Ride-2-SiiM. We left Skokie around 2 PM. Atypical, but that, I feel,
will be the key word to this trip. I am accompanied this year, by the
family, in the <sweep vehicle>. Alex, my usual road mate is utterly
occupied with his lovely wife and their beautiful 1 year old. (Astute
readers will remember that she was born just before SiiM 2009!).
We drove westward out of Chicagoland. The heat on the road was
opressive, at least 85. I could feel it beating off the road. High
humidity and an ugly glare only made things worse. The downside to
living in Chicagoland is that you have to ride for an hour and a half
to get anywhere decent.
Eventually, we hit Route 20, the great way west, identified in
Illinois as Grant's highway. Not coincidentally we will follow his way
west to Galena, his home. We have followed this route on many
occasions as Galena is a very nice place to weekend. Lots of outdoor
activities and a lovely downtown strip of fun shops. It is always a
pleasure to wind your way through the rolling farms to get there. Your
wrist tires of waving to all the bikers you pass.
We wend our way north to the Great River Road, paralleling the
mother river north toward her source. Ironically, you cannot see the
river from the Great River Road, at least not the Wisconsin side.
Somehow this fact is missing from the online tour guides. Still we
wind our way through more and more beautiful farmland, the sky pinking
as the sun sets behind imposing yet ultimately impotent high cumulus
clouds. The road winds agreeably through some twisties that challenge
my end of day riding skills but yet invigorate me by reminding why we
ride.
We stop for the night in Prairie du Chien; pronounced not at all the
way my French wife would like. Another great example of small town
mid America.
--
David S. Channin MD
Evanston, IL
David.Channin@gmail.com
(312) 725 - XRAY (9729)
(866) 844 - 6643 (FAX)
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