OK, it's still July 30, and I'm still sitting in the same coffee shop in Burton--time to catch up a little.

July 20 and 21, days 31 and 32 Madison, WI in AIR CONDITIONED dorms. Madison is a war zone, with construction everywhere. 3 of the riders and I got completely lost and a local cyclist gave us directions that ultimately worked. On the rest day I sewed in the quilt shop, Stitchers Crossing. Sharon, the owner, had invited me to spend the rest day sewing in her shop, and when I called the same invitation was extended. There were 2 other women sewing there. They are friends who used to live in the same town, but one of them moved to Illinois, so they meet in Madison once a month. They worked on beautiful quilts, and I worked on the charity quilt we started at Ft Flagler a few years ago.

July 22 day 33 Belvidere IL We stayed at a campground in Garden Prairie, a very small town a few miles east. The train went past, blowing it's whistle, as we were setting up camp, and we were envisioning another Newcastle, but we slept in silence. I went into Belvidere in the morning, looking for a McDonald's to read email. I didn't find it, but I did find The Brick, a coffee shop with wifi. When I saw the sign that said, "Hippies use Back Door--No Exceptions" I knew I was in the right place. Gary and Shari were great hosts, and we shared our stories of the 60's. The Brick is full of art, funky and other. I had the very best time. I also went to the quilt shop, which was very traditional, and 2 thrift shops, where I bought 2 more tank tops. It's so humid and hot that I pit out my shirts in one day.

July 23 day 34 Coal City, near Morris IL 106 miles! Very hot and humid. This is homeland for Dick, and 2 childhood friends and a sister-in-law took him to dinner. Camp was in a private campground with the bathrooms far away except for one portapotty.

July 24 day 35 Coal City to Valparaiso IN 84 miles Our 9th state. This is a 7 day stretch from Madison to Burton OH of 645 miles, probably the hardest part of the trip. At least it's mostly flat. The countryside continues to be beautiful, lush green, corn and beans, huge trees, dairy farms. Camp was AIR CONDITIONED dorm at Valparaiso U, a Lutheran college. Dick rode with me, and even treated me to lunch! It's very nice to have a navigator. Valparaiso has a wonderful quilt shop, Needle and Thread, in a victorian house--rooms and rooms of fabric of every type including Kaffe Fassett and other bright prints. I bought quite a lot. Website is www.quiltshopinvalparaiso.com. I also visited the drug store for a thumb brace, Solarcaine for everyone's prickly heat rash, and tincture of benzoin. Eric fell onto his crank and did an L shaped cut. He was told by a staff member that he didn't need stitches, and by the time Dr. John and I saw it, it was too late, so I steri-stripped it and covered it with Tegaderm. I'm very glad I brought Tegaderm--I've been using it on abrasions. The thumb brace--I wear it during the daytime and Margaret wears it at night--a good investment. I also stopped at Target for a box fan and some food. The fan is great! We're much more comfortable at night now.

July 25 day 36 Valpo to Kendallville IN 109 miles, our 2nd century in 3 days. I wrote Na in my notes, and now I haven't the faintest idea what it means. Camped at a Fairgrounds, with the 2nd worst showers of the trip, but otherwise a lovely place. Dinner was catered by a restaurant, very good--broasted chicken, mac and cheese, potato salad and strawberry shortcake for those who arrived earlier than I--at least I got some strawberries.

July 26 day 37 Kendallville to Napoleon OH 70 miles, the shortest day of this long stretch, and our 10th state. I took a side trip to Shipshewana in Amish country and the home of 3 quilt shops!!! I went to Yoder's Department Store which has 12,000 bolts, Lolly's, which has 14,000 bolts on 2 floors, and the Bernina store, which has little. It was fun to be in Yoder's after reading about it and seeing their ads in magazines for years. I found some Amish themed fabric there. I also went to the flea market, a huge affair, with mostly junk, but I did get a duffel bag for Bernie, whose bags are overweight and hurting people. In the auction barn I found a blue and white ocean waves quilt in excellent condition, but it didn't go on auction until the next day, and it was probably out of my price range (cheap) anyway. The town was filled with the Amish and their buggies--I think there were as many or more Amish than "English". I drove 120 miles, and was very late getting to camp, where dinner was catered by a volunteer group--barbequed pork sandwiches. We were in a park, and got electricity again--we get it almost every night, often by plugging into an outlet in the bathroom. I figured out what the Na was--Napoleon--I must use better abbreviations.

More later