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 were
easily identifiable, either by the different sizing of their windows,
a telltale buggy parked outside, or laundry flapping and drying on the
clotheslines. 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 adopt
some modern technology when it is for the good of their community, but
that they do not value individual ownership, so a single tractor might
be used by many. Community vales certainly were evident as we rode by
an 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 for the
next couple of days while she sags us and supports us. Having her
around will definitely add some excitement to our lives, as today we
found ourselves entranced by a field of zucchini and squash. Hey, it
wasn't corn or soybeans!