Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Indiana, and thoughts about the American Discovery Trail


In another couple of days I will be in Indiana!  Temperatures are soaring; humidity is, too. The whole northeast seems to be sweltering in the same high-pressure zone just now.

OK - time to make a decision that I have been anticipating for a while.  It has been really nice to be off of the highways, on the American Discovery Trail for part of the time through Illinois. And that trail has run parallel to Rt. 6 through the state.  However, if I am to continue on the ADT (assuming I can find a decent map of the route!), the way will turn pretty radically southeast for a while at this point.  Since Route 6 is heading for Massachusetts I have known that it would be necessary to make a 'directional adjustment' right about now, in order to aim for the latitude of Washington DC, or thereabouts.  I will be meeting with the Indiana head of ADT tourism in a few days, and hope to resolve some of my questions about trail conditions, roadway alternatives and routing...

An unrelated question - why can't we have cardinals in California?  (Right, the conditions are different...)  I am so enjoying their varied, but always distinctive and entertaining songs, as well as the occasional flashes of bright red, that it makes me wish we could 'import' them to the west coast!

Below are some photos of the couple who 'adopted' me in the town of Ottawa, Illinois.  Lou stopped to talk to me on the way home after his shift.  I am not usually in the habit of 'naming names' when talking about the 'road angels' I'm meeting, but this is a case like mine(!), of 'going public for the cause' -- in their case, the public relations cause!





Ottawa hosts Lou and Karri Riva

Check out this cool big bug that was on my tent in the AM the other day...
Frankfort, Illinois

The 'Plank Road Trail' cuts throught the center of Frankfort



2 comments:

  1. Rin, wonderful shots of small towns across the country - the people and children that make up this (many) way(s) of life. I'm enjoying both your journey and the photography that is accompanying your writings. Thank you.

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  2. Good pr and just at the right time, although the people who read your post are probably not "hateful" people. I can hear the choir singing.

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