After receiving a signed Illinois license plate from the DeWitts and a bracelet in Sandwich Indians colors (my favorite Orange and Black) from the Andersons, it was time for everyone to leave for school, either as students or teachers. After packing up my cart, I said goodbye to my two wonderful host families and started walking towards the edge of town relieved that I was only going to be doing a short 30 miles today.
I managed to stick to country roads still as I inched closer and closer to the monstrous Chicago suburbs. The trade-off from corn and bean fields to subdivisions wasn't half bad as decent sidewalks appeared without many curb drops for driveways. Even getting to US Highway 52 wasn't miserable as the busy road had a very good sidewalk. I quickly realized that the this city was too large to pitch a tent and decided to splurge on another cheap motel.
With the remaining battery on my phone I looked up ways to get across the interstate. Highway 52's overpass was not an option at all as there was no sidewalk or shoulder and the volume of traffic was the highest I've seen on any road for this entire run. The only options were one mile north, which looked to have no shoulder/sidewalk on just as busy a road, or six miles south on the Illinois Michigan Canal Trail. Six miles was a long ways, especially since the motel I wanted to stay in was less than a half mile away, but fortunately there was a cheap motel in that area as well.
After walking to erase one of the miles I had run, I turned south on River Road and got the additional torture over with before checking into the Manor Motel. The new stroller didn't fit into the doorway of my room and, unlike the previous one, taking the wheels off doesn't reduced the width. I ended up having to take the handlebar off and dragging it through the door on its side. It wasn't pretty but it worked and finally let me relax for the evening.
I managed to stick to country roads still as I inched closer and closer to the monstrous Chicago suburbs. The trade-off from corn and bean fields to subdivisions wasn't half bad as decent sidewalks appeared without many curb drops for driveways. Even getting to US Highway 52 wasn't miserable as the busy road had a very good sidewalk. I quickly realized that the this city was too large to pitch a tent and decided to splurge on another cheap motel.
With the remaining battery on my phone I looked up ways to get across the interstate. Highway 52's overpass was not an option at all as there was no sidewalk or shoulder and the volume of traffic was the highest I've seen on any road for this entire run. The only options were one mile north, which looked to have no shoulder/sidewalk on just as busy a road, or six miles south on the Illinois Michigan Canal Trail. Six miles was a long ways, especially since the motel I wanted to stay in was less than a half mile away, but fortunately there was a cheap motel in that area as well.
After walking to erase one of the miles I had run, I turned south on River Road and got the additional torture over with before checking into the Manor Motel. The new stroller didn't fit into the doorway of my room and, unlike the previous one, taking the wheels off doesn't reduced the width. I ended up having to take the handlebar off and dragging it through the door on its side. It wasn't pretty but it worked and finally let me relax for the evening.
Suburbia rising up from the corn fields
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