Cycle the Heartland for HD - Daily Message from Marie

During the ride, a daily message will be written, recounting the highlights and progress. E-mail Marie’s husband Ron at ron.nemec@bigfoot.com to request subscription or come here each day to read her entry.

Day 5 - May 24 - St. Charles, MO - Greenville, IL

After the usual breakfast, we left St. Charles, following Route 94, which was very well marked. Again, with Charlotte not riding, I got to choose which distances to ride and where. As we left St. Charles, it was pretty flat with not much traffic, so I decided to ride. It was a bit cool and cloudy, but good bicycling weather.

Rode through some little towns - Machens, Orchard Park (with a billboard for "Kilroy's), Portage des Sioux (with a coal fired power plant) and almost to West Alton. But then it started raining. I got a bit wet while putting on my 99 cent special poncho, and putting the covers on my bike bags.

Charlotte came back for me, and at 19 miles I loaded up. Felt like a drowned rat.

Continued on Route 94 across the Misssissippi River. Beautiful new bridge (the Clark Bridge, after Wm. Clark of Lewis and Clark) into Alton MO. Needed to buy gas - $3.95/gallon for 87 octane (they don't sell 85 octane). It was still drizling at lunchtime; couldn't find a park along the route so stopped under an overhang at a mechanic shop which wasn't open. The usual for lunch in Bethalto.

Drove a few miles on Hwy 140, and then started to ride again. Best surprise of the day was crossing our favorite "Route 66" in Hamel; memories of two years ago on our last day of riding on the "Midwest Meander for HD." Of our 10 rides, all but the Ramble and Coastin' either followed or crossed Route 66.

Contest alert: Which one of these cities doesn't belong? Chicago, Oklahoma City, Gallup, Pismo Beach, Barstow, Joplin, San Bernardino, St. Louis, Springfield, Flagstaff, Santa Monica, Kingman, and Amarillo. First one who e-mails me the correct answer after Sunday, May 25 at after 6:00 pm Central Daylight will win a free ride t-shirt. Send e-mails plain text to bike4cure@pocketmail.com

Still riding 140 Eastbound, but it started to rain again. No sign of Charlotte, so I got the rain poncho and covers on my bike bags. As I was preparing once again to brave the headwind and rain, Charlotte showed up, so I loaded my bike. I probably should have kept riding but I didn't want to get wet again, and wasn't sure how much further I needed to ride, and my riding shoes were wet.

Found the lovely terra-cotta brick country home of our hosts, Mike and Kathy Hammock, and their cats Sneakers and Velcro. A real mansion, large rooms with oak flooring, not quite finished (needs floor and door molding, flooring in the entry way, but oh my ... just a lovely home which on which they have done much of the work. Both Mike and Kathy work in St. Louis (he's and engineer and she's a lawyer). Quite a commute, but Mike drives a two person Honda hybrid that gets 63 mpg!

Lovely pork tenderloin, roasted vegetables, salad, and cherry cobbler for dessert. Yummy meal!

Today's route miles - 72
Marie's mileage - 32.5
Charlotte - 0

Charlotte may try a little riding on Monday, May 26. Keep praying for good healing!

With love from Southern Illinois,
Marie (and Charlotte)

Day 6 - May 25 - Greenville, IL - Effingham, IL

Woke up to the rising sun through the East window. Kathy fixed us French Toast for breakfast, made with French Bread. Also enjoyed the homemade tomato juice they canned.

We accepted the invitation of Kathy to attend their church service at 10:15 am, and planned to start riding from the church.

Lovely newer church, with imposing stained glass window. Very liturgical service.

Never got to ride today, though. There was rain, thunder, and lightning just as I was going to unload my bike.

Started driving East, on Hwy 140, then briefly on the I-70 before exiting in Vandalia. Vandalia was the capital of Illinois for 20 years (1819-1839). We saw the Illinois State House, where President Abraham Lincoln began his political career. There was a "Madonna of the Trail" statue there (have seen others in other states, too) honoring pioneer mothers of the covered wagon days. The statue marked the Western Terminus of the Cumberland Road built by the Fed. Gov't authorized by Congress and approved by Pres. Jefferson in 1806. I think the Cumberland Road may be identical to the National Road, but not sure.

Ended up driving all the way to Effingham, as it was still raining. The mascot name of Effingham High School is the Flaming Hearts. What???

