Total Miles:  20.8

We started out at Q’s at 11:00ish, and decided that we would head out towards Oak Run.  We were a little lost because we were missing Ride Master Jeremy, who always has great rides lined up for us.  He did suggest a ride to Lake Bracken based on the wind direction, but we decided to go to Oak Run instead because there is just something about THE HILL that makes us want to conquer it.

We headed out on Fremont and were beaten down by a crosswind that threatened to send us into the corn fields.  It still wasn’t as bad as our ride to Woodhull that one time, but it was close.  We all tackled the little hill that is on the way to Oak Run, but when we got to THE HILL we decided, as a group, to head back.  I was trying to remember which house I went to the last time I was out this way when I ran out of water and had to go begging for it.  The guy was nice enough to let me in his house even though I was panting like a dog and probably sweating all over his carpet.  Anyway, I THINK it was in front of his house where we decided to turn around and leave THE HILL for another day.  We were all feeling pretty good about our decision, riding side-by-side in the road (around a curve I might add….) when I started thinking, “Gee, we should probably be riding on the right side of the road in a line when we are going around a turn…” and BAM! here comes a Semi, traveling WAY TOO FAST around this turn and here we are, scrambling to get the hell out of the way and all you can hear at this point is “#$$!! Bleep &*#! Bleep Bleep” (I’m pretty sure that was coming from Andy) and then 18 wheels’ worth of brakes squealing (or maybe that was Carla’s brakes??) and I am sure that the driver was freaking out thinking he was going to take out 6 riders in one fell swoop.  Andy said that his heart actually started beating backwards and since he was the farthest one out, he was in danger of becoming a brand new hood ornament.  So I think we learned a valuable lesson today:  Someone needs to talk to Andy about his potty mouth.

We made it to Innkeepers without further incident, and I am delighted to tell you all that I FINALLY had a Bacon & Gouda Croissant!  There was only one left when I got to the counter and I stood in front of it until it was my turn, lest someone else get it.  It was delicious, as I knew it would be, and went well with my large iced coffee.

We parted ways after our snacks, and when I was like 2 seconds from my house this idiot in a car cut me off.  I was clipped in at the time, and had to make the quickest release known to man to avoid falling over.  I stood there for a minute trying to decide if this guy had purposly tried to hit me or if he was just a jerk, and I determined that he was just a jerk.  But then maybe he was a friend of the guy who was driving the semi and it was time for a little payback…  Oh I kid!

All in all it was a great ride, and I sure hope it isn’t the last one of the season.  For those of you who would like to ride with us but think it is too dangerous because we ride in the middle of the road without any consideration for other drivers, know this:  We will now consider semi trucks, and will drive on the right side of the road forevermore.

Until next time!  Blog ya later!

Annette

Thorns Pets and Supplies Grand Opening

Riders:  Jeremy, Walt, Ray, Tom, Carla and Me (or is it “I”?)

Wow Wee, what a glorious day to ride a bike!!!  We met at Q’s at 1:30 and headed out to Lake Storey.  We started the ride down Prairie Street because our daughter Amy was dressed up as a dog bone and was standing outside of Thorns Pet Supplies.  Just so you know, she doesn’t usually stand outside random stores in cardboard outfits – Thorns was having their Grand Opening and Amy wanted to be the mascot.  Not sure if the dog bone is their actual mascot, but we took pictures with her just the same.  Then off to Lake Storey, which was beautiful this time of year what with the trees changing color and all.  After the lake we went down Knox Hwy 31, then left on 120th street, left on 164th street, right on Co Hwy 15, left on 190th till we got to 41 and then headed towards Henderson.  The route was 32.8 miles.

There were no odd incidents happening on this ride.  There was one ferocious dog barking like a madman, but he was behind a fence so I didn’t have to use my pepper spray.  I am pretty sure this dog could have jumped the fence and torn us to shreds so I just kept my head down, didn’t make eye contact and rode as fast as I could by his territory.  Carla was chatting with him as we rode by, trying the “Let’s Be Friends” tactic.  We also saw another dog who was NOT behind a fence, but he looked pretty friendly and was barking and wagging his tail at the same time. What is it they say about dogs that bark and wag their tails??  He was making his way towards us so I had my hand on the pepper spray lest he get any ideas about chewing my ankle off.  Now that I think about it, he could have been after my snacks because my entire bag of trail mix spilled in my snack bag a few miles back and I might have been leaving a wide trail of peanuts and raisins in my wake.  Are they wildlife friendly?  I sure hope so!

