Day 27: Iroquois, IL to Odell, IL

Had a good day of riding.  Weather was mild, winds calm, and I was able to log a good chunk of miles.  The only thing exciting that happened was passing through a wind farm.  I know that a lot of people don’t like the pinwheeled behemoths, but I think they look cool.  I expected them to be noisier up close, but what little sound they gave off was more than drowned out by any passing car.  I doubt these giant windmills will solve our energy problems, but at least they’re adding something into the system.

Someone mentioned that I have thus far neglected to mention my beautiful, loving, patient, sexy wife in any of my posts (I won’t say who mentioned this to me, but I’m sure you have a pretty good guess).  And, since today is our 27th wedding anniversary, I thought this would be as good a time as any to correct my omission.

When Soo tells people what I’m doing, they’re always surprised that she allowed me to go on such an impractical trip.  While it was never really a matter of her “letting” me go, I truly do appreciate her supporting me in this crazy endeavor.  I expected her to reject the idea out of hand when I first brought it up, but she actually considered it and encouraged me to go for it.  Of course, she probably assumed this was another one of my hare-brained schemes that would come to nothing.  Once I started gearing up and she realized I might actually go through with this thing, she stayed supportive even though she was certain I’d be calling her for a ride home somewhere around day 3.

As much as I’d like to take all of the credit for our marriage lasting 27 years, I have to give Soo her due.  The two of us are very different people, and I feel that’s a big part of what makes our relationship work.  Without her sensible side there to balance my impulsive side who knows what kind of trouble I’d have gotten into by this point in my life.  And, hopefully, my impulsive side has brought some excitement into her life that she would have otherwise missed out on.

I love you, honey!  I couldn’t have made it this far without you.  Can’t wait to come home and see you in six to eight weeks! (Maybe longer if once I get there I decide to ride from San Francisco to San Diego...)

Distance Today: 67 miles
Total Distance from my Wife: 1,280 miles