Day 115: Near Staunton, IL

Lately, the heat and humidity pretty much dictate our routine.  The humidity was 94% when we awoke this morning, and within a couple of hours it was climbing to near ninety degrees.  For once, we were grateful for a light quartering headwind.  If the wind had been behind us, we likely would have cooked our brains trying to ride as far as we did.

The strategy today was to share the miles so that neither of us had to ride too long in the heat and humidity.  We ended up riding a total of 60 miles.  Alea did the first 20 miles.  I did the next 25 (all of them due south and straight as an arrow, with the exception of when I crossed to the opposite side of the freeway), and Alea rode the final 15.

We started guzzling Gatorade first thing and managed to drain our full 3 gallon water cooler before noon.  We went through 14 pounds of ice, when 10 pounds will usually last us nearly three days.

We got a bit more of the Historic Route 66 feel once we got as far south as Mount Olive, where there was a restored Shell station.

Ethyl gas...

Looks like someone forgot to do some weeding...

Roadblock!  Someone cut a corner too tight...

We are camped at Rustic Acres Campground ($26,  power, water and showers).  It is rather large, and it seems a majority of the sites are occupied by seasonal residents.  But it is well maintained.  The most important thing was that the showers have controls to adjust the water temperature, so it was possible to take a cool shower to bring our core temperatures back into a more normal range.

We usually only hang out in the cabin of our camper on rainy days, but sitting outside (even in the shade) isn't much of an option on days like this.  Fortunately we are close enough to St. Louis that we can get a few channels on the idiot box to help pass the time...