Hopefully this won’t be our last ride of the season – I am writing this on Sunday where the weather is cold and windy and definately not rider-friendly.  I will keep you posted on the next ride and really, it is so much fun to get out there on a bike and ride down these country roads (with pepper spray at the ready) that we hope you come out and join us!!!

Until next time!  Blog ya later!  Annette

Miles:  48.29

So, we had such a great time riding to Oneida last week that we decided to start off in that same direction.  The ride started out well enough, and by that I mean the first 20 seconds on the sidewalk out in front of Q’s were really wonderful.  And then we turned north.  That is where we encountered “The Wind” and “The Wind” (hereinafter referred to as something I will not post here) continued to pound the daylights out of us until we pulled into the gas station in Woodhull.

We rode up Seminary to the town of Henderson, and then turned right on Knox Hwy 37, then went north on Knox 36, and then turned left on Co Hwy 35 and then north on Knox Hwy 6 all the way to Woodhull.  I don’t actually remember all of these roads - I copied them from Jeremy’s Facebook page where he posted it on Mapmyride.  I really have no idea where we are when we are riding – I just follow the rider in front of me and hope that they know where they are going.  I also hope that they don’t get too far ahead of me lest I become hopelessly lost.  But that is why I always carry snacks.  I have lots of snacks.

So getting back to the fierce wind that we battled today – our entire trip to Woodhull, and one stretch of road on the way back, was into the wind.  This ride was hard work, but I knew that ultimately I was building muscle and strengthening my knee, all the while perfecting different ways to complain about the wind.

The ride back was glorious (except for that one stretch of road where we were, once again, riding into the wind.  This is where I heard Andy say, “Hey, I think I need to stop up at that intersection so I can re-attach my legs.”  Re-attach my legs!  Good one Andy!!)  At one point on the ride back I was flying down the road at 23 miles an hour!  Now granted, this is a fairly normal speed for everyone else on this ride so it appears I need a good, strong wind behind me to go that fast. This is where I realized that I needed to apologize for all of the mean things I was thinking and saying about “The Wind.”  I guess sometimes it does come in handy.

Until next time!  Blog ya later!

Annette

Mileage:  41.7

Route:  Oak Run – I think the only reason we go out there is because we love the giant hill.  I for one like the convenience store by the golf course, because by the time I get to that point in the ride, the air-conditioning, bathroom and snacks are ever so convenient.  I also like the benches outside.

On the way to Oak Run we saw some lightening, but as a group we decided that “we’re not really going in THAT direction so we should be fine.”  One of our riders had to turn back because of a recurring knee injury (we shall ride again my friend!)  We tackled the giant hill, and Jeremy started having chain problems, having to shift his gears with his feet, all while climbing this massive hill.  We made it to Oak Run and decided, again as a group, to take a, how did we put this, “a leisurely ride around the lake.”  Well gee whiz people, nobody bothered to tell us that every hill in Illinois was sitting right around that lake.  It was one hill after another, and no amount of crying made them go away.  Truth be told, I was the only one crying, but still.  I suppose we could have taken our break BEFORE we went around the lake, but since we didn’t know about the rollercoaster that is Oak Run Road, we chose to take our break after.  I was never so happy to get off my bike as I was after riding that round road of torture.  We will be riding it again next week if anyone is interested.

On the way back we turned to our friend Andy, whom you might remember as the one who lead us astray on our last Oak Run ride and we ended up in Knoxville.  He redeemed himself this time so I will no longer bring it up that he made us ride 5 more miles than was necessary.  Last mention Andy, I promise.  Anyway, we were cruising back at a pretty good clip, and going up yet another hill (a hill I had to walk up, mind you) and when I got to the top I hear Jeremy yell something so I turn around and he’s got his hands in the air and I think he says “I want TOAST!” but really, why would he be saying that while standing off his bike at the bottom of a hill?  I soon realize that he said, “My chain is TOAST” or something like that and Casey and I rode back down to check it out.  Sure enough, his chain was no longer one big circle, and not one of us had a spare chain.  Back up the hill we go, to try to find out where we were on this back country road.  Somebody says, “Who is going to be able to find us out here?” to which I reply, “Walt can find us!!  He will come save us!”  It was kind of unfortunate that we didn’t know exactly where we were, so when I called Walt and gave him directions it sounded a lot like this:

Walt:  “Q’s Cafe” (he was at work putting a catering job together, so I’m sure this really wasn’t the best time..)

