8/5-Sly Dogging on the I&M

Today was another day of canal riding. I left my campsite at Lock 6 on the Hennepin Canal after a terrible night’s sleep of drowning in my own sweat. As soon as I got out of my tent, I put bug spray on because the mosquitoes were just waiting. I didn’t dare go into the restroom because yesterday I discovered they were having a major convention. A guy named Steve had come to fish last night. He was heading for the restroom when I warned him about the mosquito convention. He just went around to the side of the building. 

There had been a little bit of rain during the night, but my tent was actually pretty dry. There were a million daddy long leg spiders on my tent. I told them the house was moving, but some persisted in staying. They’ll be in for a surprise next time I’m camping…you’ve been transported to a new home!

Morning on the Hennepin 

My route took me off the canal at Lock 3. 

Goodbye Hennepin!

There was a gratuitous loopy part after getting on the road. I declined to do it, and instead just headed up the road I would be coming back to anyway. I think it saved me about 2 miles. When it made sense to get back on the route, I did. It was a gravel road. 

The gravel is a little bit more coarse, but still rideable

The first town with a Casey’s was DePue. I stopped for a chocolate milk and a Bavarian cream stuffed long john. As I was leaving town, I saw this. 

Any idea what this black rock is?

The route did some neighborhood streets through Spring Valley. I always wonder what people think when they see me go by their house. Do they wonder how I got there?

Awhile back, one of the women on the WhatsApp group told Vivian about a closure between DePue and Spring Valley. It was supposedly a bridge washout. But, someone had told her that you could get by on a bike. You just have to lift your bike over a jersey barrier. I encourage trees that today, but it was fine. The barrier had been turned. I didn’t even need to get off my bike. And the bridge was not washed out. 

Then it was a good ride on gravel until the road turned to go back up. Wowza! That was a steep climb! I saw a guy walking down as I was riding up. I told him I haven’t had to climb that steep for several days!

I returned to the road I’d been on before doing the gravel bit. It was now a four lane, and quite busy. No shoulder, so I just took my lane. It was a steep down, then a climb back up (climb 6 on the Climb Pro). That brought me to…

I’ve been to Jamaica, Madrid, and now…Peru!

Peru is a pretty big city on the Illinois River. Again, I rode the neighborhood streets. I went through a fairly industrial area, then finally to the I&M Canal. It stands for Illinois and Michigan. Canal wise, it’s much smaller than the Hennepin.

Cool canal boat at the beginning 

Info

The path

It does have these mile markers that give info about what’s next, and life on the canal. Currently I’m in the 50s mile markers.

Water doesn’t seem to move much

There were many different surfaces on this canal path too. 

A lot of double track

Varying widths of singletrack

Sometimes…just grass!

Even some road

What there really wasn’t much of was pavement. But, it was still fast. There were a couple of downed trees, but they were easy to get over. 

This was a go around 

Up and over

The second one

What was also cool was that there were campsites!

Nice shelter even!

There were a couple like this. There was access to the river.

I would be flying along through the green tunnel, then pop out at a town. I stopped in Marseilles at a Mexican restaurant for some lunch. The trail goes through the towns, but it’s like you’re taking the Sly Dog way…sneaky like! I am a major fan of Sly Dog ways (everyone at home knows this), so I thought this was really fun! 

This is the 5 mile bridge. It’s 5 miles to either town! That meant 5 more miles to Morris, my destination,

In Morris, the route goes out to the road. I saw a sign the said “Trail detour”. That was fine for me because I was staying in Morris anyway. I was going to camp again, but the forecast is for overnight rain until 9:00am tomorrow. I just couldn’t bring myself to swelter in my tent in the rain. Speaking of rain, it was supposed to rain today. It did…a little. It wasn’t until I was just getting on the I&M. I was quite protected under the trees. It just started to rain again as I arrived in Morris. I’m at the Super 8. The road was crazy busy, but I just rode the sidewalk.

Tomorrow is a very special day! I’m meeting up with my friend, Bethany, in Frankfort. I’ll be getting an early start so I can get there ASAP, even if I have to ride in the rain!