Biking Day 1: Gemini Giant

By Gaz under Travel

It’s Tave and my first anniversary today. I don’t think we’ll ever forget the feeling of just us, the bikes and 2500 miles of road ahead of us as we cruised along Route 66 after lunch, with Interstate 55 to our right and the railway tracks to our left, lined by old telegraph poles stretching as far into the distance as we could see. Our first stop was for a hot chocolate at the Launchpad Cafe at Wilmington at the foot of the Gemini Giant (with Tave alongside in the picture for scale).

We had hoped to make it to Springfield in our first leg, but despite the beautiful sunset on our left beyond the cornfields and the silhouettes of startled birds taking flight before over 3 litres of V-Twin engine, we lost enthusiasm about an hour after sundown as the temperature plummeted and the warmth fled our fingers and toes. Nevertheless, we made it almost to Bloomington, and will spend the night just beyond Pontiac watching Halloween TV in bed.

From here on in, we’ll be sure to set off plenty early to avoid riding after dark. At least until we get further west where the temperatures should be less terrifying.