Day 27 - Saturday, June 6
Start - Eddyville, IL
End - Carbondale, IL
Miles (on the route) - 53.5
Miles (total) - 56.75
Avg Spd - 12.4mph
Max Spd - 37mph
Total Ride Time - 4:18
Today's ride evened out a bit from the rollercoaster hills of yesterday. My ride took me past several bikers going the opposite direction. They didn't have any bags so I figured them not to be going cross country, though there are supported groups that don't carry their own gear. Several groups of Harley riders again zoomed past me, making me jealous at times of having an engine. And then finally Carbondale, a rather serious sized city at just over 20,000 people.
Entering Carbondale brought me by the University of Southern Illinois, the Salukis. Everything around there seemed to be run down, aged. I didn't get a good feeling riding into town, which was dissapointing considering I was looking forward to visiting another good college town. I checked in with the fire station where they said I could camp, and they told me about a serious storm some weeks back that knocked down many of the trees behind the station. They said it was an "inland hurricane" with winds reaching 100mph. I guess I'm moving into storm country.
I was told to make sure I hit up one of the bike shops in Carbondale because it would be the last one for several hundred miles, so I headed straight for the Bike Surgeon. I got there about 5 minutes before closing time, but they graciously said they would definitely go over the bike and make sure everything was in good shape. They, and several previous bike shops, really praised the bike choice of the Surly Long Haul Trucker and said it would hold up great; the best ride for the trip. After looking everything over and tightening a few things, the only thing it really needed was some rear break pads. I guess I wore them down pretty good on the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountain. The guys at the Bike Surgeon were friendly and more than helpful, explaining everything they were checking and educating me to make my own adjustments. There definitely seems to be a strong fraternity, or comradery amongst the bikers. I rolled around town and found another chinese buffet, and definitely filled up again. Spent some time in a Barnes & Noble just to reaquaint myself with modern society.
I definitely noticed a disproportionate number of odd people in this city. Not sure how else to explain it. Not sure if they are homeless or mentally ill, but there were many street walkers that didn't quite seem to have their bearings. This city seemed depressed.