Another great video Paul. Thanks to you, I completed my first bikepacking adventure last summer. Pittsburgh to Cumberland. It was a lot of fun and I used your video for some help on the trail. Keep up the great work!
Ah man I was so busy before Christmas I somehow missed the notification for this video. Me and my son watch all your videos and he wants to bike tour with me someday. Thanks for sharing bro, Godbless
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it! Sorry about the slow response. Happy Holidays. God bless you as well. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Darn it all anyway Paul! You're goin' ta get me across the border with these cool trails and especially the tow paths! Had to scratch my head thought when you used the name of my nation's capital! So we share an Ottawa after all. Thanks for showing people that you can tour in October if you hurry & do shorter sections! I did a tour around this time too (our thanksgiving, which is way earlier than yours). Great footage and love the geographic lessons! Off to ride my bike now.
Your videos show an entirely different view of America when compared to the main stream media. The landscapes,. The small towns and the side roads you cover are pretty scenic. Never see in other videos. Thanks for sharing. Cheers .
I love the small towns and the side roads, too. I'm glad you enjoyed the trip! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Great adventure. Stay safe and ride on!
As many others have said, also love the narration and backstories to these small towns. With such spectacular visuals though, does anyone else feel like the background music detracts from the experience rather than enhances it?
From England here, Paul I like your bike videos, the narration style reminds me of reading 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' to my son when he was younger, or a bit of Charles Bukowski, namely Ham on Rye...it's got that rhythm to it, must be an American thing eh...nice one!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. It probably comes from 34 years of teaching high school andf dealing with teenagers. LOL! Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on! 😎
Another great video. I'm enjoying my retirement watching you in retirement 😂. Wave at every school bus. Thanks for packing that drone- nice video work. Camping not always available, nice to get dryed off too. Thank you for sharing.
Really enjoyed this video of an area of Illinois I was not familiar with. The towpath trails reminded me of the C&O Canal towpath in our area. Thanks for sharing your adventures in this part of the State of Illinois!
The Grand Illinois Loop really is in my old back yard. The towpaths are great. They also remind me of the C&O. Lots of history. The hills near Galena were rough. Thanks again, Bud.
I bicycled from Rockport to Galena, and then across the Mississippi, in 2018. This part of Illinois is very beautiful. A thunderstorm caught me just east of Galena, on the top of a hill with no cover. I was soaked! Enjoyed the video - brought back memories….
Hey Paul, Nice vid! I've logged many miles along the I&M Canal throughout the years. I've put a few miles on the Henapen and the Fox River trails. I have wanted to create a route and leave by bicycle directly from my house in Chicago, but I just don't have the time to do a 500-mile trek. I will have to keep the rides on the short till I retire. However, I will explore the segments you have shown in this video, and this trail route is on my bucket list.
I've ridden many of these trails but never did the loop like that. Great video. I lived in Morris, IL and rode the I & M all the time. We did a trip like this in 2013 along the Katy Trail in Missouri from Clinton to St Charles, MO. What a great adventure!
Very cool! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I stopped in Morris for lunch on my last day before Joliet. What a cool town on the Illinois River. I love a trail that follows a river. The Katy trail follows the Missouri River. Another great ride. Thanks again. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I'm looking forward to spring also. Bitter cold here right now!! Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
I grew up riding the Prairie Path in the 70’s and 80’s and have been thinking about moving back to Illinois. There are definitely a lot more trails now
I think you're right. They've built more bike paths since the 80s. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
Hey Steve. How's it going? Didn't we see you at the bike expo at Harper College a few years ago? Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Yes you did, sorry I didn't put 2n2 together. The detail in your videos is very good. Great information. Hope you're doing well and enjoy winter 2024. @@paulsuchecki3985
Nice video, I've lived in Lake in the Hills and rode the trail from McHenry all over the Fox River bike trail to downtown Chicago, now I live in Savanna and ride the Great River bike trail all the way to the Quad Cities got half the loop completed nice footage of the Palisades a lot of familiar places in your video love it
You're a man after my own heart Paul. After discovering the Hennepin Canal on a motorized cross country trip I knew I had to cycle it. I saw most of it on a long midsummer weekend in 2002. It's on my list of highly recommended rides.
Good info for tour planning here, and thanks for putting in the effort. Last August rode part of the way home from Ragbrai (only as far as Decatur Ill tho). Used the Hennepin and Rock Island Trails along with some nice rural roads. Much hotter then.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. The Hennepin canal is pretty nice. Ragbrai is on my list. One day. It's always in late July, the hottest part of the year. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on! (Sorry for the slow response).
