Illinois at last. I crossed the Mississippi River at 10:05 this morning and have put 13 miles between the river and my stopping point this evening. We are in Carthage, Illinois and tomorrow we keep on truckin’. The road, US 136, is in pretty bad shape compared to all the other roads I’ve been on the last four and a half months. The shoulders are crumbling and there are large chunks of asphalt I have to walk around and through. I almost turned my ankle a couple of times today and you’d think a US highway might rate a little priority when it comes to resurfacing. Oh well, such is life.

I want to thank Barb C. of Bowen, IL.  Barb saw my interview this morning in the Burlington Hawkeye and got on my website. She then tracked me down and gave me a donation for Gateway. I like her tenacity. Thanks Barb, it is much appreciated!

The TV is talking rain tomorrow and who knows. We have seventeen days to get to Indy with two days off. We have no room for rain!

It was a real treat crossing the Mississippi today. I’ve divided the walk up in several milestones and crossing the Mississippi was one of them. The next one coming up is walking through my old hometown of Indianapolis. Of course, the last one is splashing in the Atlantic. I can’t wait! 😀

Miles Covered: 19.75
Total Miles: 2,137
Money Found: $1.34
Total Found: $62.08