Solstice Ride 2019

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Breakfast Stop: Stockton, IL

From Chicago, the most direct way to Iowa takes you through Galena, IL and across the Mississippi into Dubuque, IA. The most direct route, I suppose, is over US20. I prefer the somewhat meandering and significantly more scenic Stagecoach Trail which you pick up off of 20 at Lena, IL and takes a more northerly line than 20 into Galena where the two roads essentially reunite. Tony had picked out a breakfast spot that is located near 20, west of the turn off at Lena, and which received good Trip Advisor reviews. US20 was the route this time.

As we blew past Lena, I noticed the new (since 2015) Lena Brewing Company where Cheryl and I stopped on our own trip to Iowa in July, 2018. These small breweries and tap rooms have been popping up all over the US for the past several years and while I am not a big beer drinker, I love the trend. Tony and I did not stop at Lena Brewing this time, mainly because we passed it at a little after 7:00am.

Stella's was a great choice. Stockton at 7:30 on a Friday morning was not exactly hopping, but there were a few customers besides us in the restaurant. Everyone was friendly and inquisitive about our trip especially after learning that of the sunrise to sunset nature of it. So engaging was the conversation that I failed to take a food photo of my fantastic house-made corned beef hash with two eggs over medium. I recommend Stella's if you ever happen to be in Stockton, IL.

Tony and I discussed concerns about a line of storms working their way east across Iowa that could negatively impact our riding plans. We decided to soldier on knowing that, if the rain moved in, we could simply hightail east and stay ahead of it most of the way home.

A quick bike-related note. Tony's GS comes with a small windscreen. My CB does not. This was clearly evidenced by comparing the number of bug splats on each of our helmets. I rode through a swarm so dense with insects that it sounded like rain hitting my helmet. Tony noticed that there were a lot of bugs, but did not experience the "bug rain" that I did. Bug rain is arguably better than rain rain, so that's at least one positive. I'm still going to keep my bike naked, but I've added swarming bug encounters to heavy rain and heavy winds on my list of times I wish a windscreen would magically rise from my handlebars.

One thing that is great about our solstice rides is that we need not be in a hurry since there is no mileage requirement. A relaxed day on two wheels with very little in the way of itinerary is just what I needed.

Our server and the two older women dining at the table next to us wished us a safe ride and off we went.


I missed the opportunity for a great foodie pic for this??




Inside Stella's Cafe' & Catering