Day 98 ~ Feltus Holler Farm

Arriving at the Front Door for Breakfast (l-r) Gregory, Mike and Brian. This is Beth and Garry's new home. Isn't the limestone surround on the front door beautiful?

Brian and Garry chatting while Garry cooks up some fabulous french toast made with homemade bread.

Saying Goodbye to Brian out in front of the Cottage

Hiking on Feltus Holler Farm (l-r) Mike, Beth, Gregory and Robin

Mike and Beth help Gregory avoid wet tennis shoes.

Patterns of Nature

Gregory on a Nature Hunt

Beth let me borrow her boots for the hike. Isn't this a beautiful mossy rock?

Beth and Gregory

Beth and Rusty

Robin is covered with burrs after our hike about the property.

I get the fun job of cleaning out the pumpkin.

Gregory the Master Carver

The Final Work Of Art

Date: October 25, 2009

From: Caneyville, Kentucky

To: Caneyville, Kentucky

Route:

Miles Today: 0 miles

TOTAL MILES: 2, 684 miles

Top Speed on this trip: 54.1 mph

Weather: 60s with clear blue skies

License Plates Collected: 5 Montana, 8 Wyoming (2 motorcycle) and 1 Idaho (found in WY), 2 Colorado, 1 Kansas (Gifted from David of Baldwin City), 1 Missouri (To be sent to Grammy’s by our new buddy, Kansas City firefighter Shawn), 1 Illinois, 2 Kentucky (Gifted from of Beth and Garry Feltus)

Flats: 8

Broken Spokes: 3

Cracked Rim: 1

We lolly gagged around all morning, getting up at 8:00 A.M. and joining Beth, Garry and Jeannie for breakfast well after the hour. We had a leisurely breakfast feasting on quiche, bacon and french toast along with endless cups of delicious coffee. We took plenty of time to visit and I finally had an opportunity to see Beth's scrapbook that she kept while preparing to build their home. What a lot of wonderful ideas they were able to incorporate. I especially like the use of old doors (with original hardware) that have been refinished. They had a goal to make the home very energy efficient and they paid a lot of attention to detail. The home was constructed with the NUDRA double foam insulated concrete core. See Nudura.com for more information.

We broke out the Kentucky map and talked more about the alternate Mammoth Caves route. When Beth came up with an alternate route of her own (about 45 miles from the house) that made more sense, Brian opted to take a day and check it out. We were still on the fence because now it was nearing the noon time hour. In addition, we hadn't carved the pumpkin and Gregory was eager to visit with the horses and hike around the property to see the caves Beth and Garry mentioned the previous day. When Beth welcomed us to stay another night we quickly agreed that it made more sense for us. In addition it would give my seat a day of rest. Our hosts even provided some Udder Cream (also used on cow teats) and I got busy using that right away. I actually think between that and Tucks I'm doing much better.

We said our goodbyes to Brian who has a goal of finishing the TransAm by his 33rd birthday on November 7th. He is very nice fellow and we were happy that we pushed on to Sebree to stay with him last night and that he slowed down and agreed to spend yesterday and last night with us. I wish him the best on the rest of his journey and with life back in Portland upon his return.

Beth took us on a long hike across the property (they have 70 acres) and down to the creek and caves. The weather was fine and we wore shorts and short sleeves much to our delight. We did have to do some bushwhacking along the way and got a couple of minor scratches and the blurs grabbed onto our socks and clothing. We soaked in the beauty of the land and the peacefulness of hiking through this unspoiled area. I can see why they chose to make the move from their large 4,000 square foot home in New Jersey to the beauty of the countryside with not a neighbor in sight. Beth can continue to run her business from home and Garry is fortunate to be enjoying retirement. I keep meeting and hearing about more and more people working from home...

