Day 65: Getting Chased By Dogs

Start: Greenville IL

End: Greenup IL

Distance: 74.84 miles

Elevation: 869 feet 

Yes, I went from Green to Green and all was green in between.

Started off a little later than wanted but it was supposed to rain. It did not rain but I lost time to the possibility of rain. 

I took the back roads from Greenville to Vandalia. The roads are wide enough for one vehicle, but with sparse traffic it works. I got to smell corn all morning. I like the smells you get while riding on two wheels. 

While on the back roads I scared up a deer that ran with me for a while through the soybean fields. Deer are pretty animals.

 I also had some excitement of getting chased by dogs three different times. The first was a big white Great Pyrenees. Uh oh no bueno, but he just wanted to run with me which was cool. 

Second was an Australian Shepard and a long haired Dachshund, they wanted to bark and snarl at me so they did. 

The third had me worried for a while. What I thought was a l black lab could hardly wait for me to ride by, he was excited to have some excitement. My thought was he could be harmless, or it could be trouble. I get closer and nope not a lab but a Rottweiler. UHOH. He was a big boy with his own yard sigh “for your own safety do not get out of car, guard dog on duty” FANTASTIC. 

I was happy to see that he obeyed boundaries and did not cross out of his unfenced yard to come to me. I rode on by, relieved.  With my brothers we have been chased by many dogs trying to bite us as young bike riders and I still don’t like it. 

I reach Vandalia quickly and head in to Effingham (the second one) where I was thinking I would end todays ride at mile 52. Well, I was feeling much better today and peddling stronger. I  guess it is important to eat dinner the previous night 🤪. I grab a quick bite and head 22 more miles down the road. I have had cloud cover most all day which translated into tolerable heat but the humidity ever present. I am so soaked all day riding from sweat. It is embarrassing to walk into stores looking like I got out of a steam shower. But I don’t know anyone nor will I see them again. There is power in that. Haha. 

I arrive in Greenup at my fine hotel. Dairy Queen adjacent. Good stuff, cold stuff. 

A Severe thunderstorm erupts 45 minutes later. 

Tomorrow I leave Illinois and enter Indiana.