Thank you Paul for another great video. I live in Johnsburg just northeast of Mchenry and I can't find the Brookside Trail Park, for the life of me. 🤷♀I found an address but it's Fort Mchenry Park across from the IHOP.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I followed the Prairie Path right trough McHenry. I think it goes through Brookside Park. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
I grew up near the Prairie Path. I've done various pieces of the Grand Illinois Loop over the years. Favorite is near Fox River. Still need to do the Hennepin.
Well done, first video of yours that I’ve seen but not likely to be my last. I live in west central Illinois so I figured your video would about Chicago, not my favorite place, but was pleased it was in the most beautiful parts of Northern Illinois. Thanks! Enjoy and keep bikin’!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Once you get out of the big city, Illinois has some great places to ride. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
Last summer I did a 2 day trip from McHenry to Rockford and back. I stayed at Rock Cut state park it was great! This summer I am planning to make it all the way to Galena and catch a ride back the other way. Very excited!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it! I heard Rock Cut S.P. is a very cool place. I didn't camp on this trip. Between Freeport and Galena there are some good hills. Have a great ride. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great video Paul! I rode this route clockwise starting in Rockford over 2 long weekends this past summer. Riding the GIT was my introduction to bike touring and I love it.
I never knew this existed. I know there are lots of rail trails in Illinois but a loop makes logistics easier- so you’ve inspired me to map this out based on your trip. Another great video of course. Well done 👏
Mr. Suchecki (Sazuki 😂)! I hope you remember me as your favorite student at JCHS... ! Anyways, I didn't know you were doing this! My husband and I started bike touring! You actually went through our hometown when you did the Great IL Loop. We live in Geneseo. You should look into doing Ragbrai! It's the oldest, longest bike ride across Iowa. We are doing our first this year! Keep it up! I love watching!
No way! How cool is that. Hey Kishashoe. Of course I remember, and yes you were definitely one of my favorite students. I hope all is well with you. So you like to bike tour? I've been doing this forever. Just started RUclips a couple of years ago. I went right through your town last summer. Do you ride the Hennepin Canal? It's a great trail, hooks up with other cool trails. I've never done Ragbrai, but it's always been on my list. Maybe next year. Thanks for the shout, hope to see you down the trail. PS... Thank you again. Just a suggestion, please edit this post and scramble (or delete) your maiden name. Just in case. I got ya. So cool! 😁
this was a really good video. I bike tour on a folding bike with 35 lb of gear. I can fit the folding bike in a small experimental airplane and reach out. I rode the Keweenaw peninsula last summer. a great trip but shallow road shoulders. not for your wife, but I enjoyed it. amazing scenery.
Cool loop and excellent video. I have been to quite a few places you featured here. However, not on bike (I am the only one in the family who is interested in biking). Driving through the Palisades Park for example I imagined to be on bike. Some day, though.....
That's why it a great loop. So close to so many people, but takes you away from the city. Thanks for watching. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Very much enjoyed that tour! FWIW: hearing aids here. Lower level of background music would make listening much easier for me. Lessened ability to separate narrative from background music. I DO actually, love the geese and other nature sounds. Thank you, Paul, for taking me with you on your tour!
I love this video. Last May I vacationed in Galena,IL. I rode some of what you rode on. Those hills are no joke! I had a hard time walking up them!! You, my friend, are a BEAST!! Keep pedaling...
Great video Paul, i really enjoyed watching your bicycle adventure. I love doing the Rail Trails here in Ontario Canada. They are a blast. I love your bike set up, looks great sir :) A day off we call a Zero Day :)
Great loop, I will have to try the route in 2024. I will most likely start and end in Chicago since I have to take the train there from MI. It looks like you are doing 'credit card' camping? Thanks for sharing your adventure and inspiring me to look forward to next year's rides ;
Sounds great! Start at the train station in Chicago, head to the lakefront trail. Thanks for watching. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great ride and always good to see a river that has been "loved to death by modern development". I think I go ride my bike and check out some of it here.
Hi Paul, I'm inspired by your videos. I've cycled on and off all my life but never toured. Several years ago, I had a dbl bypass and found I could ride again. So I've got a long haul trucker. Like you, I'm older and can not ride bent over. I've since gotten terratrikes. But they really scare me on the roads. I'm retired from trucking, so I've seen way too much to feel safe. After seeing your setup, I want to set up my surly like yours. So can I get details on yours. Thanks
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it! Sorry about the slow response. The nice thing about rail-trails is, NO CARS. I've got a heart valve issue that may catch up to me here soon. I keep riding to keep the heart muscle strong. I'm working on a video about my Surly Disc Trucker, but it going slow. Here's a link to my handlebars. I like the upright position. Wald 1066 Handlebars amzn.to/3fLRHVH Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Paul, also I live very close to KATY Trail and have ridden almost all of it. please reach out if you want any information about the trail or even help with pickup / drop off or any form of shuttling.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I love the Katy also. Great trail. I've rode it several times. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great video, as always, Paul. I signed up for the Dirty South (half) here in southern Illinois. It's a gravel race, but I'm not doing it to compete. I'm doing it to finish. 30 miles and 3,000+ feet of elevation gain. That LaRue Pine Hills area will be the fun part. Anyways, I'm going to buy myself a gravel bike at the end of January. It will be my first gravel bike. I just have a mountain bike and a road bike right now. I can't wait. I have a lot of gravel and bikepacking plans in mind. This trail could be possible for me, being so close to Metropolis and all. I'd imagine I could Amtrak to the starting point or at least close to it. Hope to see you on the trail one day!
