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Today we woke to sparkling blue skies, and very little wind.  We only covered 56 miles;  it was great, and I set a personal record for riding the first 35 miles in less than two hours.  We rolled in to Henry quite early, just across the Illinois river.  Just as we found our camping spot along the river, the clouds embraced us and we were in another storm.  The river just recently fell from flood level;  our camping spot was covered in more than 10 feet of water just 3 weeks ago.  The banks are still overflowing however, with lots of tees growing out of water, docks partially submerged.  I decided to punt and stay in the one motel in town; it too is on the water and was partially submerged; evidence of flooding is everywhere.

I had not realized until this trip what a hazard dogs are to bike riders.  Everyone has a disaster story of being chased, knocked off their bike, or bit.  Today one of my colleagues was chased by two dogs, knocked down, abraded in multiple places, broke his thumb and bruised his shoulder.  He is hoping to continue in any case.  Anyone reading this who knows me knows I am clueless about the positive attributes of dogs; certainly this trip is not enhancing their attractiveness.  Many of the riders who have been attacked have dogs of their own; this is a demonstration of cognitive dissonance that completely boggles me.

Tomorrow is our last night in Illinois; then we enter Iowa and start the northward journey to Minnesota.

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Last night we camped during a monster storm.  Enough rain fell that the entire camping area was covered in at least an inch of water;  needless to say, everything is soaked. This morning, we started on what was billed as an easy 64 mile day, but the rain continued and a cold wind was coming from the Northwest at about 30 mph; exactly the direction we were biking.  There were whitecaps on the lakes that previously were corn fields.  On the plus side, there were windfarms throughout the route with the blades rotating faster than I’ve ever seen.

This evening is clear and warmer, but rain is due again tomorrow and for the foreseeable future.  I was talking to a local at dinner;  planting dates have been pushed back more than a month until June 28 because of floods;  if planting does not occur by then then the crop  season is lost.  So, I guess there are bigger problems than a soaked tent and sleeping bag.

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Today we road 95 miles from Denver, IN to Iroquois, IL (spoken Irokwah, which is actually closer to the Native American pronunciation).  Mostly flat and warm;  I must be getting in better shape as it was a pretty easy ride.  Indiana is flat and farmy, but pretty exotic.  We passed through or by Peru, Mexico, Chile, Texas, Florida, Denver and Egypt, none of which were particularly evocative of their namesakes.  The farms in Indiana seem different than in Ohio; in Ohio there seemed to be a predominance of smaller farms  with modest barns and facilities, while in Indiana the farms are thousands of acres surrounding what looks like a factory facility.  The farming equipment  are the main vehicles on the roads (besides us) and are similarly huge;  I asked one of the drivers who said that most equipment in the area is owned by either central companies or combines rather than individual farmers.

As some of the photos indicate, Indiana has a sizable conservative population;  I was particularly struck by the “For sale- Go Trump” sign.  Seems to capture the current political mood quite well.

We are staying in Dunning, IL tonight, population 240, in a town park.  There is a great bar across the street where patrons go behind the bar and pour their own drinks, marking what they took on their tab.  Everyone was incredibly friendly;  I think bikers are a significant part of the economy here.  It’s pouring out now and windy–a good test of my tent staking skills.

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Today we road 95 miles from Bowling Green, Ohio to Monroeville, IN.  It was flat, and there was no rain, so the biking was easy and fun.  Over the last couple of days, we have passed from county to county, and seen a range of signs and thoughts related to wind turbines.  I learned that a county line with  a sign that says  “zoned for your protection” actually means they try to prohibit wind turbines.  There are all sorts of other signs, such as “Wind turbines reduce milk production”, “Your stillborn foals are due to wind turbines”, “Wind turbines kill birds and cause noise pollution.”  They look professionally produced, and my bet is that they come from oil and gas companies and residents are paid to put them up.  I did a brief search on wind in Ohio, and it appears that counties with wind farms are getting a significant windfall into grade and high school systems.  Another instance of “alternative facts”  competing with common  sense.

We are now about 1240 miles in; a bit more than ¼ of the way across the country.  Seems like an accomplishment, but very daunting that there is 3X more to go.  Staying in a local community center tonight, with space donated by the town.

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Today we rode from Huron to Bowling Green, Ohio. It was 74 miles and flat. Except for about an hour of incredibly welcome dry weather, the rest of the time it was raining. However, the wind was mild and it was fairly warm so the day was much more pleasant than yesterday.

This area is almost completely farmland. Many of the fields are completely flooded; I don’t know whether this augers poorly or well for crops. We also passed over countless railroad tracks; it seems odd that a small area would have so many north to south train routes. One would think that it would be more efficient to have fewer, more frequently used lines. All the trains we saw were purely freight; if these can be maintained acceptably, why are the passenger lines running along the east Coast running on track that makes them slow to 30 miles an hour or less? Just mindless speculation after a long day of riding.

Tonight we are staying on a farm; our hosts cooked a great dinner for us and we are sleeping in our tents next to the corn fields. This is our last night in Ohio on our way to Indiana.

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Yesterday was a rest/service day in Cleveland, but today we were back on the road. And ok, I admit it.  Biking in warm and sunny weather is way more fun than slogging through wet, cold, and windy conditions.  Today was only 50 miles and flat, but the wind was in our faces, and the rain was nearly continuous.  At times, it felt as if the wind was going to blow the wheels off the ground.  In the last 11 days, it has rained 8;  we are due for a stretch of dry, I hope, although the forecast is not particularly encouraging.  Knew there would be days like this.

On the plus side, we are staying in a small coastal town called Huron; as we rolled in we could hear music, and came upon a small festival on the waterfront serving free burgers and beer. Thankfully, they also had tents set up, as the rain has not stopped.  We are staying in a high school gym; found a little entryway with a separating door that I threw my sleeping bag into, so hopefully there will be some sleep. 

Tomorrow we head south away from the water, will spend 1 more night in Ohio before moving into central Indiana.

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Today we continued riding Southwest along Lake Erie to Cleveland. It was remarkably easy to get into the city on the lake. There is a nice lakefront path that ends in the Cleveland Browns stadium and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Before that we rode through some incredibly high end suburbs along the lake with huge estates facing the water.

What with burning extra calories and all, I’ve been sampling lots of diners for breakfast.  Today was a stereotype; the cook was in the back of the counter shouting insults to the patrons (us), I think with tongue in cheek.  The waitress threw the menus on the table, came back in 30 seconds and, when we weren’t ready to order, rolled her eyes and muttered “I don’t have time for this …” I guess this is a good business plan.

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Well, the projected distance was slightly over estimated so the total mileage for the day was 94 miles. Still far more than I’ve ever biked before. Felt OK for the most part, although my feet and butt are paying for it.

The route started in New York, then briefly through Pennsylvania and then into Ohio, all along Lake  Erie. We passed houses that varied from being incredibly opulent to trailer homes, many of which I’m sure are only used in the summer. In Pennsylvania, we passed through the centers of a number of Rust Belt communities including Erie and Ashtabula. Very reminiscent of my previous home, Syracuse New York, where the outskirts are doing well but the center city is a manufacturing shell.

Tomorrow we bike to Cleveland where we stay an extra night and have a service project scheduled.

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