[ Washington 6/19] [ Idaho 6/20 ] [ Montana 6/21-6/29] [ Wyoming 6/30-7/2 ] [ South Dakota 7/3-7/11 ] [Minnesota 7/12] [Iowa 7/13-7/15] [Missouri 7/16-7/21] [Illinois 7/22-7/25] [Kentucky 7/25-7/30] [Virginia 7/31-8/06]

The Trip Home- [Washington DC] [Gettysburg] [Philadelphia] [New York] [Boston] [Niagra Falls] [Dearborn] [Chicago] [The rest of the drive]

Detailed Itinerary-day by day / Leave us a Comment /

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Day 35 - July 23rd Murphysboro, ILLINOIS

Same day continued from Missouri. Don ended up doing about 108 miles today. We were supposed to get him along the way and take him to the camping site but he was "in the zone" so biked way more than necessary and beat us. It was a lot cooler today. Dare I say pleasant? What a blessing! So much easier to bike (and cook) when there is a bit of breeze and less heat. Don feels great. He's coherent, still moving and you truly can't tell he biked 108 miles! He got a haircut somewhere along the way, too He shouldn't need another one for about 6 months after this cut! Today was a really nice day with the kids, on the bike, and in general. Wahoo!!

We even stayed in a Walmart as it was cool and a breeze was flowing.

Day 36 - July 24th Elizabethtown, ILLINOIS

James and Elsie biked out with Don this morning. They haven't been doing that very often as it's just been too hot for that. Annie wanted to go but the older siblings beat her out. They made it a grand total of 8 miles before they declared themselves too tired to go on. After they got in the car, James explained to me how much easier it is for Dad because he is older... HAH! I tried to explain youth vs. old age but he's not buying. He's pretty sure there is some secret (besides sheer willpower) to all of this.

We got a rock chip in the window of the RV and it's quickly taking over the front in just 2 days. Tried to get it fixed today. Turns out it has to be under one inch for them to repair. Otherwise, it's a total replacement. Good to know! Passing that bit of info on to you all for future reference.

We were driving past a mall, just kinda hanging out, and saw an Old Navy. So we pulled in and found they also had Aeropostale, AE, and ... gasp... Hollister. So we did a bunch of school shopping and the kids had a blast.

Found Don 70+ miles down the road. It was another coolish day so he's looking good again. We then drove off to our campsite back in the middle of nowhere Illinois only to find it completely shut down with gates closed. Looks like it flooded through there. I was glad Don was with me as we have no cell coverage and would have had a hard time to regroup.

Took a ferry across the Ohio River and found a fairground in Marion, Kentucky to spend the night. The kids are at the playground, Don is talking to another recumbent biker who has the same bike map in hand that Don is using and I'm cleaning and getting dinner ready.

I've so much enjoyed the last couple of days. I don't know if it's your prayers, or if we've finally gotten the groove or if threatening to beat the kids has worked...=) or a combo of all. But it's been really fun. We're in KENTUCKY, Shawn! Wahooo!!! We tried to call but alas, "All circuits are busy." Do they have more than one?