I looked it up. Full already. Not that I would ride in it, I'm not a racer. But I'd like to cover it. It'd make a great video. March 2, I think. LaRue Pine Hills is one of my favorite places. See you there. For the Grand Illinois Loop, one could take the Amtrak to Chicago and start and finish at Union Station. Amtrak has roll on service for bikes. Thanks again Shawn. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!😎
@@paulsuchecki3985 Nice. I broke down and bought be a gravel bike. It’s my first one. Should be a little easier in Dirty South and I hope to do some bikepacking too. I’m itching to ride it once this mess weather clears up!
Great job with all the footage and editing! Thanks for sharing Paul. Always love the videos, appreciate all the work you put into making them! Putting lots of these routes on my bucket list :)
Awesome video Paul. Your camera work is really good and you tell such great stories about places on the route. Big fan. Keep riding your bike and sharing your experiences with us.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I hope you can strap together some kind of suitable rig. It's a great ride. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
Glad to see you sticking mainly to trails and wearing a helmet. Always a good idea. Maybe a little more challenging finding routes but you are doing a great job on your adventures. Have a happy and safe New Year Paul.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I had a few close calls recently so I invested in a comfortable helmet. Have a great 2024. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Howdy Paul. It’s great to see another video. Also, welcome to retirement. Would you post some bike specifics on your channel please: tire size etc…. Thanks
@@paulsuchecki3985 if you’re looking for an interesting ride, check out the Arkansas Graveler. It’s the last week of June. Inaugural ride. Come join us.
Brother you really get some miles in, that'll keep you very fit. I would be following those geese. I thought crazy weather was just a UK thing. We have canals over here; I use the towpaths for car free journeying but have to cover my mouth and nose or you end up eating kilos of flies and gnats and mozzies in summer and autumn/fall.
Another great one! Fun to watch with all the drone footage. Love how your maps have just enough info to follow your route. After surviving transam I'm working on my next cross country route through the north with as many rail/canal trails as possible.
Thank you Paul! This ride is going to be our next trip! We live right on the Fox River Trail in Elgin. ( Next time, let us know and we will bring you lunch!) Could I get more info about your choices for back roads and hotels?
Thanks. I really appreciate it. I grew up in the suburbs. When my parents retired they moved to Lake in the Hills. I used tio ride the Fox River trail often. It's a great trail and it connects to some great trails as well. IDOT puts out some excellent bicycle maps for the whole state. That's what I use mostly for navigation around the state. Also, I found Google maps. It has a bicycle setting and shows where the bike paths are located. I usually stay at chain motels. mostly. I use the internet on my phone and sometimes make reservations in advance, especially on the weekends. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
It appears that maintenance may be improving along the Hennepin and I&M canals from when I rode (or tried riding) them during a coast-to-coast ride in June 2022. There were stretches then where the single-track had 3- to 4-foot-high grass and weeds. Some sections were just grass with long stretches of mud and debris - barely passable. I opted for roads in several places along the I&M rather than walking and pushing my bike through mud and thick weeds. I didn’t find the I&M towpath enjoyable at all. Again, maybe maintenance improved between my ride and Paul’s. Even so, be aware that these two towpaths have nowhere near the quality of surface and maintenance you’ll find on many rail trails around the country or the Erie Canalway Trail in New York.
You are absolutely right about the maintenance of those towpaths. I will keep that in mind. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and Ride on!
Great video. Can you share your itinerary for places to stay and ridewgps routes if you used it to plan your trip? Thanks Alan. I want do this ride as I grew up in IL
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I'm not sure what ridewgps is. I've never used it. On this trip I stayed in motels every night. Mostly chain motels. I don't really keep track (other than receipts) of exactly which hotels each night. The towns I stayed in are noted in the video for each night. I use the internet on my phone to locate them and make reservations, usually at least a few hours before I get there, sometimes the night before, just to make sure a room will be available, especially on the weekends. I found that on the Grand Loop there were plenty of places to stay. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Your videos are really well made. Cutting such a long ride into 20 mins of great shots is quite a feat. Oftentimes, I wonder how someone without a car can get to some of these trails, but I guess that can be figured out with some research.