Gregory and I spent the afternoon (2+ hours) carving our pumpkin. Of course Gregory chose one of the more complicated designs from the booklet! It was fun though and it turned out exceptionally good I must say! After writing in his journal, Gregory spent some more time playing Frisbee with the dogs. All this time Mike was going through everything we are carrying with a discriminating eye and is making up a box to see to North Carolina. He doesn't want to carry all this weight through the rest of Kentucky and over the Appalachians!

Today we connected with Mike's cousin in Louisville and plan to meet up with her in Bardstown on Thursday night or Friday morning. It looks like we will be in Louisville for Halloween on Friday and Gregory can go trick-or-treating with his cousins. Mike's cousins Kim and Julie both have kids Gregory's age and we are eager for him to meet them and to see the girls, their families and Auntie Barb and Uncle Dave as well. Tomorrow we plan to ride to Mammoth Cave National Park and then take Tuesday to explore these amazing caves. I'm really pleased with how things have worked out and I'm looking forward to our next week here in Kentucky. Coming up are visits to Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace National Historic Site and Lincoln's Boyhood Home.

Day 96 ~ Kentucky ~ Land of Many Dogs

We had to say a sad goodbye to our friends in Elizabethtown. (l-r) Becky, Bruce and Bertis all came out to see us off.

Our new cycling buddy Brian Kessleman and Gregory with a cheesy grin.

The Ferry From Illinois to Kentucky across the Ohio River

Riding the Ferry to Kentucky

State #9 ~ Kentucky

We're in Amish Country now.

Rainbow!

Stormy Skies

Mike says, "Let's go. It is 5:00P.M. and we still have to ride 12 miles of hills to Sebree." This was a potty stop for Gregory but apparently I wasn't allowed to take any pictures... I'm sure Mike will love that I posted this one! Ha!

2-Week Old Puppies at the First Baptist Church in Sebree (actually at the neighbor's house)

The friendly folks at the First Baptist Church in Sebree, KY ~ (l-r) Gerald (Violet's brother), Violet, Pastor Bob, Gregory, our new cycling friend Brian and Mike and I

Gregory's new kitty friend that Pastor Bob let come into the Youth Basement in the church.

Pastor Bob and his wife Violet have fed over 250 cyclists, at their own table, this summer alone and have hosted many more. The world map is on the other wall...

Date: October 23, 2009

From: Elizabethtown, Illinois

To: Sebree, Kentucky

Route: Illinois Hwy. 146, Illinois Hwy. 1, KY Hwy. 91, KY 120, Ky Hwy. 132

Miles Today: 68 miles

TOTAL MILES: 2, 684 miles

Top Speed on this trip: 54.1 mph

Weather: 50s, Cloudy with occasional rain

License Plates Collected: 5 Montana, 8 Wyoming (2 motorcycle) and 1 Idaho (found in WY), 2 Colorado, 1 Kansas (gifted from David of Baldwin City), 1 Missouri (To be sent to Grammy’s by our new buddy, Kansas City firefighter Shawn), 1 Illinois

Flats: 8

Broken Spokes: 3

Cracked Rim: 1

Let the dog chases begin! We know from experience that Kentucky is infamous for having lots of dogs that love to chase down cyclists. Well, let me tell you nothing has changed since 1994. We can usually scream at them in a gruff tone and they will persist for a bit and once we've passed their property they'll let us alone. However, today Gregory did say that one of them nipped at the red bag on our trailer and when we met up with Brian tonight he said one bit his pannier. Gregory knows that it is feet up if they get too close. I'm a bit leery about using HALT, the dog spray, because I wouldn't want any to inadvertently blow up into Gregory's eyes and I don't really want him handling it and accidentally spraying himself instead of the dog. We've heard a Wiffle bat works well…

I often write in a chronological fashion but right now all I can think about is how sore I am! After five and a half days out of the saddle (waiting for our new wheels) and a 68-mile day, I feel like I'm starting from square one. Yes, I was wearing my newer and most comfortable shorts and diligently applied my chamois creme, but this time it is not saddle sores I'm dealing with! All I can figure is that today I rode in my shorts, tights and rain pants all day and this created too much friction and heat thus creating what I assume to be a heat rash right down my more delicate region! Ugh! Can you say t-e-n-d-e-r? Tomorrow we've planned a 70-mile day to reach our hosts Beth and Garry in Falls of Rough and right now I'm wondering how I will manage that. (Beth and Garry found our blog and invited us to stay some time ago. We've been looking forward to meeting them and staying on their farm. They have lots of dogs and horses they've told Gregory.)

