East Of The Mississippi River

I'm in Carbondale, Illinois and it's about 11:00 in the morning. This library is surprisingly crowded, considering how hot and humid it is outside. It's been one week since Janice left the tour and things are going well for me. I'm getting used to the solo travel thing, although not all of my traveling has been solo.

Yesterday, on my way to Carbondale, I met two other cyclists who were headed east, like me. They were from Vanersborg, Sweden and their names were Nisse and Daniel. Nisse (pronounced knees-ah) and Daniel are a father and son team (Nisse is the father) and their cycling adventure started in San Francisco. Daniel has diabetes, and they are cycling across the continent as a way to raise money for diabetes research. Here is their site. (Nisse's blog uses some English.)

I spent the afternoon riding with Nisse and Daniel, and while we rode we talked. Having people to ride with made the day go much faster and soon we were in Carbondale, planning our afternoon. The Simpsons Movie was opening and Nisse and Daniel were excited to see it. Also wanting to see the movie, I joined their mission. Together, we found the theater, bought tickets, ate lunch, and found a hotel room. Nisse and Daniel were kind, and invited me to share a room with them. After swimming and showering we walked back to the mall. Before the movie, we enjoyed a few cold beers and talked about cycling, traveling, and about our countries. We also talked about a sport called bandy, a Nordic sport that I had never heard of.

The movie was funny, and having friends to pass the evening with was most appreciated. Thanks Nisse and Daniel! It was great to meet you both and to share time with you all. I wish you well on your travels.

I'd also like to thank Jacob Hodge, who drove Janice and I to the Greyhound station back in Springfield, MO. We met Jacob at Fred's Fish House the night before Janice was going to leave. Janice and I were planning our ride to Springfield and trying to figure things out when Jacob offered to drive us. Thanks Jacob, you made Janice's last day of the tour smooth, safe, and fun!

Well, it's time for me to say goodbye and head out into the humidity. I only have about 45 miles to ride today, but I do have to stop and sample trees. I called the campground I'll probably be staying at tonight and they do have showers. (It's always nice to wash off any spiderwebs I might walk through while sampling trees.)

As I ride east today, my thoughts will be with Janice's friends Laura and Sampsa, who will be getting married this afternoon. Congratulations Laura and Sampsa! I wish you both the best! Janice has been talking about your wedding for the last two months, and I know she is very excited to be there. I can't wait to see the photos!