this groove is out of fashion

5/26 Claire and I happened upon Bike the Drive as we left Chicago this morning. Bike the Drive closes down Lakeshore Drive to only non-motorized vehicles, so we rode with other cyclists along the wide, smooth roads normally reserved only for cars past the giants that occupy the downtown. After about an hour the ride was over, so we hopped back on the Lakeshore path and continued south out of town.

Chicago is even longer than Milwaukee, and after a few hours and some turns through what looked like a small riverside town, I commented that we must be out of it, but CTA bus stops and other signs proved me wrong. When we did finally leave the city by way of a road that wound through tall marsh grasses, we ended up in Indiana, though there were no state signs to greet us.

While at Michael's apartment, I re-checked our directions to Indiana Dunes State Park and was given a 50-mile route by Google maps. The directions we had printed gave us a 60-mile route, probably because it inexplicably took us further south than necessary. We followed these, but we only have the directions printed out and not maps, so due to a few unclear directions (and perhaps some operator error), we ended up ending the day at about 70 miles.

We've still been in some highly populated areas and have been on a lot of bike paths, so I've been feeling like I haven't yet left behind the normal urban life I live. Tonight we're camping, so I do think we're starting to shed some of it. Tomorrow's route is mainly on roads, so I can only hope that the shedding continues.

5/28 Yesterday Claire and I awoke to the sounds of rain and wind. We slept in and debated whether or not to stay where we were for another night, but we decided to continue riding, though making it a shorter day than originally planned.

We ditched the Google maps directions after stopping at a gas station and purchasing a more detailed road map. We've been riding on small rural roads, re-routing when we run into gravel roads, fighting headwinds, soaring down hills, and enjoying the experiences you only have when you leave the main roads and slow your speeds. A few highlights: the sound of electricity rushing through wires and the way it sounds like a waterfall in the rain, a farm with zebras and goats (really!), perfectly spaced rows of bright green crops against the rain-soaked black earth, and an abandoned school where I thought I list Claire.

Tomorrow we'll cross the border to Ohio - already our fourth state!