Gitap ride 2005 follows Grand Illinois trail

Greetings,

We're getting all set for our third Grand Illinois Trail And Parks ride -
and we hope you are too. The first two years gave us
considerable feedback - and we're using it to make GITAP-05 even better than
the first two.

But we haven't changed the basics:

A mid-June week-long supported bicycle tour using much of the Grand Illinois
Trail and many of the state parks along the trail.

Sponsored by the League of Illinois Bicyclists with support from the
Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Tent camping in state parks, with a motel package available at an additional
cost. Showers and luggage transportation provided.

Breakfasts and dinners included - and, of course, a T-shirt, and optional
jersey.

Nightly meetings featuring ride info, occasional entertainment, and door
prizes.

Alternative on-pavement routes when soft trails are used.

New for 2005:

The ride will begin on Sunday, June 12, 2005, and end on Saturday, June 18.

We'll begin and end at Joliet Junior College - close to I - 80 and I - 55.

Explore the scenic and exciting "necklace" around the extended Chicagoland
area.

More route choices: bike anywhere from 370 to 500 miles in the week.

Check out the new Wauponsee Trail.

It's a multi-waterway ride: Kankakee River, I&M Canal, Illinois River,
Mississippi River, Rock River.

We'll have a day off at White Pines State Forest, but with many enjoyable
options: bike to Oregon, Il., and Lowden State Park;
boat rides and canoeing possibilities; bike to visit Morrison's friendly
folks; do a century to the Mississippi at Fulton and Thomson. -
plus, we'll enjoy a dinner theater presentation in the evening.

And something extra special: This year GITAP will be in partnership with the
Illinois Humanities Council in a novel experiment -
adding a cultural and humanistic exploration to our bicycle tour. The
humanities' activities will involve some reading before the
start of the ride, along with discussions during the ride (after our evening
dinners and ride meetings). We'll keep you informed as
we fill in the details of this extra dimension to your exploration of the
trails, roads, and state parks of northern Illinois. It, of course,
will be an optional activity, not a requirement.

Here's the tentative route:

Sunday, 6/12 - Kankakee River State Park - 45 or 70 miles

Monday, 6/13 - Starved Rock State Park - 70 miles

Tuesday, 6/14 - White Pines Forest State Park - 75 miles

Wednesday, 6/15 - White Pines Forest State Park - Take a day off or bike 25,
75, or 100 miles with cue sheets.

Thursday, 6/16 - Rock Cut State Park - 60 miles

Friday, 6/17 - Shabbona State Park - 65 miles

Saturday, 6/18 - Joliet - 60 miles

The base price for the ride will be $320. Members of LIB will get a $20
discount, paying $300 (if you're unsure about your status, e-mail lib at
bikelib dot org Remember, any profit from GITAP goes to support LIB, which
really means supporting bicycling.

For information about the motel package contact Laura Sanborn Kuhlman;
630-462-5427; lmsanborn at comcast dot net

Registrations are limited by the capacity of the parks we use. Consequently,
the ride will be first come, first serve, starting when you receive this.
We're asking for the full amount up front, with refunds according to this
schedule: full refund before April 12; half refund before May 12; no refunds
after May 12.

For reviews and pictures of the first two GITAPs, along with sign-up
information, go to http://www.bikelib.org/gitap.

Any questions: Chuck at oestreich at qconline dot com or 309-788-1845.