Day 21, Drowning by 18 Wheelers

We have both started out days a little more dignified than today in our lives. While breaking down camp, a thunderstorm hit and we had no shelter from the rain. After Molly determined that underneath the picnic table was a) uncomfortable and b) not big enough for two, we huddled miserably under our tarp while sitting on top of (and not under) the picnic table.

The rain let up. For a whole 2 miles on the bike. And then it began raining again. And it continued. A lot. The spray from semi trucks doesn't necessarily get you any drier, either.We were headed to Arcola to visit the medical clinic as Molly had woken up the day before with what looked like boxer ear. Stephanie swears that unlike how it may seem, she did not punch Molly in her sleep. Dr. Doug (Molly's husband) said we needed to get antibiotics for it hence our stop at the clinic. We walked in looking like drowned rats and you think that would've gotten us some sympathy so they would see her right away, but no. We risked further injury via pneumonia as we shivered, wet and cold, waiting for two hours in the waiting room with their AC naturally on full blast. Drugs in hand as we left,luckily the sun chose to shine and warm us up (maybe the beer and hamburgers for lunch helped too).

We rode through a full-on Amish settlement today. The houses wereeasily identifiable, either by the different sizing of their windows,a telltale buggy parked outside, or laundry flapping and drying ontheclotheslines. We think it is pretty remarkable that a culture like theirs has thrived in the face of (or perhaps because of?)overwhelming American materialism. We learned that the Amish adoptsome modern technology when it is for the good of their community, but that they do not value individual ownership, so a single tractormightbe used by many. Community vales certainly were evident as werode byan entire group of men working to reroof one barn.

We got further along west today than we thought thanks to the early arrival of Molly's mom! We are excited to have her with us to support us and sag us for the next couple of days. Having her around will certainly add excitement to our lives, as today we found ourselves enthralled by a field of zucchini and squash. Hey, it wasn't corn or soybeans!