Did a little grocery shopping at WalMart before finding the home of our hostess Roberta Jenkins. Roberta is a great hostess; she gave us a tour of the "Sculpture on the Avenues" in downtown, then she drove us out to "The Cross at the Crossroads." It was modeled after a similar cross alongside the Interstate in Groom TX, (outside Amarillo) with somewhat different dimensions. www.crossusa.org is their website. The cross is 198' tall, equal to a 20 story building. Surrounding the Cross at the Crossroads (of I-57 and I-70) are individual displays representing the 10 commandments with an audio commentary for each. There is an adjacent Chapel Welcme Center. The Cross was erected on June 27, 2001 and first lighted on Sept. 16, 2001, five days after the 9/11 disasters.

Back to Roberta's for dinner (baked chicken, stewed tomatoes, mixed vegetables, applesauce, and potato salad. Strawberry/rhubarb pie for dessert.

Hoping and praying that the weather cooperates tomorrow.

Route mileage today - 70

With love from the Crossroads,
Marie (and Charlotte)

Day 7 - May 26 - Effingham IL to Marshall IL

Rain, rain, go away ... Come again another day ... Charlotte and Marie want to play (ride)!!!

Got up about 6:00 am - no rain! Looked good, but by the time we were enjoying a great breakfast fixed by Roberta (scrambled eggs, sausage links, cantaloupe, OJ, toast) guess what? It started to rain! Oh no, not again ...

We decided to "hunker down" at Roberta's and wait it out. She wanted to take the free casino bus to St. Charles MO so we said "Go." She left, but there was no bus today, being the Monday of the Memorial Day weekend. She came back and we visited awhile and journaled, listening to "Easy Listening" music on her cable tv station.

There was less rain as time passed, so we determined we would ride. Charlotte said she was ready to ride again, after 5 days hiatus. And she did! She is one tough cookie! (9:40 am departure)

Spent the whole day on the National Road, which in earlier days was called the National Pike, the Great Turnpike, the Old Pike, and Cumberland Road. It runs 600 miles across 6 states.

Just outside of Effingham was Teutopolis. Must be a Dutch community. The high school mascot name is "The Wooden Shoes." What would happen if the Effingham Flaming Hearts played the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes? Send any gueses to me at bike4cure@pocketmail.com

Many of the little towns along US 40 display the names of community members who are serving in the military. About 1 ft. sq. signs with a yellow ribbon or an eagle (depending on the town) and a flag are attached to each light pole.

Went through Montrose IL (not to be confused with Montrose CA or Montrose CO).

Got to go over a covered bridge going into Greenup. The bridge was reconstructed in 2000 from the description of the Jackson Bridge w/Directions to Building a Wooden or Frame Bridge. The original bridge was built in 1830. It crosses the Embarass (or as one sign said, the Embarras River). Greenup is called "The Village with the Porches." It was formerly called Barbour, but in 1836 the name was changed to "Greenup" after W.C. Greenup. Abraham Lincoln helped to dig a well there in his youth.

On to Casey, in Clark County. Ate lunch on a bench on Main St.

Got a bit hillier but the slight tailwind kept me going at a pretty fast clip. Arrived at mile marker 16 in where we turned into a driveway to the home of Darrell and Anne Cooper. 100 year old house they have restored, with many nostalgic original faily photos and memorabilia. Beautiful antique furniture. We are sleeping upstairs; I'm in the upstairs master suite. Bed has to be 40" off the floor. I can barely crawl up onto it.

Ann has gone on mission trips to Liberia and Mississippi (to help with Katrina relief efforts).

Great dinner: baked chicken, couscous salad, sweet potato, and broccoli/cheese. A bit later, a young couple (20-some) stopped by for dessert: berry pie w/ice cream. Justin and Miriam Snider are both Pastors of 2 rural churches each in the Marshall area. Delightful young couple; enjoyed visiting with them.

Fist week of riding over, starting second week tomorrow.

Today's route mileage - 50
Marie and Charlote each rode 25 miles

Charlotte's shoulder seemed to be OK. Thanks to all who have been praying for her recovery/healing.

With love from the Natonal Road in IL,
Marie (and Charlotte)

Day 8 - May 27 - Marshall, IL - Putnamville, IN

Another two state day ....

Nice breakfast caserole with Anne and Charlotte, juice too!

After a prayer with Anne, her husband Darrell, and Charotte, I took off riding, since my bike was still "out" from arrival yesterday afternoon. Rode into Marshall, a quaint town of 3000 on the Old National Road.

Charlotte left the van for me in the parking lot of the Armstrong United Methodist Church, where Miriam (from last night) is Pastor. Things got confusing for Charlotte as she followed the Hwy 40 E signs and rode her bicycle onto the I-70 Interstate then had to get off on the left lane Exit 1. How scary! Driving, I followed the Old National Road signs but had to get on the Interstate to get to the Tourist Information building for some Indiana maps.

