This
is NOT a post about road riding, though the title may imply that.
Instead, it's about riding while on vacation, on the road, so to speak.
I
had the foresight to ship a bike out to my in-laws this past spring,
knowing that we make about two or more multi-day trips to north-central
Illinois (yeah, fine, for all you locals who take exception to me
calling it "central" Illinois -- southwest Chicago). My mother-in-law is
graciously storing it for me. In a shipping box.
![](https://scontent-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/l/t1.0-9/1554382_10204795373065044_4082926823306235290_n.jpg?oh=a7fbb6b713f24cc605e70e82bdde71cf&oe=54F26EFD)
Anyway...
I was wanting to find some folks on Velocipede Salon to ride with while
I was there this past weekend. While that didn't pan out (and is kind
of a relief, as my schedule degraded quickly leaving me only one
opportunity to save my sanity with a ride), there was a suggestion to
hop onto the I & R Canal Trail and cruise away the miles.
Good call.
![](https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10369686_10204795373345051_1156931037349904871_n.jpg?oh=e9605f92ab4cc9be84d81f827068d2e9&oe=54E8B0F8&__gda__=1421292526_4889111a297d6efdb4036516639acd76)
On
one of our trips out a couple years ago, we had crossed the I & M
Canal Trail on the way to a community pool, and I'd noticed that it
wasn't paved, though I didn't know just how rocky it could be.
Turns
out it's very smooth -- better than a lot of the roads I ride on near
home. The surface is crushed lava rock and cinder, and very well
maintained. A glorious ride.
The fall colors were nearly in full bloom, something that we don't get a lot of in the land of evergreens.
I look forward to going back and riding more of this trail. Maybe I'll be able to round up a couple cohorts to ride along.
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