Roll the Tollway (Illinois)

In rec.bicycles.misc John Everett wrote:
: On Mon, 12 Nov 2007 04:53:40 GMT, "Mike Kruger"
: wrote:

: Chicago Paddling-Fishing wrote:
: http://pages.ripco.net/~jwn/tmp/rollthetollway.jpg showed that my
: Garmin Topo map software is more than a little out of date... I
: bought it 2 years ago max and I just realized it doesn't show the
: Interstate 355 tollway at all.
:
: I did the ride, but don't use any GPS.

: Rather than pay $1.00 per mile to ride up and down a strip of concrete
: with 4,999 of my cycling friends, I got out the MTB and led a club
: ride from West Chicago. We cycled through Blackwell Forest Preserve to
: the Illinois Prairie Path, then west on the Aurora Spur to the Fox
: River Trail, turned north to Batavia, then returned via Fermi Lab.
: About 30 uncrowded miles, and the price was right. ;-)

Well, lets face it, there was only one reason to do it, because it won't
be offered again. Bike the Drive is fun but far crazier, especially at
the MSI rest stop...

--
John Nelson
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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"John Everett" wrote in message
news
On Mon, 12 Nov 2007 04:53:40 GMT, "Mike Kruger"
wrote:

Chicago Paddling-Fishing wrote:
http://pages.ripco.net/~jwn/tmp/rollthetollway.jpg showed that my
Garmin Topo map software is more than a little out of date... I
bought it 2 years ago max and I just realized it doesn't show the
Interstate 355 tollway at all.

I did the ride, but don't use any GPS.

Rather than pay $1.00 per mile to ride up and down a strip of concrete
with 4,999 of my cycling friends, I got out the MTB and led a club
ride from West Chicago. We cycled through Blackwell Forest Preserve to
the Illinois Prairie Path, then west on the Aurora Spur to the Fox
River Trail, turned north to Batavia, then returned via Fermi Lab.
About 30 uncrowded miles, and the price was right. ;-)


Yeah, but you missed the whole point. It was a fund raiser to build a bike
path.....like the one you enjoyed, as you say, for the right price.

jb

In rec.bicycles.rides Scott in SoCal wrote:
: On Mon, 12 Nov 2007 19:58:32 +0000 (UTC), Chicago Paddling-Fishing
: wrote:

: In rec.bicycles.soc Chicago Paddling-Fishing wrote:
: : In rec.bicycles.misc Mike Kruger wrote:
: : snip
:
: : : I was surprised at the large number of police along the route. What were
: : : they expecting, some sort of Critical Mass Lemont? snip
:
: http://pages.ripco.net/~jwn/tmp/statepolicebikers.jpg is a picture of the
: state police motorcycle officers (i'm not sure if there were more than one
: pair)... I guess they figured what better way to fight off hords of $ paying
: cyclist than officers on motorcycles. They had regular trooper cars, trooper
: SUV's, and unmarked cars all driving around us for some reason.

: Checking for foam hats, no doubt.

Your probably right... luckily no one was tased that I know of...

--
John Nelson
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chicago Area Paddling/Fishing Page
http://www.chicagopaddling.org http://www.chicagofishing.org
(A Non-Commercial Web Site: No Sponsors, No Paid Ads and Nothing to Sell)

On 13 Nov, 03:41, Chicago Paddling-Fishing wrote:
Here's a video... it's a hand held camera so the sound is just wind noise,
no vibrations coming up thru a camera mount...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5xVF-PNEAU

In the process of posting it, I spotted this video;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TNTq3nhuh0

This is must see, especially at the end when he's using a hammer and spike
to break open a bike lock and the NYC police stop and tell the camera man he
can't be in the street and ignore the man stealing the bike...

--
yeah
__________________
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Car & Autos Guide
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: : I was surprised at the large number of police along the route. What were
: : they expecting, some sort of Critical Mass Lemont? snip
....
http://pages.ripco.net/~jwn/tmp/statepolicebikers.jpgis a picture of the
state police motorcycle officers (i'm not sure if there were more than one
pair)... I guess they figured what better way to fight off hords of $ paying
cyclist than officers on motorcycles. They had regular trooper cars, trooper
SUV's, and unmarked cars all driving around us for some reason.
....
Maybe they had so many police because it was named Veterans Memorial Tollway...
Perhaps they were expecting a (that's for you John R.) anti-war protest ?

Using the context of several messages and looking at some of the pics,
I am guessing that all the cops were there just in case a motorist
snuck past a barricade. (Unless I'm mistaken, this is a major
thoroughfare --whoops, a pun!-- and there's always someone who didn't
get the memo about it being closed for a few hours.)

--Karen D.

On Fri, 16 Nov 2007 05:51:16 -0800 (PST), Veloise
wrote:

: : I was surprised at the large number of police along the route. What were
: : they expecting, some sort of Critical Mass Lemont? snip
...
http://pages.ripco.net/~jwn/tmp/statepolicebikers.jpgis a picture of the
state police motorcycle officers (i'm not sure if there were more than one
pair)... I guess they figured what better way to fight off hords of $ paying
cyclist than officers on motorcycles. They had regular trooper cars, trooper
SUV's, and unmarked cars all driving around us for some reason.
...
Maybe they had so many police because it was named Veterans Memorial Tollway...
Perhaps they were expecting a (that's for you John R.) anti-war protest ?

