Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Paris
After leaving Charleston, I headed for Paris. The first town I went through was Ashmore; a small town of a few hundred, that boasts an agricultural implements dealer. After spending two months walking past corn and soybeans, a total lack of curiousity about agriculture would be inexcusable, so I spend an hour or so window shopping for tractors. About 4 miles later, I went through Kansas. Kansas, Illinois, that is: (I wonder if there's an Illinois, Kansas?). It boasts its very own Field of Dreams (the school's baseball diamond, and a fine looking one it is, too).
I've been walking in stretches of about 2 miles between rest stops, and I was on my last one of the night, when a wrecker stopped and the driver offered a ride into Paris. He also offered a place to shower and sleep for the night, which I accepted.
It rained during the night, so the offer turned out well. This morning, he took me downtown where I could wait for the library to open. I've been pleasantly surprised at Illinois: I was rather anxious about encountering trouble, but all the way across, people have been more generous and friendly than I ever expected. I'm about through Illinois: Libertyville, Indiana, is 9 miles away, and the the next important city is Terre Haute. I will be avoiding Indianapolis, but haven' finalized my route through Indiana yet. I'm leaning towards following the Ohio River on the Kentucky side, but that's not final yet.
I've been walking in stretches of about 2 miles between rest stops, and I was on my last one of the night, when a wrecker stopped and the driver offered a ride into Paris. He also offered a place to shower and sleep for the night, which I accepted.
It rained during the night, so the offer turned out well. This morning, he took me downtown where I could wait for the library to open. I've been pleasantly surprised at Illinois: I was rather anxious about encountering trouble, but all the way across, people have been more generous and friendly than I ever expected. I'm about through Illinois: Libertyville, Indiana, is 9 miles away, and the the next important city is Terre Haute. I will be avoiding Indianapolis, but haven' finalized my route through Indiana yet. I'm leaning towards following the Ohio River on the Kentucky side, but that's not final yet.
