(Hot) Dog Days of Summer

Goodness, my jokes are great. I was recently speaking with a friend on the phone and upon hearing that I was in Pennsylvania she had the same reaction as many folks. She thought I was still in Colorado (or more outrageous, California). I informed her that it had been more than a month since we spoke and at that point I was indeed in Colorado. I'll cut Stacy a break on this; I'm sure time passes more quickly for all you folks with real-world responsibilities. In addition, getting from Colorado to Pennsylvania by bicycle in a mere month would be quite the feat. Herein lies my dirty little secret: catching one big lift and a few shorter ones.
Before anyone screams blasphemy allow me to explain. Riding the bike from Denver to Chicago would have been about 1200 miles. With a conservative estimate of about 70 miles per day this would take me about two and a half weeks. Now, as much as the scenery of eastern Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa tantalizes the senses, I felt it would be kind of silly to blow my budget and arrive back east without enough money to visit all my friends and family. So how did I close the distance?
The magic of Craigslist! With an ad out on Denver Craigslist I was soon contacted by a young lady, Jayme, headed to eastern Iowa. A grueling overnight non-stop drive delivered us to Sabula, Iowa where Jayme's father owns a really neat art-gallery/wood-fired pizza shop. If you're ever in Sabula be sure to stop in Bombfire Pizza for one of the best pies on the Mississipi. After Jayme's father treated me to some culinary samples (and a hefeweizen or two to match) I headed off to hunt a swimming hole. I eventually gave up and opted for a snooze on a shady bank. Although I hadn't actually done any driving (my license expired while abroad), I was awake the whole night to entertain Jayme and our other passenger/driver. No sleep + pizza + beer + outrageous heat = complete zonk-out. I finally awoke around 2 or 3 PM and rode my bicycle over the mighty Mississipi for the second time ever. Forty five miles later I arrived in Mount Morris, Illinois. The sight of my loaded bike drew some attention. After a little conversation and some trail magic I found myself being whisked away to spend the night with a young couple who were big fans of RAGBRAI, the annual mass party/bicycle ride across Iowa. Time and time again I'm amazed by the hospitality of strangers and this instance was certainly no exception. A huge bacon and egg breakfast fueled me up and I set out into the already blazing, muggy weather. The dull scenery (who wants more cornfields? Yay!) and oppressive heat made for a rather tedious ride but I found some nice rails-to-trails paths to cruise nearly into the heart of Chicago.
I pushed myself to finish the 97 mile ride and arrive in Chi-town around 9:30 at night. Riding through unknown neighborhoods of Chicago at 9 PM on a Friday is a novel experience but I don't think I'd repeat it anytime soon. I'm thinking my gigantic, bushy beard (or wonderful natural musk) prevented any criminals from even looking at me twice. As one might imagine, I was pretty exhausted when I arrived at Rob and Jenelle's apartment. My frustration and disappointment was off the charts when I found out Jenelle was at a bachelorette party and Rob was still at the Pitchfork Music Festival. I sat down outside their fence and twiddled my thumbs for about an hour, sending text messages back and forth until Jenelle finally asked "Well, where are you in Chicago?". I thought that I had made it clear I was directly in front of her house.
"Oh, why don't you just go in? My friends are there...sorry, the door bell is broken." Goodness gracious. If I didn't love the girl so much I could have strangled her right through the phone. I took a shower, put on some fresh duds (although at this point everything I own would make a homeless person blush) and upon Rob's return we headed out to sample the nightlife. The great thing about my arrival in Chicago coinciding with Pitchfork was that my good buddies Mike and Cary were also in town. The next few days were spent catching up with old friends and visiting a list of Chicago's fine establishments (courtesy of Matt Kelly over at pedalpanam). The highlights, for any curious or Chicago-bound readers, were Hot Doug's, Kuma's Corner, Oasis Grill, Map Room and Aliveone. Hot Doug's is a famous hot dog joint with inventive specialties such as a duck sausage topped with foie gras or a goat chorizo smothered in an artisnal soft cheese. Of course one can't leave Hot Doug's without also ordering the classic "Chicago style" dog which is quite a bargain at about 2 or 3 bucks. Kuma's Corner is another Chicago landmark and gastronomic delight which often has a (justifiably) long wait. Kuma's crafts some of the most creative burgers in the US named after heavy metal bands and accompanied by the appropriate ear-splitting music. I visited Kuma's along with Chapel Hill chums Liz and Richard. It was a real treat to catch Richard while he was in town since I had not seen him much since he was kicked out of his Peace Corps position in Madagascar due to a coup. Being an avid cyclist himself we paired up the following day to cruise the city's sights by bike. I also poked my head into the obscure Oasis Grill. Tucked away into the back of a downtown jeweler's mall, Oasis is the type of place I could never find without the insider advice provided by Mr. Kelly. They serve some of the tastiest (and budget!) Mediterranean cuisine I've ever had. The last two places worthy of a Hobo-recommendation were the two bars Map Room and Aliveone. Map Room is just my sort of place; low key music, shelves stuffed with books, maps and encyclopedias and an astounding selection of beers. Aliveone also earned a special place in my heart with a mind-blowing all-drafts $2 special which is particularly hard to believe in a city with prices like Chicago.
With my belly nearly dragging on the ground from all the tasty treats and frosty brews I finally hit the Lakeshore Trail and headed out of the Windy City. Up next, the (not so) exciting ride to Ann Arbor including my rescue by a pair of guardian angels and onwards to Akron!