Tuesday, June 7th
I went to bed with a route settled in my mind. North along Lake Michigan, cut inland before Wilwaukee in Wisconsin, and join the Northern Tier route somewhere on the edge of Iowa on the Missisipi. I woke up and for whatever reason completely changed my mind. I suppose that’s both the benefit and drawback of being an indecisive person travelling on your own on your bike.
What I decided instead was to head south-west, backtracking slightly but joining the Northern Tier route much earlier which would give me a taste of how that feels and if I wanted to carry on with it all the way to Vancouver. My aim was to get to Starved Rock state park, one of the most scenic spots in Illinois known for its waterfalls and canyons. The total change in landscape sounded exciting and just 20 miles south of there I could get on route.
It was around 100 miles away. I left John and Katie’s flat just before noon, so I’d split the journey over the afternoon and the following morning, leaving me half a day to take a closer look around the park.
Today I’d aim for Des Plaines Dolomite Prairies Land And Water Reserve, a state park which apparently had camping and was around 40-50 miles from Starved Rock. It felt good to have all these ideas crystallised in my head.
Before heading off I had a breakfast of grits and egg cooked by Katie, I posted home a few more things, finished packing, bought two doughnuts and a coffee, and took some photos of the cats.
I got my bike out of the basement and put everything back on it and left, turning back towards the lake and rejoining the path I’d cycled on when I arrived.
The riding was very black and white. Either peaceful canal paths, or busy two lane roads shared with trucks.
To begin with it was back on the lake front road. A less anxious ride this time as the repairs seemed to be holding up. The sea was rough and it was an overcast but warm day. I listened to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot as I began to leave the city behind.
But it would take almost another 30 miles to clear it completely. I got to see more of the city at least, passing through Chinatown and a large Mexican neighbourhood where I stopped to pick up a burrito for lunch. The smell of fresh tortillas filled the air and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have something a little more authentic than Dunkin’ Doughnuts.
These first few hours contained some of the least enjoyable so far. Roads were busy with people rushing in large cars and trucks. Suburban streets stretched on forever. By the airport planes coming in to land flew alarmingly close to the roads and there was a lot to concentrate on.
Eventually I made it out to some small roads near Buffalo Woods, these led to the town of Willow Springs where I joined the I & M canal bike trail. I stopped and ate the burrito at the trail entrance.
This began a series of canal paths which I spent most of the afternoon on which took me to the edge of Joliet. It was pleasant cycling and the miles passed easily, a welcome change from the morning. The paths went along nature reserves, quarries, the canal and close to train tracks which freight trains used.
At Joliet I rejoined the roads, navigating back on to the route 6 briefly before taking a series of strange back roads which only seemed to be used by lorries. Thanks, Google. I should have used my own initiative more. Usually the cycle routing avoids these kind of roads but today it seemed to specifically be choosing them.
Eventually I came to the junction with highway 55 where the majority of the big traffic was heading. I took a smaller exit. The road curved away and the sound of the traffic on the 55 began to get duller.
I arrived at the entrance of the park is aimed for, expecting there to be some kind of entrance where you paid for camping, like the others I’d been to recently. But there was nothing. One office building but it was shut with no cars parked outside.
I cycled around the park a little then headed back to a picnic area near the entrance and making sure my spot was hidden from the road I cycled around the perimeter fence of an area containing a storage building, edged by trees, and put my tent up with a view of the prairie land in front, totally hidden from the road. Back in stealth camping mode again.
Map
