I mentioned earlier pig and cattle truck odors, but there are other olfactory memories that will also stay with me for a long time after this trip is over. This past week, we have been treated to the sweet smell of honeysuckle in the woods as we ride down the road. Here in Illinois, the aroma of new mown hay is everywhere; it looks like they have had a wet Spring and the work crews are out moving the margins of the roads. All the farms have huge, green lawns that have either been recently cut or are in the process of being mowed. Then, there's my favorite, damp grass just after a rain - my grandparents' farm smelled like that after summer showers.
I got all excited night before last when I realized that there were fireflies in Illinois. I haven't seen fireflies in years - we don't have them in SoCal! Then, this morning, as I was walking to Target to replenish some toiletries, a flock of about eighty Canada geese walked across the road - geese! Cars stopped and patiently waited for the adults and goslings to safely cross the street, just like Make Way for Ducklings. It's like I'm a city boy dropped into rural, eastern America for the first time.
Trivia question of the day: Hank asked at dinner, "why are barns mostly painted red?"
Answer: Before commercial paint was available, farmers would mix iron oxide (rust) with linseed oil. The red-colored iron oxide acted as a fungicide, preventing mold and mildew from destroying wood. When commercial paint became available, red paint was the cheapest paint you could buy; if you are going to paint a barn, you need a lot of paint. Later, whitewash became cheaper than red paint and many barns are now painted white.
What happened to the pictures? Your camera broken? Seriously tho Scott and I were wondering how you know how many feet you climb in a day of riding? Is it a function of your gps or do you have some other electronic gadget? Inquiring minds want to know......
ReplyDeleteBeach Bike Trek Update:
ReplyDeleteA difficult and exhausting day, though ultimately - due to team spirit and perseverance - a successful one. At the crack of dawn, the Intrepid Eight gathered in the driveway prior to setting out. As D1 called roll (we are very safety conscious, and always check everyone in at the beginning and end of each day's journey), it became glaringly apparent that our most recent addition (The Boy) was not present. A hasty investigation revealed that he had chosen to sleep in (apparently he prefers to cycle at night, and to nap during the day). Something will have to be done about this situation; for now, we elected (by team vote) to allow him one more chance, and then immediately set off for what turned out to be most interesting adventure.
Our first marker was near a small elementary school, where we were delighted to see the local children engaging in some sort of ritual involving a ball, a thick rope, and a pole, as well as lots of shouting (and no small bit of crying). A most thrilling sight - particularly for D2, who seems to find small people especially interesting, and had to be physically restrained from joining in the ritual herself.
Next, we successfully negotiated an extensive series of road hazards - large plastic bins where placed willy nilly all over the road, necessitating some very quick thinking and tricky cycling on our part. Most exciting of all, however, was the sight of not one, not two, but THREE enormous vehicles, lifting and shaking the road hazards with great strength and noise. Our paceline was almost disrupted, as we found it extremely difficult to share the road with such monstrous machines - but our training and our spirits held, and we were able to maintain the formation and pass safely by.
A most thrilling day for us all! Safe travels tomorrow - we hope your rest day was indeed restful.
My guess is you'll go through Pennsylvania, so olfactorily, be on the sniff for Hershey, the Kellogg's cereal factory West of Lancaster, and of course the Iron City brewery in Pittsburgh! Very smelly state!
ReplyDeleteWatch out for the Hoosiers - not known for their driving skills!
A former Illini! Barb
I really wish I was with you . . . driving my big ol' deluxe, all amenities, RV of course (no, I don't have one yet). Truly enjoying your commentaries, pictures, etc. Fireflies are so cool. Do you want me to send you anything? Powerbars, Rock Stars, Chocolate covered expresso beans? :-)
ReplyDeleteOX Deb
P.S. Anonymous is Debbie Williams. Lots of Debs out there, all funsters. :-)
ReplyDelete