Day 26 - Whew!

Well, what I can say is that the choice to take the train was a wise one. However, that did not make the ride any less oppressive once I got on the road. Fortunately, once again, there are people who love me in Jacksonville and I made it here safe and sound, albeit a little drenched from sweat!

It was an early morning so I had said good-bye to most of the Adlers last night. Kirsten & Audra drove me to the train station in St. Louis. I made it there in time to take my bike down to the train (through a serpentine route: an elevator, sky bridge, another elevator and then find the guy who puts things on the train and make sure it is the right train...). Luckily, "the guy" was observant to see that my bike was checked to Chicago even though my ticket got me as far as Springfield. He made a call, sent me back through the maze, watched my bike until I returned and took me to the baggage car when I did. The bike and I were eventually and successfully planted on the correct train at the correct time and headed in the correct direction.

Enjoyed a pleasant conversation with Mike along the way. He had been on the train (via bus) since Houston, TX. He was ready to be home. But that would be closer to Chicago, so he was still "training it" when I left in Springfield.

One never knows what will happen when you gather your belongings off the baggage cart of Amtrak. When my bike was brought to me there was an unusual clicking sound. I figured it was simply the gears getting re-adjusted, so I hopped on it for a quick spin around the platform to see what was the case. Nope, not the gears... hmmm, how does this derailleur work? Could that be the issue? It seems I can ride it, and I found a few bike shops within a few blocks of the train station, I'll just take it there and see what they can do. I had to, of course, load the bike before I could go anywhere... And that's when I saw it. It wasn't the derailleur at all... In transit, somehow the back light had been broken off and the piece it was attached to had bent down into the tire, bouncing and clicking as it rotated. Crisis averted! I bent it away from the tire, took a mental note to find a new back light and headed to lunch.

Aunt K & Uncle Wayne were gracious enough to offer a ride to come get me, but I was confident that I could take it slow and get there "on time". So, I took off. Even thought I had given myself a break from the 100+ temps in and around St. Louis, I found out how much more quickly one can tire and need refreshment on 95 degree days compared to 85 or 75. The route from Springfield to Jacksonville is devoid of any watering holes minus the twin cities of Berlin and New Berlin about 1/4 of the way "home". I knew I was going to have to add about 2 hours to my ETA if I was going to keep riding. It was about then that I called them back and accepted their offer to pick me up.

I am sure you can get a more entertaining story from my aunt & uncle on how we finally crossed paths. It certainly would have been easier for them if I had said "east" instead of "west" or if Google knew that the locals called "Old Jacksonville Rd", "Old State Road"...But, remember that "creepy" guy you thought might come up behind me in a pick up truck, Sheryl? You asked me what I might do... Well, today is was Uncle Wayne. As I was heading up hill over the interstate (toward what Google told me was Old State 54 & I thought was Old State Road), I heard a slow moving car behind me. Then I saw, out of the corner of my eye, that same car deliberately driving in the lane for oncoming traffic, keeping pace with me. I looked over and saw Aunt K in the passenger seat - certainly not creepy - and all I said was, "Hi! : ) Let me find a place to pull off!" So, right there on Link Rd (east of New Berlin, not west...) we pulled off, loaded up the bike and gear, and headed west (not east) to Jacksonville by way of Old State 54, which, by the way, is NOT the old state road - besides, I think the locals call that one Old 36... : }

After a few hours of catching up with Wayne & Karen (with the Cubs & Cardinals game on TV in the background) the house was full of their grandkids and pizza! : ) After dinner, Lauren and Gracie offered me a tour of "Grandma's house", as it is now, and then I headed home with Cousin Ben and his kids (right in the back yard of the Hadens).

(Sat morning now...)

There were a lot of cool parts to yesterday: my knight in shining-blue-pickup, catching up with the relatives, seeing "old familiar places", watching baseball... but something I didn't expect, and what made me giggle and added to the enjoyment of being in Jacksonville, was when Uncle Wayne pulled out the Platt Book to finally see where I had been before they found me. He had one for Sangamon Co. from 1985 and one for Morgan Co. 2016. We found the route and it all became clear to him.

There is something to the realities of "what has been". A consistency that some hold on to and others pass by. But no matter how you look at it, what has been, always will be, because it is a part of us. Wayne pulls out the Platt Book; Austin "sends pins" in a text. Hadens & Tomhaves have lived on the same plot of land for generations; I've had 16 different addresses in the last 30 years. No matter how you look at it, we're all just simply navigating life. And when we cross paths, deliberately or incidentally, we discover what is important to us. The choice is ours, whether we will stay on the same course or integrate some of what we see and learn into our life experiences.

Praying that you enjoy your discoveries today!

#Lessonslearned #PeopleMet #PeopleVisited