August 7, 2025
Day 32 - ending near Bourbonnais, IL
I had marked on my 3x5 note card that I got up at 5:32am, but that's crossed out. The actual time was 6:43am. I packed up and left the tent camping area at 8:13am, headed to the office to pay for last night's stay. The worker there said, because of my age and it not being a weekend, the fee was zero. Gebhard Woods is right next to the Hennepin Canal, so I rode a short section of that to get into downtown Morris.
I had Clayton's Tap marked as the place to eat breakfast. That worked out well. I was able to use their WiFi to get pictures uploaded, got my phone charged up, and my thermos full of ice. I was on my way at 9:39am, slowed down some taking pictures before I was out of town.
My destination today is Potawatomi Campground in Kankakee River State Park. I'd be riding near the end on the Kankakee River Bike Trail to get there.
I saw from my routing that I was planning to cross the Illinois River at Morris on IL-47. Fortunately when I got there I saw a dedicated bicycle/pedestrian lane on the bridge. That path continued south of the bridge all the way to where I turned onto Pine Bluff Road. From there I stair-stepped my way to Coal City, where I got on a gravel bike path underneath power lines. I diverted off my routing enough to get to the Shell gas station downtown to get some Gatorade.
I was next to Coal City F.P.D. Station No. 2 on the south side of the city when the noon alarm went off. Where did the morning go? I'd only gone 15.8 miles. But then again I only had 20 more to go. There's a 9-11 Memorial at this station, with a couple steel beams, I'm assuming from one of the Twin Towers. They're amazingly heavy-duty looking, but still they're bent.
At 12:25am I rode over interstate I-55. I was apparently in Braidwood right after that. One thing the Shell gas station in Coal City did not have is canned coffee, and I had it in my head that I wanted one for tomorrow morning. So I walked across the road to Braidwood's Marathon gas station for that $4.18 treat.
I went south out of Braidwood on Center Street, then got on Smiley Road to get to IL-113. I only went a short distance on that highway to get to the southwest end of Wauponsee Glacial Trail (at 1:36pm). I was using that trail to get across the Kankakee River and to IL-102. Highway IL-102 was busy. Fortunately there were rumbles strips separating me on a medium-narrow shoulder from the traffic.
I arrived at the start of the Kankakee River Bike Trail at 2:28pm. It'd be trail-riding the rest of the way. I don't think this is a rail trail. There were ups and downs, and one hill I had to walk. The trail is almost all in a wooded area, with the highway close enough to the north to sometimes hear traffic, and the Kankakee River to the south, close enough to see it once in awhile.
At 3:02pm I passed Chippewa Campground. I'd stayed there on a previous trip and was dismayed then that they don't have a shower house. Potawatomi Campground, where I was heading, does.
I didn't make note of when I arrived at the campground, but I guess you could say I came in the back way, since it was from the trail. This left me wondering where the check-in office is, or at least a campground host. I finally asked some passerbys and was directed to the campground host site, but no one was there. There was a posting saying go ahead and set up in an unreserved site and come back to pay later. I looked around and decided at 4:15pm that site #28 on the Oak Loop of this campground would work for me. This site, and I think all the sites here, have electricity. I set up the tent then went to get a shower. The shower house is far enough away that I used the now-empty bike. I feel so much better cleaned up and in clean clothes. The weather forecast is predicting heat and humidity for the next several days, so this feeling's not going to last.
Next I had supper out of my lunch bag. Except what I'm saving for tomorrow morning's breakfast, the bag is empty. I need to visit a Dollar General store to resupply.
I sorted through pictures after that, sitting at the picnic table. There was a breeze once in a while that felt good. Families with kids would wave as they passed by. Just before 8:00pm I found the campground host home, and was able to pay my camping fee.
There's a slight chance of rain overnight, but I'm ready for that. I see my run of short days is over. The next 3 days are all planned for over 50 miles. Hope I'm up to it.
Jeff
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Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 1,259 miles (2,026 km)
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