As an afterthought I probably should have done without the tights or taken the rain pants off part of the day but the threat of rain was looming most of the day. It was a relatively warm day, high 60s I imagine, and Mike and I rode most of the day in just a short sleeve jersey (and all those lower layers of course, minus tights for Mike). We were working our tails off in the hills and creating plenty of body heat. Obviously, or I wouldn't have heat rash! O.K. enough of this. I'll keep you posted…

Well, we finally made the ferry crossing from Illinois to Kentucky! This morning we rode out of Elizabethtown, Illinois with fellow cyclist Brian after saying our goodbyes to our new friends Bruce, Becky and Bertis. We also made a stop at the newspaper for our photo shoot (Julie, of the Hardin County Independent interviewed us yesterday) and we dropped off a couple more postcards with Postmaster Nina, said goodbye and showed her our bike.

Before our ferry crossing we wanted to be sure Brian saw Cave-In-Rock so Gregory took him down along the Ohio River shore to give him the tour while Mike and I watched the bikes. (We saw the cave a couple of days ago.) While waiting for the ferry we met Diane from Canada who was out visiting her mother (who still lives in the area) and doing a B & B tour (by car that is). Diane is a cyclist herself and toured from San Francisco, up the coast to Astoria, Oregon and across the U.S. to New York in 1972. She noticed our Chico VELO Wildflower jerseys and she hopped out of her car and struck up a conversation. She was just as nice as could be and we were so pleased to see her later that day when we pulled into Marion, Kentucky sometime after 1:00P.M. We chatted some more and she recommended a cafe for lunch and promised she'd check in on us via the blog. Nice to meet you Diane!

The ferry crossing was a lot of fun and Gregory really got a kick out of that. Brian rode with us a couple more miles and after we took pictures at the "Welcome to Kentucky" sign he went on ahead because he needed to make the town of Sebree before the post office closed. At this point we hadn't planned to go as far as Sebree today but after seeing Brian in Marion we could tell Gregory was eager to stay with him and hang out with him tonight. For me it was our earlier encounter at the main intersection in Marion that set the tone for my day and made it easy for me to push on.

After we said goodbye to Diane a man who was crossing the street approached us and said, "Welcome to Marion!" Well, we thought this was the perfect man to ask about lodging for the night. He told us about his Baptist church and their Life Center and said we could go on up the road and see if they might let us stay. He said, "They might let you stay, that is, if you aren't a Democrat…" I couldn't believe my ears. Whether I'm a Democrat or not shouldn't matter. I thought that Christians believed we should "love one another" without judgement. I don't think Jesus would have denied me a bed if I was a Democrat. I still can't believe he said it and it has been bugging me all day. Well, all baptists are not created equal because tonight we just finished having an amazing meal prepared by Pastor Bob and his wife Violet of the First Baptist Church in Sebree, Kentucky.

We've been hearing about Sebree since Oregon and are so pleased that we made it a point to stay here. They have built up quite a ministry for cyclists and have fed over 250 at their own kitchen table (their home is adjacent to the church and youth center). And that is just this summer alone. Many more have stayed here even if they didn't have the pleasure of dining with this fabulous couple. When the youth center was added on to the church, the kids agreed to share their space with the cyclists. We had an opportunity to shower, do laundry and they even have a kitchen available. Gregory was excited because they have a pool table, shuffleboard, Foosball, a basketball game, etc. and a television. He was also thrilled to make a kitty friend the minute we pulled up. Pastor Bob even let him bring her inside to play with until bedtime! We also had the pleasure of meeting Violet's brother Gerald who is visiting from Seattle for a family reunion. Violet and Gerald are two of fifteen kids! Right after we met him Gerald immediately took Gregory and me next door to see the neighbor's two-week old puppies. Now you talk about adorable! Gregory even got to hold one. They were pretty good size puppies

