July 26- Mansfield, Ohio (Day 45)

Some random thoughts about riding across country 9at leat up until now)

It's amazing how much time you have by yourself when you are riding all day. Some of these towns don't have a place to eat but do have a car dealership (usually Ford), a NAPA auto parts, a pest control company and a shop selling paint ball supplies. If the population of a town is over 1,500 or 2,000 chances are there is a MacDonalds or Taco Bell. The BMI (basal metabolic index) increases exponentially from west to east. There sure are a lot of fast food restaurants and dogs that bark at me. (most just bark now and don't chase me very much- it must be my imposing dork bag and butt flag on my bike) People are very friendly in general, especiaily in Kansas. Most people look at me like I have 2 heads when I tell them where I am coming from and where I am going. You can always find a decent place to eat if you talk to the locals- you can tell who likes to eat, believe me. It's very interesting driving or riding through the neighborhoods in all of the towns. Only riding across country can you ride through Paris (Illinois), Lebanon (Indiana) and Brazil (Indiana) in a 48 hour period. You know it's tough when you ask someone for the best place to eat and they say "Denny's". The amount of road kill also increases exponentially from west to east. (maybe more cars, maybe more animals- today I saw at least 10) It's very confusing waking up every morning in another hotel room. The same motel chains cost more when they are located in cities with larger populations. Gatorade gets old quick. It's a lot easier to sleep well when you ride all day...