Springfield where?

Happy Days,



Just arrived in Chicago after a good 170km trek. I may not look that
happy in the picture. But I am extraordinarily happy :)

It's funny I never know where to start when I sit down to tell people about what I have done and where I have been so far. This last week again has been full with new experiences. On Tuesday I attempted to reach the city of Peoria. Which ended about 3/4 of the way so I stopped in a town called Henry. As I casually strolled into the city scanning around for a Motel or Campground sign. I could feel eyes on me from all directions. I started to notice that children were coming out of their houses and people were stopping working on their trucks or tractors. They were probably curious to see who was this strange man in tights on a bicycle.... Some children started to yell at me from their yards but I was tired and just collapsed on the nearest lawn just to relax for a bit. (below is an example of what I see for
hours on end. Beautiful farmland)

I got up about 10 minutes later and there were people still looking at me. Maybe concerned that I was injured. I kept riding through town until I saw some Fair Grounds. I saw a man doing some cleaning of his horses and I rode up to him. The man told me there was no Motels for about 15 miles. But he said I could camp on the Fair Grounds. All of a sudden all my childhood Hollywood horror movie scenes from Fair Grounds flashed through my mind. I was a little tired but I didn't want to ride into the wind for an extra 15 miles it was already 5:00. So I said I would set up camp and he had no problem with it. I set up my tent cooked dinner and got ready for the night. I was nestled behind a barn so the wind from the south wouldn't bother me too much through the night. But the noises when the sun went down were all a little spooky. I fell asleep pretty quickly (luckily) and woke up to the sound of horses. The man that said I could camp there, gave me money for lunch and dinner and said goodluck. He was really interested in hearing about the ride. His name was Bill Putnam and a really interesting guy. Later in the day another generous individual Steve Holmes caught up to me with his friend and asked about where I was staying. We talked for abit and exchanged stories. The next morning, he found the shelter I was staying and gave me money for dinner. Amazing generosity...


THE BEAN in Chicago, IL. A really cool monument in a lake side park.

So I was in constant communication with Springfield, MO. They had set up a room for me and were expecting me around 4:30pm yesterday. I was on pace to get there and I was taking my time looking forward to getting cleaned up. Then I called an officer at their location to confirm and she had no idea where I was or couldn't recognize any of the towns I was near or had passed through. Then we both realized that she was in Springfield, MO and I was going to Springfield, IL. I know there is a lot of Springfield's but this was kinda funny. We had a laugh about it and then she helped me find some contacts in the right city.



I was pretty tired when I got to Springfield, IL. The sleep was going great, until about 4:34am. My whole bed started shaking around and I almost fell off my cot. I got up really quickly and looked around and out the window to see what was going on. Cars were driving around, so I wasn't sure if it was me being crazy and tired or if it was and earthquake. I got up in the morning to get my stuff organized, I turned on the TV in my room and it ended up being an earthquake right near here. It was 5.2 on the Richtor scale. AND as I write this blog we just got an aftershock!!! Which isn't that strong but still shook me about.... which were my first real earthquakes. I guess there has been alot of firsts on this trip.

Godspeed and Hope you all have a great weekend
Matthew.

A windmill in Illinois farmland.