Ok, Shirley!
I have to say that Sheridan sucks for a bit until after you leave Evanston. Actually, I thought the road wasn't that hot until you hit Waukegan. There are definitely good sections to Sheridan Road, but there's sucky parts too. I can't believe how big those potholes can get! All those rich folks out there too... they ought to be ashamed!
But you can take Sheridan Road all the way into Wisconsin and back and do a full century that way. It's well trafficked, but the good thing is that the traffic seems a LOT more aware of cyclists than riding around Chicago.
It is definitely more interesting to try my way then going round and round like a rat in a cage, huh?
If you send me a PM, I can call you and lend you my book(s) on the different trails around Illinois.
Koffee