Though we had many hills to climb today we were also fortunate to have some relatively flat stretches. I know there are more difficult days to come in Kentucky and then we still have the Appalachians. I'm just thankful that it was fairly warm today compared to what we cycled in over a week ago and we didn't have torrential downpours. It was really just a light rain but the clouds kept us guessing all day as to whether to don the rain jackets or not. That is why we left our pants on. It is really a pain to keep putting them on and taking them off every time it starts to sprinkle.

I'll close by telling you what a feast Violet and Bob prepared for Brian, Mike, Gregory and I. (We had checked in with her at lunchtime so she had all this prepared as we rolled in at dark after 6:00 P.M… Brian arrived over an hour before us.) Dinner included: Ribs and chicken, cornbread, homemade macaroni and cheese, green beans, baked onions in a steak sauce, Irish potatoes and sweet potatoes and lots of Arnold Palmers (that is sweet tea and lemonade mixed). We topped that off with angel food cake served with vanilla ice cream! Giddy up!

Day 95 ~ New Wheels

New Wheels built by Mark Johnson at Precision Tandems! Thanks Mark!

Date: October 22, 2009

From: Elizabethtown, Illinois

To: Elizabethtown, Illinois (Drive to Rosiclare and Cave In Rock)

Route:

Miles Today: 0 miles

TOTAL MILES: 2, 616 miles

Top Speed on this trip: 54.1 mph

Weather: 60s but rainy

License Plates Collected: 5 Montana, 8 Wyoming (2 motorcycle) and 1 Idaho (found in WY), 2 Colorado, 1 Kansas (gifted from David of Baldwin City), 1 Missouri (To be sent to Grammy’s by our new buddy, Kansas City firefighter Shawn), 1 Illinois

Flats: 8

Broken Spokes: 3

Cracked Rim: 1

Today we got our wheels back. Hooray! Gregory likes the new black rims better than the old silver ones and I think Mike would concur. I think this is one time color doesn't make a big impression on me. I'm just glad we will be safe from having a blow out. The bike is back together now and we should be ready to go in the morning. Of course the weather decided to turn rainy again today. The forecast doesn't look too bad for the next 4 days though. The lows will be between 40 and 50 and it will be mostly cloudy. Hopefully the precipitation will be mild.

This morning we opted to go up the street to Ms. Lizzie's Restaurant for breakfast. We took Bruce along with us after we chatted with all of his guests who were very interested in our trip. (He had a full breakfast table, of 6 people, for his 8:00 breakfast so we waited until 9:00 to make an appearance.) They were a really nice group of folks and all wanted our blog information and wanted to have our picture so we posed on the porch and lobby and gave them our email so they could send us the pictures.

Once breakfast was cooked and served at Ms. Lizzie's, our cook, Jim, came out from the kitchen to chat. He said, "You're the bicyclists right?" "Word spreads fast around here doesn't it?" we replied. As we told Jim about where we were from we came to find out that Jim went to Chico State in the 60s, the same college that Mike and I graduated from in 1988. He even remembered his address on Hazel Street in the Fraternity house across from the post office. It sounded like Jim did more partying than studying but he did say he got a business degree and two doctorates. (At least I think that is what he said...)

Back at the house I continued to help clean up the cottage since Bruce had guests coming in this evening and we moved our gear back downstairs to "the dungeon" which I previously mentioned as the quarters for family visitors. Mike and Gregory were off for their $5.oo haircuts with Barber Jim around 11:45 and I stuck around to help Bruce get the rooms ready.

The boys were back in no time and though Gregory didn't want to get his haircut he seems really happy with his new short hairdo. Gregory told me that the barber used an old fashioned straight blade to shave Mike's neck and also commented that he had an interesting dispenser for his "hair gel."

