Grand Illinois Trail And Parks - 2004

    Last year I rode both GITAP and TRIRI (Touring Ride In Rural Indiana), two back-to-back week-long tours that have more in common than differences.  I did it again this year - what better way to spend two weeks, than on bike tours? One slight difference this time: last year I rode a Greenspeed GTO recumbent trike. This year it was a Greenspeed GT3 recumbent trike! A few differences, but the result was the same: comfort, fun, and the increasing relization that I can't think of a better way to enjoy such a tour.
    I don't do a day-by-day commentary of either ride - you can find the routes and itinerary on the internet. Instead, I offer up some pictures and comments about what I was and did along the way.
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    While there was the chance to stay in motels along the way, most of us chose to camp in the state parks and recreational areas that GITAP picked out for us. While I do have my occasional complaints about the cold showers - invariably, someone has fooled around with the thermostat just the day before we arrived - most of the time the showers are fine, the campgrounds are scenic, and I'm just as glad I'm not sitting in front of the TV in some motel, missing out on the fun that the other riders are experiencing.

bags

    This statue - 48 feet tall - commemorates the native American chief Black Hawk.
Black Hawk

    Some of the smaller towns still have remnants of yesterday. Sometimes it's an old building, and sometimes it's what's *on* those old buildings. This adverisement from years ago appears in the town of Buda.
    Moments after I took that picture, I turned around and saw two friends, Doug Huffman and Pat Clarke, approaching on their Bike Friday DoubleDay.
    And speaking of Doug and Pat - I encountered them later in the week in Galena, while they were inside enjoying a meal, and I was outside taking pictures. Galena is an old town, very walkable, and filled with scenic and historic sites and sights.
    And speaking of historc sites: one of the routes took us through Tampico, birthplace of Ronald Reagan.
    This restaurant was just down the block from Reagan's birthplace. By the time I got there, most of the pies were gone - they weren't expecting such a large crowd, especially with the appetite of bicyclists!
you gotta eat


    There are times on a week-long ride when a nap in the country air is just what everyone needs. And, you just don't want to let go of your faithful steed, either. And sometimes a good massage is the perfect end to a great day of biking.
naptime  massage


    As some of you may know, I do have a liking for Southern women, so it wasn't just a coincidence that I happened to come across these two from Alabama a few times during the week.
two from AL  sandwiched

    And I do appreciate women from other parts of the country, too. These three "Buffalo Gals" are from: make a guess.
buffalo gals


    Sometimes you happen upon a spot that's just off the road, and you have to stop, look around, and take pictures. This is one such spot. I'm not sure just where that road leads to, but it just has to be a nice place.
road leads to...

It's always a good idea to be prepared. Never leave home without a line to hang your laundry on!


    We had a guided tour of this round barn. The next day, it made a perfect backdrop for some more pictures of the bicyclists.
Doug and Pat and the barn  nancy and the barn

    This was a good spot to stop and take pictures - it was right after some climbing out of the town of Galena. That's Elizabeth, quite a rider. As for the dummy...
elizabeth  dummy

    Ed was surprised by his family showing up on the last night of the tour. And I'm not sure what the question was, but Chuck seems to think it was funny.
ed and family  chuck



    Lots of friendships are made on bike tours.  I'm sure that many of us will see each other again, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's in Illnois, same time, next year.
group shot


    It may be the end of the second year of the Grand Illinois Trail And Parks tour, but judging by the comments of the riders, there will be more to come.
shadows