june 26
day 48
21 miles
total 1,254
the great eastern adventure portion of my journey is dwindling away.
i am only about 45 miles short of the mississippi river.
called it early today after skipping around thunderstorms all day.
the rain seemed to be spreading.
seemed like a good time to stop,
rather than risk destroying another pair of shoes.
i have to admit the desire to reach the mississippi has become an obsession. the incessant traffic of the east has gotten really old.
we avoided most of 20 today,
wandering all over the countryside again
(this time avoiding gravel)
but the time we did spend on the main road was the same old song and dance.
heavy traffic
lots of trucks
and zero to six inches of shoulder.
i have jumped on and off the road so often that my feet feel like one big bruise.
i should have trained for this journey on the rockiest roughest trails i could find…
while people tried to run me down with off road vehicles.
in my fantasies, once i get on old 20 west of dubuque
i will tool down the asphalt
walking on the lovely smooth surface
and not be recalculating my course at every intersection.
all of which does not pay proper tribute to freeport, lena, and the other towns i have been passing through.
illinois is a beautiful state
the towns are memorable
and the hills of north west illinois are much more than expected.
the people out in the countryside are full of waves and thumbs up encouragement.
several stopped to say;
”i saw you in (ellemore)
how far are you going?”
transcon travelers have a lot of friends.
confirming my belief that this is the sort of thing that everyone would secretly like to try.
laz