Miles 2408 to 2514, 106 miles, 1750 feet of climb, max speed 32 mph, avg speed 14 mph, 10 mph head wind all day out of the east.
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| Happy Birthday Barn near Liberty, IL |
Happy Birthday America! It seemed that everybody had their homes decked out in red, white, and blue, today, and especially so for the little town of Liberty, IL. They went all out and then some more! At one of my stops along the road (I stop a lot) I talked to a man cleaning his Purple Martin birdhouse. Farmers, by nature, are clever people, and he certainly had an ingenious way to lower the house down off the 20 foot pole. He asked me if I saw his barn on the road, and I asked if it was the white one with the American flag on it and he said yes. I told him a lot of people took pictures of that barn today, including me. We talked awhile and as I left he saluted me. I was honored that there are men and women in the heartland of America that run with a deep respect for the military. I didn’t ask, but as I rode away I bet there were soldiers in his family.
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| Serial #30, complete with steel spokes! |
Mr. Steven Woodrum of Flying “S” Farms said that tractor wasn’t for sell yet, and besides that, how would I get it home pulling it behind my bike? I offered to trade him even for my Scott CR1 carbon framed bi-peddler, but he wasn’t interested. He hadn’t done the estimate on his antique Allis-Chalmers farm tractor, one of the first built (serial #30). He was still deciding if to sell as is or to bring it to working order. He changed the subject and said he was impressed with some of the bikers that passed him while driving his tractor driving down the road today – they were all going at least 15 mph. I told him that 15 mph were the slow ones, and how embarrassed I was when the grandmas pass me by as if I was standing still. Mr. Woodrum fixes tractors when he and his sons aren’t making hay or row farming. They had five completed restorations for sale out front and a good number work-in-progress in the machine shed. What a heritage that man is building in his kids.
Tonight I had a treat. After dinner came laundry, and while in the queue for a washer and dryer I shared the available chairs with a young mom named Katie and her two little toddlers from Morton, IL. Her husband and she put the kids in a trailer behind their bikes (along with everything they needed for overnight adventures) and off they went on vacation. Personally, in my estimation their family vacation is harder than what we are up to, and takes a lot more faith and courage. The boy’s name was Joseph, and he likes trains and tractors. I did not disappoint him. For an hour we had serious discussions (as serious as a 4 year old can hold) while her mom, holding the 2 year old sister, said all the oohs, aahs, and choo-choo at all the appropriate moments as we looked though all my pictures. I hope there is nothing intimate about drying clothes together. I had a small load and so did they. It didn’t make sense to not to pool our quarters and get done twice as fast.
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| Illinois River bridge at Meredosia, IL |
“Forget dinner, where is the ice machine?” Everybody seemed to come in with a deep desire to put ice on their tired muscles. The headwind made today was bothersome (like peddling uphill all day) but the deep hurts come from three days of bone-jarring Missouri roads. Knees, elbows, shoulders, wrists, and that padded fifth point of contact that sits on the saddle were all tender. We were asked who wants to go watch the fireworks tonight. The only answer was moans, to include mine. With what we are looking at tomorrow all opted for the bed over the boom. By the way, the guy with the knot on his knee yesterday went to the ER tonight. No news yet on him.
Bottom Line: If you like corn and beans, Illinois is heaven on earth.
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