Day 35: Merrillville, IN – Aurora, IL (9.6.24)

Hello everyone, Today we walk past Chicago very quietly and carefully – I have to be careful not to accidentally free the ghost of Al Capone. The morning was sunny and warm, but still very windy. And the wind speeds usually increase towards the afternoon – it will definitely be fun again. I quickly left Merrillville behind me and pedaled straight west, past the Illinois border and toward Chicago Heights. To be honest, I had a somewhat uneasy feeling – there were groups of black people standing in corners everywhere, looking over at me. The US30 was so bad that I had to get off parts of it and push around the potholes. I passed the Ford factory and then endless other suburbs of Chicago with hundreds of shops of all kinds. After an hour I had worked my way through the apparently worst neighborhoods and from Frankfort, IL it became more rural and sometimes really upscale. The towns of Joliet, IL and Aurora, IL, which I then passed through, are old but very pretty to look at. Driving on US30 through Illinois is still a penalty – extremely bad and no shoulder/shoulder. At times there was a cycle path, but only for a few kilometers. And advice to Chicago drivers: don’t take your frustration out on harmless cyclists – if you’re unhappy with your life – change it. Vote for Donald Trump in November and you will see that everything will get better…