The Morton Arboretum, and a bicycle event

8/6/22

Today it was hot and humid again (see weather screenshot below; check out the “feels like” temperature at 7 pm) but I saw lots of beautiful sights, and got to hang out with my friend Gill, and meet her partner Jeremy.

I stayed inside the air conditioning all morning, making some phone calls and such. (Learned/confirmed that the US Postal Service hasn’t been forwarding my mail since March 10th. Oops. Gotta figure that out in time to get my ballot in November and other such important mail…)

Then in the early afternoon, I pedaled about a mile and a half to a local bike fair. (It was part of a larger event with a car show and live music and food, held at Warrenville’s City Hall complex.)

I got to see some interesting bikes, including a couple of penny-farthing replicas! I talked to the cyclist in the pic, who seemed to thoroughly enjoy his bike.

After that I continued down the main street until I reached the cute cottage of Gill and Jeremy and their elderly, affectionate pit bull Barley. We chatted for a while, and then headed out to the nearby Morton Arboretum, which is a huge place. (I didn’t realize how large it was until we had walked around for more than an hour, then hopped back in the car, but before driving away, Gill drove us around the perimeter of the place. It seemed to be miles of beautiful woodlands; I’m now wondering if I can go back in a few days and bike that perimeter, to better savor the beauty of it.)

Then they took me to the local vegan restaurant Manna, where they treated me to a club sandwich and the better part of a large slice of chocolate cake. It was a nice café with a nice feel and friendly staff.

Afterward, I picked up my bike from their place and meandered back to Terri and Jim’s place via a couple of bike paths Gill pointed out to me. The ride was beautiful in the early evening light, and I stopped on a bench for a while to rest and enjoy the music still spilling over from the City Hall celebration.

Tomorrow I’ll meet up with Gill and Jeremy, and their friend Erin, to attend a fairy festival! This will be a new experience for me. I hope the festivities will keep my mind off the weather: high of 81 predicted, with a 60% chance of thunderstorms.

This Midwestern weather does have a benefit, though. Today, Facebook reminded me of my posts a year ago, which were of my third and final “practice trip” of the summer before I embarked on this journey in September. I had biked 50 (hilly!) miles out from my home in southeast Portland to Stub Stewart State Park, to stay a night in a cabin. I enjoyed the ride, but it was also in 90-degree weather. But, since it was Oregon, it was a dry heat… and you could really see that in the photos I posted. There was none of this lush green I keep sharing in photos this summer; the trees and fields were dry and crispy-looking, which is what happens in the Northwest in late summer. All the Midwestern humidity and summer rain/thunderstorms keep this area beautifully lush and green.

Tradeoffs…

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