Today was something of a new experience for me, in two ways. First, although I’ve done several long point-to-point rides, either with Jon or as part of an organized tour (e.g., the Erie Canal), I’ve never done one by myself. Second, I’ve never done one on a route of my own creation; Jon and I are essentially using the bike-friendly route maps sold by Adventure Cycling.
I am in Pittsfield, Illinois, tonight after Day One of a three-day, 200-mile loop that will take me to Hannibal and Quincy tomorrow, then back home on Wednesday. I had decided several months ago that I wanted to bike to Hannibal and re-visit all of the Twain-Sawyer-Finn stuff that’s there. Once I had picked the destination, it was just a matter of figuring out the route: keeping to quiet country roads as much as possible, not killing myself with daily distances, and making sure that I have a decent place to stay.
The other factor was timing. Because it was a roll-yer-own, I could leave whenever I had three unencumbered days (which actually happens fairly frequently for me these days). I also had the luxury of looking at the weather forecast (for what that’s worth) and aiming for days when the heat and wind would be tolerable. The three opening days of July were my first option, and as I continued to check the forecast last week, they kept getting better. The temps don’t reach the high 80’s until the late afternoon, when I’ve already finished riding, and—here’s the kicker—the wind is scheduled to make a 180º swing during the course of the three days and will be at my back throughout. Ta-da.
Tonight’s accommodations are at the historic William Watson Hotel, on the town square across from the Pike County Courthouse (photos below). It’s downscale, sorta kitschy historic, but it’s nice. The bathroom is clean, and the bed is very comfortable. I was concerned that I’d be eating dinner at Subway tonight, since many small-town restaurants are closed on Mondays, but Nucci’s Italian Restaurant was open, just a short walk away, and I tucked in to a delicious chicken parm with Alfredo sauce. (Marinara sauce would have had me chewing Tums all night.)
After dinner, I walked two circuits of the town square and read the many and various historic and commemorative markers scattered around. Like so many places in central Illinois, Lincoln was here on several occasions: first as a circuit-riding lawyer, and then in 1858 to deliver a two-hour speech opposing slavery. When Lincoln was here, he became acquainted with John Nicolay and John Hay, who would become his private secretaries in the White House (and later his biographers). Nicolay was a local who edited the Pike County Free Press; Hay came to Pittsfield as a teenager to live with his uncle and attend a highly regarded local academy. (Hay would go on to become Secretary of State under McKinley and Roosevelt.)
After spending the past two years seeing American history through the prism of Route 66, it’s kinda nice to see something different. Tomorrow, it’s Aunt Polly’s house and the white-washed fence.
Rideworthy 