Day 25 - Des Moines, IA to Peoria, IL

Today was a scenic day even though it was a travel day. We planned to leave at 7:30am since we had a longer day of 420 miles. Rob tried to get the trailer lights working consistently again but to no avail, so we were on the road at 8am. Today would be a high of 84 degrees, so cooler than yesterday, and with partly cloudy skies. 

We headed out of Des Moines on I-35 to I-80 East. Even though we were on the interstate for awhile, the roads were smooth and traffic wasn't so bad. We got on US 151 North through Cedar Rapids and continued up to Dubuque. The farms were really nice in this area of Iowa. The corn looked healthy and even the barns were well maintained. 

Corn on both sides of us.

Soon we crossed over the Mississippi River into Illinois. 

We got on US 20 East and took that into Galena. We had lunch at a Subway there, Rob found one that had tables outside. A lady told Michele that our trailer was like having a car and suggested we check out the car show in Galena with Triumphs. That would have been cool to see. Michele said it's been rare that a woman has commented on the bike and/or trailer, usually it's all men. 

Rob's route today included the Stagecoach Trail, a road initially designed in the 1830s to connect Galena to Chicago that is now a 37-mile scenic byway from Galena to Lena. It has curvy roads and goes through small towns. 

We missed the Belvedere Mansion and Gardens, a 22-room Italianate house in Galena that offers tours. We'll have to catch it next time.

We took Illinois Route 3 south by Apple Canyon State Park. We went back West on US 20, then took IL 84 South towards Mississippi Palisades State Park and along the river. We saw a huge pumpkin patch.

And, this gang of seniors in golf carts, there were probably 50 of them! We're not sure what they were doing but it was an unusual sight. Michele thought it was hysterically funny. This is the tail end of the big group.

This is part of the scenic Great River Road that we rode more of years ago. 

We picked up I-80 before Davenport towards Rapids City, and took that East to I-74 South into Peoria. These gigantic cones were also random and funny.

We arrived at our hotel in East Peoria at 5pm. We ordered dinner delivery from Door Dash. After dinner Rob tried a few other tricks to get the trailer lights working consistently, but no luck. 

For the most part we had a smooth day with no traffic issues. Just this truck with aluminum soda cans flying out of the back for miles. Rob was far enough back that none hit us but he wove around to avoid them on the road. You can see them in the net hanging off the back. He finally got past the truck in a passing lane. 

The roads we took today in Iowa were smooth and well maintained. Not so in Illinois. There were bad cracks and heaves for miles and miles making our ride really bumpy. We had a brief delay on one of the smaller byways for highway workers who were shoveling small scoops of sticky asphalt into the center line to fill in holes. The road was so patched up that they really needed to start over!

 

Tomorrow we head into Ohio and plan to visit with Michele's friend, Mechele, for dinner in the Columbus, Ohio area.