day 13, the chicagoland blues

Not much to report today. We had a long slog of a time getting around Chicago and its environs. What we learned: those environs stretch a long way. Also, in addition to not having the good graces to put up a welcome sign, Illinois also thinks it's reasonable to leave the shoulder off many of its roads. What Aaron had estimated to be a 78 mile trip turned into a 95 miler due to a few road switched and extra turns. Fuzzy math, you might say. Demoralizing, yes, but the good news is the weather has cooled down and the roads were flat - and we even had a tailwind for a portion of the day. I hold the belief that a tailwind when you're biking east should be treated as pitching a perfect game: it can't be discussed as it's happening, lest it will be jinxed. Aaron doesn't share this belief: "Can you believe this tailwind!? We're going 18 miles an houe and I'm barely peddling!"

Tomorrow, we continue westward toward the mighty Mississippi. Now, sleep.

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