Completing the Grand Illinois Trail: Princeton to the Quad Cities to Galena and back through Rockford
My last post was about my attempt to get to the Mississippi River in 2021. I was unable to complete the route because the temperature was colder than I expected. I was just able to finish the journey September 23 to September 25, 2022. What an adventure! This was the first bikepacking trip that I have done with my new pride and joy, my custom titanium Seven Evergreen S. What a huge difference in ride as compared to my old carbon Trek Domane (which I still dearly miss). Given that I had to abort the last time, I was much more well prepared, both in terms of gear and in terms of my own fitness. I was confident I could complete my route this time. I was prepared to do the journey over 4 days and 3 overnights, but circumstances would suggest that I complete the trip in 3 days...I would give it my best go. The route would follow the Grand Illinois Trail (GIT) fairly closely, starting from where I had left off last year, on the Hennepin Canal close to Princeton. It would take me ...
