Day 39, 73 miles, Richmond, IN

It was what we call a short 73 miles. That is, the route was pretty flat, the wind was at our back, and it was all on one road. I left Indianapolis at 7:30 a.m. and was in Richmond by 1, and that was with stops and lunch. I felt particularly good about leading a pace line through a tricky stretch of shoulderless construction zone. I was careful but confident. That's a big deal to me because I don't usually get out front in a pace line. But with the wind at my back, today was my day.

We got in so early that I was able to take a nap, read a book, shop at WalMart and get a haircut. There was a hairstylist at WalMart, but I couldn't bring myself to go there. So I had it cut at the mall.

The America by Bicycle trailer is an iconic part of the trip. It can be stopped by the side of the road with Michelle reminding us to take on more water. It's the big bill board for a SAG stop- that means fresh water, fruit, rice kryspy bars, oreos, granola bars, and if we're lucky, a potty. So when I crest a hill and see the trailer in the distance, I get very happy. The trailer also carries all of our luggage. When we "load," it's into that trailer. It also has tires, tubes, pumps and other important bike stuff. At the end of the day, there are usually lots of hotels near the intersection, so when I see the trailer in front of a hotel, I know that it's my hotel. The ABB trailer has become an important part of my life.

In contrast to the bleak dried out and about to blow away small towns of Kansas and Missouri, the small towns in Illinois and Indiana are attractive and harken back to another time. Real main streets with real people with real houses that are not built using cookie cutters by Hogmainian. When I ride through a small town with its cute little college, I fantasize about what it might be like to live that kind of life.