October 14th 2023 – Olney, IL

We left Denver and the Rockies behind under a typical deep blue Colorado sky.
The Prairie soon surrounded us as we traveled east. To make the journey less tedious we followed Highway 36 rather than Interstate 70. The road is just as straight but passes through towns to break the monotony.
One of those places was Idalia near the border to Kansas. We stopped to get fuel. Katrine noticed a Mexican food truck by the gas station. I filled up the bikes while Katrine secured some food. The guy at the gas station let us eat inside in exchange for stories. The food was extraordinarily good.

The bikes buzzed along happily all day. Despite going mostly downhill they were thirsty – averaging around 56 US mpg (24 km/l). High speed and wind kills the fuel economy on small bikes.

I managed to strike a good bargain on a motel room in Philipsburg, KS. We walked downtown to get groceries for dinner as the sun was setting. It turned out to be market day. We strolled around among the stalls. The locals were friendly and very talkative. It was dark before we got back to the motel.

The following day we picked up where we had left off. The land became more fertile and populated as we moved east. The Feed Store Cafe in Troy supplied us with lunch. A gaggle of old ladies ran the place. Our waiter Virginia pulled out a chair and joined us as we were having coffee. It turned out that she was lending a hand to her sister who owns the place. When not serving at the cafe she dressed corpses and made their hair at the town’s funeral home.

Late in the afternoon we arrived at Harlan and Rosetta’s place outside of Lincoln, MO.
We met them in Glacier National Park 3 months earlier. They have been following our journey ever since, and a couple of weeks ago they invited us to visit if we passed through their neck of the woods. Katrine and I can’t turn down an invitation like that, so this was the place we had been aiming for since we left Denver.
It was a pleasure to see them again and a privilege to meet their daughters Mykayla, Shakira, Paisley, Stella and Zorina.

The farm was also inhabited by a selection of quirky animals of which the most prominent was Spike the dog, the cat Cinnamon, the rooster Chubby Cheeks (who thought he was a dog) and the pigs Ribs & Bacon.

We stayed with them for 2 nights, had some interesting conversations and a lot of fun.
Rosetta is a gifted cook and baker. She spoiled us at every meal – and in between.
The Miller Family will forever hold a special place in my heart and I’m sure we’ll meet again.

With a batch of freshly baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in my backpack we resume our journey east.
The flat land was gradually replaced by gently rolling hills as we traveled through an idyllic rural setting.
At one point I had to rescue a turtle that had decided to cross the road. 
Despite rather bleak weather the last couple of days I’ve enjoyed the riding.

Tonight we are staying at a motel in Olney, IL. The place is a dump but the room is warm and dry, the hosts super friendly and it’s dirt cheap.