Glad you like them! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Trains or buses can get you close. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great videos as always... watching them has made me decide to get my bike set up for this spring... BTW what app or whatever do you use to plan your routes? I from S. Wis, might see you out there.....
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I usually just use paper maps, old school. On this last trip I found Google maps. The bike setting shows where all the bike paths are located. I love bike touring in Wisconsin. Thanks again. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Excellent video. Paul you’re an inspiration. I bought a touring bicycle ! Since you have a wide range of experience I have a question, how do you secure your panniers in order to go into a store, restroom etc. thanks for the information.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I suppose the best way to keep your stuff safe is to have a traveling partner that can watch your stuff while you go into the grocery store or into the bathroom. But if you're traveling solo you're always taking a chance when leaving your bike unattended. Lock up the bike is an easy answer, but what about your gear on the bike? I guess I take chances, but so far I haven't had any trouble with theft. At restaurants I try to park next to a window so I can see my bike while I'm dining. At grocery stores I have been known to take my bike into the store with me. Park it inside the store or take it up and down the rows. If I have to leave it unattended I take valuables like phone and wallet with me, park it out of view. In rural areas where crime is low I feel safe. In other areas maybe not so much. Is there a way to lock your panniers to the frame so they can't be stolen off the bike? I don't know. Just use good judgement. That's the best I can do, I hope it helps. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Another great video Paul. Thanks to you, I completed my first bikepacking adventure last summer. Pittsburgh to Cumberland. It was a lot of fun and I used your video for some help on the trail. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. The GAP is a great trail. The C&O is also cool. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
I love the way he talks/narrates. Like he’d punch ya in the face if you weren’t out riding your bike enough. 👋
LOL!! I'm also a HS wrestling coach. Maybe that's where it comes from. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!😎
@@paulsuchecki3985 Your vids motivate me to get back on the bike (and go to do one of your trips).
@@randygravel2057 Cool. It's working then.
Hi Paul, thanks for wearing helmet on bike tours. You are setting a good example to us .
I've had some close calls recently. Finally found a comfortable helmet. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Ah man I was so busy before Christmas I somehow missed the notification for this video. Me and my son watch all your videos and he wants to bike tour with me someday. Thanks for sharing bro, Godbless
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it! Sorry about the slow response. Happy Holidays. God bless you as well. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Darn it all anyway Paul! You're goin' ta get me across the border with these cool trails and especially the tow paths! Had to scratch my head thought when you used the name of my nation's capital! So we share an Ottawa after all. Thanks for showing people that you can tour in October if you hurry & do shorter sections! I did a tour around this time too (our thanksgiving, which is way earlier than yours). Great footage and love the geographic lessons! Off to ride my bike now.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I hope to ride across Canada some day. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Paul, another great video. love the hand drawn maps and the drone shots really add a lot of context. excellent job! thanks!
Glad you like them! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Your videos show an entirely different view of America when compared to the main stream media. The landscapes,. The small towns and the side roads you cover are pretty scenic. Never see in other videos. Thanks for sharing. Cheers .
I love the small towns and the side roads, too. I'm glad you enjoyed the trip! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Great adventure. Stay safe and ride on!
As many others have said, also love the narration and backstories to these small towns. With such spectacular visuals though, does anyone else feel like the background music detracts from the experience rather than enhances it?
☝🏼The sound of gravel riding would be sweet, especially in the helmet & selfie stick shots!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Thanks for the feed back as well. Others have made similar comments. Stay safe and ride on!!
I like the music.
Hey Paul, that looks like a great route. I like how you give a brief history of the area you’re traveling through.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
You sir are a gem 💎 master at finding these routes and biking adventures. Yours is the only biking video on RUclips about this loop trail.
Thanks. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!😎
From England here, Paul I like your bike videos, the narration style reminds me of reading 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' to my son when he was younger, or a bit of Charles Bukowski, namely Ham on Rye...it's got that rhythm to it, must be an American thing eh...nice one!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. It probably comes from 34 years of teaching high school andf dealing with teenagers. LOL! Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on! 😎
Paul, thanks for this and your other videos, my wife & I enjoy them very much….so much that we biked the Erie Canal this summer and had a BLAST.
Sounds great! Erie Canal is a great trail. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
I haven't ridden any of that since 2019, when I revisited some of the Apple River country. Your video reminds me that it's time to go back.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Another great video. I'm enjoying my retirement watching you in retirement 😂. Wave at every school bus. Thanks for packing that drone- nice video work. Camping not always available, nice to get dryed off too. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Always wave at the school buses. Stay safe and ride on!!😎
Really enjoyed this video of an area of Illinois I was not familiar with. The towpath trails reminded me of the C&O Canal towpath in our area. Thanks for sharing your adventures in this part of the State of Illinois!