Me:  Hi Honey!  Ummmmmm, are you busy?

Walt:  Hummmm….. what’s up?

Me:  Well, we were wondering if you could come get Jeremy because his chain is broken.

Walt:  Sure – where are you?

Me:  We are on either Chicken Scratch or Cat Scratch road, which is off of either Blaze Road or Mine Road…  (I think he stopped listening by this point) and we will just keep riding till you find us okay?

Walt:  ………Say what now?

So I went over it again, relaying the directions that Jeremy was giving me from his phone and we wished Walt good luck.  Walt didn’t have a phone with him so we all knew it was possible that our directions wouldn’t be clear enough and we would be out there all day.  So we pressed on, with Jeremy coasting down the hills and walking up the hills and at one point Andy found a large stick that he rigged up with braided grasses to use as a tow rope.   That Andy, always thinking!!

After another mile or so of riding/walking it was with great joy and excitement when we turned around and looked down the gravel road and saw a car in the distance - and not just ANY car, but WALT’S car!!!  He found us out in the middle of nowhere and he pulled up, popped the back and put Jeremy’s bike in the car and then took him home.

And then there were three:  We headed out to Blaze Road and then headed home.  It was a long ride, and we were all beat.  The hills will make us stronger if they don’t kill us first.  We saw Jeremy as we were heading into town on Main – he was heading out to Peoria to go to Bushwackers to get a new chain.  I will be heading there next week to get a spare chain.  That, and a proper tow rope.

Until next time!  Blog ya later!

Annette

Our Route:  We took Seminary to Henderson, then on to Alexis (where we had a snack and quick rest) and then for the way back we went down Hwy 1, left on Co Hwy 21/Knox Hwy 31 and then through Lake Storey, ending at Innkeepers – 42.4 miles (from my house and back.)

And yes, I know when you go on a ride you fully expect to come back, but today we had a bike that was literally falling apart in front of our eyes and I wasn’t sure we were all going to make it back.  Andy was riding a mountain bike (which just goes to show how much harder he was working than the rest of us) and his kickstand was fighting with his pedals for domination and finally the kickstand won.  We all pulled off to the side of the road and Andy tried to twist the wretched thing off with his bare hands, but Ken handed him a tool for the job (which was rejected by the kickstand) and so he went back into his bag of wonders and pulled out a velcroed strap to tie it up with.  About 10 miles later Bill noticed that Andy’s front tire was wobbling all over the place and told him that the bearings were totally shot.  Being the trooper that he is, Andy rode the tied-up, bearing impaired bike all the way back and we were all amazed – and a little shocked.  Bill, being the kind-hearted guy that he is, decided that it was time for the madness to end and offered Andy a swinging deal on a bike that he had at home, one with a working kickstand and sound bearings.  Andy is now the proud owner of a fabulous Giant bike with actual gears AND a cushy seat.  Bill also threw in a helmet.  Bill, let me just say, YOU ROCK!

This ride was absolutely fabulous and the weather was perfect.  We saw happy dogs that didn’t try to chew our legs off, and Jeremy made friends with both a cat and a chihuahua.  The only struggle was on the road going into Alexis that was covered in gravel – big rock gravel I might add – and it was SO bumpy and jarring that I am convinced my spleen fell out.

We ended up at Innkeepers again and I was so looking forward to my Bacon and Gouda Croissant that my mouth was watering 3 miles before we got there.  I was also looking forward to getting off my bike and sitting on a real seat.  How disappointed was I when there were no Bacon and Gouda delights left!  But, don’t be alarmed – I found an apple/cheese turnover that was delicious.  Add to that an iced coffee and a chair that is wider than 3″ and you’ve got yourself a party!

Until next time!

