What can I say? It was hot again! We got up at the ridiculous hour of 4:30 am, breakfast and snack at 5:30. Wee were very clearly told that hovering would not help make breakfast earlier. So....when I went to the lobby for hot water to brew my strange coffee contraption at 4:32 am... I see Connie, fully on bike clothes, suitcase packed wheeling our to the van. insanity! Anyway, on the road at 5:45 or something. Pretty tough headwind on the southbound stretches....

Whelp- another hot one. 78 miles, 100-plus heat. These few days I've been markedly less social as I ride. I pretty much pay attention to my body, and think about where water will be. Streator is a pretty run-down and depressed city. We got in early to beat the heat... and there wasn't much to fill our time with. I went to the weber house and garden http://www.weberhouseandgarden.com/ The owner was an interesting guy- and it was really impressive that he ma...

Lunchtime was the key for me on these two hot days. Today, we had reasonably cool temps until 9:30am (started at 6:45)- and the road was really flat and smooth. With the tail wind, karina Mary and I were doing 18-20mph for a good long time. We crossed the Mississippi river for the last time, and Illinois welcomed us with 5 miles of brutal grooved pavement....which will probably be lovely when they finish the road construction project...but was AWFUL to ride on...