Part 2, Day 5 Golconda to Carbondale IL

67 miles, 5:47 riding time, 9.5 hrs clock time, 11.6 mph average, 3527 ft of ascent

On our way into Golconda last night we went down a big hill, so you guessed it, the day started going back up that hill.  There were three big climbs before we reached our breakfast stop in Eddyville, which was only about 12 miles but it was hot, sunny and very humid.  

The rest of the ride today was brutally hot.  People kept telling us about their is a heat advisory in place.  Hydration management was a real challenge.  I usually drink one bottle of water per hour, which at my current pace is about 12 miles.  Every ounce of water I carry on the bike I have to haul up and down all the hills, so you can see the dilemma.  Dehydration is very dangerous, so when in doubt I carried more water.  There are sections along the route where there are no services for 10 or more miles.  After breakfast the terrain was a mixture of rolling hills and wide open valleys.  There weren’t any more big climbs, but there were some short, steep ones.  

I came across this in a farmers field and it reminded me that what man makes nature will reclaim...eventually.

Duane was struggling with the heat and hydration so our progress was slow.  Duane almost called it a day in Goreville, but after a break in A/C decided to push on to Carbondale where there is a bike shop.  We were both having chain problems so we really wanted to get to a bike shop and there aren’t many along the route.

After lunch I cam across a fun section of road that was like a giant rollercoaster with tall towers at each end and rollers in between. If you look really closely you can see the other end in the distance.

I arrived at Phoenix Cycles at 1600 and decided to replace my chain since there are big climbs coming in the Omari’s and I didn’t want to break it again.  Duane arrived around 1700.  His bike needed more work so we did not leave the bike shop until 1830.  The guys in the shop were very friendly and helpful; I highly recommend them.

We found a Warm Showers host in town, Jack Wides, who let us stay in his home.  I really needed a shower after sweating buckets all day long.  Jack took us to a Mexican restaurant for dinner and we went to bed around 2200.  We are seriously considering reducing our daily mileage goal in light of the oppressive heat and humidity.  We’ll see how we feel tomorrow.