We rolled in four states today: Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Of course, we woke up only one block and half a river's width from leaving Missouri. But we still rolled in four states today.
The picture is from a stop in Indiana. The whole day was a good ride through pretty land punctuated by stops for sweet tea. Ohio is now my favorite of the day for providing a Waffle House when I was hungry after having spent the day, and the day before, looking for one before we had to eat. Also, they had the biggest welcome sign of any state so far, and that's cool. And, the red barns every where are a nice touch. I've enjoyed every state so far, though.
Which reminds me, there are a lot of nice people in the world. People just keep talking to us. One guy, our server in an Indian restaurant in Missouri spent about five minutes talking to us, needing no encouragement other than a "yes" to "are you a vegetarian." How cool is that? By the way, he is addicted to chicken. It's the kind of thing you learn about someone, when you listen for five minutes while he holds your curry-sauced empty plates.
And the friendliness has been fairly constant. Servers in restaurants and people on the street saying hello or stopping to chat or joke or comment on our bikes or whatever strikes their fancy. It's nice to be treated kindly when so far from home. And the smiles have been great. Lots and lots of smiles.