Day 19: Shawneetown, IL to Chester, IL (98 miles)

I felt excited as the day began since today was the day that we'd pass through Carbondale to hit our first bike shop since Virginia. I had been having problem with flats with my thinner 700cx23s; not even as much punctures but anytime I hit any heavier rocks, dividers between bridges, etc. Our detour around flooding from Shawneetown had us riding on a shoulder along a smaller state highway. These were the worst roads for my now apparently flimsy tires. Of course, getting 3 flats on the way to Carbondale would be the final hurrah from my tires. But, I made it and put on 25 Continental GatorHardshells. I was a bit sad that 28s wouldn't fit, but I was happier for any improvement that I could make. I ate a burrito and then began biking towards Chester to catchup with Dustin and Jon. The rest of the trip on the highway I felt like I was driving a bulletproof car as trixie shot debris away from the tires. Awesome.

When I started biking up the levees on the Great River Road, it was eerily silent as I biked by myself through flooded fields on a newly paved road. It's generally pretty quiet when biking in Wisconsin, but there's the ocassional cow or tractor noise to season the silence. Here, it was me, my thoughts and the sound of my tires on the newly paved road for 20 miles. I was only passed by 7 cars until my climb up into Chester. Totally surreal. At the top of the hill, Chester was dry. The Eagles had a small cabin that we were able to camp in. The club inside was the hopping spot in town. We ate and drank and enjoyed that tomorrow we'd be across the Mississippi.

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