OhIndianIllinoiowa

Say that one aloud.

But seriously, these states are running together. In the last three days, I've ridden 76, 85, and 92 miles, averaging about 18 mph. I've pushed my body harder than I had previously, trying to maintain paces of 23/4 over 10-13 miles at a time, sometimes with others, sometimes by myself, and that's an enjoyable diversion, but overall, riding bikes through cornfields is about as exciting as it sounds. It's meditative, and, as Terra says, you can just "put it on autopilot, put your head down, and go," but I can't do that for too long without nearly falling asleep on my bike. There isn't even anything fun to see out here. Just roadkill, and a headwind.

That said, our hosts have been ridiculously generous, and we've just biked into Lafayette, Indiana, and our first OFFICIAL rest day-- we'll hang out in town tomorrow, with no responsibilities, and then get out of town the next day. Lafayette's home to Purdue U, and a cool bike shop where I picked up some bulletproof tires and some cushy gloves. I also found out that my chain's "nearly dead," but so's my cassette (rear gears) and it's better if I just "wear them down to they die." I love bike mechanics. Especially smarmy ones. I get the feeling they'll "die" on the side of the road in Nebraska. That'll be cool.

Last night we had a great dinner in Hartford City, Indiana, where I came up with the ideal biking food: a bread bowl, filled with mashed potatoes, and topped with chicken 'n gravy. And then, today at lunch, I came up with the other ideal biking food: a triple-decker french-toast sandwich, stuffed with peanut butter and bacon. Nate added popcorn for crunch. I like the way he thinks.

That's all for now-- I'm sharing wi-wi, and don't have much else to say about OhIndianIllinoIowa. More to come tomorrow.

Love to all.