From Tuscola, Illinois. 287 miles from Lexington! One day! One more day of this trip! About a seven hour ride for me, plus one hour for the time zone change. And the weather looks doable. Wow! I'm ready.

It's been a good day today with clear skies for me. It started cool at 53 degrees, but warmed up to 80 before the day was over. The only problem was a pretty stiff south wind, but it was not too bad. I saw a lot of other people riding motorcycles on this lovely Sunday afternoon.

I stopped at Roseville (population 971) to get gas and passed the First Baptist Church:

The sign said their service was to start at 10:30, just 15 minutes later. So I talked myself into staying for church. After I parked my bike where I took this picture, I spotted a black lady walking up the sidewalk to church. I thought, "Oh, African-American First Baptist Church. No problem, I'll try that."

I introduced myself to Marie and noticed that she spoke with a French accent. Turned out she was from Togo in West Africa. I asked if was Okay if I came to church. She, of course, welcomed me kindly. Then I asked, "How long does the service usually last?" I understand that many black church services go on for two hours or more. But she replied, "About an hour - from 10:30 to 11:30." That was good news. Then when we entered the door, I realized that Marie's family was the only black family in this church!

But everyone was very kind and welcoming. They invited me to the coffee time just off the sanctuary, and I enjoyed a good donut and a glass of chocolate milk. Perfect!

There was a total of 21 people in worship today. Here's a little over half of the group.

Alan Jackson led us in the first hymn - a blend of "Are You Washed In the Blood?" and "I'll Fly Away." Yes, THAT Alan Jackson... via a recording. All the music was recorded, but everyone seemed to like it and sang along as best they could.

When Pastor Dwight stood to preach, he announced that he was preaching on immigration:

I was a bit surprised that he was dealing with such a sensitive subject, but he did very well with it. His main point was that we don't have to condone it when illegal immigrants break the law to come here, but God loves all of us whether we break the law or not. He said our job is love them regardless of what they have done. After all, he said, that's how God loves us. I thought it was a very good sermon and well-delivered.

And at the very end of the service, he said the benediction and included special prayers for safe travels for their guest - Mickey. How about that? I got prayed for!

But I had miles to go, so I excused myself after worship and hit the road again. This is agriculture country, as has been a lot of what I have seen across the country. It's actually quite unbelievable just how many farmers there are in America.

The soybeans are ready for harvesting all the way to the horizon:

But mostly I saw people harvesting their corn and carrying it to the mill.

I stopped in Lincoln, Illinois, to get gas. While I was there, a parade of 25 fire trucks went by with no explanation of the purpose of their parade. Here was the end of the parade:

But really, there was only one thing on my mind all day - getting closer to home. And I made exactly as many miles as I could today. The front that is bringing a pouring rain to Lexington today extends all the way to Indianapolis. I stopped at Tuscola, and if I had gone ten more miles I would have been in the rain again. But as it was, I had sunshine all the way.

Oh, I should end by giving you the quiz I thought about while riding today:

What's the first thing you do when you get to a gas station on a motorcycle?

Put your credit card in the gas pump?

Important, but no.

Take the gas cap off the tank?

Nope.

Put the kickstand down?

Nope.

Turn the motorcycle key off?

Nope.

I give up.

Go get some water and a paper towel to wash the dead bug smears off your face shield.  That's the first thing, and the most important. On warmer days like today, the bugs are on a suicidal mission. After several black blobs appear on my face shield, I usually try to wipe it clear with my glove. But that just smears the guts into a giant swath.  I try looking around and through the greasy mess one inch in front of my nose, but it is usually impossible. So after living with that for the next 40 miles, the first thing I do when I get to the gas station is wash my face shield.  Now you know.

All the best, and thanks for your interest. What are you going to do to entertain yourself after tomorrow??