...paradise continues, Indiana to Illinois and crossing the next State line

Let's get the sympathy vote out of the way, feeling ill, very ill indeed, finally stopped at a pharmacy after exhausting the largest packet of double strength ibuprofen brought from the UK, the pharmacist suggested bronchitis and sunstroke, life is often full of surprises but after the brutality of the first two days it comes as no surprise. I have never before experienced the pain of coughing hard lumps from a raw chest, it's not a detail that probably should be shared but given the circumstances.....On the upside there seems to be a small turning point that will hopefully make tomorrow an easier day, if there is such a thing out here.

Today was again paradise, if only for the flat, straight (very straight - check the map of the US to see how straight) course of Highway 36 West, the photo's cover the view for over 170 miles, every inch of the way!

   

The cocktail of burning 10,000 calories a day, not having any appetite due partly to the physical exercise (I am sure it's right that your stomach shrinks?), running a temperature, not being able to swallow is an experience only made better, or achievable for the near utterly flat course. On two or three small rolling section the effect of pushing extra power was clear, every effort to just make short sharp breaths, no depth of breathing, thank goodness for the flats.

The rest of the day remained uneventful, a brief conversation with a travelling Mother and Daughter in Rockville gave rise to more people from the US that have been to London and then caught the train to Scotland. So many people we have spoken to have gone to London to then get the train North, we will get to the bottom of this by the end of our journey, no explanation or reason is ever given.

No #fromtheroad quotes or experiences to report, none sent on Twitter, other than the brief meeting we met no one else all day, until the Motel in Springfield.

Earlier this afternoon, the next State line was crossed at around the 100 mile mark, from Indiana into Illinois, much the same territory and agriculture but clearly a shift in growing corn, Highway 36 becomes tunnelled by the 1000's upon 1000's of acres of corn, I have never seen so much, it is impossible to describe, it may be the capital of the agricultural world for corn production.

So that's pretty much it for today, onwards tomorrow along pretty much the same route, same profile and same Highway towards Macon, thankfully paradise will continue and the illness may further subside. Here's to shorter roads and lower mountains, at least for the next few days!

(More photo's and detail to be added, just exhausted.....)