Pedaling Pilgrim Blog Home

Miles to date: 2,553.2

We began this journey with the relocation of my youngest daughter Caroline 2,000 miles west. She’s far from home, and I miss her greatly; but I am also so happy for her – she’s in a beautiful part of the country with wonderful people and seemingly at the best point in her young life. It’s a most bittersweet feeling when I think of my sweet Caroline.

Tonight I feel similarly about this journey. Tomorrow the three of us will likely ride out from Woodstock to Algonquin, then we’ll go separate ways. Geeto and I will meet on Friday at Buckinham Fountain, but Lecy won’t be with us. The pilgrim triad will be no more. My calendar entry on August 7 says “Let the biking begin”; my calendar entry 39 days later should say “the end of the pilgriming triumvirate terminates”. It’s a bittersweet feeling.

We’ve learned a lot about each other, and probably more about ourselves. We’ve shared experiences that are hard to explain to others, but easy to evoke to one another. We may still be unsure why we chose to take this journey, but we’re thankful we did and grateful for the support of our partners. We are indebted to our spouses and appreciative of everyone who has helped us along the way (hosts, prayer warriors, blog readers, curious strangers with blessings for safe travels… many people have helped move us along in many ways). For Geeto and me, the journey is not finished… but we will miss our third musketeer.

But, Lecy is still with us tonight and we had a fabulous day today. The route was “only” 72 miles today – a day representative of our 34 days of riding. We had a mixture of sun and overcast skies; we had quiet serenity and nerve wracking traffic (with one disgruntled pick-up truck driver); we had beautiful scenery and mind-numbing plainness… It was blend of our 34 days with a little “sprizzle” thrown in as a reminder of how blessed we’ve been with good weather. We also experienced the steepest climb of our entire journey: after crossing the Rockies I didn’t expect to spend so much time in my granny gears in southern Wisconsin, but today’s 72 miles were quite demanding.

About 45 miles into our day, we came into Lake Geneva for our lunch stop. At the Kwik Trip we picked up our usual pickles and chips to side with the sour dough PBJ. We had a lovely rest overlooking the modest Monday boat traffic on the lake. And, we had a great visit with my high school friend Tim Suter.

When you’ve known someone for 46 years (give or take), and you’ve seen them go through various evolutions, and you remain friends, that says a lot. Sutes is a Grade A human being; he’s the kind of person that makes you think, “I should be doing more to make the world a better place.” He’s also an Ironman and he competed in an Eco-challenge in Fiji, so he knows a thing or two about endurance events. He’s been impressed with our accomplishments and I consider that high praise.

I’ve also thought of Sutes in recent days… when I learned that Neil Diamond “Heartlight” clunker was about E.T., I immediately thought back to 1982. Sutes and I were freshman in high school and decided we should see the Spielberg film that everyone was raving about. I can’t recall the circumstances, but we brought my sister Ellen along (nearly 5 years younger than me – a fifth grader at the time). We shared popcorn and Sno-caps and enjoyed the movie. In the waning scenes, when the scientists capture E.T. And his Heartlight appears to be extinguished… Sutes cried. I didn’t cry, my 9-year old sister didn’t cry, future Ironman cried… and Ellen and I quietly laughed at him. I’ve reflected on this moment many times over the past 44 years; I’m still undetermined whether Ellen and I were desensitized and evil, or Sutes was emotionally soft; we all have different upbringings and experiences and I think if E.T. Were released today, Ellen and I may cry at this scene. But, I needed to offer this story as rarely do friends get into the blog without some generous shade. Thanks Sutes for the visit.

After lunch we had 24 miles to slog through to Woodstock IL. After climbing a few more hills out of Lake Geneva, made more challenging by the typical post-lunch malaise, we faced a most magnificent olfactory abuse. We rode past a dead skunk almost simultaneously as we were passed by a particularly wretched garbage truck. Lecy and I shared a laugh at this simultaneous odorous encounter. Moments later, we were passed by a truck hauling swine manure just as we came upon a farm operation loading silage (which is a foul smelling fermented hay); this swine manure and silage handling seemed to go for a few miles, as if the state of Wisconsin was encouraging us to move on down the road. After days of joyful Wisconsin miles, we were now pressed to move to greener more redolent surroundings.

