Day 10 – Sunday, September 8, 2013

Union Pier - Chicago

Both Heather and I didn’t sleep well at the hotel that night. The bed was small and uncomfortable and it was directly above a noisy restaurant and patio which was very loud.  We both woke up early at around 6am and I were anxious to get the final day underway.  I passed on breakfast knowing that the sooner I could get home the sooner I could get to my favorite breakfast place in Wilmette, the Pancake House.  I packed my gear for the final time and put on my kit for the day.  It was sunny and clear with not much wind which was a noticeable change from the past two days.

Leaving hotel on the last day of the trip

Setting out I had no choice but to follow the Red Arrow highway south past New Buffalo and into Indiana.  Since it was early Sunday morning there was no traffic but to be safe Heather followed behind me in the car with the blinkers on to alert traffic who might not see me.  It was comforting to know that she was there since there was hardly any shoulder on this stretch.  We stopped after about 30 minutes to take a picture as I entered Indiana… Only one state to go!  I made great time with the lack of wind and fresh morning legs.  Pretty soon I hit the Dunes Highway which was a little safer for biking so Heather turned off and went on back home and I continued on. 

Getting back into Indiana

The Dunes is a nice stretch that goes through the woods and is pretty scenic.  I enjoyed that part of the ride a lot but knew the worst was yet to come.  After another hour the road came out of the woods and the scenery started to turn industrial. I passed East Chicago and the American Steelworks. Then the BP Gas Refinery.  The petroleum smell in the air was thick and pollution turned the blue sky gray and cloudy.  The traffic picked up as my comfort level with the surroundings went down.  When I hit Garry, IN I was going pretty much as fast as I could to get out of there.  Garry is a total armpit, but the silver lining was the newly paved stretch of road I was on.  Last year this road was under major construction but now it was all done and the fresh blacktop was really nice.  The new asphalt took me straight through Garry and into Hammond.  When I hit the Harrah’s casino in Hammond I knew I had made it.  I didn’t have to follow my map anymore because I knew the way home from here. 

Just outside Garry, IN

Sometimes I got a little bored and with no traffic took a self portrait

Just past the casino was where I crossed into Illinois.  There is no sign but I knew were the state line was from past experience.  It goes right under the I-90 Skyway Bridge.  As I crossed into Illinois the terrain changed from industrial to more residential.  I got on highway 41 north and followed it until I hit a detour.  The bridge for highway 41 going over the Calumet River was closed for construction.  I knew another way over the river and went around to the next bridge.  The bridge was up and there was a line of cars a mile long.  I rode up to the foot of the drawbridge and looked each way to see how long it would be.  I could see a boat way down the river but it didn’t seem to be moving. 

First view of the city skyline

I stood and waited for a few minutes and had a gel.  5 minutes turned into 10 and I wondered what the heck was up.  Finally after about 15 minutes I couldn’t wait any more and had to look up another detour.  The next river crossing was way out of the way and I had to backtrack south almost 2 miles before I was able to cross the bridge.  Then it was another 3 miles to get back on course.  I was a little annoyed because of the inconvenience but in hindsight those last miles are what put me over 1,000 for the trip.  If it hadn’t been for that detour I would have been just a few short of the 1,000 that I wanted.

A little fog covering the skyline for my ride home

When I got back on course I flew for the last few miles north until the hit the lakefront path.  Of course the minute I did I ran into the annual Chicago Half-Marathon which was taking place ON the path that day.  After 10 days of open roads and hardly any use of breaks I was annoyed to have so much traffic in my path.  I weaved my way through he crowd and continued north on my familiar training grounds. 

It had been about 4 hours since I left Union Pier and instead of feeling excited to be back I felt a huge since of relief.  I was very sore and tired and felt beat up from head to toe.  I was anxious to get home and get off the bike.  I didn’t stop for many pictures and continued pushing north.  After the Chicago Marathon I hit the Chicago Bears Sunday tailgate at Soldier Field.  The smell of the grills made my mouth water and I pedaled even harder to get home.  I was starving!  There were a lot of joggers and pedestrians on the path so I had to be careful and slow down.  I continued north through the city and onto my regular work commute.  I was close.

I started to get excited knowing how close I was to home.  When I made the turnoff onto Bryn Mawr I decided to pass the regular bike shop and not stop.  Last year I had stopped in to say hi to the guys who had supported me during my preparation, but today I was really hungry and tired and anxious to get to the Pancake House.  I could have done the last 3 miles in my sleep because I’ve done it so many times before.

I made the turns without thinking and before I knew it I snapped out of my daze and realized I was turning onto my street.  I pulled up to the house where I’d left 10 days earlier and just kind of stared straight ahead.  It was hard to believe I was right back where I’d started.  I got off and stood the bike against the neighbor’s bushes and went and sat down on my front porch.  I took off my helmet, shoes, and camelback.  I just kind of took it all in and tried to enjoy the moment.  I was exhausted and unbelievably happy to be home safe. 

Finally home after 10 days

Heather came out and congratulated me and took a picture.  I wasn’t quite as interested in final photos and dramatic statements this time.  I just felt relief and exhaustion and soreness.  I had done it…. Again. 

The weirdest part of the whole trip was walking the bike back down the gangway and into the basement.  It’s something I do every day on my commute and after such an epic ride it seemed like a pretty ordinary ending.  I leaned the bike up against the wall in the basement like I do every day and walked upstairs.  It was over.

With nothing to really unpack I just changed into clean clothes and sat on the couch for a while.  It’s a weird feeling because so much has happened…. Yet there really isn’t much to say after it’s all done, just an enormous sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.  We went up for breakfast and I have never eaten so much in my life.  Actually, for weeks after the ride my appetite and digestion were totally out of whack.  I was constantly hungry and just couldn’t eat enough.  I had lost over 10 pounds during the trip and was down to 160 when I weighed myself on the bathroom scale.  I’m normally around 172.

Kitten comes out to greet me at home

Heather had arranged for a massage that night and as I relaxed I tried to reflect on the trip.  I knew I should go and update my blog, Facebook and twitter but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.  I was so tired and burned out I needed to just decompress and get away from things for a while. 

It took a week off the bike before I could come back and really unpack and start to reflect on the trip.  I had managed to get all the photos for my stop motion movie and I am still in the process of getting that done.  I reviewed all my daily journal notes to update the blog and am ready to close the book on this year’s ride.

In the end I was able to raise enough to donate 50 bikes for World Bicycle Relief and I am much more proud of that than accomplishing the ride.  In retrospect the fundraising part was more stressful and took more work to prepare than the actual ride itself.  The emphasis on that aspect is what kept me off-focus the first few days of the ride.  But, I am so thankful and happy for all those who contributed to the ride and who took money out of their own pockets to help others.  It takes a lot to do that.  The more time goes by and I reflect on the trip I realize that it wasn’t about the ride… it was about the bikes.  The planning, the route, the gear, the bike, was all for one reason and that was to build support for WBR and encourage people to donate. 

I’m so happy and blessed to be physically and mentally able to do this and very proud of what we were able to accomplish in the end.  Not just the ride but the 50 bikes.  That’s what has a real impact.  If I’d done the ride just for myself it would have been empty and meaningless.  Don’t get me wrong it still would have been cool.  But that’s all it would have been is a cool story to tell.

I’m so glad to be able to help and now as I sit here writing this I think about those 50 people riding their new bikes around and it makes me happy.  It makes it worth it.  For all the hard days, the soreness and the stress.  It’s worth it.