I was up early in Elkhart, Indiana, and left the campground feeling somewhat refreshed while the sun was coming up. It was the first time I had to use my back blinker on the trip. I ended up going to McDonald's and ordered 2 Sausage Egg McMuffins. Bike touring was finally having an effect on my appetite. A guy came up to me at my table and asked if the bike outside was mine (it was). He told me about his planned trip to Chattanooga and was giving me tips on how to get free stuff on tour. He asked why I didn't go down to the Salvation Army to get breakfast. He also asked me if I ever heard of the Stranded Motorist Fund that you can use to get free motel rooms. He bragged that he bike toured for two weeks without paying anything by going to the local police or fire station and getting them to use this fund to put him up in hotels. He probably could write the book on how to be homeless cyclist. When we're on tour, we are all homeless cyclists in a way.
Maybe it was just that experience, but I didn't really feel at ease in Elkhart. It was a small town with big city traffic attitude. It made me feel uneasy like I sometimes do in Ashtabula, with little pockets of decrepitude. I had the hardest time finding even a gas station after I forgot to fill my water bottles at the McDonald's, so I biked back a mile to the McDonald's to fill each. They did capitalize on the elk in Elkhart and had statues here and there. I really tried to just get out of there as soon as I could.
I knew I'd be on a long stretch of country road until I reached La Porte. I was also hoping to reach Munster by the end of the day, which was 100 miles away, and I wasn't sure how much traffic would increase as I neared Chicago. Though I'd seen so much corn the whole course of the trip, I made sure that I took some pictures of these 8 feet tall plants that almost formed tunnels. It was really my last opportunity.
La Porte was a little oasis in the trip set on some lakes. I happened into a place called Temple News Agency, which served ice cream and Intelligentsia coffee, a sure sign that I was getting close to Chicago. The folks there gave me some advice on how to get to Chicago. They seemed to think that going through Valparaiso would be good and that it had 3 microbreweries too. They also thought that maybe I could go north too, but I didn't want to take the chance since I new other cyclists who had been car blocked as they were traveling to Gary, only having to finish their tour to Chicago by trying to get a taxi or bus into the city with their bike in tow.
Going through Valparaiso ended up being a good route. Valparaiso was really busy, but once I got to Hobart, there were some bike paths including the Oak Savannah that had beautiful views of lily pads. In Griffith, there was another trail called the Erie-Lackawanna, a name very reminiscent of the Buffalo area. Maybe it's a railroad trail. I felt these trails really helped to give me a boost to make it the 100 miles and provided some shade after riding on farm roads with few trees.
It really wasn't busy until right outside of Munster. There were some roads where I felt I couldn't ride and where they were lacking sidewalks. I would walk and ride, taking my time and trying not to get stressed out by rush hour traffic. I felt lucky that I hadn't experienced this volume of traffic until I reached Munster, which was less than 30 miles away from downtown Chicago. The notion crossed my mind that I could walk that distance in a day if I really had to do that to make it to my destination.That night, I stayed at the Hampton Inn, which was conveniently located down the street from Three Floyds Brewery. When I went to 3 Floyds, there were lines out the shop and the restaurant. It was fun, but it was located in this industrial park instead of integrated into a downtown area. Worth the visit despite not being immediately visible from the street. I met a dude from Michigan who programmed robots that make cars while I was there and had an interesting chat.
Of all my bike tour days, I ate the most disgusting food on this day, but it was also the day I was able to do the most miles. There might be a correlation or even causation between those two things. Things I ate: 2 Sausage Egg McMuffins, Chocolate Milk, Apple Juice, Gummi Worms, Granola Bar, Large Black Berry Milkshake, 7 Layer Burrito from Taco Bell, 2 Chili Dogs courtesy of Hampton Inn, and 2 pints of beer. I never eat meat, but I was just listening to what my body wanted me to do mostly. I actually didn't feel the extreme fatigue that I've felt before at the end of the day. This was my last long day of the tour, so I knew I wouldn't have to eat like this again most likely. Still so gross though.
The bed and upholstered furniture felt so soft. I melted into it at the end of the day.
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