The area around the border of the two states is called "Illiana." At the border, we also changed from Central to Eastern Time Zone, so "lost" an hour.

Caught up with Charlotte in Terre Haute right after a construction zone on US 40. Terre Haute is a city of about 60,000 and is home to Indiana State University. Terre Haute is on the banks of the Wabash River.

Ate lunch in a Walgreen parking lot while I was getting 1 hr. film developing. Charlotte rode out while I waited for the processing.

Getting into rolling hills, not my favorite thing but I didn't have to walk. Very beatiful verdant terrain.

Went through lots of small towns and one a little bigger - Brazil - which had a WalMart. Riding in Clay County which was formed by the Indiana General Assembly in 1825. Named after the American Statesman Henry Clay.

Pressed on to Putnamville (in Putnam County). which has a large Correctional Faclity, the District 53 State Patrol Office, and a tiny hole-in-the-wall post office.

Finally made it to Putnamville Baptist Church. Pastor Stave Blaydes and his wife and children greeted me when I arrived.

We are being housed in a modular guest house, which an elderly man donated to the church when he went to Assisted Living. It's very new and clean, with two bedrooms and a large bath/laundry room. Some church members brought us cookies, yogurt, cereal, milk, salad, pizza ... how thoughtful!

Another "high" bed tonight, and no step stool, but I'll manage. Charlote's sleeping on the lower bunk of a bunkbed.

Charlotte seems to be doing fine with her shoulder, thank God!

Route mileage today - 53
Charlotte - 25
Marie - 28
Road change - found my first coin, a nickel

With love from the National Road in Indiana,
Marie (and Charlotte)

Day 9 - May 28 - Putnamville, IN - Indianapolis, IN

Woke up to a clear blue sky ... first time in a week.

Breakfast as usual, then got the van packed up, and met Pastor at 8:30 am at the church, so we could send our e-mails. Said a prayer with him, and soon were on our way.

Charlotte rode first, then I rode, through a couple of small towns. Rolling hills, divided highway, with crops in the fields alongside the road. The National Road parallels the i-70, but it was never visible. At one high point, I could see skyscrapers in the distance in Indianapolis skyline 20-some miles away.

Everything changed at Plainfield, from rural to urban. Pretty hectic riding from there into Indianapolis.

We wanted to do a little sightseeing so we loaded up the bikes into the van, and drove to see the site of the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is located in, you guessed it, Speedway! There were still port-a-potties, concession tents, etc from the race, which was this past Sunday.

On the way towards downtown, we drove past the RCA Dome where the NFL Colts play. Got into downtown Indy to the State Capitol Bldg, where we ate lunch before going inside. We were put with a large group of jr. high age kids, and it was taking too long, so we just looked around on our own. Pretty typical state capitol bldg. The bldg. is being renovated (I think the heating and cooling). Large statues representing Commerce, Agriculture, Justice, Liberty, History, Art, Law, and Oratory towered above the floor of the rotunda. Only one President was a "Hoosier" - Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President. Indiana became a state in 1816; first capital was further South, in Corydon. There are 100 state reps and 50 state senators. In the House, there are 51 Democrats and 49 Republicans. More info at www.IN.gov

Drove out a ways to follow directions to the home of tonight's hosts, the Hendershots. I rode the last leg about 9 miles. Pretty heavy traffic.

Arrived safely. Met Barb and the two children, Grace (8) and Ben (4). Mike arrived home just in time for dinner (chicken, sweet potatoes, cottage cheese, and pears).

The family took off for their church for a culmination activity of the Word of Life program. The children took some of their matchbox cars with them to race. The children surrendered their bedrooms to the weary travelers. Charlotte is sleeping in Grace's Princess bedroom and I am sleeping in Ben's Army bedroom complete with suspended camo fabric creating a false ceiling.

Another day under our belts, with one more day to ride in Indiana.

Route mileage today - 45
Marie's mileage - 22.64
Charlotte's mileage - 20
Road change - 4 cents

With love from the National Road,
Marie (and Charlotte)

Day 10 - May 29 - Indianapolis, IN - Richmond, IN

Got up early ... 5:30 am after a good night's sleep in Ben's camo/Army bedroom. Ate cereal/milk with blueberries, strawberries, and banana. Barbara said she has been inspired to start exercizing.

Drove back to US 40 in 35 min. Charlotte started riding. Lots of businesses until we crossed out of Marion County and into Hancock County, then it became much more rural.