After our trip to Marion, Illinois to pick up the tires we stopped at Wal-mart to get some take and bake pizza and apple pie and vanilla ice cream to share with Bruce this evening. We were glad we got two pizzas because as we were sitting down to eat, around 6:45P.M. in the front door walked a drenched and tired cyclist. Brian had ridden over 80 miles today from Carbondale, Illinois and is also headed East. I gave him a hearty welcome (he was probably thinking... Who is this woman?) and introduced Gregory and I as cyclists and then I introduced Bruce as his host. I told him it was his lucky night because this is a great place to stay and we happen to have a feast that you are welcome to join. Bruce got him settled, he brought in his panniers and then Gregory showed him around the alley and back to the garage where he of course showed off "his bike." We had a great time visiting with Brian and hearing his stories of the road. I'm sure he will ride beyond our destination tomorrow but for tonight we have a fellow cyclist to compare and share experiences with. We also learned there is another fellow probably a day behind him...

I also failed to mention that on our way to pick up the wheels we were invited to stop by The Hardin County Independent (the local paper) for an interview with Julie. Julie called Bruce this afternoon after she had a couple of folks call her and tell her she needed to interview us. She said one call came last night around 9:15P.M. and was Faye Donovan (wife of Wesley Donovan whom Gregory and I met at the forest service office). We think the other call this morning was from a lady we met in Rosiclare yesterday. At any rate she got her interview and we are supposed to stop by tomorrow for a picture with us on the bike. This makes our second interview of the trip.

Day 94 ~ Cave In Rock

Early Morning on the Ohio ~ A Tug Pushing a Barge of Coal

Fluorite is the Official Illinois State Mineral. The museum was closed but we still managed to buy a small sample at the antique store in Rosiclare. Something like almost 50 % is mined here in Hardin County. It is use in the production of steel. Currently there is not a huge demand therefore no new mines have been dug.

Double click on this picture to read this interesting information about the Ohio River.

Mike finds a place to have a quiet moment to himself.

Mommy and Gregory find some treasures.

Gregory and I had a great time exploring the banks of the Ohio.

Loretta gave us a bag for our treasures and Gregory made a new friend, Daisy.

We had a nice visit with Loretta and Jerry (and Daisy) at their ideal RV site along the Ohio.

Mike gives a wave from in front of Cave-In-Rock former home to river pirates and robbers.

Gregory and I pose for the camera.

Outside the cave entrance are hundreds of mud bird nests...swallows Mike thinks.

In the background is the ferry going back and forth between Kentucky and Illinois. The ferry is free and is a part of the highway system. We will take this in a few days when the bike is fixed.

Our cozy fire for our marshmallow roast with Bruce

Date: October 21, 2009

From: Elizabethtown, Illinois

To: Elizabethtown, Illinois (Drive to Rosiclare and Cave In Rock)

Route:

Miles Today: 0 miles

TOTAL MILES: 2, 616 miles

Top Speed on this trip: 54.1 mph

Weather: High of 70 degrees, clear blue skies and breezy

License Plates Collected: 5 Montana, 8 Wyoming (2 motorcycle) and 1 Idaho (found in WY), 2 Colorado, 1 Kansas (gifted from David of Baldwin City), 1 Missouri (To be sent to Grammy’s by our new buddy, Kansas City firefighter Shawn), 1 Illinois

Flats: 8

Broken Spokes: 3

Cracked Rim: 1

First order of business today was to bring Bruce's car over to the shop in Rosiclare. While his neighbor Buddy worked on the car we walked down to the Ohio River and explored the banks. (We had hoped to go to the Fluorite Museum too but it was closed on Wednesdays.) Gregory and I collected all kinds of small shells and nuts and seed pods. We also saw lots of ladybugs, a large grasshopper and a few catfish skeletons to boot. Meanwhile, Mike found a nice log to sit on and look out over the river. He eventually got on the phone to talk with a friend out in California. With hands full Gregory and I decided to walk up river to the RV parking and see if we could find someone who would give us a bag for our treasures. We then had the pleasure of meeting Loretta and Jerry from Marshall, Illinois just 175 miles north of Rosiclare. Gregory became fast friends with their dog Daisy and yes they did have a bag for us.

