What an epic day!!!

I started in the Andover Park area with my new Chicago cycling map ply Google Maps. Google maps defaults to cycling paths. About 3 miles into my ride I found myself on a gravel trail. I tried to ride it on my road bike but the gravel was just too heavy.

That messed up the whole route towards Lake Michigan so I had to throw out that whole plan....I pulled out the map and found some decent cycling roads over to a great street that would get me to Lake Michigan. Zigged and Zagged all over the place and finally got over to the Lakeshore Trail.

Never again will I ride that trail!!!! It's Sunday on a perfect weather day and everyone was out. There were even Running events using the path. Thousands of others out walking, pushing baby carriages and cyclists. Many Cyclists rode just crazy stupid. Some were heads down riding with aero bars. Many rode like they were using starvation....Walkers and runners were 2 abreast.

I was so driven to get out of all that I didn't take many photos.

Enough of all that.

Really lucky on the overall route. I finished up east of Gary which was much further than I'd planned.

I bet 70 of the 90 miles was on bike paths. I was pleasantly surprised. You can cross the whole Gary area on bike paths. Incredible infrastructure that I wasn't expecting.

I took two large external batteries to use Google Maps on my iPhone and I needed both to finish the day.

I was really anxious about getting across Chicago but that's now done!!



Typical city roads today, with bike lanes.




Lakeshore Trail







Along the shoreline






From Jackson Park at the southern end of the trail.

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Amazing bike path bridge network going into Gary.






Typical path around Gary