Nope. Not 474.
That was in East Peoria, right near Caterpillar.
Looking toward that overpass you're looking South on SR 29. Normally that's the way I go home. The hill is much more gentle. But it's being re-paved right now and I'm not taking my bike in there. I also don't go that way in the heart of winter, when there's a bunch of snow and ice on the shoulder.
In my video I took a route that I don't usually take. When I started up the hill and turned right you might have noticed that I could have gone straight. That's usually the way I go up that hill. That roundabout way that I did take is not all that much less steep, anyway, plus it's a long way around. And I wouldn't want to go up that in icy conditions either.
The 'straight up the hill' way is actually better than one might think. There was a time when I used to climb that hill on a pedal bike, every day, without stopping. I lived at the top of that hill at the time and it was my only way home. In recent years I've found that a rest about 2/3 of the way up is in order. Turning back while resting I'd get a terrific view of East Peoria, Cat, the river and the city. All lit up. Always nice.
I am aging. And I think that my days of riding a pedal bike like a maniac might be dwindling. But I've found that my motored bike handles that hill well enough. Though I do have to help with pedaling. And I still take that rest stop. Not so much for me as for the sake of the engine.
When I reach that point, engine rpms are getting pretty low. So I pull into a parking area below this one apartment building. I have a look at the view and then get going again. Coming out of that parking lot I'm going not far from level. That gives me to chance to build some rpms and tackle the rest of the hill.
I might continue going home that way even after the highway construction is done. Though this way is definitely steeper it's also a good deal more peaceful.
And winter isn't a problem either since that hill is always the first to get plowed and salted.
We've reached the time of year that I'm commuting in the dark. But maybe I'll try to do another vid where I go straight up that hill. I'll include the stop and show the view in the video. If an after dark video works at all, then it ought to be pretty neat.
