Friday May 23, 2014
My original plan for today was to ride out to one of the recreation areas or the state park near the river and do some hiking. But my butt says, no way. So today becomes a rest day. After a few errands, I spend the day on my stomach or side, trying to keep off my butt and trying to keep the forming scab from sticking to the skin of my leg and pulling off. Yes, it’s as fun as it sounds.
Most importantly, I find a $1 small roll of black duck tape at a nearby Dollar Tree. I tape up my seat to smooth/eliminate the torn ridge that has caused the blister. (I end up carrying this roll of duck tape with me for the rest of the tour. I use it to repair the tape when it starts to deteriorate every few weeks or so. It is my best or next-to-best $1 investment of the entire tour. Once my butt heals this time, I have no more problems).
I get lunch at Wendys – a small chili and plain baked potato is one of my favourite meals. There’s a lot of nutrition, protein and carbs packed in that meal for less than $3.
I also go back and look at Google maps and my IL bike map to try to figure out where I went wrong yesterday. I study the maps for a very long time and still have no idea where I went wrong or just where I actually went! Many times you can go back and say, “Aha! That was the problem”! But this time, I’ve got no clue. I very rarely get lost on road or trail, but this one is destined to remain a mystery.