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I decided to make my first long ride of the 2011 one of the capitols. The plan was to hit Springfield, IL, then over to Jefferson City, MO for 2 days. Unfortunately, the weather did not permit it. I was able to make it to Springfield for an overnighter. The total trip was just over 500 miles.
I left Thursday morning, just around 11:30am and headed towards Dekalb. I didn't want to hit the expressways my first day, since I was in the mood for some country roads. The ride was fine until I got into Sycamore. I swear I hit every red light from here through Dekalb. By the time I got out of Dekalb, my left hand was seriously cramping from all the clutching! I continued on route 23 to 34, which I rode into Princeton. Princeton was a tiny town, but my intent was to jump on 26 all the way to Peoria. 26 is listed at a favorite website as a great road to ride, as it follows the Illnois river. I gotta say I saw the river maybe 3 times. The road was decent, and the tree cover was very peaceful.
I stopped in Peoria for lunch (more like early dinner), and made my way down 29 to Springfield. This portion of the ride was particularly brutal, as this is truly the "plains," and I was getting blown all over the road. Also, the smell of manure was prominent, and I've learned with that odor comes BUGS. Needless to say, it got pretty annoying get smacked in my sunburned face for 2 hours by these little pests.
I pulled into Springfield just about 6:30pm, and promptly got lost searching for my hotel. Luckily I had to pull in for some gas and checked Google maps. I was only about a mile away. I finished checking in, and sat in my room watching the Office finale. After that, I was bored, so I took a little night cruise to find something to eat. While I was searching, I found the capitol and took a few shots with my phone:
These low grade pictures really didn't do it justice.
I checked out the next morning around made my way to the capitol. It was a bit busy, as it was Friday morning. However, the road directly in front of the building was closed to thru traffic, so I was able to pull right up front and take a few shots! The first few were great, but for some reason my autofocus didn't work for me with my timer pics. I even remember after my 2nd picture thinking "maybe I should take a few more." After looking at the few I had taken on the small camera LCD, I figured they came out fine. Here's how they looked:
I took a short ride around the capitol, trying to find the OLD capitol, but that just never happened. After the very, very long ride the day before, I decided to take highways home.
I took 55 up to 39, since I was stopping at a friends in Peru, IL. Though my average speed was about 70mph the whole way, I learned that at least you have something to expect on the back roads. Normally, I'll cruise for about a half hour or so, then come upon a small town. The speed limit will drop, I usually make the green light at the only traffic light in town, then it's another half hour at 55-60mph until the next town. This actually seems like there's something to look forward to. When you're on the expressway, it's just the same view, over and over.
I've been to Peru a few times before, but always came from the north. This time I came off of 39 onto 251. Right off the bat, the road takes a slight descent. Since there is forest on either side, you really don't see what you're driving into. Then the view opens up, and there's Peru, up on to of a big hill. You make your way over the Illinois river, and right into town.
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After I left Peru, I made my way back to 39, and took that all the way to 72. After 4 hours of buzzing along on the highway, it was a very welcome change. Here I was again, traveling on a 2 lane back road, going from small town to small town. I'll have to admit this felt like the shortest hour and a half of riding that day. I got home around 6:30pm, and ordered a cheesy beef from Village Pizza! What a great way to end my first overnighter of the season.
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