4-24-06
Start: Mt. Vernon, IN
Destination: Shawneetown New Haven Rd., IL
Miles: 21.1
Weather: Low 80's
Mom and I walked until we got to the Wabash Memorial Bridge, or the border of Indiana and Illinois. On our way there, Karen and Lee stayed back, ran errands for us and finished drying our sleeping bags. They came and met us at the toll office before we crossed over, and brought us a picnic lunch consisting of McDonalds, coffee, and watermelon. We packed up our packs and cried as we said our good-byes.
It was a tough day emotionally, especially for mom. It is her and dad's 30th wedding anniversary today, but I was impressed with how she handled it. She just kept on walking and didn't say much.
We had a lot of straight roads today, and we both listened to some music to help distract our minds from the pavement. We're breaking in new shoes, too, and the pavement has absolutely no give. So our feet are a bit sore, but ready for another 20 tomorrow - bring it on!
We walked until 7 pm, and we needed water before camping. We came past a small park with about 10 trees and a picnic table situated between three farm fields and the road. We weren't sure about just setting up there, so we went a little further to a farm and asked about getting water. The gentleman we talked to told us about a spigot we could use behind the building. So we filled our water, and just as we were about to head back to the little park, Don pulled up in his pickup truck. He offered for us to come across the street to his house where he'd help us with a dry place to set up tonight - it's supposed to rain and storm.
We met his wife, Amy, and they invited us over for dinner. We ate the best ham and bean soup, relish and cornbread I think I've ever had! They also invited Don's brother Ed and his wife, Judy over. They met Ken and Marcia last year when they came through! We had a lot of fun staying awhile and chatting with them all.
We are staying in Don and Amy's garden house, which is dry, warm, and has not only a flush toilet, but a shower, electricity, and a phone! And with a full dinner, beer for me, wine for mom, and the offer for breakfast tomorrow morning, I'd say our first night in Illinois will certainly be a memorable one full of trail magic. Man, we're having quite the run with trail angels lately!!
Leaving Indiana was bittersweet. We love Indiana, but are so excited to be in Illinois. Actually, we thought we were going to have to get a ride across the border. There was this huge sign that read, "No Pedestrians" right before the bridge. There was construction being done, so we went to the toll office and asked about there maybe being an exception for a couple of cross-country hikers. They told us they figured we could probably cross at our own risk. They also let us know the conditions of the construction, and it didn't sound bad - it just changed to one lane. It was a smooth crossing. There was a narrow sidewalk/ledge we followed, so we had no problem. At the end a few workers even wished us well and handed us $5!
Well, I'll tell y'all what - after a great dinner, great conversation, and two drinks with Don, Amy, Ed, and Judy, I'm ready for some good ol' shut-eye!
Happy 30th Wedding Anniversary, Mom and Dad! :)
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