Day 33: Champaign, IL Rest Day Reflections

https://give.michaeljfox.org/barbarasbigride

More to say than there is to do in Champaign, so bear with me. 

Trip Progress

I continue to grapple with how to process the fact that I've ridden my bike from California to Illinois. On the one hand, I've come so far that the end feels less elusive than ever. On the other hand, there's still another 1,000+ miles to go, so I'm not there yet, and am trying not to get ahead of myself. 

But one visual I couldn't get away from was the stack of daily "hard copy" cue sheets, one for each riding day. While I primarily use my Garmin, with my phone for back up, in case all technology fails I carry with me a paper cue sheet each day, folded into a plastic bag. Part of the daily ritual involves taking out the last day's cue sheet and replacing it with the next day's ride instructions. At first, the stack of what was to come was overwhelming. Now, not so much. We have 15 more riding days left, including the very short "finale" to Revere Beach. I can do this!!! 

Champaign, IL

No offense to our previous locations, but I feel like we've finally re-entered civilization for good (though I may be proven wrong). Champaign (which I keep misspelling like the beverage and region in France!) is a college town for a Big10 school (University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana--the Fighting Illini), not completely unlike Ann Arbor, MI (but of course not quite...). But by definition there's a slightly more eclectic, diverse community as would be drawn to a major research and academic institution. The campus is sprawling with many outdoor sculptures, gothic buildings, more modern structures, and of course the iconic bell tower found at so many institutions of higher learning, perhaps serving a purpose no more noble than reminding students when it's time for class! 

The law follows me wherever I go!

In addition to what they call "CampusTown" is a small, dare I say "cute" downtown area sporting several good restaurants (I've now sampled 3 plus a wine bar -- all delicious with delightful service!) and more bars than even I can visit on this brief rest day. There are people out and about, walking and biking, and this is when school isn't even in session (though I did see throngs of parents apparently accompanying -- and likely embarrassing-- their children during the early season orientation sessions for the coming school year -- ah, memories of Ann Arbor circa 2017!). Ubers are aplenty, giving even those of us staying at the fast-food-chain-adjacent urban outposts access to the vibe!

Confession

They said I could take any leftover with me! Hah!

After a walk through the main quad of campus, I made my way back downtown seeking a place to settle in and work on these reflections. The Big Grove Tavern hit the bid in every way. Had a delicious vegan tofu curry bowl (still craving those asian flavors after a bit too much "traditional american" fare...) and (here's the confession) a bottle of Whispering Angel, all by myself. I guess it was just a rose kind of day! 

Me, Myself, I...

Many miles on the bike means many miles in my head -- me, myself, I, as Joan Armatrading would say. Even Siri has had enough of my "Hey Siri, make a note..." as on multiple occasions this week Siri declared "something went wrong" and I should "try again later"! So much for Siri keeping me company! While I haven't figured out the answers to life's biggest questions, I have generally been in a peaceful and positive mental space (with a few exceptions), and despite the effort, find it preferable to remain there. I'm hoping I can sustain that when I'm back with the frustrations, logistics, and distractions of daily life. 

Me, Myself, and My Bikes

Having spent more collective hours on my bike in the last month than in any other month ever, I got to thinking about my relationship with cycling in general, and my bikes more specifically.

One of our stops this week was in Maysville, Missouri, where we had a welcoming committee not only of the DeKalb Historical Society staff and volunteers, but the school children of the local elementary school (apparently summer school, as the regular school year had already ended around here). Most of the kids were pretty shy, but one asked when I started riding bikes (good question!). That of course brought me back to my days growing up on Bayview Avenue in Wantagh, NY. It wasn't quite a cul-de-sac, but the road didn't lead to anywhere and just looped around to another road within the same "development" neighborhood. So there wasn't much traffic and the street was not only our bike course, but our baseball field and football fields (and yes, I played both with the mostly male neighbors on the block, and was usually not totally last to be picked for a team). 

Memories then flooded in of my dad teaching me to ride without training wheels. At first, he'd raise the training wheels bit by bit, so I still had the comfort of knowing they were there, but eventually not really using them. When he finally took them off, we went to the part of the street that had only the slightest bit of a rise (it was pretty "Kansas-flat" where we lived) and then held the back of the seat, running alongside me until he gave me a final push and I was off on my own, the beginning of new-found freedom. I could be conjuring all this from those reel-to-reel films my sister just had transferred to video files, but it feels as viscerally real as anything I did yesterday. Little did I know that those moments would form the beginning of a long-time relationship with me and my bikes.

