Day 17: Utica to Cave in Rock, Illinois
distance: 93 miles
Day 18: Cave in Rock to Tunnel Hill
distance: 60 miles
Day 19: Tunnel Hill to Carbondale, Illinois
distance: 41 miles
total distance: 1216 miles
Who knew that the Ohio River separates two states? Not me. We took a ferry to cross our second state border from Kentucky to Illinois two days ago. Somehow we all felt excited to be done with Kentucky. Every time you cross a border or switch into a different time zone (we are now 1 hour behind eastern time! and we don't exactly know when the switch occurred), you actually feel like you accomplished some distance. It's a mental booster.
The last three days riding had its own challenges. We have been hit with immense heat waves in both Kentucky and Illinois. There was in fact a heat advisory, warning people to stay cool in their air conditioned homes. Two days in a row, our thermometer measured 110 degrees Fahrenheit. That's hot enough to crack an egg on the ground and have some sunny-side-up five minutes later.
And yet we keep moving still. How do we do it safely? For one thing, we carry tons of water with us. I carry four bottles with me, two in my holders and two strapped to my bags, and I refill all of them every time we stop somewhere. I have gotten used to drinking warm gatorade, which tastes like tea, by the way. It's really not that refreshing, but it still helps. Another thing that helps is garden hoses. That's right. In order to cover 70 miles a day in baking heat, you have to cool off every 10 miles or so. We literally walk up to people's homes (those that are already waving at us) and ask if we may drench ourselves with their garden hoses. It feels great for about 30 minutes, after which you are completely dry again and are desperately searching for another hose.
We were happy to arrive at Al and Ann's home two days ago. They invited us to stay a night and we were all too happy to sleep in an air conditioned room. The night before I was dripping sweat just sitting in my tent. We chilled off for the evening and shared a few stories over dinner. I played with the dogs and watched humming birds drink sugar water on the porch. The nicest part of that evening was hearing how Al and Ann had designed and built their home from scratch. Their house reminded me of a cozy log cabin, just much much bigger and homier. Lots of character. Every room had handmade quilts as bedding and every item spoke toward their personality. I loved it.
Today we will get to Missouri. yayuh. Yah, Illinois was a short stay, but nice nonetheless.