The Grand Illinois Loop really is in my old back yard. The towpaths are great. They also remind me of the C&O. Lots of history. The hills near Galena were rough. Thanks again, Bud.
I bicycled from Rockport to Galena, and then across the Mississippi, in 2018. This part of Illinois is very beautiful. A thunderstorm caught me just east of Galena, on the top of a hill with no cover. I was soaked! Enjoyed the video - brought back memories….
That's a hilly section. Vey scenic. Galena is a cool old town. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
I love all the maps! Makes it easy to understand the ride.
Thanks. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
I live one mile from the Hennepin path, love going to and past Geneseo often. Our Mississippi Valley path and bridges are awesome too. Great video.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. What a great resource. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
We're always pleased when we see you've posted something new. Another good one Paul, thanks.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great video! I need to look at this loop. The Hennepin Canal is one of my favorite trails to ride. I try to ride it 3 or 4 times a year.
It's a great ride. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
Awesome. Thanks for sharing. I'm on a bike tour this week myself.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Thanks Paul for letting us ride along with you
My pleasure!! Thanks for watching. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Thanks for showing more great riding in the Midwest. Ride on!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Thanks Paul for bringing us along on this great historical view of Northern Illinois. The video was inspiring. 😂😊
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!😎
Hey Paul,
Nice vid! I've logged many miles along the I&M Canal throughout the years. I've put a few miles on the Henapen and the Fox River trails. I have wanted to create a route and leave by bicycle directly from my house in Chicago, but I just don't have the time to do a 500-mile trek. I will have to keep the rides on the short till I retire. However, I will explore the segments you have shown in this video, and this trail route is on my bucket list.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. It's a great loop ride. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great to see you are enjoying your retirement!
Thanks. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!😎
I was one of original test riders and glad to see your promotion.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. It's a great trail Thanks. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!
I should have said I was not the first route explores but rode as it was being formalized.
Entertaining video with exceptional drone footage. I had no idea of those trails. Thanks Paul
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Another fun one! Thanks for taking us along Paul.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
thanks Paul, you and your family have a great 2024, great stuff
Same to you! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Thank Paul for all your videos, your a great motivator, now I have to go ride my bike😁
Go for it! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!😎
I've ridden many of these trails but never did the loop like that. Great video. I lived in Morris, IL and rode the I & M all the time.
We did a trip like this in 2013 along the Katy Trail in Missouri from Clinton to St Charles, MO. What a great adventure!
Very cool! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I stopped in Morris for lunch on my last day before Joliet. What a cool town on the Illinois River. I love a trail that follows a river. The Katy trail follows the Missouri River. Another great ride. Thanks again. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Alway's an interesting route that you choose! Thanx for the ride Paul! Can't wait for spring!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I'm looking forward to spring also. Bitter cold here right now!! Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
I grew up riding the Prairie Path in the 70’s and 80’s and have been thinking about moving back to Illinois. There are definitely a lot more trails now
I think you're right. They've built more bike paths since the 80s. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
Hallo, Paul. New subscriber here.
Love your narration. Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa.
Cheers, Tony
Welcome aboard! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Greetings from the USA. Stay safe and ride on!
Long Long Time Ago I Went Hiking With You In Southern Illinois With Burger. Great Video, Can't Wait To Watch More.
Hey Steve. How's it going? Didn't we see you at the bike expo at Harper College a few years ago? Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Yes you did, sorry I didn't put 2n2 together. The detail in your videos is very good. Great information. Hope you're doing well and enjoy winter 2024.
@@paulsuchecki3985
Another awesome video! Thank you for taking us along!!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great, as always! 🚴🏼🍺
Thanks again! I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Nice video, I've lived in Lake in the Hills and rode the trail from McHenry all over the Fox River bike trail to downtown Chicago, now I live in Savanna and ride the Great River bike trail all the way to the Quad Cities got half the loop completed nice footage of the Palisades a lot of familiar places in your video love it
Very cool! It's a great place to ride. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Very nteresting and informative, while still being very entertaining, therefore encouraging.
Your students certainly must remember you.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it! Sorry about the slow response. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
You're a man after my own heart Paul. After discovering the Hennepin Canal on a motorized cross country trip I knew I had to cycle it. I saw most of it on a long midsummer weekend in 2002. It's on my list of highly recommended rides.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. It's a great loop. Stay safe and ride on!!
Paul's riding is full of style and elegance. Thank you for the inspiration and Happy New Year and Happy riding! 🎉🎉🎉
Thanks so much. I really appreciate it. have a great 2024. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!😎
Good info for tour planning here, and thanks for putting in the effort. Last August rode part of the way home from Ragbrai (only as far as Decatur Ill tho). Used the Hennepin and Rock Island Trails along with some nice rural roads. Much hotter then.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. The Hennepin canal is pretty nice. Ragbrai is on my list. One day. It's always in late July, the hottest part of the year. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on! (Sorry for the slow response).
