Sept 7 -11: In and Out of Chicago.. Phew!

Sept 7 - Washington, IA to Moline, IL = 82 mi / 132 km

Sept 8 - Moline, IL to Mendota, IL = 89 mi / 144 km

Sept 9 - Mendota, IL to Westmont, IL = 66 mi / 106 km

Sept 10 - Westmont, IL to Chicago, IL = 36 mi / 58 km

Sept 11 - Chicago, IL to LaPorte, IN = 68 mi / 110 km

Total = 5119 mi / 8256 km

The last time we talked, I was still in Iowa. So let's start from there.. I crossed the Mississippi River on the 7th from the very pretty town of Muscatine, IA. After riding around a little bit and enjoying sunshine by the River, I went over the bridge to Illinois and rode all the way to Moline.

Tank & Mississippi

From Moline, it was time for me to hop on the Grand Illinois Trail (GIT). This 535 mile trail loops from the Mississippi to Lake Michigan. My ride on the GIT started in Geneseo, following the Hennepin Canal. Wow, I was truly impressed with the quality of the trail. It felt good to ride on a quiet trail, not having to worry about cars and trucks. Actually, it was so quiet I was really wondering if anyone was using it. The spiderwebs network was very elaborate! After 30 miles, when we were back on the real road, the Tank and I were ready for Halloween. Covered in spiderwebs, branches, leaves and all kinds of bugs, it felt like we were out of the jungle.

I made my way towards Chicago on and off the GIT and the Illinois Prairie Path (IPP). Along the way, I learned that approaching, entering and exiting a big city requires preparation. I made my homeworks for Chicago because I knew how easy it is to get into trouble. My itinerary was well planned and slowly, I entered the city. At first in very wealthy neighborhoods, I could admire the beautiful houses and, little by little, the landscape started to change... Little by little, the slow sightseeing ride started to go a lot faster. Soon, I was pedaling as fast as I could, timing myself to avoid the red lights and looking straight in front of me. I heard things screamed at me that I would not dare repeat here... And a light turned red. "Hey girl!" I turned around to see a man in a Land Rover, rolling down the passenger window. "Please do me a favor and never, ever, ever stop on a red light in this part of the city! Go! Keep going till you hit California!". I was in Humboldt Park, one of the roughest neighborhoods in town (not mentionned in the GIT description though...). So I kept going and soon, I was in vibrant (and safe) downtown area. A skinny guy on a neon orange fixed gear bike passed me. He seemed to know what he was doing so I followed him. Whew! Hello adrenalin!! When we both came to a stop, he started to laugh when he saw I was still there.

- NICE! Are you riding across the country?

- Yah!

- You're going to the Lakefront?

I nodded and he looked at his watch. Then, pointing at my bike, he said:

- Hmm.. you're gonna need help with that thing. I've got time, follow me.

I did not understand what he meant until we got to the Lake. To reach the Lakefront bike path, you need to go under the highway. To go under the highway, you need to go into a tunnel. And to go into the tunnel, you must go down stairs and back up on the other side. Stairs... It reminded me my very first day of the trip, when I had to go up stairs to cross the bridge that would get me into Vancouver, BC. I had to do four or five carries to get everything up. It was May 19th but feels like 10 years ago. Anyways, this time, I had help and everything went smoothly. Thanks again, Aaron!

Downtown Chicago is awesome by the way. Although I did not explore in details, I could still appreciate the dynamism of the city. From the Lakefront bike path, that rides along Lake Michigan, the views of the city were stunning. I made my way South very slowly on a very sunny day.

Going out of Chicago was long and I went through some iffy neighborhoods but I am now in Indiana. Let me tell you that, after that crazy urban ride, I was appreciating my corn fields!