Blog ya later!!  Annette

The gathering for our ride this morning – Jeremy, Bill, Andy, Jenipher and myself - started at 6 a.m., nevermind that the sun hadn’t even come up yet, and the fog was so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.  Yes, that is a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much.  I knew it was bad when we had to call out “Marco?  Polo!” while riding down Cherry Street.  Oh I kid…  Anyway, we somehow ended up on Main Street after meandering around side roads (literally, I couldn’t see what roads we were on because my glasses were all wet with condensation, and the fog clung to my helmet and dripped down into my face at a steady rate.  It was quite ridiculous) but we rode out to Colbrook Road and turned left, and then rode to 190 and turned left and took that road all the way to 41.  This is where we decided to go get an iced coffee at Innkeepers.  We made it back downtown in record time.  This, of course, is my favorite part of any ride – the snack.  Love the snack.  This time around I got a large iced coffee and considered the Gouda and Bacon Croissant, but opted for something a little healthier, which was the Cream Cheese Danish.  I’m pretty sure cream cheese is an integral part of the Food Pyramid.

So anyway, we rode 26.7 miles according to Jenipher’s bike computer, which always logs a little more distance than mine so we go by that.  The ride was glorious today with good temperatures, fun riding partners and the fog was interesting to ride in.

Tomorrow we are going to ride north, according to Jeremy who is our Ride Master for tomorrow.  We will meet again at 6:00 a.m. in front of Q’s Cafe and hopefully come back and snack at Innkeepers.  I do believe it is time to try the Gouda and Bacon Croissant.

Blog ya later!!  Annette

Today’s ride started at Q’s around 6 a.m. and included Jeremy, Andy, Cindy and myself.  Jeremy was the first one there and pointed out that the wind was blowing strongly in one direction which would make for a REALLY tough ride coming back since we were considering riding to Monmouth.  As a group we decided to go the other way and have the wind at our backs for the ride home, which was so glorious I felt like I could ride like that FOREVER.  Going out was another story, and riding into the wind I was pretty tired before we even really started the ride.  We headed out towards Blaze Road and it was really nice at this time in the morning.  After about 9 miles we had to make a decision on whether we wanted to go up this giant hill (actually I don’t know if it was “giant” but I heard the word HILL and that’s what came to mind) or turn right and meander back into East Galesburg.  I think Jeremy wanted to do the hill because he is always up for a hill while the rest of us looked down the flat road to the right with longing in our hearts.  We turned right (thank you Jeremy…) and the ride from there was really nice.  Lots of downhill, fast riding on pavement, which should have been the first clue to me that there were hills to come.  And they did come, and there were many and they were all gravel so that made for some tricky riding.  Thankfully we didn’t have any dogs chasing us this time, but going up those little hills in lower gears made us easy targets for deer flys, which were out in force.  Now, in addition to my silly string or pepper spray for dogs, I am going to have to add some bug spray to my arsenol.

The ride ended at Innkeepers where we sat outside and had some coffee drinks.  I also had an apple turnover, which was wonderful.  After a bit of a rest Jeremy asked if anyone wanted to ride again Sunday, and we decided to meet again in the front of Q’s at 6 a.m. – Walt is going to think I have totally lost my mind.

We logged 18 miles today and it was a fun ride.  Anyone interested in riding tomorrow can meet us at 6 am where we are planning on going to Lake Storey.  Come one, come all!!

Blog ya later!  Annette

We went through Knoxville, and one of our riders had a knee situation so had to bow out.  It was almost noon by this time and the temperature was out of control.  Andy did redeem himself by showing us a tricky way to get around the hill by Gates, and when we all got to Grand Avenue we went our separate ways.

We logged 35 miles today, which is the most we have done so far.  We talked about having another ride soon, but hopefully on a Saturday so we all can recover on Sunday, and maybe we should start out an hour earlier to beat the blistering inferno that is our current season.

Anybody interested in joining us please let me know!  We’d love to have you!

Blog ya later!  Annette

We are looking to get a good ride going this Saturday, the 16th, weather permitting.  After this last ride and the following heat-induced coma I was in for a good hour afterwards, I think we’d like to get started really early in the morning.  If anyone is interested in going on a ride to Oak Run, let me know – we’d love to have ya!  You can either comment on this post or go to the Contacts part of the home page and send me an email.

Blog ya later!  Annette