Thank you Paul for another great video. I live in Johnsburg just northeast of Mchenry and I can't find the Brookside Trail Park, for the life of me. 🤷♀I found an address but it's Fort Mchenry Park across from the IHOP.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I followed the Prairie Path right trough McHenry. I think it goes through Brookside Park. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
I grew up near the Prairie Path. I've done various pieces of the Grand Illinois Loop over the years. Favorite is near Fox River. Still need to do the Hennepin.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. It's a great loop. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
What a treat to see a new post from my favorite cycling RUclipsr this morning! Thanks again for your wonderful travelogues!
You are too kind!! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Well done, first video of yours that I’ve seen but not likely to be my last. I live in west central Illinois so I figured your video would about Chicago, not my favorite place, but was pleased it was in the most beautiful parts of Northern Illinois. Thanks! Enjoy and keep bikin’!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Once you get out of the big city, Illinois has some great places to ride. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
Shredding those trails
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Last summer I did a 2 day trip from McHenry to Rockford and back. I stayed at Rock Cut state park it was great! This summer I am planning to make it all the way to Galena and catch a ride back the other way. Very excited!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it! I heard Rock Cut S.P. is a very cool place. I didn't camp on this trip. Between Freeport and Galena there are some good hills. Have a great ride. Stay safe and ride on!!
Looks like a Good Time!
It's a great ride. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great video Paul! I rode this route clockwise starting in Rockford over 2 long weekends this past summer. Riding the GIT was my introduction to bike touring and I love it.
Very cool! It's a great trail. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great video, well done. I'll put it on my wish list.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. It's a great ride. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Thanks Paul. I'm putting that loop on my list for this spring.
Hope you enjoy it! It's a great ride. Thanks for watching. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Thanks for the inspiration, Paul. Great video. I hope to take my pups pedaling in Illinois one day.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it! Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
What a great route! I'm glad to see you completely recovered!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Mostly recovered. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great video! Glad I found your channel. Ride on!
Welcome aboard! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great narrative and video footage.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
I never knew this existed. I know there are lots of rail trails in Illinois but a loop makes logistics easier- so you’ve inspired me to map this out based on your trip. Another great video of course. Well done 👏
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!😎
Mr. Suchecki (Sazuki 😂)! I hope you remember me as your favorite student at JCHS... ! Anyways, I didn't know you were doing this! My husband and I started bike touring! You actually went through our hometown when you did the Great IL Loop. We live in Geneseo.
You should look into doing Ragbrai! It's the oldest, longest bike ride across Iowa. We are doing our first this year! Keep it up! I love watching!
No way! How cool is that. Hey Kishashoe. Of course I remember, and yes you were definitely one of my favorite students. I hope all is well with you. So you like to bike tour? I've been doing this forever. Just started RUclips a couple of years ago. I went right through your town last summer. Do you ride the Hennepin Canal? It's a great trail, hooks up with other cool trails. I've never done Ragbrai, but it's always been on my list. Maybe next year. Thanks for the shout, hope to see you down the trail.
PS... Thank you again. Just a suggestion, please edit this post and scramble (or delete) your maiden name. Just in case. I got ya. So cool! 😁
Wow that video had to take some time to make ! Very detailed Thankyou
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great ride and wonderful video!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Thank you Paul awesome. You went down the hill, I went for the brakes. lol 😂 😊👍
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!! 😎
this was a really good video. I bike tour on a folding bike with 35 lb of gear. I can fit the folding bike in a small experimental airplane and reach out. I rode the Keweenaw peninsula last summer. a great trip but shallow road shoulders. not for your wife, but I enjoyed it. amazing scenery.
Sounds like a great trip. Thanks for watching. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Another great video…love watching your videos!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Youre the man Paul, another awesome video
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great video! Excellent editing! Thanks for showcasing IL, i'm a downstater!!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it! Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Cool loop and excellent video. I have been to quite a few places you featured here. However, not on bike (I am the only one in the family who is interested in biking). Driving through the Palisades Park for example I imagined to be on bike. Some day, though.....
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. The Palisades Park is one of my favorits places along the river. Stay safe and ride on!!
On my bucket list this late spring, thanks 🙏🏼
You should! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!😎
Right in my backyard! ok maybe not right in my backyard but not too far from Chicago where I live!
That's why it a great loop. So close to so many people, but takes you away from the city. Thanks for watching. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Very much enjoyed that tour!
FWIW: hearing aids here.
Lower level of background music would make listening much easier for me.
Lessened ability to separate narrative from background music.
I DO actually, love the geese and other nature sounds.
Thank you, Paul, for taking me with you on your tour!
