Today's ride was more ceremonial than anything else. Riding unbound by gear was a pleasure, all the way to downtown Dixon and along Lincoln Statue Drive. I was curious about the status of the Rock River due to recent flooding. I was able to ride underneath the Galena Avenue bridge without incident, but attempting to do so underneath the Peoria Avenue bridge appeared to be a grand mistake in the making. I rode just beyond Lancaster Gymnasium, where I rolled the front tire of the bicycle into the flooded Rock River, thus symbolically ending my trip in Dixon. I was compelled to do this today rather than yesterday, because I was curious what it would feel like riding around without gear along routes that I know like the back of my hand. During this process, I accidentally startled the pelicans wading in the floodwaters, which then stirred up the geese. I suppose they now know that I'm back, but not for long. Shortly afterwards, I rode back to White Oaks and prepared for the trip back to Iowa.
