Day 49 Sunday June 16/13 Metropolis, Illinois 14295 kms

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Today's plan was to get up at 6:00 am, eat breakfast and be on the road by 6:30 am, hit the freeway because it's Sunday and go as far as we possibly could. West. And, at the end of the day, pitch our tent for the first time and camp on a river for a day or two.

Here's what actually happened.

Wake up at 6:00 am. Go down for breakfast. Breakfast not served until 7:00 am. Spend an hour packing up, finish off yesterday's blog, watch the news and weather, change of plans. Tornado storm warning again. Decide to wait until after breakfast to reassess the weather. Leave the hotel at 8:00 am. Travel side roads in case we need to find shelter unexpectedly and quickly. Stay on back roads for 10 hours. Ended up at a casino hotel only because the price was right and en route. Still under threat of bad weather.

Not much of a change in plans!

In between: secondary plans were more enjoyable than primary plans. Weather held out and was exceptionally nice, 32 degrees and humid. Took our time on the back road, Route 60, making lots of stops, and are not as tired as other days we've made 540 kms. We gained an hour back tonight and somehow ended up in Illinois.

Kentucky countryside all day today: brick mansions with large ponds and larger swimming pools. Horses. Kentucky rich men's wives with dyed ash blonde hair and long painted nails driving Mercedes and Range Rovers. Corn fields, everywhere you looked that there weren't mansions. Farms. White linear fences, almost as many as stone walls in Scotland. Even white fenced corn fields. Bikers without helmets. Fillies and foals. Buffalo in white fenced fields. Cows grouped under the trees. Cows grouped in drinking holes. And, two deer on the road - a first sighting on this trip.

Somehow we are in Illinois. We are all turned around and need to review map of how we got here. Had to cross a metal deck bridge as long as the Confederation Bridge - OK well not quite, but it was almost a mile long and blue. And extremely wobbly. Large warning signs to bikes 1/2 mile out but you are already committed to crossing. This just gives you 1/2 a mile to stress about it more.

Now here at Harrah's casino hotel (as in Harrah's Vegas). Beautiful room upgrade because we were hot and wet when we arrived. Great view overlooking the sleepy Ohio river. Casino disappointing even for us gambling lightweights. Overbearing hotel with it's own arched entance sits by the river at the end of the one-street derelict town, Metropolis, where there's nothing but closed down shops and boarded up houses. Good thing we're only here to sleep. And, still, we're not feeling as bad as Phil Mickelson must be. Casino is on a docked steampaddler due to state laws forbidding casinos on land. Dumpy, mildewy, mouldy and stinky inside. No smoking allowed. No complimentary drinks. No scantily clad hard women moaning "cocktails". Not quite Vegas, but still busy considering the remote area. Did quick walkaround, kept our money in our pockets and opted to watch a movie and write the blog instead!

I must now figure out a way to reinvigorate our blogs - 49 so far and it's becoming a challenge to keep them light and entertaining. Is there anything y'all want to know that we haven't talked about? Talk to us!

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Photos

Lunch break at Owensbury, KY
waterskiing on the Ohio River