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Sorry about the music. Thanks for the feedback. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
I love this video. Last May I vacationed in Galena,IL. I rode some of what you rode on. Those hills are no joke! I had a hard time walking up them!! You, my friend, are a BEAST!! Keep pedaling...
Moved out of Chicago in 1989. Wish they had this route then.
Have relatives in Mermet Illinois north of Metropolis
That is awesome! Thanks for watching. I walked up most of the steep ones. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great video Paul, i really enjoyed watching your bicycle adventure. I love doing the Rail Trails here in Ontario Canada. They are a blast. I love your bike set up, looks great sir :) A day off we call a Zero Day :)
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to ride in Canada some day. Tomorrow's Monday, I'm taking a zero day! LOL!! Stay safe and ride on!!😎
Great loop, I will have to try the route in 2024. I will most likely start and end in Chicago since I have to take the train there from MI.
It looks like you are doing 'credit card' camping?
Thanks for sharing your adventure and inspiring me to look forward to next year's rides ;
Sounds great! Start at the train station in Chicago, head to the lakefront trail. Thanks for watching. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Thank you Paul. You are an inspiration. @@paulsuchecki3985
Love your videos Paul😊
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!😎
Just started following your videos a few months ago, and I love them! Keep riding! Keep posting!
Welcome aboard! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great ride and always good to see a river that has been "loved to death by modern development".
I think I go ride my bike and check out some of it here.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. It's a great ride. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Nice video. I've ridden some of what you showed. The loop looks like a fantastic trip.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. It's a nice loop from Chicago to the Mississippi. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Always a Great Paul :-)
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Hi Paul, I'm inspired by your videos. I've cycled on and off all my life but never toured. Several years ago, I had a dbl bypass and found I could ride again. So I've got a long haul trucker. Like you, I'm older and can not ride bent over. I've since gotten terratrikes. But they really scare me on the roads. I'm retired from trucking, so I've seen way too much to feel safe. After seeing your setup, I want to set up my surly like yours. So can I get details on yours. Thanks
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it! Sorry about the slow response. The nice thing about rail-trails is, NO CARS. I've got a heart valve issue that may catch up to me here soon. I keep riding to keep the heart muscle strong. I'm working on a video about my Surly Disc Trucker, but it going slow. Here's a link to my handlebars. I like the upright position. Wald 1066 Handlebars amzn.to/3fLRHVH Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Paul, also I live very close to KATY Trail and have ridden almost all of it. please reach out if you want any information about the trail or even help with pickup / drop off or any form of shuttling.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I love the Katy also. Great trail. I've rode it several times. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great video, as always, Paul. I signed up for the Dirty South (half) here in southern Illinois. It's a gravel race, but I'm not doing it to compete. I'm doing it to finish. 30 miles and 3,000+ feet of elevation gain. That LaRue Pine Hills area will be the fun part. Anyways, I'm going to buy myself a gravel bike at the end of January. It will be my first gravel bike. I just have a mountain bike and a road bike right now. I can't wait. I have a lot of gravel and bikepacking plans in mind. This trail could be possible for me, being so close to Metropolis and all. I'd imagine I could Amtrak to the starting point or at least close to it. Hope to see you on the trail one day!
I looked it up. Full already. Not that I would ride in it, I'm not a racer. But I'd like to cover it. It'd make a great video. March 2, I think. LaRue Pine Hills is one of my favorite places. See you there. For the Grand Illinois Loop, one could take the Amtrak to Chicago and start and finish at Union Station. Amtrak has roll on service for bikes. Thanks again Shawn. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!😎
@@paulsuchecki3985 Nice. I broke down and bought be a gravel bike. It’s my first one. Should be a little easier in Dirty South and I hope to do some bikepacking too. I’m itching to ride it once this mess weather clears up!
@@HikingWithShawn Stay warm!
Great video. Keep them coming. I enjoy the historical and geological information you share about these places.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great job with all the footage and editing! Thanks for sharing Paul. Always love the videos, appreciate all the work you put into making them! Putting lots of these routes on my bucket list :)
Much appreciated! Thanks for watching. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Love your videos
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Awesome video Paul. Your camera work is really good and you tell such great stories about places on the route. Big fan. Keep riding your bike and sharing your experiences with us.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Been meaning to take this route for a while. I don't have a touring setup, but I can probably press my gravel or cyclocross bike into service
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I hope you can strap together some kind of suitable rig. It's a great ride. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
@@paulsuchecki3985 Thanks! You too!
Glad to see you sticking mainly to trails and wearing a helmet. Always a good idea. Maybe a little more challenging finding routes but you are doing a great job on your adventures. Have a happy and safe New Year Paul.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I had a few close calls recently so I invested in a comfortable helmet. Have a great 2024. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Howdy Paul. It’s great to see another video. Also, welcome to retirement. Would you post some bike specifics on your channel please: tire size etc…. Thanks
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I'm working on a video about my new Surly. Should cover all that. Coming soon. Stay safe and ride on!!
