I dropped off the dogs after work on Thursday and started to get ready to head out. I was trying a new place to board them, and I know they'll be fine. But I hate leaving them. Thursday evening came with some torrential rain - I don't want to have to mow right away when I get home!
I hate being home without the dogs...
Home to Keokuk, Iowa: 414.8 Miles
I woke up and bumped around the house for a while; finishing getting ready for the trip, reading a magazine, doing other stuff that probably didn't need to be done. I was not terribly excited for the adventure which is very unusual and not too pleasant. I knew that whatever funk was going on would be gone soon after hitting the road.
We left right at first light, heading west on two-lane roads. Temperatures were cool and humidity was high. There was some light fog, but it was really nice being on the road first thing in the morning.
There was big construction on my usual route to I-74, so I took a slightly different way. Thankfully, getting around Indianapolis was pretty easy this time. Rush hour was nearly over by the time I got there.
Once through Indianapolis, I stayed on I-74 for a while. I prefer two-lane roads, but I-74 had the usual low amount of other vehicles, so it was actually a nice drive. The amount of wind turbines seen was staggering. Somewhere, massive wind generation capacity must be being built up.
I also saw some of the automated traffic signs warned of the upcoming eclipse:
Total Eclipse August 21
Be Prepared for Heavy Traffic Through August 22
I'm not sure that the traffic mayhem will extend as far north as central Indiana, but who knows - this whole thing is a big unknown right now.
Even though the interstate was fine, I was glad to be off of the interstate, getting on US-136 for the bulk of the remainder of the day.
US-136 through Illinois isn't terribly interesting, but it is an easy drive and nearly devoid of traffic. The only "excitement" was when three wind turbine blades turned onto US-136 in front of us. We had to pull over while they made their way through the intersection. No problem - it was a beautiful day with warming temperatures and humidity dropping through the morning.
We stopped for lunch at a Dixie Diner at a truck stop. Nothing better than a greasy burger for lunch on the road...
We crossed the Illinois River at Havana. I enjoyed the brief trip to Cuba.
After meandering out of Cuba and back into Illinois, we crossed the Mississippi River. While approaching the river, I tried to remember how many times I've crossed it on two wheels, and I just can't remember anymore. It is a lot though.
We stopped for a few minutes to watch the River laze by. Even after all these crossings, I still enjoy it.
We had hotel reservations in Keokuk. Normally I wouldn't have bothered, but again, with the eclipse, who knows. This made for a shorter day of riding than I would have liked; there are pluses and minuses to making reservations ahead of time. It was starting to sprinkle as we found the hotel with threats of heavy weather later in the day. Regardless, it was time to stop.
Stopping early may not have been a bad idea as rain was billowing in from the west as evening progressed. After resting for a bit and eating a great dinner at a nearby brew pub, the night was capped off with some ice cream.
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