We could have stayed in bed all day. Not due to being tired, but due to it being the comfiest bed we are likely to sleep in for a very long time. While I am sure there are plenty of great hotels between here and Santa Monica, the budget isn’t being stretched that far to cover them… that would feel like cheating!
Up and showered by 8am and then a walk along West Adam Street to find an ATM, specifically one in a bank, and food to see us through breakfast and lunch. The former was a success in the shape of Chase, while the latter was a failure in the shape of 7Eleven. That said, I have a feeling we will be frequenting 7Eleven on a semi-regular basis over the coming months.
It took a little longer to get the bikes down from the 5th floor than it did to get up, firstly because I had to wait until a lift turned up empty to fit a single bike in, and secondly, because Deborah got in a lift going to the top floor, which then stopped on every floor on the way back down just long enough for the unsuspecting guests to peer in, see Deborah and her bike, and mutter, “I’ll wait for the next one”.
Checked out, we retraced our steps back to the official start of Route 66. A group of friends were taking photographs of the ‘Route 66 Begin’ sign when we arrived, so no problems getting our kick-off snap and plenty ‘thoughts and prayers’. The same happened at Grant’s Fountain, the official start of the Adventure Cycle Association’s Route 66, although with no offer of support from the big guy this time.
From Grant Park, we rejoinder the Lakefront Trail south in good company. It seems the entire population of Chicago was making the most of the glorious weather and the Shoreline Trail was the place to be.
We eventually were as far south on the Lake Michigan as we needed to be, so reluctantly broke away from the trail and cycled along quiet suburban streets, making a small ‘there and back’ detour to step foot in another state to add to our list, Indiana.
The road cycling didn’t last long before we found ourselves on the Burnham Greenway Black Trail. This trail, instead of been crowded with people, was a magnet for nature. Deer, chipmunks, squirrels, snakes, dragonflies, crickets, and numerous rodents that w couldn’t put names too.
Another excursion on quiet suburban streets, surrounded by houses that looked more like pristine film sets than boxes people actually live in, found us back on the Burnham Greenway, but this time the Red Trail.
We continued to enjoy the easy cycling and beautiful countryside throughout the afternoon, with no particular schedule in mind other than making it to our campground before dark. Lunch came in the form of a couple of bags to crisps and a brain freezing ice drink, to supplement the jelly sweets we had been consuming along the way. Not the best diet, but being out in the countryside with no access to regular shops came at a price.
The Burnham Greenway then turned into the Penney Greenway, before another short journey through suburbia and onto the Thorn Creek Trail.
The only negative about these well-marked cycle trails, which is unavoidable, is the ‘stop-start’ every time they cross a road. Often the cross was simple, either due to there being no cars to play frogger with or a friendly driver stopping the queue of traffic to allow us to cross. Unfortunately at other times, it took 5+ minutes to find a gap big enough in the traffic to cross. Lighter bikes may have had an easier time, but as one cyclist put it at one of the crossings we shared for a few minutes, ‘I bet it takes some effort to get those beasts moving again after a stop’, as he sped off on a bike that likely weighed less than my two rear panniers!
Eventually, we arrived at Old Plank Road Trail, the trail that led us to within a couple of miles from the campground. This was the final stretch of the day, so while it was as pretty as every other inch of every other trail through the day, it did turn into a push to the finish so that we could get the tent up before dark.
Turning off the Old Plank Road Trail to a chorus of crickets preparing for the evening jam session, we headed through a very pretty industrial park before arriving at our home for the night, Martin’s Campground.
Tent up and $25 poorer, we headed on foot to the only food available in reasonable distance without motorised transport… a choice of Shell Mart or Mobile Mart. With such an amazing choice of food, dinner was a carton of milk each, courtesy of Mobile Mart, and biscuits leftover from breakfast. Before you say anything, I know… 🙂
Yes, we are cycling Route 66 and yes, we haven’t cycled an inch of it yet (although we did see a pizza place with a Route 66 mural on the wall trying to fool unsuspecting cyclists in.
Today was always about getting out of Chicago safely. Tomorrow we hit the Mother Road!