When the sun’s shining and the temperature’s above 50 degrees, it’s hard to beat a motorcycle for urban transportation.
A snarled grid of smog-belching buses, swerving taxis and tank-sized SUVs doesn’t necessarily mean a skilled, careful rider can’t make it from Point A to Point B on time and in one piece.
Parking likely won’t be a problem either, as there’s almost always some nook, cranny or corner just big enough to accommodate a cycle.
That’s not to say there aren’t drawbacks to urban motorcycling.
The people driving those buses, taxis and sport-utility vehicles can pose a threat if they aren’t paying attention. And if you regularly park a bike on the streets, somebody who never learned how to parallel park eventually will knock it over.
But the worst part about being a city cyclist is that after 10 years, I still can’t get on a bike without yearning for curvy country road. There’s a certain therapy to leaning a bike through a few sweeping curves as trees and towns fly by at 55 m.p.h. or thereabouts.
If you want to take a nice, smooth curve in the city while experiencing the sensation of a forest flying by, your best bet might be Lower Wacker Drive. Late at night when there’s no traffic and a cool, damp breeze rolls off the Chicago River, you can, with a vivid imagination, almost imagine the concrete pillars are giant birch trunks.
When I came to Chicago, I thought a nice ride in the country meant an hour or two of interstate suffering to get to Wisconsin or Michigan–or at least a long haul west past Elgin.
Facing the congested tolls in leathers and helmet without a radio or air conditioner persuaded me to find something closer.
So I set out in all directions in search of the best ride that starts within 20 minutes of the Loop. That’s when I stumbled across Illinois Highway 171, or Archer Avenue. Here’s what you’ll find:
After about a jaunt down the Stevenson Expressway, you take the southbound 171 exit, and as long as you stay on that road, you’ll get a sweet ride to Joliet.
Summit and Justice, which have jurisdiction over the first of the widely spaced stoplights, have a feel that’s slightly more small-town than suburban.
But the fun begins once you get past the world headquarters for Corn Products Co., at 6500 S. Archer Rd. Corn Products does wet milling, which yields corn oils, starches and sweeteners. (Frankly, these are all a bigger part of my diet than cobbed corn or cornbread, they just don’t smell as good as cornbread in the oven.)
As you continue southwest on 171, which runs through the Des Plaines River Valley into Willow Springs, you notice more and more trees and, eventually, hills!
From here, the road alternates between 55-m.p.h. highway and 35-m.p.h. main drag, so there are plenty of chances to blow the cobwebs out of your engine and just as many diversions along the way.
If you’re hungry, don’t pass up Sma’s Hot Dogs at Colonel Avenue in Willow Springs.
The menu offers everything from chili dogs to tamales, and the dining room consists of a handful of picnic tables right off the highway.
If you’re really hungry, press on to Manion’s, where you can get three-quarter-pound monster burgers.
On a road that seemingly belongs to bikers, Manion’s is the place to see and be seen. People come to play on the sand volleyball courts, sit in the shade on the front deck or compare exhaust notes and tattoos at the alleged Capone hangout. If you stick around long enough, you might even hear stories of the joint’s secret tunnel or of gangster ghosts.
But don’t linger too long; after all, the best part of the trip awaits.
Paw Paw Woods, part of the Cook County Forest District, is a biker’s dream. The temperature drops several degrees when you roll in, and feisty (though unbanked) S-curves beg you to summon all your concentration and ride in picture-perfect form.
Another thing that makes this a great ride is that you can combine two of the world’s best recreational activities–motorcycle riding and golf.
The courses available are at Lemont’s Cog Hill Golf and Country Club, widely considered one of the nation’s gems. Of course, you can’t carry your clubs, but you can send them with a car-driving member of your foursome or try to talk the pro shop out of a demo to “evaluate” on the driving range.
If you prefer your grass in the form of a park rather than fairways and greens, don’t miss the Lockport Township Park a few miles down the highway. Blanketing one of the biggest hills in these parts, the park sports several shelters, softball fields and foot trails.
A few more miles takes you past Joliet Correctional Center, a grand yet intimidating complex opened in 1860. Why not take a closer look at the institution that not only has been home to some of Chicago’s most infamous characters, but also was featured in “The Blues Brothers?” But don’t try to take pictures of yourself in front of the slammer unless you want heavily armed guards on your case.
In Joliet, you can take in grand architecture of a different sort in the form of the town’s many buildings in the National Registry of Historic Places, including the stunning Jacob Henry Mansion at 20 S. Eastern Ave.
Once you explore Joliet, self-proclaimed city of stone and steel, you’ll probably want to think about heading home.
But if you’re still itching to ride, pick up historic Route 66 downtown and ride off into the sunset. Legend has it you’ll end up in L.A.–eventually.
Now that would be a cruise.
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Brian Neale would like to hear about your favorite rides. Drop an e-mail at btneale@tribune.com and maybe you’ll see him in your neck of the woods. Just try not to run over him.
