recumbent | Ride for Human Rights

We started on busy Illinois Route 64, rattling our bones (Jeffrey) and stuffing (me) on failing pavement.

***This sign—only the second we’ve seen on this Ride—like the US flag we fly, reminds motorists that we belong.***

***Large farms with dark tilled soil—a moving sight in a hungry world.***

***After 15 miles, Route 64 improved.***

***A few miles later, we took a side road that led to cycling trails.***

In St. Charles, Jeffrey paused, inadvertently blocking a lane of downtown traffic—and was prodded along by a local cop.

We crossed the Fox River …

… then called out to passers-by to confirm that we were headed in the right direction.

Amanda is a science teacher. Dan is an aerospace engineer. In their spare time (parents will recognize that as a joke), they are restoring a historic St. Charles house as a B&B.

Luca’s parents gave us good route advice.

Jeffrey described the Ride, emphasizing that talk of border “carnage” implies that Americans are being harmed, when the real victims are migrants. Dan and Amanda get it, 100%.

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***Jeffrey’s uncles flew a plane like this one above DuPage Airport.***

***Chicago still is, as Carl Sandburg wrote, “Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler”.***

We arrived at our friends Micky’s and Ken’s beautiful historic house in Oak Park, on the western edge of Chicago.

The couple gave us a warm welcome.

***L to R: Joey (hiding eyes from the glare), Ken, Micky, Jeffrey.***

***Our Sprint 26 luxuriates in a garage. We’ll stay indoors too.***

Some sights in Oak Park:

***Micky by a tree planted in memory of her parents, veterans of the Navy and Army, respectively.***

Micky and Ken ordered dinner from the original Chicago Deep Dish pizza emporium. Their son and granddaughter joined us.

The granddaughter’s elementary school class includes students whose family languages are (among others) Russian, Arabic, and Spanish. She doesn’t care about her friends’ origins. They are just … friends.