September 6, 2021
Day 3 - Brimfield to Morton
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I was not in a rush this morning, since today would be a shorter mileage day to get home. Up at 6:30am. Spent some time a little later talking with the camper across the road about places to see out west. I ate breakfast from my lunchbox bag, then packed up.
A person on an ATV stopped at site A5 to visit with the camper there as I was packing up. This worked out well for me, since the person was the campground host, and he was willing to receive my camping fee right there. This saved me a trip back to his site.
I was rolling at 9:43am, heading east on the park road to get to Jubilee College Historic Area. The road sloped down 14% as I neared Jubilee Creek, which has a paved ford across. Water level was low enough today that my tires stayed dry.
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It was a slow walk for me back out of the creek valley. The entrance to the historic site was at the top to the right. Straight ahead is a former park road that is now divided long-ways by a fence. The state thought they owned the road. A survey by the homeowner on the other side proved otherwise.
I turned right into the park, no problem. My folks, sisters, and I had been here a few times for Sunday afternoon picnics in the park when I was growing up. First, here's some information about the college, which closed in 1862.
During my tour through the park, I came upon two ham radio operators set up at a parking area. They were busy making contacts, so I only visited briefly. Next I came to a butterfly flower garden.
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I went on down the hill, had a break at a picnic table under a large sycamore tree, then headed back out of the park, walking along the fence of the former east property line road.
At 11:04am I was out of the park and on my way to Alta by-way-of Grange Hall Road, a short stretch of IL-91, and Alta Lane. Alta is where the Rock Island Trail State Park and the Peoria Park District Rock Island Greenway meet. Getting on the Greenway heading south would get me through Peoria.
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At 11:58am I stopped at a woods-shaded mowed grassy area next to the road for a break, and to write down the noon mileage: 8.0. The fellow who'd mowed the grass walked over from the driveway ahead for a visit. We talked about bicycles and riding in this area. He wished me a safe trip home, especially on this busy, no-shoulder road. IL-91 ahead was OK for the section that had a shoulder, but Alta Road was a challenge, with many pull-offs for opposing traffic meeting right where I would be. At 12:40pm I was thankful to be pulling into the trailhead parking lot. I was surprised to find the water fountain turned off. I had enough water left, but it wasn't as cold as the fountain water would have been.
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I'd been on this trail before in the reverse direction, so didn't take as many pictures as I probably should have. Also, I was a little worn out from the previous two days, and looking forward to being home.
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Just after 2:00pm, I passed a fellow walking his bike in the direction I was coming from. I stopped after he asked if I had any tools. His chain had jammed next to the rear derailleur. I don't know much about derailleur setups, but was able to get the chain back on a gear (which I see now is called a cog). The fellow was test shifting my repair without the wheel turning, so I said I think the wheel needs to be turning when you shift. Everything seemed to work then. He was headed to Bushwhacker (3/4-mile away) to get the bike looked at. I told him I thought he'd make it there if he didn't shift too far from where he was set now. I don't know if he realized this encounter was the blind leading the blind, but he was very thankful.
Continuing on, I got lost when the trail went to a street route just north of War Memorial Drive. The trail appeared to be heading up North Harvard Avenue, so I went that way for a while. Then I cut over on East Princeton Street to get to a road next to Springdale Cemetery. There's an underpass in the cemetery for getting by War Memorial Drive. I could see the underpass now, beyond a fence. I passed an opening in the fence line, and used it to get there, though I don't think this is the approved route.
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The short steep hill in the cemetery was easy for me this time, being a "downhill" on this trip.
After Glen Oak Park, four blocks riding on Abington Street put me near the river and back on paved trail.
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I had to go two blocks back northwest to get onto the bridge, and was there at 3:35pm.
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I made it to East Peoria and the River Trail of Illinois without concern, thanks to the stoplight on Washington Street. I was ready for a break, then saw that if I walked across a patch of grass, I could get to Culver's, so that's what I did. As I walked over, I was thinking it would be nice if there was a trail path pull-off to get there. After lunch, I found a paved path for just that a little ways up the trail!
At 4:31pm I was back on the trail for home, telling myself to take some pictures, even though I've been on this trail many times before. Actually, maybe I haven't been on it enough, since I went down Spinder Drive, thinking I was on Main Street. I back-tracked that mis-turn to avoid getting completely lost in the shopping area.
At 5:17pm there were raindrops - but only a few.
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I was home at 6:43pm, which gave me time to air-out the tent in the garage and get started with unpacking. This outing was a little more work than I'd thought it'd be, but turned out to be a good weekend.
Total today 32 miles. Moving average 6.6mph. Top speed 28.0mph.
Spent: $8.64 (lunch).
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Today's ride: 32 miles (51 km)
Total: 372 miles (599 km)
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| Comment on this entry | Comment | 4 |
Do you have a big tour planned for after your retirement?
2 years ago
Thanks!
At this point in time, I'm back and forth on whether I'll be ready for a four-month tour or just a four-week tour this year. I have home, church, and volunteer projects lined up as retirement activities, so there's competition for my time. Also, I have a new-to-me bike that needs to be made tour-ready. So there'll be some sort of tour this year, but the four-month one may have to wait.
By-the-way, a co-worker recently suggested the Natchez Trace Parkway as a route I could try. Thanks to your trip postings this year, I was able to discuss the advantages and drawbacks of that!
Jeff
2 years ago