Meanwhile, Mike came looking for us but assumed we went back down the main street to the antique store we'd passed earlier that didn't open until 10:00 A.M. When he didn't find us there he came back down to the river and found us still chatting with Loretta and Jerry. We visited for quite some time and though Gregory was trying to be patient we could tell he wanted to go back and explore the antique store.

We had fun poking around in the antique store where Gregory purchased a couple of small pieces of purple fluorite, the official Illinois mineral. He also found a necklace for his friend Lexi who is back in California watching our kitty, Rosemary. Still waiting on a call from Buddy (the mechanic) we took our time and visited with several folks telling them about our adventure. Even when we aren't in Lycra and on the triple we still end up sharing our story with everyone we meet. We obviously aren't locals but during the week we've still managed to meet most everyone in Elizabethtown and a few in neighboring Rosiclare! Bruce later commented that we knew more people than he did (I'm sure he was just joking of course) because he doesn't get out much running the B & B.

After we picked up the car we drove to Cave-In-Rock where we will cross over into Kentucky on the ferry when we finally get our bike back up and running. We were told we should eat at Gee Jay's Restaurant and we figured we'd check out the cave today so that when we arrive on bike we can just hop on the ferry. We arrived at Gee Jay's around 1:30P.M. and it looked like she'd been hit pretty hard by the lunch crowd since all of the tables needed to be either bused or wiped. We found a relatively clean table near the window and checked out the fluorite pieces on display while waiting for menus. The service was slow but the waitress was as pleasant as can be and took time to chat with us a bit. We noticed frog legs on the menu and tried to get Gregory to order them put he wasn't going for it. Mike mentioned he'd caught and eaten them when he was in Scouts but he wasn't ordering any either. No, I wasn't brave. We did all trying deep fried turnips though and they were pretty tasty. Gregory had his "No Thank You Bite" but quickly washed it down with some of the best homemade lemonade I've tasted. I was sorry I'd ordered the iced tea after I tasted it. Anyhow, the deep fried veggies are served complimentary. After you order they come around with a tray of turnips, squash, tomatoes, etc. for folks to try. Unfortunately for us they were out of the fried tomatoes.

After lunch we headed about a quarter of a mile up the road to Cave-In-Rock State Park. This enormous cave on the Ohio River is quite remarkable. We were a bit awe struck when first seeing the size of it. (I was also saddened by all of the graffiti on the walls.) "The earliest written record of the Cave is in 1729 recorded by the French and was a hideout for various killers, pirates, robbers and a gang of counterfeiters." (J.M. Coles Postcards) The early settlers and explorers would see this cave hole as they went down the River. Apparently the robbers would lure folks in off the river with the promise of food and drink and once in the cave they would murder their unsuspecting victims and rob them. Our Innkeeper Bruce and Wesley Donovan (whom Gregory and I met at the forest service office) both told us about a reenactment they recently did at the cave for a promotional DVD for the area. They both posed as the robbers and did just this to their victims. They then floated them down the river face first.

We got back from our cave exploration in time for Mike to put one final coat on the back of Bruce's garage. It turned out great and I'm sure Bruce's wife Sue will be pleased when she pulls into the garage on her return from visiting her grandchildren in California. I was just tuckered out and so after reading a chapter or two of Huckleberry Finn to Gregory I took a little nap.

Bruce promised Gregory he'd join us for a marshmallow roast, so around 7:30P.M. he stoked up a fire in his outdoor fireplace. We sat overlooking the Ohio River on this beautiful evening and watched the flicker of the fire as we visited and roasted up over a dozen marshmallows. The temperature outside was just perfect (cool but not too cold) and we almost hated to go in for the evening. Bruce went in to do his chores and Gregory went in to get ready for bed so Mike and I had a few moments to ourselves on this memorable evening.

