June 20, 2002
7 min. read
This post is part of the Trans-Am series.
I woke up around 7 and started getting things together. I was feeling a little better that yesterday morning and I wanted to get started before the bad heat. I talked with a lady that was in the campground to bush-hog a little for the owner. The registration sign was asking for $18 to camp, which is pretty stiff for someone not using any of the horse facilities. I asked what they charge for people who arrive after 9 PM and leave before 8 AM. $18 dollars for less than twelve hours is terrible. She said that just overnights were $12, she thought. I was going to wait until the owner came to discuss, unless I was ready to go before then. The owner didn’t show before I left at 8:30, so I left $12 and a note about why it wasn’t $18.
The road into Goreville wasn’t too bad and I arrived around 10 AM. I noticed the Late Bloomers Cafe as my stomach was pleading for food. The cafe is a nice local place where most of the people are known to all the employees.
I ordered a 2x4 (2 eggs, 2 pancakes, 2 sausages, and 2 strips of bacon). As I read my book and sipped on water to let my food digest, I was greeted by the owner. She handed me a book to sign and announced that she offers a free dessert for those who are riding across the country and stop in for a meal. She asked me which I wanted. I ordered the Strawberry Shortcake. It actually had short cake (thin crust) with homemade strawberries. Yumm. Make sure to stop by in for a meal and your free dessert if you are pedaling a long way. If you arrive by car, you can still try the shortcake, it just isn’t free. :)
I wanted to push into Carbondale before too late, so I hit the road again. The last service before entering the wilderness area around Devil’s Kitchen Lake and Little Grassy Lake was at Interstate 57. I didn’t stop, as it was just out of Goreville. The hills were decent for quite a while. I noticed a sign go by as I was peddling by as fast as I could to push up the approaching hill. The sign proclaimed quite simply: “Hilly Terrain”. I agree fully.
The hills were steep and numerous until I turned off along the lakes. I passed a sign that told motorists that a permit was required on the vehicle to enter. I hoped that this would reduce the already low traffic further and indeed it did. The roads were surrounded by pretty forests and the occasional view of one of the lakes. This is a public hunting land and there are loads of deer in this area. I noticed 3 white tailed does while riding near the lakes.
Along one of these roads, I was forced over by a driver in a truck. I dropped the rear wheel into a serious pothole. I normally attach my rear bag at the top of the seat and strap the bottom under the back of the rear rack. I had forgotten to strap it down today and the bag launched up to smack the head of a then airborne rider. Yeehaw. I stopped to pick up some batteries that had flown ahead. I’m glad nothing expensive was damaged by my hard noggin.
I stopped with a spongy tire just past the turn for Springer Ridge Rd., off of Boskydell Rd. I think it was residual damage from the pothole, because it leaked out really slow. I just pumped it up and continued into town. At a gas station, where Pleasant Hill Rd hits Hwy 51, I stopped to cool down. It was just past 2:30 and I was hot. I picked up a Gatorade and a Strawberry Icee. Then I headed back outside in the shade, to let my body cool down slowly. I kept sucking the Icee dry, and adding Gatorade. Pretty soon it was more of a Fruit Punch Gatorade Icee than strawberry, but it was cold.
Before leaving, I had to pump up my tire again.
Heading up 51, I noticed SIU (Southern Illinois University). I hadn’t realized that Carbondale was a college town, but getting into downtown it is instantly obvious. I stopped at the Coal Power Technology Center, where they have a very clean burning coal power plant. As I headed further up 51 I saw a sign for the Carbondale Labyrinth. It was much more intricate than the one Hope was building on Afton mountain, but the scenery wasn’t near as good. I walked all the way to the inside, but have to admit that I took a big step shortcut coming out. Made the out route 10 feet instead of a couple hundred.
Up a little further up 51 I stopped in a copy center to get some copies of the two maps that my dad and mom will be riding/driving along with me for the next 3 weeks. My dad is on vacation and he will be riding along. Although he might not ride all of the Ozarks in Missouri.
At the small 3 screen movie theater, I ran into Greg and Jennifer locking up their Cannondale tandem with a BOB Yak trailer. They are riding West to East, using the Western Express route. We talked for a while and they wanted me to come see the movie with them. I told them that I wanted to get a room out of town on 13 and would catch one out there. I had remembered reading about The Bike Surgeon at Carbondale in so many tour reports. I stopped and wanted to pull off the chain ring guard holder that had been on the bike since I had problems with it and removed the guard in Virginia. I pulled off my cranks and tried to remove the bottom bracket. The tool they had was pretty worn, and the bottom bracket was in much tighter than I had installed it. I wonder if the guard going up and down a few times had threaded it in tighter. Eventually I had to just put the cranks back on and forget it. Then I pumped up my rear wheel again, but with their nice floor pump.
I headed out Hwy 13 and saw the Super 8 about 2 miles out of town. They have been nice motels and among the most reasonable, so I turned in. I was in a central location for shopping and such. I checked in and loaded the bike in the room. I had the room at the back, and it was pretty easy to get the entire rig in without taking the bags off. I cooled down and took a shower. The 8 screen theater had an address very close to the motel, so I knew it was just a few steps away. I called up the recording line and decided to see The Bourne Identity. I left the motel a little after 6 and started walking towards the theaters. I stopped in a Best Buy to get a better pair of headphones and was successful. Then I saw the movie and noticed a Taco Bell outside after it was over. I haven’t run to the border in a while and it sounded like a good idea. I grabbed a Zesty Chicken Bowl and a Chicken Grilled Stuffed Burrito and started walking back to the motel. I swung into a Barnes and Noble on the way to pick up another of Dale Brown’s books. I wish Clancy wrote more, but he makes ideas for other people to write books about. They aren’t as good.
Back at the hotel, I relaxed and had dinner before falling asleep.
Day Stats: 4 hours 36 minutes of riding, 40.4 miles. 2210 feet of climbing
Carbondale, IL
Motel: 37 deg 43.855 min N, 89 deg 11.696 min W, elev 405 ft
Trip Miles: 1222.0 miles
Part 37 of 48 in the Trans-Am series.
Series Start | Day 31 - Cave in Rock to Tunnel Hill | Day 33 - Carbondale to Chester