Office of the Mayor: Iroquois, Illinois (July 21, 2012)

We left Indiana and crossed over into Illinois without fanfare, not even a sign.  But we were glad to leave Indiana where we seemed to meet more crabby people and mean dogs than before.  I read on the map that there was camping in the city park and to call the mayor – which I did last night.  He told me to call when I got into town and that there was a building in which we could stay with a shower and air conditioning.  I said that it sounded great and that we would be arriving around 2 PM the next day.

When we got into the park, my phone rang and it was Mayor Jack Karr, calling to see if we were close.  I told him that we were in the park and he said that he would be right over.  He arrived with his Jack Russell dog companion and commented that we were early.  It was about one and I mentioned that I had not accounted for the time zone change. (We are now in Central Time.)  He let us into an office that had cold water in the refrigerator, air conditioning, and a table to work on.  There was also a garage area that housed a tractor and had a shower in the back plus plenty of room for our bicycles and a line of drying laundry.  It turns out that this is not any office – it is the office of  Mayor Karr. 

It’s wonderful how he opens his office to traveling cyclists and allows us to use it as a place to stay!  I try to imagine the same happening in Bedford, or better yet, Boston.  It is unimaginable – but here we are, cool, clean, and able to rest for the night. 

Post Script:  We started off in the morning and were not sure which direction to go to meet the route.  We asked a fellow and he wasn’t sure either.  So, we started out and some of the pieces seemed right so we kept going for about three miles, when we figured out we had headed in the wrong direction.  We turned around and were coming back through town via a busier road, when we heard the barking of a dog and who should pull up but the mayor!  He had come up early in the morning just as we left and saw that we asked directions and then set out in the wrong direction.  He had “chased” us down and set us straight!

Pata in front of Mayor Karr's office & town garage

Put those bikes next to the tractor Mayor Karr instructed.

Rosie the Bear and Pata try out the town's tractor.

Mayor Karr's office small but comfy and gotta love the AC!

After 60 miles in 90+ degrees I am stupified!

Mayor Karr's office chalkboard with a Vegas-style message. Love the "and don't yell" part.

Mayor Karr far right and his 6 predecessors.

This town loves riders.

Pata getting ready for the shower in the back.

Sample comment from a previous visitor.

And another warm message to the Mayor.

DW Mayor Karr astounded me with his level of trust in us, complete strangers on bicycles; but then it all starts to make more sense when I read the journal entries of all the cyclists who had come before us and stayed in the very office we are in. All of those riders upheld the trust placed in them and so the mayor found a positive pattern in us riders. He clearly felt comfortable leaving us in his office with the reminder to “lock up when you leave.” We loved our stay in this town!