@@paulsuchecki3985 if you’re looking for an interesting ride, check out the Arkansas Graveler. It’s the last week of June. Inaugural ride. Come join us.
Brother you really get some miles in, that'll keep you very fit. I would be following those geese. I thought crazy weather was just a UK thing. We have canals over here; I use the towpaths for car free journeying but have to cover my mouth and nose or you end up eating kilos of flies and gnats and mozzies in summer and autumn/fall.
You got that right! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Another great one! Fun to watch with all the drone footage. Love how your maps have just enough info to follow your route. After surviving transam I'm working on my next cross country route through the north with as many rail/canal trails as possible.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
🙏 Happy New Year 🍊
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Have a great 2024. Stay safe and ride on!!
Lucky blessed lucky blessed
👍
What tires do you use?@@paulsuchecki3985
Thank you Paul! This ride is going to be our next trip! We live right on the Fox River Trail in Elgin. ( Next time, let us know and we will bring you lunch!) Could I get more info about your choices for back roads and hotels?
Thanks. I really appreciate it. I grew up in the suburbs. When my parents retired they moved to Lake in the Hills. I used tio ride the Fox River trail often. It's a great trail and it connects to some great trails as well. IDOT puts out some excellent bicycle maps for the whole state. That's what I use mostly for navigation around the state. Also, I found Google maps. It has a bicycle setting and shows where the bike paths are located. I usually stay at chain motels. mostly. I use the internet on my phone and sometimes make reservations in advance, especially on the weekends. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
It appears that maintenance may be improving along the Hennepin and I&M canals from when I rode (or tried riding) them during a coast-to-coast ride in June 2022. There were stretches then where the single-track had 3- to 4-foot-high grass and weeds. Some sections were just grass with long stretches of mud and debris - barely passable. I opted for roads in several places along the I&M rather than walking and pushing my bike through mud and thick weeds. I didn’t find the I&M towpath enjoyable at all. Again, maybe maintenance improved between my ride and Paul’s. Even so, be aware that these two towpaths have nowhere near the quality of surface and maintenance you’ll find on many rail trails around the country or the Erie Canalway Trail in New York.
You are absolutely right about the maintenance of those towpaths. I will keep that in mind. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and Ride on!
great video,enjoy your freedom from teaching
Thanks so much. I really appreciate it. Stay safe and ride on!!
Great video. Can you share your itinerary for places to stay and ridewgps routes if you used it to plan your trip? Thanks Alan. I want do this ride as I grew up in IL
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I'm not sure what ridewgps is. I've never used it. On this trip I stayed in motels every night. Mostly chain motels. I don't really keep track (other than receipts) of exactly which hotels each night. The towns I stayed in are noted in the video for each night. I use the internet on my phone to locate them and make reservations, usually at least a few hours before I get there, sometimes the night before, just to make sure a room will be available, especially on the weekends. I found that on the Grand Loop there were plenty of places to stay. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Your videos are really well made. Cutting such a long ride into 20 mins of great shots is quite a feat. Oftentimes, I wonder how someone without a car can get to some of these trails, but I guess that can be figured out with some research.
Glad you like them! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. Trains or buses can get you close. Hope to see you down the trail. Stay safe and ride on!!
😅Thanks that is tour that I could do.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. It's a great ride. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!😎
Great videos as always... watching them has made me decide to get my bike set up for this spring... BTW what app or whatever do you use to plan your routes? I from S. Wis, might see you out there.....
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I usually just use paper maps, old school. On this last trip I found Google maps. The bike setting shows where all the bike paths are located. I love bike touring in Wisconsin. Thanks again. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!
Excellent video. Paul you’re an inspiration. I bought a touring bicycle ! Since you have a wide range of experience I have a question, how do you secure your panniers in order to go into a store, restroom etc. thanks for the information.
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate it. I suppose the best way to keep your stuff safe is to have a traveling partner that can watch your stuff while you go into the grocery store or into the bathroom. But if you're traveling solo you're always taking a chance when leaving your bike unattended. Lock up the bike is an easy answer, but what about your gear on the bike? I guess I take chances, but so far I haven't had any trouble with theft. At restaurants I try to park next to a window so I can see my bike while I'm dining. At grocery stores I have been known to take my bike into the store with me. Park it inside the store or take it up and down the rows. If I have to leave it unattended I take valuables like phone and wallet with me, park it out of view. In rural areas where crime is low I feel safe. In other areas maybe not so much. Is there a way to lock your panniers to the frame so they can't be stolen off the bike? I don't know. Just use good judgement. That's the best I can do, I hope it helps. Hope to see you down the road. Stay safe and ride on!!