| Having been in the
United States for nearly 2 years, but I had never traveled out of the small town where the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign located, before the end of May, 2001. After finals are over, I decided to travel out of town , making it my first travel in America.
After a week's self training , I started my bike tour from Urbana-Champaign to Chicago on May, 27 at 5:00 in the morning. Although it should be near summer times, it still quite cold those days after several days' cold showers produced by a huge,nasty and slow moving low pressure system. In the morning, the weather was fine with partly cloudy sky and light west wind. Around 5:30, before reaching Rantoul, I saw the first time the sun rise in America. About 2 hours later, I made the first stop at Paxton. Shortly after I left Paxton,a car approached me from the back, slowed down (I saw the words on the car, something like the county sheriff ), then went ahead and stopped in front of me. A man get out of the car smiling at me and made some gestures to let me stop. I almost hit him and his car with my bike and finally stopped it. "Where are you going?" , he asked me, "I can give you a ride if you want". "To Chicago", I said. I told him that I don't want a ride, and thanked him. The man then said:" I thought if you get tired, I can give you a ride..." Reassured by my confident reply,he let me go past his car. Actually, for the round trip to Chicago, I have never seen a bike on road between any pair of adjacent towns. So I think it's quite natural for somebody got surprised seeing me with a bike on the road. Then gradually, wind became stronger, seems from the north-west. especially after the 90 degree turn to north on route 45, about 20 miles south of Kankakee, my speed was reduced around 10 miles/hour. So I had to stop, get some food and drink I brought with me, then use more strength to increase my speed. Shortly after 12, I reached downtown Kankakee, had some food and drink in a store near a gas station. Then I wen to a wrong way and rain began to falling. Although I studied my map while holding an umbrella, still no solution found. So I had to ask people. It took me a little trouble to reach the route 50 in rain. Heavy rain, stop; light rain, holding my umbrella and keep going. About 9 miles out of Kankakee, rain stopped, sun appeared from the clouds. At about 20 miles north of Kankakee, second round of showers and thunder storms caught me. Feeling really angry, I stopped on the road side, brought out the canned meat to eat, holding my umbrella. A car drove to the intersection where I was eating and stopped. A man came out of his car, approached me. He gave me a red sign, means "No air plane", I guess. I was confused, not knowing what he said. Then he told me if I go to Chicago O'Hair airport, this sign may be useful, "although you may not understand this, you may find it out later", he said. Noticed he was standing in rain (not very heavy at that time), I told him:"you can get into your car, it's raining." "Thank you! you can always hold an umbrella, right?" Then he went into his car and left. The "No air plane" sign was in my backpack, until a day later, I put it on my backpack, drove all the way from downtown Chicago to Quad of UIUC. It's fun! Shortly after I left the second rain behind, lead-colored clouds approching from the north west. At about the college park, very heavy rain falling down with strong north wind blowing right against me. My long pants and shirt already soaked by the previous thunderstorms, so this unwanted heavy rain make things even worse. I was cold to the bones. This time, I took shelter in a nursing house, used their rest room. When I finished, the rain gradually stopped. "How unlucky I am!" I thought, feeling angry and anxious, worrying if I could reach Chicago before dark. After one or two more weaker rains and a few rain drops, passed the 184th street, had a final rest at a shop on 135th street. The lady in the store was quite surprised to know I caught in heavy rain at least 3 times, from Champaign heading to downtown Chicago on a bike ( I and my bag must looks really dirty!!), she made a phone call using cell phone to some one about the "funny event". When I ask how far away from here to the center of the city, someone told me it's about half an hour (by car, with forced stops by red lights). "It's not going to be half an hour for him! he is on bike!" the lady said. Passed the midway
airport, went to archer avenue, reached California avenue and 38th street,reached my $10/night hotel shortly after 7 pm. About 6 miles from those sky scrapers on lake shore. The owner "fat John"( He call himself this way) was not there, there was a korea guy helped me. Later I learned that Chicago got no rain during the day!! (However, it rained after 8 pm that day in the evening).
I went to Chinatown by a mistake, but I plan to visit Chinatown anyway, because I am Chinese. So it's not bad. Then heading north west, went to University of Illinois Chicago campus.The university looks quite good! (See a few photos)! After this, next stop is Michigan Avenue. Only there I saw the first time in America that the street was full of people, it making me feel a little bit like China, where we have a lot of people there. Then I came to the lake shore. I saw the lake of Michigan for the first time in my life. It has beaches and waves, really no difference to sea for me. This is some what like my hometown, Qingdao, China, which located on China's north east sea coast. At the navy pier, I took a 30 minute boat tour, the first boat tour of me in America, also in more than 10 years. On the lake shore, there is a at least 13 mile long bike path. My bike traveled most of it. In the afternoon, I went to the University of Chicago. To my disappointment, I even have trouble to fin a building "worth" to take a photo of. The university looks far from what was in my mind. Such a famous world class university only looks like this!!! After traveled around the university several times and asked some people, I only took 2 bad photos and heading to the city center again. That day's tour took me about 14 hours in total, about 50 miles on my bike, not including walking and travel on boat. But I still feel I could have more time. Clearly one day is far from enough to understand the great city. Some photos:
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When reached Gilman or Ashkum, my hand turned red. It's sun burn. My face also feel uncomfortable. This is my last rest of the 3 day bike trip. From there I went directly to downtown Urbana (more than 50 miles, or 80 KM) passing several towns without my feet ever touching the ground (Good calculation of the timing of red light,run one or two if nessary), reached the quad of UI, some times with the speed of more than 20 miles/hour. Although I have lower my head, with my hands "face up" to avoid further sunburn, I still feel great when reached Quad at about 4:40 pm (Total time on bike about 10 hours and 15 minutes, add another 30 minutes to UIC campus, it'll be 10 hours 45 minutes, total time about 12 hours). This is the end of a foreigner's first travel in America. Welcome to join me later! Some photos:
Note: Quad is the center of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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