Day 2

Yes, today was a long one. Perhaps too long. I rolled out of the campground at 7:00AM, although I stopped about a mile later as I went under I-80 to dial in and upload yesterday's journal. Got some breakfast at a truck stop in Westville, and continued along US 6, which was a pretty nice road with minimal traffic.

Eventually my eastward route brought me to US 31, where I turned south. That's when I it became clear that the wind was definitely coming from the south. Probably only about 10-12 mph, but when your bike is as non-aerodynamic as mine, and you know you have 70 more miles to go, it can be a bit annoying. US 31 is a four-lane divided highway, and there's an "Old US 31" that roughly parallels it. I chose the highway, because I knew it had a wide, smooth shoulder, and I could probably make the best time of it. The downside was that there were no trees within 20 yards of the road, and the roaring traffic wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world. Eventually I ended up on Old US 31, which was nearly deserted, but still a smooth road, so maybe I should have taken that all along.

Peru was the last town before my camping destination, and for the second day in a row my plans to finish the night off with a beer were foiled (last night I didn't pass any stores within 30 miles of the campground). None of the gas stations or grocery stores sold liquor, and the liquor store was closed. Bummer. I did pick up some groceries though, and eventually made it to the campsite about an hour before sunset.

It's pretty interesting to me that on a ride like this, mile 100 was really no more difficult than mile 50. Not that either mile was necessarily easy, but it just seems like the distance I can cover is more a factor of time than of strength or endurance. I just fell into a routine of stopping for a short drink every five miles or so, and otherwise telling myself to not being discouraged by the 10.5mph speeds and standing and coasting down hills every once in a while. One nice thing about carrying all this weight is that on even the smallest downhill, into a headwind, I can still coast at 9-10mph. So when I reached the campground, I was really no more tired than I was yesterday, and I even cooked myself dinner tonight (Kraft Mac & Cheese with tuna!)

As opposed to last night's campground, which seemed nearly full, tonight's campground is nearly empty. There must be a couple hundred sites here, and there's no one within 100 yards of me. Oh yeah, and that Mars is really bright and red!