Day 1: Better late than never!

Bike Distance	Avg Speed	Total Ascent	Saddle Time	Calories
54.8 miles	10.87 mph	350 ft	05:02:30	3060 cal

Late Departure:

I had a rather rigid plan to leave our house no later than 9am. I figured the more day light the better. As I was setting my alarm for 8am Swatz stated she would like to sleep in a bit more as she has been getting up at 5:30am for marathon training runs. Fair enough I thought. I need her at 100 percent so if more sleep is needed the so be it. W I layed my head on the pillow and fell fast asleep.

We both stumbled out of bed around 9:30 and each ventured to their respective bathrooms. I was the first out around 9:50 and began loading up the bikes. Swatz came down around 10 or so and we contemplated breakfast. We had a few garden tomatoes that we didn't want to see spoil so we sliced them up and chowed down!

Last week Swatz attempted to learn how to use toe clips. I swapped out her standard pedals for some with toe clips. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to practice enough so she decided to stick with what she knows best. Smart decision. However, as we were just rolling out she realized her bike still had the clip pedals so we headed back into the yard where I did a 6 minute pedal swap. My fastest time yet! Officially, at 11:06, we embarked on our journey!

Old Friends:

Leena, an old friend of Swati's, was in Chicago for the weekend so we decided to meet her at noon at a Starbucks on Roosevelt Rd to catch up. The route calls for us to pick up the lake front bike path near Roosevelt Rd so this worked out perfectly. We are a little early so we picked up some subway sandwiches for lunch later and then headed to Starbucks. We quickly spotted her and say outside to enjoy some cold coffee beverages. Turns out she was in town to interview some new tenants for her condo. She currently resides in NY but immediately felt nostalgic when returning. Who knows maybe we convinced her to move back! After an hour of chatting we exchanged hugs and headed toward the lake shore.

Lake Shore Path:

I always forget how awesome Chicago really is. Such a vibrant place with so much to offer its inhabitants. There are a few new beaches along the path that are little slices of heaven. They weren't crowded and we're super clean. I think most citizens aren't even aware these exist... They just think North Ave beach is it. Although, maybe that's the way the south siders want it... All to themselves!

While riding and gawking I recognized an oncoming rider. It was my buddy Allen from our ice hockey team. I knew he lived over here but never expected to run into him! We chatted a bit before continuing on. Always cool meeting up with friends even if by chance.

Welcome to Indiana:

After knocking out a bunch of miles we finally broke into Indiana. I heard a lot of negative things about this area so I sort of had my guard up. Boy was I misinformed. So many people either waved or said hello as we past that it was almost like someone informed them that I was coming and they had to get the word out that this place isn't bad at all! We even chatted with a bunch of elderly men hanging out at a McDonald's. They fought in several wars together as paratroopers and were sharing story after story. These guys were hilariously funny and eager to talk. You just have to be willing to say hello. I suppose that is why I do these tours.. To see for myself what people and places are like in person an not by stereotypes I haven't been disappointed yet!

The Dunes of Indiana:

After a long hot day on the saddle we reached our final destination around 7pm. We found a cozy camp site and shared a hot, albeit, freeze dried meal of chili. It was delicious! A shower later and I'm laying here in bed writing this post while listening to Swatz snore away! :-) After her first big day and with all the miles racked up she needs and deserves a sound sleep. ZZZZZZZzzzzzzz. :-)

Nighty night