Day 22 – Trying to Pay it Forward

Goreville, Ky to Carbondale, IL – 30 Miles

Yesterday we were up by 7, made some oatmeal and coffee, packed up and were on the road by 8.  Another uneventful ride.  No climbing or heavy traffic really.  Uneventful rides aren’t always a bad thing I guess.

It was a short day since I was going to do the service project at around noon in Carbondale, only about 25 miles from where we had camped.  I had contacted a Warmshowers host (Jack) and Dries decided to get his knee checked out, so he made it a short day as well.

We got to the Jack’s house at around 1130 AM.  Older retired guy, real nice, especially because we kind of surprised him with Dries since we didn’t know how far he was planning on going for the day.  When we arrived we both grabbed showers then Jack treated us to lunch at a Mexican joint nearby.

After lunch Jack took Dries to the walk-in clinic to get his knee looked at.  I biked over to Joan’s house for the service project which was only about a mile away from Jack’s house.

When I arrived Joan was outside enjoying the beautiful weather.  We sat and just talked for a bit.  She is incredible.  The kind of woman who can brightern your day with her smile.  Her positivity while still speaking candidly about her condition was truly inspiring.

Eventually I got to work, washing her windows, raking the leaves out of the landscaping around her house, and sweeping the patio.  It was nice to work up a sweat doing something other than pedaling a bicycle.  It also felt good to do something to help another person especially because I have been shown so much generosity throughout this journey so far by so many people.

Afterwards I went inside and we talked some more.  I really admire her for her ability to be so warm and kind while faced with such adversity.

While I was at Joan’s I got a call from Max.  He ran into Dries at the bike shop in Carbondale and was curious if him and his friend that he met in Marion could stay at Jack’s as well.  I called Jack and he said two more was probably too much and I completely understood since we had kind of surprised him with Dries, anyway.

Shortly after I got back to Jack’s, Dries arrived.  Word from the doctor wasn’t great.  Basically told him to rest it for a few days.

We helped Jack make dinner.  It was delicious – chicken breast, mashed potatoes, green beans, and cauliflower.  After dinner Jack went to the synagogue for a Jewish ceremony commemorating Abraham receiving the Ten Commandments.  He left a couple of slices of the cheesecake that he had prepared for the gathering.  We ate it with some fresh strawberries and it was fantastic.

Had a good night’s sleep and now I’m getting ready to head out for a nice easy ride to Chester, IL.  Dries is taking a rest day to try heal his knee per doctor’s orders.  It looks like there’s a good amount of rain on the way, so I’m okay taking an easy day before hitting the Ozarks and what looks like 2 – 3 days of straight rain.