Day 17 - May 7

Strong and Fast
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Back at you from the home of the Salukis - Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL.  OK, so where were we?  Oh yeh, Day 17, May 7th.  Richard and I awoke at our standard time - 7:00am - and headed from Michael's Motel in Golconda, IL down to the Dairy Bar.  This was the place to be on Sunday morning.  We took the last booth in the non-smoking section and ordered up some breakfast.  The service wasn't speedy but the food and people watching were very good.  We got on the road at around  9:00am after loading up on snacks and Gatorade at the local convenience store.  We said goodbye to Golconda which was a friendly little town on the Ohio River.  Our goal today was Carbondale, IL - which was where we had planned to meet Ellen - about 70 miles to the west.  The weather was cool and overcast.  Jacket weather.  Again, southern Illinois is a lot hillier than a guy would think.  Up and down for most of the day - not huge mountains - but steady up and down.  We passed through Shawnee National Forest and Craborchard National Wildlife Refuge.  Southern Illinois is a lot more wooded than I expected.  It was hillier and more wooded than eastern Kentucky.  It was akin to eastern KY - rolling terrain with lots of forest.  We passed lots of lakes and ponds.  The folks in southern Illinois take their hunting and fishing serious - lots of guys with bass boats, camo hats and the like.  We put in a hard earned 41 miles before settling down to lunch at the local Goreville, IL diner - The Late Bloomers' Restaurant.  The place was full of people dressed in their church clothes enjoying their big Sunday meal.  Southern Illinois still has the feel of the Bible belt - maybe not as hard core as the no-beer Baptists in Kentucky - but we did pass lots of churches throughout the day. After lunch we loaded up on more snacks and Gatorade and got back on the trail.  Again, Richard leading the way the vast majority of the time.  He was riding very strong - showing no signs of weakness after logging over 200 miles with me.  If he was tired or sore - he didn't let on.  I made no bones about it - my pride being left back in Virginia - I was tired, worn out and sore - deep down fatigue that permeates every cell in your body.  The kind of fatigue where you can fall asleep within 30 seconds of your head hitting the pillow.  The paperback that I purchased back in Berea for 50 cents - I think I'm on page 3 after a week or more.

Lead Dog and Crew Chief
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After lunch in Goreville the terrain begain to temper a bit.  Fewer steep hills and less of them.  We picked up the pace and rolled into Carbondale about 6:00pm.  66 miles for the day - 989 mile to date on the tour.  Ellen had arrived from Paducah before midday and had totally scoped out the town.  She had us a nice hotel waiting for us (Ramada Limited) and had found the university, bike shops, restaurants, etc.  After a hot shower, Ellen gave us a tour of Carbondale.  Riding with Ellen at the wheel is an experience that is akin to hot laps at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.  She pulls 2 or 3 "G's" in her U-Turns.  The excitement of the ride doesn't seen to impact the safety though.  We survived the tour and enjoyed her "local" knowledge.  Carbondale is bigger than any town on Tour de Fletch since Charlottesville, VA.  The map says C'Dale's population is around 20,000 - I'm not sure how many students are at the Southern Illinois campus - but the town has lots to offer in the pub/restaurant realm - not unexpected for a college town.  Ellen had her eye on a little cafe near the heart of town.  Upon closer inspection - we vetoed it based upon the fact that it had no beer and the place was full of smoking college students studying for final exams.  We walked another block and found a Mexican restaurant that served cool beer from a tap in a icey mug - BINGO.  And margaritas.  Ellen went for the margaritas and you can guess what drinks Richard and I ordered.  After dinner and a trip to the library on campus for an overdue update to my journal - we headed back to Casa Ramada.  I had some work ahead of me.  This is where the tour takes on the appearance of Trains, Planes and Automobiles - or more accurately Bikes, Boats and Rental Cars.  Stay Tuned.

She pulls 2 or 3 "G's" in her U-Turns.