James Dire: The only thing better than making a new friend is making one who has ice cream bars!
June 18, 2021

By James Dire

Today the Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure team cycled 106 miles from Evansville, Indiana to Mount Vernon, Illinois. We left Diane Bies behind in Evansville at her house where she hosted us overnight.

Our first rest stop was at a beautiful park on the banks of the Ohio River is Mount Vernon, Indiana. We then crossed the Wabash River where Indiana highway 62 turns into Illinois highway 141, just north of where the Wabash enters the Ohio River.

It was a hot and humid day today, temperatures in the mid 90s with humidity just as high (numerically speaking) under clear but hazy skies. We had a strong southwesterly breeze that exceeded 15 mph (based on flags we passed along the way), which gave us a good head wind on the roads running east west.

At our last rest stop in Dahlgren, IL, the Lord sent us an angel. His name was Calvin Murphy from Mount Vernon, Illinois. Calvin found out about our ride on Facebook and did some research to discover that we were coming to Mount Vernon today. He met us 20 miles east of town in Dahlgren and waited for us there with two coolers of goodies and several boxes of food. Best of all he had ice cream bars!!!! What a treat after riding more than 86 miles so far. He also gave us a gallon of chocolate milk, two eight packs of Gatorade, grapes, bananas, granola bars and other snacks. Calvin, an avid cyclist, has never done a Fuller Center ride. But the FCBA now has a new friend in south central Illinois!

Tonight we are hosted by West Salem Trinity United Methodist Church on the west side of Mount Vernon. They are treating us to dinner at Culvers about a mile south of the church and have provided us with wonderful breakfast supplies. Tomorrow, another hot gruesome, century ride to St. Louis.

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