I eventually graduated from the training wheel bike to a red, 3-speed "full-size" bike with upright handle bars, and basket in front which I loved until the other kids made fun of it. Bikes were our transport around the neighborhood, and key to any social life in the 3rd to 7th grade world. 

Then, for my 13th birthday, I finally got the prized bike all the other kids on the block rode, the oft-coveted Schwinn Varsity 10-speed in bright green. I think it was $99 from Brands Cycles (which is still there!), and I was off! 

My Schwinn Varsity would've looked something like this.

The new construction around that time of the 4.9-mile bike path along the Wantagh Parkway meant we didn't need anyone to drive us or have to walk the 1.5 miles to Merrick Road to catch the bus to the beach -- a real taste of freedom for a 13-year old!

Fast forward to 1990. I had recently moved to California, and broken up with the boyfriend who got me to move there. I was getting into biking, riding a Bridgestone hybrid bike from Helen's Cycles (also still there, though in different locations), and had begun riding with the San Fernando Valley Bike Club on weekend mornings. Rosemarie, one of the club members, wanted to introduce me to someone she knew from work (she was a client of his) because we were both Jewish, and therefore thought we should meet (perhaps the only person in LA who only knew 2 Jewish people?). So there was a mountain bike ride the following Sunday morning, which I frantically showed up to after going to work that day (crazy phone sex case I was working on -- long story!), and arrived at the trailhead in the smoggy hills of Glendale to be introduced to Ben. We rode up the trail together, had some beers at the top, and the rest is history!

As for my bikes, several Treks and Orbeas later led me to my Alchemy Helios, dubbed "Tropical Indecision" by the custom painter shop, given the number of designs I rejected before settling on its current form. So far, it has served me well. Most notably, Helios was the name of one of our sailboats growing up (I think the O'Day Mariner?). Like several others, my father named them after sun gods. Seems fitting.

Rest Day Ramblings

Some final thoughts for today:

Nice and clean after a rest day bath!

• The day is better when you start it with a song. Still working on tomorrow's, but I think it's going to be a good one!
• The ride may be better when you start it with a clean bike. Here's the scrubbed version after today's "bath"! 
• There are a lot of farms in America. 
• There may be more churches than farms, or so it sometimes seems. 
• There are definitely more farms and churches than synagogues.
• Many people have turned to religion to turn their life around for the better. I respect and admire that, whatever their religious beliefs. 
• The railways played, and continue to play, a critical role in today's infrastructure and food distribution.
• Birds like to sing. And they really do hang out on telephone wires.
• There are still redwing blackbirds in Illinois, though fewer than in Kansas.
• The dogs in Missouri and Illinois are less likely to chase bikes than those in Arizona and New Mexico. But they all bark at passing cyclists!
• I really don't like fast food (you've probably gathered that by now).
• I also really don't like the parts of cities, suburbs, or exurbs that are home to the majority of fast food chains. They depress me. Less so if there is an Uber or taxi available for my escape.
• There is a Taco Bell is almost every town. Ditto for Arby's and of course Applebee's (though they don't make it to the smallest of towns). I haven't been to a Taco Bell or Arby's on this trip and hope to keep it that way.
• Strawberry shakes are very satisfying. 
• There are fewer Mexican restaurants along our path in Illinois than even in Kansas.
• Don't mean to pick on Kansas. Overall, it surprised on the upside. I really enjoyed the Capitol dome in Topeka.
• You know you've been REALLY away from work and have shut off your work brain when you call to check on something about your health insurance, they ask you for your employee ID, and you don't remember it!
• My days are happier and more fulfilled when I have random interactions (and ideally conversations) with strangers. 
• Is it my imagination, or are the cornfields growing taller by the day?
• Remember the happy times. A beautiful picture of my parents appears to me every day when I check my fundraising page or add "downloaded" pics to this blog. In time, it has helped to replace some of the sadder times when they were sick. I'd rather remember them this way, in their happy place.

  

  "Jo, trim in the jib!" Good times....