Painless Feet

Although not everybody reading the blog likes the colour of my new cycling shoes, they have attracted a fair amount of favourable comment from my fellow cyclists here,and critically they passed todays test in that I had NO pain in my feet.What a joy,now only the mild cold and the inevitable tender backside to contend with,as my lip is at last healed.All abrasions healing well,so I have abandoned plans to buy myself a tricycle to stop myself falling off the bike.
 After yesterday evenings rain it was good to awaken this morning to dry weather and dried out roads.But there was a very strong wind from the North West,pretty much okay as we head east,although with Chris Froome knocked off his bike by a sudden gust,one can never be too careful with wind.
 So off at 07.00 with Heinz and Sohrab,flattish road,a decent surface to the shoulder and a quartering wind from behind us,made for a fast first 64 Kms to the refreshment stop.

You can see from this photo that we had a grey sky,and passed through lots of lightly residential areas.One thing we have noted throughout the USA is how well tended the graveyards are.

The grass is always neatly cut and the graves easily accessible ,some have been exquisite,if one can use that word for a graveyard.Todays stop was cool and windy so we did not settle,but were soon off and away.Crossed into Indiana soon after the stop.

 So crossroads cyclists are at the crossroads of America! Pleasant river soon after ,the Wabash River

The light attracted me rather than the river itself.A slightly slower pace now as there were a few gentle ascents and into the town of Hilsboro,where apparently a few soreheads live ,but they at least use bicyles for artwork here;

Just down the road there was a wheat field  showing signs of ripening

whilst immediately across the road was a maize field only just showing

The difference between an autumn planting and a much delayed spring planting.I noticed that one church around here has a very specific starting time

I wonder whether they manage to keep to it?
 We lost an hour on the road as we moved to Eastern time but were still at the hotel by 13.30 and as the rooms were ready we could change before getting a light lunch,and here we are all ready to go and eat.For the record we are now in Crawfordsville. 2345 miles completed over 70,000 feet climbed,after tomorrow there will only be 1000 miles left.