles)

Took a detour south of Kansas City to see family area circa 1880's - 1920's. Rained for two hours riding south, dry for two hours riding east. Lots of hills.

MCKAIG5G-Grandfather 1919 auction
Date: 07-10-08
Location: Lawrence, KS
7:30am-3:45pm Tuttle Creek Lake, KS - Lawrence, KS (89 miles)

Easy ride, hardly any hills past Manhattan area. Sun all day except for last hour. Rained while setting up tent. The rain stopped when tent got covered.

Date: 07-09-08
Location: Tuttle Creek Lake, KS
4:30am-3:30pm Waconda Lake - Tuttle Creek Lake (110 miles).

Fog 'til 10:30, clouds 'til 1:00; lots of hills, no wind. Tuttle Creek is interesting, it has a park & lake below the reservoir dam. Waverunners & jet skis ride around the reservoir while the lake below stays quiet with people fishing. The park has a lot of old, tall trees with shade.

Tuttle Creek Lake, KS03Tuttle Creek Park
Date: 07-07-08
Location: Waconda Lake, KS
7:45am-1:30pm Webster State Park, KS - Waconda Lake, KS (67 miles).

An easy ride the entire day.

Cawker City, KS 01Cawker City loves their twine
Cawker City, KS02The big ball of twine
Date: 07-05-08
Location: Webster State Park, KS
5:00am-5:30pm Goodland, KS - Webster State Park, KS (127 miles).

103 temp. Easy between Goodland and Hoxie, a hill every 1/2 mile between Hoxie and Hill City. Less hills between Hill City and Webster State Park.
Kansas is much greener than I expected. Everyone says Kansas is more humid than normal, and the almost daily rain has has another effect other than increased humidity. Increased biting flies!!! The flies in Kansas bite. They bite through shirts, socks, and doubled bicycle shorts. I'm told flies bite when its going to rain.

KS GreeneryKansas greenery
Date: 07-03-08
Location: Goodland, KS
8:30am-12:30pm Burlington, CO-Goodland, KS (35 miles).

Met Rod Summers at Goodland kansas KOA. He's from Thousand Oaks, went to Westlake High same time.

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posted by Rick Anderson @ 7:06 PM  1 comments