Day 7 Long Ride 6-21-18

Today was a great day!  I was able to get a decent ride in (98 miles), and met Debi and Addy in Granite City, IL.  The hitch is fixed, and Mack the Silverback is rolling again.  I met another rider going West to East, who retired from a restaurant he owned in San Francisco, and now just rides his bike.  He was headed from San Francisco to Boston, and was probably in his early 60's.  Hopefully I can be that cool when I get older!  Cycling in general is phenomenal, and the people you meet while riding can be really interesting.

The weather was almost ideal today, which helped immensely.  It was probably 10 degrees cooler than yesterday, with clouds most of the day, and a quick rain storm or two.  It's amazing how much better I can ride when I'm not dehydrated!  Now if we can just work on getting the wind to always be at my back, instead of into my face, that would be cool.

It was so good to be back with my family again!  Two nights of sleeping in hotels was more than enough, and being able to hang out with them (although I fell asleep long before they did) was great.  Hopefully, this will be the last time we are separated overnight.  Once we get to Albuquerque, Shannon and Kelly will join us, and then we can truly party.

I want to send a special shout-out to the Carlinville Plaza Cafe in Carlinville, IL.  Not only would they not allow me to pay for my meal, but they also made a significant donation to the ride!  I also had one of the best cheesesteaks in their restaurant, because I figured I would "burn it off" during the ride.  Sometimes you have to "treat yourself," as Tom on Parks and Rec would say.

98.1 miles today

Total miles 328