Independence From Who, Again?

New Rule: You can't celebrate Independence Day if you have a Confederate flag displayed anywhere on or around your property.

The holiday marks the day that the founders of the United States declared independence from English rule. The United States is the country from which the Confederacy sought independence. You can't have it both ways. Either you celebrate the sovereignty of the US or you bemoan the failure to achieve sovereignty from the US.

Anyway, speaking of Independence Day, I was in a parade! As I rode through Goreville, Illinois, I made a turn onto Main St. and before I knew it, I was right in the middle if the parade procession. This was on July 3rd, so it did not occur to me that the police cars that I squeezed through were there for any particular reason. Additionally, being on the road tends to diminish my concept of time and context. I didn't really even know that the holiday was near.

As I proceed down the street, all of the townspeople are gathered along the sidewalk and gazing curiously at me. Some were even pointing. I guess they don't often see a bike loaded up with bags and bungee cords and just thought it was a really lame parade segment. My choices were to pretend I was invisible and hope to sneak through or just accept it and act like I belonged there. So I started waving.

I made it out of the parade and on to Carbondale to complete my 90 mile goal for the day. Carbondale seemed to be a logical place to stop because it is one of the biggest towns I have gone through and I planned to take a rest day. I met back up with some of the other characters I have been bumping into on the trip and we all went out for dinner. The two younger guys and I decided to split a motel and enjoy a few luxuries of civilization.

Sunday, Independence Day, and apparently a day for every person in Carbondale to disappear. We decided to roll down to the down-town area and check things out for our rest day, but upon arriving in the heart of Carbondale, we discovered that the place was deserted. Most of the businesses were closed and there were no people walking around. Luckily there was a mall nearby, so we decided it would be good to get into the a/c and walk around there. It was open, but it, too, was totally devoid of consumers. I guess people just don't go out on Sundays.

Rest days on a trip like this are not really intended to restore the body to a level of comfort approaching normalcy. The point is to load up on protein and calories and allow the muscles to rebuild. Also, it's important to take a mental break. When we ship out tomorrow morning, it is unlikely that we will feel much better physically, but our bodies will have recovered a little bit and our minds will be slightly fresher.

The plan is to exit Illinois and reach Farmington, Missouri. We get to cross the Mississippi River (on a bridge!) and begin our fight against the Ozark Mountains. Just when I thought I was done with mountains!

I don't particularly like planning to ride with anyone else because it adds layers of difficulty in the decision making process and it forces people to either go faster or slower than they normally would. It's hard to tell someone though, that even though you will be leaving at the same time that you don't really want to ride together, so I basically just explain that we'll shoot for the same city but go at our own pace.

After riding with someone and without, I find it to be far more enjoyable to be alone. I don't feel a need to adjust for or even consider anyone else. I like to be able to roll at my own speed, break whenever I want to and take as long as I want to make the mileage. Sometimes I go fast, other times I'll do shorter chunks and take frequent breaks, but either way, I like the freedom to go at my own pace. The whole idea of the trip is to be free of distractions and other people.

John had to drop out for a few days to take an interview in San Jose, but he plans to pick things back up when it's over. Karen didn't take a rest day and went ahead. We'll probably catch up to her within a few days, but she is fast. For a lady of about 55 and travelling on a hybrid bike, she is a monster!

I'm looking forward to Missouri because it means I am closer to Kansas. I've heard that the hills in Missouri are some of the worst, but at this point, it won't be any different than what I've been dealing with all along. People have warned me about the wind in Kansas and that it can almost totally cancel out the flatness of the land. They say that even though it is straight as far as the eye can see, you work so much harder against the headwind to go the same speed you coast at in the hills. I don't even care. I just want something different. My plan is to ride in the early morning and the late afternoon and evening when the wind and heat are at their lowest. Actually, my plan right now is to just get out of bed and finish tomorrow!

Let me know what kind of things you would be interested in reading because it's hard to know where to direct this thing. I don't want to give a play-by-play, but I don't want it to be all random stories either.

I'll try to keep posting regularly, but cell signal is getting more dicey the farther I go west. I got really bummed the other day when I wrote for a couple hours and produced some of the most interesting and insightful stuff yet and it all got trashed. That experience has jaded me a little and I find that I'm more inclined to just give a broad summary and be done with it. If I get time and motivation, I'll try to rewrite some of the things I had from the other day.

Location:Carbondale, Il