We are in our tent and ready to sleep after a long day (85 miles) of biking through rural Illinois. My hands are starting to regain feeling after gripping handlebars for most of the afternoon's ride along county highways, with fewer than six inches of shoulder and tons of trucks and vacation bound RVs on … Continue reading Day Six: Muscatine, IA to Dallas City, IL

So we started today with breakfast and coffee in the lovely river town of Marquette and climbed on our bikes and pedaled hard up yet another hill. Our route was to take us from there to Dyersville, IA, with a stop for lunch in Elkader. There was a little rain, and a constant wind, and … Continue reading Day Four: Marquette to … Iowa City

So we are warm and dry now after a day of biking in the rain. And in a cheap hotel room ... with our bikes. "We are content, and not in a tent," per my traveling companion. A persistent drizzle in the morning turned into a steady rain in the afternoon and we were cold … Continue reading Day Two: Frontenac to Winona

Last week, our Austin-based friend Ray Bonneville had a show at the Aster Cafe in Minneapolis, in the River Room...it was a beautiful, intimate setting, almost like a living room show. In addition to playing songs from his new album, he played "Big Easy" for us. And we were delighted when he ended up staying … Continue reading Ray Bonneville and the Big Easy

I love Enid's map, though these show a bit more detail about where we are headed.