What To Do When You're Bikeless (Day 25)

I entered Chicago with great jubilation. I was undeniably proud with my accomplishment... that I cycled from the beaches of New Jersey to the heart of the windy city. Then, all those blissfully exuberant feelings were gone with the wind when my bike got stolen!!

After smashing my helmet and cleanly-cut cable onto the sidewalk, I returned to my cruddy Howard Johnson's hotel room to wallow in pain and suffering. I had lost all faith in humanity. The world seemed like a place I didn't want to explore anymore; a place where people nonchalantly steal bikes like they are taking a mint out of that bowl in the front of a diner. "What? A bike without a titanium safe wrapped around it? Oh, that deserves to be stolen!" I guess having a bike locked with a simple cable is like an insult to anyone strapped for cash. It's like dangling a sack of money, secured with only a silk ribbon.

Some folks have suggested that since I still had my trailer and my belongings in my hotel room, why not buy a new bike and be done with my self-pity. Unfortunately, to attach the trailer, I needed a special rear-wheel skewer, which needed to be special ordered. The pallid, unruffled salesman at the local bike shop whiffed, "Well, since it's Saturday, we probably won't get that new part until Tuesday or Wednesday. Mmm..." That meant not only would I have to buy a new part and a new bike, but I'd have to pay for three or four more days in Chicago where the cheapest hotel is $125 per night.

So, I thanked the shrugging slacker salesman, returned to my hotel room, packed my belongings, threw my trailer into a nearby dumpster and started walking out of Chicago. As sullen and depressed as I was, I still didn't want to give up on my journey to South Dakota and I didn't want to get into a car or bus, so I did what any other walking fool would do: walk. My plan is to walk from Chicago, IL to Madison, WI, where I'll rent a car and drive the rest of my route to Sioux Falls, SD. It's only 143 miles, and I figured I could do that in 7-10 days.

Around 11am, I left downtown Chicago, bought some much-needed hiking socks at a camping store, and headed north through the vast city. When I first mapped out my route back in New York, it included many side trips -- after all, I was expecting to be on a bike -- but since I was on foot, I took the most straight and direct route out. I needed to be out of the urban sprawl by nightfall so I could find a suitable place to camp. However, even though I was racing to exit the city, I did manage to visit the infamous Biograph Theater where John Dillinger was shot and killed by FBI agents.

From there, it was onward and upward towards the first Chicago suburb of Park Ridge, which has a very eclectic residency. There was a large community of Greeks, Indians, and Chinese there, and I had trouble understanding most them whenever they spoke to me. I did a lot of nodding and feign understanding (punctuated with many "ahhs'" and "I sees"). However, pretending to understand was a little troublesome when I needed crucial walking directions.



By sunset, I made it to the town of Niles, north-west of Chicago. There I stopped off at the famous Superdawg restaurant for one of their renowned hot dogs... with all the fixings. While there, I chatted with Flo, the owner of the place, who started the business with her husband in 1948 to help pay for his college tuition. They eventually gave up the idea of "higher learning" and focused their attention full-time on the hot dog business... and the rest is history.

While munching on my second dog, I met up with a 65-year-old guy named Jim, who was very keen to hear about my walking adventures. He told me that he was a walker himself, and he walked across the country... but he did it "virtually." When I asked him what he meant, he told me that he walks around 7-10 miles a day in his hometown, then goes home and logs the miles in Google maps as if he was walking across the country. At the time we met at the Superdawg, he was just a few days short of 1,000 consistent days of walking. I was quite impressed, considering that he managed to keep it up through back pains, sprained joints and a severe case of kidney stones. Since completing his walk across the USA, he is now walking across Ireland, and blogging it on his website, Walk Forrest Walk. Make sure to check it out... and tell him the Walking Fool sent ya.

An hour later, night fell and I knew it was time to move on. From Superdawg, I disappeared into the nearby park to set up my tent and sleep amongst the rapid squirrels and raccoons.