Day 27 June 18th Energy Outage

Channahon IL to Ottawa IL 40 miles (1,248)

The title of this blog would indicate that I was at a location that experienced an electrical blackout. This is not the case. Rather, I was about 15 miles into my ride on the I & M Canal Trail when, rather suddenly, I felt like I couldn't go any further. I don't know if it was the fact that I didn't sleep well last night, or the fact that it was 90° with humidity, or that I hadn't taken a full day break for a while, or that I was riding on an unpaved trail, or a combination of these things; but whatever it was, I realized I wasn't going to make it to my planned destination. Fortunately I was only about 12 miles from Ottawa, Illinois which had a hotel that had a room available.  This was surprising because I had looked into staying in this area a couple of weeks ago after having read about Starved Rock State Park, by far the most popular state park in Illinois. At the time, there were no campsites available, and I assume, no hotel rooms either. I heard from a local that on the weekends the whole state descends upon Starved Rock and it gets a little crazy. But it's a great place to visit during the week. 
To be honest, I was so lethargic I wasn't sure how I was going to make it 12 miles to the hotel. Somehow I did, and after a shower, a Snickers Bar, and a nap, I felt refreshed enough to do a load of laundry!

The day started with a visit to this marvelous memorial next to the park where I camped:
I continued along the beautiful I&M Canal Trail:
This trail is not used nearly as much as the other trails I've been on. In sections it is single track.
In a few sections it is so rarely used that it is completely overgrown with grass and the trail is only discernible as being somewhere between the trees on the right and the trees on the left. At one point I rode for about two and a half hours without seeing anyone.
Oh no - not another trail closure! What to do - especially after yesterday's Incident?  Fortunately, this one was easy to maneuver around as it didn't include a belligerent, self-important construction employee.

Comments

  1. Angie RJune 20, 2021 at 6:47 AM

    Did you take a day off yesterday to recharge, update your blog and visit Starved Rock State Park?
    Interesting name for a park. Stay strong 🚴🏼

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rolff ChristensenJune 22, 2021 at 7:30 PM

      I took father's day, June 20th, as a rest day. Did not get to visit Starved Rock State Park. Legend has it that a conflict between white celebrities and some native Americans or possibly two tribes of native Americans resulted in the name Starved Rock. Apparently one of the parties was on the rock while the enemy surrounded the rock and cut off all food and water. Thus resulting in the surrender of those on the rock and thus the name Starved Rock.

      Delete
  2. Robert AJune 21, 2021 at 2:14 PM

    Glad you’re feeling well...
    So weird there are days like that. Keep on listening to your body and you’ll be alright!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rolff ChristensenJune 22, 2021 at 7:31 PM

      Thank you for the encouraging words. I think it was healthy for me to divide the 58 mile day into two days and take a day off.

      Delete

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