A short time later, we knew we were in Illinois by the pothole proliferation. We hoped for a “Welcome to the Land of Lincoln” sign, but there was no formal indication of crossing the state line. Instead, we were greeted by the subliminal message: “Welcome to Illinois where your tax dollars go for corruption instead of municipal maintenance.” Like how other states ship their criminals to Mississippi, it seems North Dakota and other states with enviable roadways send their potholes to Illinois. Ah… back to my home state. 🤦‍♂️

After some final strenuous miles accentuated by school rush traffic, and highlighted by one particular jerk in a big black pickup truck (compensating for something unknown to us), we arrived at the Kishwaukee Brewery. Before I forget to say it, owners Cara and Dan are truly great people; and they brew great quality products and have a fabulous space to relax and converse. Geeto and I did a “test flight” in overnight camping here in the spring, and though I looked more homeless now Cara seemed to recognize me as I walked in. We had a fabulous evening at the brewery, and the proprietors were gracious enough to let us set up camp on the patio as we await the impending thunderstorms.

Cara did warn us of some weird characters that they’ve seen in the area. There’s “loop guy” who periodically and irregularly walks/jogs/shuffles the half mile loop around the commercial park where the brewery resides. There’s “shirtless guy” who sporadically walks across the lawn in front of the brewery with no apparent origin or destination. Cara said these guys are daytime travelers; she made no mention of “chainsaw guy”, “man with the axe”, or “bloody clown suit dude”, so we’re happy to take our chances in another overnight camping here.

As I said, we enjoyed a lovely evening at Kishwaukee Brewery. Cara kept us in conversation while we took turns taking a “Beiswanger” in the bathroom (reminder, or for those new to the blog, Lynn and Carol Beiswanger gifted us extra large/thick wipes that we can use to “shower” when we’re staying at locations without a shower head – we call this “taking a Beiswanger”). We talked about cycling and people’s propensity to stay home rather than venturing to the outdoors and the unknown. Cara said, “Breaking up with your couch is hard.” We live in a society that is optimized for indoors and isolated living where climate control trumps adventure and exploration; this is something that is more recognizable when you spend time outdoors for long stretches of the day like we have.

We played a few games of cribbage and had some good salads and Italian dinners delivered. Geeto seemed stressed and restless about his bike tire situation ; he couldn’t seem to face up to the facts; he was tense and nervous and he couldn’t relax. After 3 or 4 consultations, I’m still not sure if he’s sure what his upcoming tire plans are. Geeto dealt from the bottom of the deck tonight, which made me think he needs to care less. He concluded that if he were to do this again, he’d tow a trailer rather than put all the weight on the back of his bike.

Tomorrow I’ve got a simple and mostly familiar 42 mile ride home. Geeto has about 50 miles to his house. Lecy will either ride to Geeto’, or downtown Chicago, or all the way home to Indiana; his mood and weather will dictate tomorrow. I plan to ride to the Sturdy Shelter Brewery (brewery to brewery ride seems appropriate); my friends Cam and Ben are on the schedule and I hope to see Oliver as well; I look forward to showing them how homeless I can look as I walk in wet, tired and unclean. Christin plans to meet me there, for what seems an oddly appropriate homecoming hug. I am really looking forward to this. Day 35: Kishwaukee Brewery to Sturdy Shelter

I’ve got a few songs I need to add tonight…

Firstly: As our triumvirate has traveled through nearly 6 weeks, we’ve become a very efficient machine. Our train with 10 minute position changes has operated nearly flawlessly and provided discipline we needed to keep three obstinate guys from providing three sets of directions. Today was the last time we get to drive this cross-country 3-car train: Last Train

Secondly: The three of us are going back home tomorrow, back where we belong. I expect it will feel different. Being away doing something challenging like this nearly every day for 40 days makes home feel somewhat unreal and transient. I suppose for Geeto and I it is transient as we have only a few days off before forging on towards Rhode Island; regardless, 2+ days off the bake will be odd. Anyway: Go Back Home

Lastly.. I saw Moby once in a pseudo concert environment at a gymnasium in London when waiting to run a 5k race. There were several hundred runners there, and nobody seemed too impressed with Moby. Me? When he came on I had to rush to the stage. I only saw 4-5 songs before I had to go run 5K, but I was glad to see him, though I don’t recall what songs I saw. As I prepare to head off on my own towards home: Natural Blues

Now.. I need to push “publish”; I’ve nearly fallen asleep 3 times writing this blog, and I need to get some sleep before the storm comes in. it may be an exciting night.