Red barn...why are so many barns red?
Last night I fell asleep immediately after getting back from Thai Taste. I did not even get my sleeping bag out of it’s stuff sack. At midnight I woke up and got into my sleeping bag and fell back asleep.
Waking up at almost eight in the morning I realized I had not set an alarm and had slept for nearly 12 hours. I had been planning on leaving Carbondale around 8:00 to make sure I made it to Golconda before dark. It was overcast with a high chance of rain. The air was chilly — not too cold, but lots of moisture to give it that extra chill.
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More hills in Illinois
The first couple of towns I went through were different than most — there was no main street looking main street. The road wound through but no main shopping street. I stopped at the Sub Shack in Goreville for lunch. When asked what I wanted to drink, I answered, “What hot drinks do you have?” I got a big cup of coffee to go with my bacon cheeseburger. The coffee helped take the chill off.
I ended up arriving in Golconda at dusk. I stayed at Michael’s Motel to avoid the cold. It was at the top of a steep hill. I did a quick tour of Main Street. Despite overhearing people at both the diner and Mexican restaurant talking about the tough economy in Golconda, Main Street was almost fully occupied. This could be because Main Street was the location of the two highways into town intersecting plus the geography placed Main Street between two hills. It was nice to see compared to so many other towns that became spread out and Main Street is vacant.
Dinner was at Los Gracias – one of four restaurants in town. (Two are more bars than restaurants). The Mexican place and Dari Barr were recommended for food. I inhaled the enchiladas and went back to the motel to sleep. Before sleeping I did my usual weekly bicycle maintenance of cleaning the chain. First I use toilet paper and run the chain through the paper several times to get off some crud. Then I use 3-in-1 oil on the chain and clean it again with the toilet paper. Repeat a couple more times until I think it is clean enough. It seems to work. I know 3-in-1 is not the best chain oil because it is light and gets washed off, but after buying a can I have enough for probably my entire ride.
Shops on Main Street in Golconda had businesses!
Start: Carbondale, IL
End: Golconda, IL
Today’s mileage: 71.3 miles
Total miles so far: 2707 miles
Average speed: 11.2 mph
Max speed: 37.7 mph
Travel time: (09:15 to 18:00) 8.75 hours
Total travel time: 344.25 hours
Weather: overcast, 40-50F
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