I left Summit Lake State Park about 8:00 AM. My two bicycle friends stopped to say goodbye, as they were leaving also. The drive across Indiana and Illinois was uneventful. If an alien were to land on Earth where I drove today, they would determine that the earth is made up of corn and soybean fields that are tended to by John Deere equipment. Oh, and windmills too. There were a number of windmill farms on the flat lands of Illinois. I also met several tractor trailers on the interstate hauling windmill blades.
I arrived at the Randall home about 3:00. Steve and Jane were both in my class in high school and they have been close friends ever since. They live and work in a region referred to as "The Quad Cities." Two of the four cities are located in Iowa and the other two are located in Illinois. A beltway surrounds the four cities. The Mississippi River separates the two states. Steve is employed by John Deere and actually goes to work each day in another state, Illinois. John Deere is a HUGE economic influence in the area. In fact, their world corporate headquarters is located here.
We went out for dinner, and Steve treated since I was retired and on a fixed income. :-) However, Steve is retiring at the end of 2011. So we spent some discussion time on retirement plans. We are both nervous about what we will do to fill out time. He bought a motorcycle last year, so he has a toy to play with. Gee, maybe I need one too.
I leave Tuesday for Montana. The only timeline I have is to meet friends in Livingston Montana on Friday. I still have not decided on a route yet, so stay tuned to find out where I end up Tuesday night.
Take care.......
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