Day 46 – July 19 – Pontiac, IL to Iroquois, IL – 65 Miles

Overnight there were thunderstorms. It was a restful night but I had been awaken by several loud claps of thunder.  Forecasts called for a break in the heat but it was apparent the humidity had gotten higher.

Before breakfast I was able to change both rear tires on our bicycles to the new ones Barb brought.  I did some work on an annoying click that had developed yesterday in the front crank of my bike.  We started after 9:00 having enjoyed a substantial breakfast at Three Roses B&B.  Barb headed off to Frankfort,  Indiana for a family funeral.

Today I was looking forward to seeing friends from CU who were coming to meet us in Ashkum.  Due to our late start, it looked like it we would be meeting around lunchtime.  Route 116 is for the most part a straight shot, 36 miles between Pontiac and Ashkum, IL. , Joe and I made a quick stop in Sauneman for some refreshments.  We also met up again with the Habitat riders.

Six miles west of Ashkum, we were detoured for bridge construction.  We were again on oil and chip roads, for a few miles, though the heat had not yet caused the surface to bubble.  It may not have been as hot as yesterday, but the increase in humidity made it just as uncomfortable.  By the time we reached Ashkum, our clothes were saturated.

As we pulled in the parking lot for The Loft restaurant just west of the I-57 /Rt 116 interchange we saw another touring cyclist approaching.  Dylan Atkinson is from San Francisco, and has been on the road since May logging over 5,ooo miles.  He is travelling to the Catskills in New York for his brother’s wedding.  We would see more of Dylan this evening as we had the mutual goal of Iroquois, IL for the evening.

At the Loft, Joe and I enjoyed lunch with Christy Hurt and Carrol Thomas. We had the opportunity to get caught up with some of things going on at Church. I want to thank everyone for their support as well as their prayers. It is great knowing that we are not alone in this endeavor.  Thank you Christy and Carrol for lunch and taking the time to come up and see us.

After lunch and a time to cool off, we continued east from Ashkum.  Routes 45 then 52 continue east where 116 leaves off.  Traffic was light and with the long sight lines, cars gave us plenty of room when passing.  US 52 turns south at Donovan, IL and the crosswind we had for the afternoon gave us a nice boost the last 7 miles to Iroquois.

We are spending our night in the Iroquois Village Hall.  The village opens the hall to cyclists passing through.  It has a shower and an air-conditioned meeting room where we can use our air mattresses and sleeping bags.  For food there is the  Village Café across the street and Meg’s Market.

We’re almost in Indiana.  We will cross the state line shortly after leaving Iroquois tomorrow morning.