June 5, 2021
Day 31: Ashkum, IL to Wenona, IL
Crawling Against The Wind
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Climbing Today; 534 ft Climbing to Date; 51,463 ft
I would say that we were running against the wind today, but the fact is that the wind was so overpowering we were barely able to crawl against it. We finished today completely exhausted. The flat plains of Illinois have proven to be tougher than the mountains of Vermont - today was absolutely our toughest day so far.
Now that you know the punchline, let's fill in things a bit. This is what's it like to fight against the wind on the flat plains of Illinois.
Not much to say really. Today ended up being all about survival. We survived and are beaten and scarred from the experience. The cycling gods sometimes favor you with a nice tailwind, and sometimes they laugh at you struggling against the wind.
Despite The Wind, We Did Enjoy the Solitude of the Ride.
It wasn't just windy today, it was hot. So kind of like exercising all day in a blast furnace - I think that sums it up rather accurately.
I'm playing catch-up on the journal. It's hard to remember the last day sometimes when the current day has beaten you down. We have a long day scheduled for tomorrow, so I better call it quits now. G'night folks...
Today's ride: 74 miles (119 km)
Total: 1,593 miles (2,564 km)
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Kerry Smith here from Two Far. I've been following your trip and wondering if our paths will cross. Our current plans put us on the Northern Tier in Glendive, MT on 6/28 & then we'll spend about a week riding east on the NT Route to Bismark before we drop down to SD. It would be nice is we could meet.
2 years ago
It seems likely we may meet! Our current plan (as of this morning, we are taking a rest day and planning ahead as I type) has us in the Bismarck area on 6/26, then heading west. We are going to need another rest day somewhere along the way up there, but we should be hitting Dickinson around the 28th or so. I'd wish you a tailwind, but that means we would have a headwind - so the best I can hope for us both is calm winds!
Stay in touch and keep us up to date on your progress. Best of luck,
George (Buddy) Hall
2 years ago