Day 12 - July 3 - across the Ohio River into the Land of Lincoln

 Weather - another miserable day with heat index up to 106F (31C),   It was already 84F (30C) at 8am with 98% humidity.   Wind was light from the SW mostly,  It's supposed to be a little cooler tomorrow and after, with increasing chances of thunderstorms increasing.

Distance: 78.5miles (125kms) though I only turned on the bike computer after getting over the bridge to Brockport. I rode about 5 miles to the bridge.

Average Moving Speed: 13.0mph (21kph).  Lots of hills and a detour

Calories spent: 4356 

Elevation gain: 2441 feet (774 meters)

Shvitz Index: 9.5/10. The sun was out all day and there was no shade from trees or clouds  I stopped 3 times for liquids.  1st for a cold Starbucks Double Energy coffee, and a liter (quart) of chocolate milk - which the store clerk warned me would cause a stomach upset on such a hot day - it did not), 2nd for a 32oz of some slushy berry and 2 liters of water, and the 2rd for another 2 liters of water, a large Sprite and 32 oz of Powerade.  Later at dinner, I drank about 3 liters of ice water and a huge 22oz IPA.  

The day started late since i had 4 failed attempts to order an Uner Xl to ferry me across the Ohio river. There are only 2 bridges - I-24 with not shoulders and a ban on bicycles, and the Brockport bridge from 1929, an iron bridge that is very dangerous for bicyclists,  It has no shoulder, only 2 narrow lanes, and is an open corrugated grated lanes.    Failing to get any response, I decided I had to risk the crossing and set out more in hope than expectation, since it was a holiday and traffic seemed light.

As I powered up the ramp towards the bridge, a man parked on a turnout on the opposite side called out to me, "do you want a ride over the bridge?"  I gratefully pulled over to Gary, who helped load my bike into his SUV.   He dropped me off in Brockport on the Illinois side.  His kindness and care served to reduce my well-honed cynicism about human nature. What a nice person!

From Borockport, I travelled on the main roads, through Metrolpolis, to Vienna (pronounced locally as VY-enna, not Vienna as usual), to Anna and then finally to Carbondale.  The roads in Illinois are a major improvement over those in the South, especially compared to Mississippi.  Some of the route was marked as a 'Bike Route" and most of them had wide shoulders and a smooth surface,  

Most people think of Illinois as a really flat state which is certainly true for most of the state, but the far south and northwest of the state have hills.  The elevation profile shows many climbs, and many were in the 5-6% range, a struggle on another hot day.

I was so appreciative not to have to ride over this dangerous surface

Finally out of the South but the weather is the same

An early town on the route was Metropolis, home of Superman

There is a giant statue of him in the downtown area, just around the corner from an abandoned movie theater

There is even a Superman museum but it did not seem busy this morning.

The small town of Vienna had (as usual) blocks of empty storefronts and abandoned buildings, with only two convenient stores at the gas stations showing much sign of life.  On a long  abandoned bar, I saw the sign that I associate with small town bars in Illinois, the Old Style sign.  It was a popular beer decades ago, and I don't even know if it's still available.  

The route west from Vienna towards Anna follows the Trail of Tears, the route of the forced displacement of five Native American groupss in the 1830s from the southeast of the US to Oklahoma.  (Now we would properly call it 'ethnic cleansing').  It was Andrew Jackson who, as President, signed the order of forced removal.

As I approached Anna, I was stopped by a road block of local and state police who were stopping traffic due to a major accident further up the road.  I had been passed by ambulances and police care with siren blaring on the road from Vienna.  The cops said that there had been a fire and a ' 'flight for life' helicopter was summoned.  After waiting about an hour with no sign of the road clearing, I embarked on a detour over some rough roads and hills to get to Anna. From there it was a fast 20 miles to Carbondale, site of Southern Illinois University.

On the way is the small town of Wakanda, home of the US Senator Paul Simon who represented Illinois from 1985-1997.  Known both for his liberal views and his bow-tie (dickie-bow), he is remembered by this humorous water tower.

The town of Carbondale was quite empty as the university is on summer break but some big 4th July fireworks are promised for tomorrow night