Days 71 & 72: Lounging in Lake Forest

After last night's breaking and entering Dad and I were both pretty beat so we got a late start, and he would be leaving early the next morning so it wasn't going to be a late night anyway. We both lazed around a bit and I did some work on the computer updating pictures and the blog. After awhile we decided Chicago wouldn't be on the agenda and instead went into town for some flowers for Brian and Linda. We also decided to catch a late afternoon showing of the Dark Knight Rises. Itwas a good movie and fun that we got to see it on vacation since Dad, Nat, and I saw the last one when it came out on vacation in Colorado. Back at the house we made a good dinner using some of Brian's smoked chicken and baked a small pie we bought at the local bakery, then made it an early night.

The next morning I woke up to see Dad off at 4:30 am and then, being awake, did a little more computer work. I caught another hour or two of sleep then started getting ready to ride up to Milwaukee. Brian and Linda got back earlier than I thought so we talked about the past couple days and weighed my options going forward. If I left today I could catch onle last of the easbound ferry runs, those being at 6 am, 12:30 pm, and 7 pm. That would put me in Muskegon at 10:30 with a 6 mile ride to camp in the dark. If you're caught up on my blog you know I've done that before but each time it's been less than enjoyable. So Brian volunteered to drive me up the next morning and after weighing a little more I took him up on the offer.
With the rest of the day now free I finally got a chance to fuss around with my GPS data I've been taking this whole trip. Although I wasn't able to upload the data to this blog yet, I did get some fun info. While riding with Steph a guy had asked how many vertical feet I expected to climb over the trip, and I was left completely clueless. Perhaps 100,000 over the whole trip? Well up until now, having ridden just over 4000 miles, I've climbed a total of over 155,900 feet! It was fun to see the elevation plot and I'll try uploading all that the next time I get a computer.
Brian showed me around Lake Forest and all the mansions there, then we walked the beachfront. We met up with Linda and they took me out to Mexican food nearby which was delicious. We got back, had some fun talking about and listening to music, and then I got to bed early with the daunting 3:30 am wake up on my mind.
It's been a great break and now I'm ready to hit the road again. I had hoped to see a few more things in Chicago and perhaps the Miller or Pabst Brewery in Milwaukee but the way things have gone haven't worked that way and it now gives me an excuse to visit both cities again. I am so grateful to the Martinats for their hospitality and everything from dinner to lodging to great company and conversation. I now begin my last stage of this cycling adventure, I have just under three weeks until Boston and I'm excited!