You know you're in for an exciting trip when after stepping off the train in Carbondale, the ride director says "We have a problem!" I'll come back to that later.
We have arrived in Cairo (pronounced Kay-ro like the syrup) to hot humid southern Illinois weather. The Amtrak train ride down was pretty cool! I got to revisit (albeit briefly) the neighborhood I first lived in when I moved out on my own (Hyde Park) and the neighborhood where I spent the majority of my formative years (Rosemoor) on the far south side of Chicago. Ah the memories! I slept, ate in the snack car, talked with some of my fellow participants, slept some more, ate some more, lather, rinse, repeat. It was an uneventful trip until just south of Champaign the train conductor announced our arrival in Carbondale would be delayed due to flash flood warnings in Carbondale. Oh joy! We were supposed to arrive in Carbondale at 1:45 PM. We actually got to Carbondale at 3:00 PM. And when we stepped off the train, is when Rob Layton, Bicycle Illinois director made the aforementioned announcement. The truck with our bikes and regular clothes had the radiator malfunction in Champaign and could not go any farther. So Rob rented a car to bring our luggage to Cairo and that should arrive by 8:00 tonight. Our bikes however won't arrive until sometime in the wee hours of Sunday morning. So our 1st day ride start will be delayed by half an hour. No big deal. It just makes things that more interesting.
We took a tour of the City of Cairo after we arrived. It is a fascinating place. It's a city trying to make a comeback in the midst our economic downturn. Yet in spite of this, the people are very friendly and welcoming. I also got to see the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Pretty cool stuff!
As I write this, dinner is just about to be served and then we'll have our opening meeting to go over the experience that is about to become Bicycle Illinois 2009.
I will have pictures starting tomorrow and may have an additional post later on tonight.
On Your Left!
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Happy to read you made it safely. Sorry to read of the delays and litlle hiccups. Sounds like you are having a good time.
ReplyDeletetell us a bit about your fellow adventureres please, are there other TNT'ers, what sort of cool bikes are you riding with, ect...
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Thanks for keeping us updated, Gary. Remember to find the biggest guy, stay on his wheel, and let him do all the work (oh wait, that's my strategy ;-)). Is it possible to post a map of your route? It would be cool to see where you guys are.
ReplyDeleteGary, it's not about the destination, it's about the journey and the stories! Ask Mr. Layton if he recently had his Roark stolen and he'll wonder how I know and then I'll tell you.
ReplyDeleteHave a fantastic time! GO TEAM!
To Sue: I added a link to the blog for Bicycle Illinois. When you click it, you'll be taken to their site which details the route we're taking. Thanks for the support!
ReplyDeleteTo Paula: Yes Mr. Layton (or Rob as I like to call him) did have his road bike stolen recently. Ok I give - how did you know?
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