Bishop Bike Adventure Day 41 August 10, 2010

We experienced a yet hotter and more humid day, yet another day of an unusual headwind from east to west. This was the third straight day when we had thundershowers in the morning before leaving, and then had a hot and sunny day, with temperatures topping out in the mid-90‘s. With the humidity, these temps have been more oppressive than the 100-degree weather experienced out west. Toward the end of the day, we saw dark clouds forming on the horizon in reasonably quick fashion, causing us to “sprint” to the finish line in Streator, a blue collar kind of town. It is not the best feeling in the world to be out in the corn fields with no cover in miles, with the potential of severe thundershowers looming, and then see the dark clouds encircle you. We were encouraged that the sky above and in front of us still appeared reasonably benign. Because of the hot and muggy weather, we’ve ruled out camping except in a pinch, which influences how we route and the total possible daily mileage. When we went out to eat in the evening, the air was so heavy that it could be cut with a knife. Off in the distance, the sky lit up with cloud to cloud lightning.

Because of the heat and humidity, it seems timely to describe some of our hydration habits. Drinking plenty of fluids in this type of weather is a must. In fact, it is safest to “over hydrate rather than under hydrate. Here is an example of what we drink during the course of the day: in the morning, Debbie prepares 70 ounces of water in each of our Camelbaks. She then fills three (each) 24 oz. water bottles that nest in racks on our bikes; usually two of these would be filled with Gatorade or equivalent energy drink. The other would contain water. We usually try to either freeze the fluids in their containers in the previous evening or add ice from the motel’s ice machine in the morning. We usually eat breakfast at the motel, which would include several glasses of orange juice. After biking for two hours or so, we would typically stop at a convenience store and buy two Powerade 32 oz. bottles and drink them on the spot. Tim might even buy a 44 oz fountain soda and drink that on the spot. On a hot day, rolling into this first stop, Debbie might be out of fluids. She is a virtual fluid processing machine! Needless to say, what goes in, must come out; either through one’s pores or… Tim would typically be down to half. We re-ice the bottles and the Camelbaks and fill them with water, and the bottles possibly with an energy drink. This process would be repeated after another couple of hours. At the end of the day, we find ourselves guzzling fluids at dinner, both water and carbonated beverages. It is difficult to assess whether we are ingesting the right amount of fluids and the right mix of energy drinks; we try to listen to our bodies and adapt accordingly.

This area in central Illinois is prone to tornadoes, so we’ve been seeking to enhance our knowledge from the locals. We had a very encouraging talk today, at the local Subway in Henry during the mid-afternoon heat, with a farmer named Dale. Dale is 65 and farms 1,500 acres in the area, selling his product primarily down the Mississippi. This part of Illinois is dominated by farming soybeans and corn. The terrain has really flattened out and large fields with intermittent crossing roads are the norm. As a farmer, Dale explained the typical weather patterns and described some volatile weather in the area. He has lost a couple of out buildings from tornados recently. He also cautioned us about some of the hazards of biking in corn country. Because the stalks are so high, the intersections of farm roads out in the middle of nowhere can be the site of tragic collisions.

Dale is also a Christian and we shared about how we’ve each made some major life decisions. He said that he has commonly used the method of praying about a certain opportunity and asking God to “close the door” when that opportunity is not in His will. He then proceeds to action. He related that upon several major occasions, he was stymied from proceeding and ultimately he realized that God helped him avert disaster. We also talked about the Hopeline. It was an encouragement to talk to Dale. Suffice it to say that the people of Illinois are continuing to grow on us.

Despite the flat terrain, or perhaps because of it, we discovered some windmills in this area. There are no trees to block the wind. These windmills are out in the middle of the corn and soybean fields, as you can see from the accompanying picture.

We have passed many churches along our route. Often, we will stop and leave a card explaining about the Hopeline, such as Tim is doing in this picture,.