Just when you need it.

We were in the middle of a homestay dry spell, since there have been so many convenient and free city parks to stay in ever since we entered Kansas-- but this caused us to be a bit stinky and tired for lack of laundry and soft ground. (We often pitch the tent on concrete under a pavillion, because there is often a storm to dodge.) I had forgotten, though-- that homestays always appear whenever you're in a pickle.

We were enjoying the 6' shoulder detour we took through Illinois so much, that we had sort of neglected to figure out where we were actually going to stay that night. "We'll figure it out," is sort of what we agreed upon. Fortunately, as we rolled into the outskirts of town, Greg and his cycling buddies caught us for a chat and we ended up eating pizza with them that night!

Greg and his wife were a ball to visit with, as was his crazy-happy dog Callie. AND his washing machine is AMAZING. It removed stains that I had deemed permanent!

Thank you!