USNA 1973 Ride-2-Remember

Another day, another canal trail

Day 43, 15 September: Princeton to Morris, IL

Our ride this morning started at 0630 with a chilly 48F and damp conditions.

We rode through Princeton, then had 4 climbs in the first 2 hours, relatively short, but some fairly steep, they ranged from 6-11% inclines. At the 11.3 mile mark of the ride we encountered our route closed and barricaded. Notifying Sally of the closure, Tes and I went exploring. We were able to navigate through the closure downhill, dismounting our bikes to exit and notifying Sally to tell everyone else they could get through.

An unexpected obstacle; of course, construction zones can have their advantages.

At the 42-mile mark we began riding the Illinois and Michigan Canal Trail. It started out as a 2-lane, but at times went down to single track before ending. I must commend Tommy T, AKA “The Animal” for his riding skills today. Not too many 70+ year olds can ride single track at 18 mph, much less while riding a skinny tire road bike.

We even had haunted-appearing houses on the ride today; Tes on the I&M Trail
Tes looking for another form of transportation.
That’s not grass on the right — it’s algae on the canal from over-fertilizing runoff.
A nicely shaded section of the I&M Trail, and some of the debris we encountered in the shadows.

Bill and Ron weren’t so skillful (or lucky). Encounters with logs and the tree above resulted in a couple of spills. No harm done except to a phone mount — as long as they didn’t get poison ivy.

Tes on an all-wood trestle where we departed the I&M Canal Trail.

Dave Haefner

bmontva

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