Day 1

And so it begins. I finally rolled out of the house around 8:30, later that I'd hoped, but probably about what I expected. One of the last things I remembered to grab were my was my ProgPower ticket. Makes me wonder what I didn't remember!

First destination was my parents' house. That meant a very familiar route, so for the first hour, it was just like riding over to Sunday dinner, except the bike was a bit heavier. Said hello, snarfed down some food, gave 'em my contact information, took some pictures, and soon it was time to say goodbye and be on the way. Mom didn't get too emotional, just about right if you ask me. My brother Joel had come over on his bike to meet me there, so we both rode off together.

For this stage, I let Joel lead, since he knows the routes in the city better than I do. We basically rode Bryn Mawr to the lakefront, where we hopped on the bike path and made our way south. The traffic was only really crazy for the few miles around Navy Pier. And since there aren't any traffic lights, we were actually able to make pretty good time. We headed out towards the "Northerly Island" to get a beautiful shot of the skyline. The day was absolutely perfect: blue skies, blue waters, and comfortable temperatures. Stopped for lunch at the Museum Campus Cafe or some such place. Then we continued on down the south half of the path, where the traffic drops dramatically. Although we talked about Joel just saying "screw it" to has beckoning studies, never turning around, and riding with me for the whole trip, eventually we stopped so he could head back. Now it my turn to get emotional, as it was really quite a Sam Gamgee moment for me: "One more pedal revolution and I'll be farther from home than I've ever been before". When Joel turned around, that's when the trip truly began, and I felt quite a mix of emotions much like I'm sure Sam did.

So, I continued on my own, and a couple miles later, at 6900 South, I got a flat tire! I've rode these tires for a few months and probably around 1000 miles, and it was my very first flat. Not exactly encouraging when it happens halfway into my first day. I was quite pleased to find that it was caused simply by a piece of glass right in the middle of the tire, and wasn't the result of some mysterious combination of weight and riding conditions. Got it repaired pretty quickly (the ESGE double-legged kickstand let me take off the rear wheel without flipping the bike or even removing the panniers) and was again on my way.

Went through some of the South Side neighborhoods that seem much more familiar that you'd expect, and eventually crossed into Indiana on Indianapolis Boulevard. Passed through a fairly deserted industrial area (with a giant BP facility) and headed towards Gary.

Poor Gary, Indiana! As I was riding through the industrial area before Gary, a car slowed beside me and the couple (coming from the Horseshoe Casino, by the look of them) asked where I was headed. I told them, and they asked if I knew I was headed towards Gary, and what a bad town it was. I told them yes, and that I'd keep my eyes open, and thanked them for their concern. I didn't ask them "have you been there?" as suggested by a great Adventure Cycling essay advising readers to ignore all advice from people who actually haven't been to the destination they're warning against. A couple miles later a woman in a minivan rolled down her window and expressed the very same concern for my life and health! She claimed to be born and raised in the area, so I couldn't use the "have you been there?" on her, but I might has asked "well you're still alive, aren't you?" Then this woman actually took it a step further, and followed me for at least three miles! All the while pleading with me to reconsider! She even offered to drive me across Gary. She said she was just a concerned mother, and I told her I'm sure my own mother would be pleased to know there's someone standing in for her. Once I attempted to ditch her by cutting across an area without streets, but she caught me! Eventually I made a left on US 12, and that's where she ended her escort, presumably giving me up for dead.

So, how was Gary? Perfectly fine, of course. There wasn't one second where I felt unsafe. I kept waiting for the "bad part" to come (the west side is quiet...center seems nice...cool baseball field...maybe the east side is the bad part of town...) and of course it never came. By far the scariest part of the whole passage came when two junkyard dogs came running and barking. But they were well-fenced, so it wasn't even an issue. I've been in far more dangerous situations in rural Wisconsin. Maybe I just got lucky with the route I took, or got a lucky day, but I don't think so. I guess it's really nice that people are concerned, but it's pretty sad for a town like Gary; it's like it doesn't even have a chance to prove that it's not the worst place on Earth, because everyone is too scared to go to there.

Then, after 75 miles of riding through urban areas, I was finally out in the country, east of Gary. Still not much in the way of farm fields or anything, but nice rural roads with little traffic. Eventually I made it to my destination, Sand Creek Campground, just south-east of Chesterton. Curiously, it's run by a Korean couple and has a church right amidst the campsites. Hopefully I'll be up and gone before they come knocking on my tent for Mass!