Seatonville to Bureau 11/26/2006

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=50 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="03c788e1dvldtc.jpg"> <div> <B>Seatonville to Bureau  11/26/2006</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=396 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> Day 28 - 11/26/2006</div> <bR> <div> Seatonville to Bureau</div> <div> [<A HREF="http://customized-applications.com/recycle" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://customized-applications.com/recyc"><U>Home</U></A>]</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Seatonville-to-Bureau-Grand-Illinois-Trail-Alternate-to-Openland" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Sea"><U><IMG SRC="27b20be0.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="446" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> Click on the satellite view to zoom in on route details, pan along the route,  </div> <div> or switch between the satellite view and a map view.  </div> <div> Click on the browser Back button to return to this page.</div> <div> [If clicking the image doesn't bring up the route details, try <A HREF="http://www.routeslip.com/routes/15334" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.routeslip.com/routes/15334"><U>this alternate link</U></A>]</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Stats: 9.4    Miles   (28 th day,  585.3 miles to date)  </div> <bR> <div> Temp 60F.  Wind S  10 to 15. Mostly Sunny.  It was like spring again.</div> <bR> <div> Seen on the trail</div> <div> Geese, ducks,  hawks, cows, horses, sheep, squirrels, doves, crows, dogs.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> We left this section of the Grand Illinois Trail until last because of routing problems with both the Openland Project and LIB maps.  The main LIB route follows Il Rte 29. Several sections of Rte 29 have sharp curves and hills with more traffic than we felt comfortable riding.   LIB provided an alternate, but it had several miles of gravel road with railroad ballast gravel.   The Overland Project route had lighter traffic, but it had 6 or 7 mi of of freshly graded gravel,  and several miles were on railroad ballast gravel.</div> <bR> <div> A couple of hours pouring over the Illinois DOT Bicycle Maps, DeLorme maps, and 2 on-line resources yielded a suitable routing just two days before the trip.  We used the Openlands route with a minor modification to avoid the scary sectons of Rte 29 and the freshly graded gravel and RR balast roads.  It did use Rte 29, but on sections that we were very comfortable riding.   Details are listed in the route section.</div> <bR> <div> We started from the Seatonville Village hall and rode west on US 6 into Holloway.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="29180ab0.jpg" border=0 width="640" height="427" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> These lightly rolling hills are much easier than what we have been riding on the last couple of trips.  This also avoided the heavy gravel section.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="29380ab0.jpg" border=0 width="640" height="427" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Farm scene just outside DePue</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="29580ab0.jpg" border=0 width="640" height="427" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> More farm scene</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="29780ab0.jpg" border=0 width="640" height="427" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A farm through the trees</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="29980ab0.jpg" border=0 width="640" height="427" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Stopping to take in the view</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="29f20160.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="534" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> We Did it !!</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="29b20160.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="534" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> High fives at the Hennepin Canal Lock 3 in Bureau.</div> <bR> <div> 585 miles around the Grand Illinois Trail in day trips</div> <bR> <div> We have throughly enjoyed every mile of the trip ... 'cept for that 1/2 mile on River Road near McHenry ... and 3 miles on Harlem Road near Rock Cut State Park.  </div> <bR> <div>  We discovered places in Illinois that we would never have known about without this trip   We learned a tremendous amount about bicycling, about each other,  and about ourselves.   This trip has been one of the most delightful vacations of our life.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=34 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="id73.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pecatonica to Rockford 11/25/2006"><U><B><IMG SRC="03816180.gif" border=0 width="22" height="24" ALT="previous" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B> </B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="22"><B>     </B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="22"><B> </B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="22"></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>