Checkpoint. Cloudy, cold - low 40's with mid-30's wind chill, relatively mild Easterly winds @ 5-6 mph. Overall a pretty bleak day. and I didn't see any other riders, paved or not. Gravel roads were pretty sloppy so I was all over the place trying to ride on the driest parts and avoid puddles and mud. No traffic passed me in either direction for the first hour and only just a few for the whole ride. I started a little after 1:00 pm, rode through McGirr and around the South and East parts of Waterman. While headed up Crego Rd on the Eastern part of the route, there was a stopped train just below IL-30. Train had to be over a mile long, so I backtracked to Waterman and rode up IL-23 to go around it. Good workout but a slow pace which wasn't that bad considering the conditions and how many clothes I had on. I did a short rehydration and picked up dinner from South Moon BBQ in Hinckley.