Day 93 ~ Tugs and Barges

We are here. Elizabethtown, Illinois

Bruce makes sure Mike has everything he needs.

Two tugs with up to 10 barges each pass right out in front of the Inn. We watched the tugs and barges off and on throughout the day. Our cottage porch faces the Ohio River.

Just hangin' out with my Gregory

Hunter or Knight?

Great Blue Heron ~ I love this picture taken at dusk.

High Water Marker on the Ohio River

Tug and Barge at Sunset ~ Not easily visible but on the left

Date: October 20, 2009

From: Elizabethtown, Illinois

To: Elizabethtown, Illinois

Route:

Miles Today: 0 miles

TOTAL MILES: 2, 616 miles

Top Speed on this trip: 54.1 mph

Weather: High of 70 degrees, clear blue skies and breezy

License Plates Collected: 5 Montana, 8 Wyoming (2 motorcycle) and 1 Idaho (found in WY), 2 Colorado, 1 Kansas (gifted from David of Baldwin City), 1 Missouri (To be sent to Grammy’s by our new buddy, Kansas City firefighter Shawn), 1 Illinois

Flats: 8

Broken Spokes: 3

Cracked Rim: 1

Gregory and I took advantage of the down time today to catch up on correspondence, do some school work and play cards. We also enjoyed watching the tugs and barges going up and down the Ohio River from the front porch of our cottage. It was a gorgeous sunny day with a high of around 70 degrees and a light breeze.

Since Bruce didn't have any guests at the B & B last night (except for the three of us out in the Magnolia Cottage) we decided to all sleep in and make breakfast at the Inn a team effort this morning. Bruce let us put in a couple of loads of laundry and Mike decided to take advantage of the fine weather and try to get some more painting done for our host. Mike always does a quality job and his paint work is turning out wonderfully. I think Bruce is very happy and would probably like to have Mike do as much as possible while he is here. I think Mike has every intention of using up his 5 gallon bucket of "barn red" paint if he can. It is just one way we can show Bruce our appreciation for all he has done for us.

This evening I spent a relaxing hour in the lounge chairs on the patio that overlook the river. I read my book and entertained several visiting ladybugs, itsy bitsy spiders and a couple of ants. They didn't seem to mind me and I didn't mind them. I still feel touched by luck when a ladybug lands on me and I must be doubly luck today because I had two within an hour.

While waiting on the front porch swing of the Inn to go to dinner with Bruce, Gregory and I met Julie coming to the front door. "Are you checking in?" I asked. "Well, I'm actually looking for the Eagle's Nest," she said. "You've found it," I assured her. "That is the name of your room." We explained that we were guests also and continued to chat for a bit before Bruce came out to the porch and before Julie knew it she had our story. Gregory even invited her to see our bike later. After she checked in, and while I was in the cottage, Gregory lead her and her husband Howard out to the garage to see the bike. Later I had to explain that he should have checked with Bruce first before taking Inn guests back to his garage. Fortunately, Bruce is very relaxed and didn't seem to mind. I still felt a bit awkward.

We said goodnight to Julie and Howard and said we'd visit more at breakfast and give them our blog. We then joined Bruce for dinner at the E-Town River Restaurant. We were very surprised when he insisted on treating. Mike has been working really hard to get as much painting done as possible, still it felt a bit strange to have him pay when we are staying in his Inn. We thanked him profusely and bid him goodnight. However, he came out to chat with Gregory and I for a bit when we went in the jacuzzi. Gregory wanted him to join us but with so many last minute guests he had to do his chores and get ready for breakfast in the morning.

Tomorrow we will drive his car to the nearby town of Rosiclare to have it serviced by his back door neighbor Buddy who is the mechanic there. Buddy was going to drive Bruce's car to work but this way we can see the museum there and check out the playground by the river. The weather isn't expected to change until tomorrow at midnight so we are looking forward to another nice day here in southern Illinois.