Back home in Indiana

 

Welcome newbies!  The social media mavens at my school posted a LinkedIn item on my trip and I found scores of new readers   Had I known I would have been appropriately snarky to greet you.   

We had a nearly effortless 83 miles into Crawfordsville with really lovely weather.  I’m fibbing to everybody and telling them we never have any humidity in Indiana this time of year.

Let’s talk about tailwind.  Tailwind is a hot brownie with vanilla ice cream. Tailwind is finding just what you wanted under the Christmas tree. Tailwind is the  team that you followed for 40 fruitless years finally winning the championship.  Tailwind is a first kiss, snowfall in a hot tub, sleeping in on a lazy Sunday, and finding a crisp $20 bill in pants you haven’t worn for three months.

We haven’t had a lot of tailwind on this trip despite THE LIARS AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE REPEATEDLY PROMISING AND FAILING TO DELIVER.  

Today we had tailwind and good golly Miss Molly how we sailed along.

I really shouldn’t complain though. We have been remarkably fortunate, threading our way through a narrow gap that has avoided multiple tornado outbreaks, multiple severe lightning storms, and only gotten wet a couple of times. Our rest day happened to coincide with torrential rains in Champaign and Indiana.  Someone is putting in a good word upstairs.

My colleagues were entranced by the endless corn fields  

Maggie, Tanny, Barb, Jens

And judging from these photos taken by my wife Tanya (2 weeks ago on the left and then today) I am reverse aging at a rapid clip…biking hard for 5-6 hours a day is good for you!

Its me, Benjamin Button

tomorrow we are into Indianapolis and I will do my best to show everybody the sites.

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A round up from our rest day in Champaign.

Last night, I got a text from Marie saying she had a gift for me from red lobster. And she presented me with two leftover cheddar biscuits. She knew this would land well on account of the display of gluttony I put on in Flagstaff, consuming scores of cheddar biscuits and promptly sending red lobster into bankruptcy.  Seriously, they declared bankruptcy the very next day. When you have the same hotel breakfast for 35 straight days, some cheddar biscuits are like Manna.  These are my people.  Ride or die.

I’ve stopped chewing my finger nails.  

I finished reading “Scarcity Brain” by Michael Easter.   Extremely interesting for understanding what it is that gambling establishments, and social media apps are doing to hijack a system designed in the evolutionary environment to optimize your attention.

The last one in line called out “car ba-QUACK”

I’d like to ask the Drury Inn in Champaign to reconsider their renovation plans.  Or at least give the new room layouts a bit of a think.

Seat with a view

So good to be (briefly) home!!