(Unless I'm mistaken, this is a major
thoroughfare --whoops, a pun!-- and there's always someone who didn't
get the memo about it being closed for a few hours.)

You're mistaken, at least you were. This became a major thoroughfare
on Monday. As of "Roll the Tollway" it hadn't opened for traffic yet.

--
jeverett3ATsbcglobalDOTnet (John V. Everett)

In chi.general Veloise wrote:
: : : I was surprised at the large number of police along the route. What were
: : : they expecting, some sort of Critical Mass Lemont? snip
: ...
: http://pages.ripco.net/~jwn/tmp/statepolicebikers.jpgis a picture of the
: state police motorcycle officers (i'm not sure if there were more than one
: pair)... I guess they figured what better way to fight off hords of $ paying
: cyclist than officers on motorcycles. They had regular trooper cars, trooper
: SUV's, and unmarked cars all driving around us for some reason.
: ...
: Maybe they had so many police because it was named Veterans Memorial Tollway...
: Perhaps they were expecting a (that's for you John R.) anti-war protest ?

: Using the context of several messages and looking at some of the pics,
: I am guessing that all the cops were there just in case a motorist
: snuck past a barricade. (Unless I'm mistaken, this is a major
: thoroughfare --whoops, a pun!-- and there's always someone who didn't
: get the memo about it being closed for a few hours.)

No, it is a brand new expressway, it opened to auto traffic for the first time
the following morning... it's not on the maps yet...

--
John Nelson
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chicago Area Paddling/Fishing Page
http://www.chicagopaddling.org http://www.chicagofishing.org
(A Non-Commercial Web Site: No Sponsors, No Paid Ads and Nothing to Sell)

Took the kids for a ride on the the new, yet unfinished bike trail that I
believe is supposed to link down into the main I&M trail near Channahon.

http://pages.ripco.net/~jwn/tmp/newIMtrail.jpg is a partial map from my
GPS (the GPS apparently was accidentally turned off at the start and only
when I stoped at one point did I realize it was off).

There is a connection from the Cook County I&M trail near Rt. 83. It's a nice
ramp and loops you under Rt. 83 and gives you protected bike lane on the
bridge. Once your across it's a nice paved trail. They are still in the
process of paving it and if you look on the posted map, somewhere around
the words "Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve" the trail turns to gravel. Right
where the yellow line stops is where it became paved again. There was a sign
there that said Path Closed though so we stopped and turned back. There isn't
a nice access point off Willow Springs road that we saw. You have to time
your crossing as it looks like a 45mph road there with curbs. Then you loop
around like a cloverleaf to get back to the I&M bike trail parking lot...

It's pretty sheltered for much of the ride so it's not a bad winter ride...

--
John Nelson
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chicago Area Paddling/Fishing Page
http://www.chicagopaddling.org http://www.chicagofishing.org
(A Non-Commercial Web Site: No Sponsors, No Paid Ads and Nothing to Sell)

Chicago Paddling-Fishing aka John Nelson wrote:
Took the kids for a ride on the the new, yet unfinished bike trail that I
believe is supposed to link down into the main I&M trail near Channahon.

http://pages.ripco.net/~jwn/tmp/newIMtrail.jpg is a partial map from my
GPS (the GPS apparently was accidentally turned off at the start and only
when I stoped at one point did I realize it was off).

There is a connection from the Cook County I&M trail near Rt. 83. It's a nice
ramp and loops you under Rt. 83 and gives you protected bike lane on the
bridge. Once your across it's a nice paved trail. They are still in the
process of paving it and if you look on the posted map, somewhere around
the words "Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve" the trail turns to gravel. Right
where the yellow line stops is where it became paved again. There was a sign
there that said Path Closed though so we stopped and turned back. There isn't
a nice access point off Willow Springs road that we saw. You have to time
your crossing as it looks like a 45mph road there with curbs. Then you loop
around like a cloverleaf to get back to the I&M bike trail parking lot...

It's pretty sheltered for much of the ride so it's not a bad winter ride...

"Unprotected" crossings are the bane of Chicagoland MUPs.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"Localized intense suction such as tornadoes is created when temperature
differences are high enough between meeting air masses, and can impart
excessive energy onto a cyclist." - Randy Schlitter

"John Everett" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 16 Nov 2007 05:51:16 -0800 (PST), Veloise


You're mistaken, at least you were. This became a major thoroughfare
on Monday. As of "Roll the Tollway" it hadn't opened for traffic yet.


let's follow it and figure out where the premiere is and attend in person.

as long as it's a city that's not been destroyed by the mooninites

mk5000


"Of shooting cliff and crumbled stone
With many a wild weed overgrown:
All else, black water: and afloat,
One rood from shore, that single boat."--hayeswater, matthew arnold