Biggest town along the way was Greenfield, the home of Jaycie Phelps, a gold medalist gymnast in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. I struck "gold" with road change - about half of today's total was found there.

Met a woman bicyclist (Helen) who was out doing a training ride - 120 miles today. When she met up with Charlotte down the road, she told Charlotte she had learned a bit about HD in medical school.

Noticed many signs for discounts on quantity purchases. "Buy 6 Dilly Bars, get 2 free" and "Buy two auto details, get 50% off on 2nd one" are some examples.

Hwy 40 was lined with yard sales the whole way. For three days, folks from Baltimore to St. Louis (along 40) are urged to set up yard sales. Quite the sight!

Knightstown was the first town platted on the National Road after it was surveyed. It was named after surveyoer Jonathan Knight. It is situated in Henry County, named for American patriot Patrick Henry, of "Give me liberty or give me death" fame. It is the home of American Communications Network, founded in 1966 to preserve and perpetuate the "Ideals that built America" and "The Dignity of Man."

Lunch in the Lions Park in Lewisville. Our last night's host Barb gave us some sliced turkey which broke our usual monotonous lunch routine. Thanks Barb!

On into Cambridge City, a transportation center, platted in 1839 along the Whitewater River, the Cumberland/National Road, and the Whitewater Canal route. Seemed like a quaint city. It is hard to fathom how old some of these towns are. Back then, Indiana and Illinois were "frontier" states.

Centerville was the home of Oliver P. Morton, the Gov. of IN during the Civil War, and then a Senator for two terms. He was the first native-born Governor of IN.

Got to Richmond, tonight's destination, at 3:30 pm. Quite a few parishoners were at the church to greet us; very nice! We are sleeping in a room in the church, and they brought us air mattresses!

I went out looking for WalMart and some souvenir post cards; finally was successful, but had to drive over the border into Ohio to find postcards. Charlotte had tofu/peanut butter sandwich for dinner; I had some cole slaw and a small Wendy's chili.

Last night in Indiana - on to Ohio tomorrow!

Today's route mileage - 65 miles
Charlotte - 34 miles
Marie - 31 miles
Road Change - 82 cents

With love from the National Road in Richmond, IN
Marie (and Charlotte)

Day 11 - May 30 - Richmond, IN - Springfield, OH

Our fourth two state day ... still on the National Road/Hwy 40.

Charlotte rode through Richmond and I drove the van. Went past Earlham College, a Quaker school founded in 1847. Also rode past the offices of the local newspaper, the Palladium-Item or as the locals call it, the Pal-Item. Now that's a strange name for a newspaper.

Passed another "Madonna of the Trail" statue, like we saw in Vandalia. I am going to send an extra e-mail about the "Madonnas of the Trail." More signs, "Buy 4 car washes, get 2 free."

Lots of car dealerships, especialy imports: Hyundai, Toyota, Scion ... One moment you're in Indiana, then you're in Ohio. First thing you see in Ohio is Shelton's, the World's Largest Fireworks Store. Then the whole atmosphere changes. Richmond is very urban, and once you cross into Ohio, it is very rural.

Disappointment was averted this morning when I re-traced my route and found the yellow-green reflective cover for my rear bike bag. Unbeknowns to me, it had blown off in the wind. I had to ride back a little over three miles before I found it.

Didn't have to ride through Dayton; Hwy 40 skirts North of the city. Somehow Hwy 40 was also Alternate I-70 but that wasn't on the map. Loaded up both bikes, drove a few miles on the I-70, then exited and drove back to Hwy 40.

Lunch in Brandt, at a park. Turkey/lettuce sandwich for me, and Charlotte returned to her tofu/peanut butter/lettuce. Charlotte rode about 9 miles,and I rode about 4. A stretch of Hwy 40 was set up like an Interstate, with controlled access, so we drove that part. I rode the rest of the way to the church.

Warmer today, into the low 80's. Warmest day yet.

At the last minute, the Pastor arranged for us to stay with a family, Bill and Marty Patterson. Drove 1 miles from the church to their home. Marty prepared a nice dinner of beef/noodles, peas, mashed potatoes, and strawberries/dessert shells.

After dinner, Marty checked her heartrate and blood pressure, then took Charlotte's and mine, at our request. I was pleased that my heart rate (pulse) was 74 and my blood pressure was 119/77.

Pretty much have everything down to a science, with 11 days under our belts.

Route milage today - 67
Charlotte - 33.4
Marie - 33.4
Road change - 11 cents, right as I started to ride

With love from the National Road,
Marie (and Charlotte)

Supplement - Cycle the Heartland for HD - Madonna of the Trail