Pontiac - McLean

Tuesday, Sept. 25, Pontiac - McLean, 44 mi.

It sprinkled rain off and on while we were eating breakfast, but it was just cloudy and humid when we left the motel shortly before nine. Today I rode with Becky and Maureen. Nice quiet riding. We stopped in Chenoa to see the home of Matthew T. Scott. His wife Julia Green Scott was one of the founders of the Daughters of  the American Revolution. The home was not open. Upon arriving in Lexington we asked a local resident if there was a coffee shop in town. He said there wasn’t. We asked about a good place to eat, and he suggested Kicks Bar & Grill, about ten miles away in Towanda. Said they had good food. We stopped there, and yes, it was good. Maureen had a grilled cheese and tomato soup, Becky had chicken salad sandwich and tomato soup, and I had chicken salad sandwich with potato chips. 

A couple at the next table, Mr. & Mrs. Brown, asked about our trip, and before we knew it they invited us to their home four miles down the road. They had a lovely home on 28 acres, with fruit and nut trees and several acres of soy beans. Mrs. Brown fixed us coffee, and offered to drive us around town (Bloomington/Normal) and point out the sights!

We graciously took her up on her offer. We saw the Illinois State University campus, the David Davis mansion, the State Farm corporate home, the Nestle Candy Factory, and the Beer Nuts Store. 

It was almost 3:30, and we still had 20 miles to go to reach our destination of McLean. Mrs. Brown offered to drive us to McLean, but we said we wanted to ride some more, but that a lift to the other side of town would be appreciated so we could avoid riding through all the busy city traffic. They loaded us up in two vehicles, and drove us to a point on our route so that we only had about 12 miles to go. Mrs.Brown plays the piano and organ, and I asked her if she would play something for us, and she said, “what would you like to hear?” She and Mr. Brown had indicated that they belonged to a Methodist Church, so I asked her if she knew His Eye Is On the Sparrow, and she did!

What a day, and such nice people! I love cycling, and meeting nice people along the way is one of the reasons I do. We didn’t get to the hotel until almost six o’clock, but got in a few minutes of the social hour.