Day 5, The Reason We Are Here

We are halfway through the rally, and we have seen some beautiful parts of the country. Beauty of course is subjective. That being said, I don’t know how anyone could look at some of these places we have driven through and not see some beauty.

This morning we started our day in South East Missouri. We crossed over the Mississippi and the Ohio Rivers. We did not transit far, but we covered a lot of terrain. We were in Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky today. The three states are so green and lush. We drove across winding roads and through hollows with trees creating a bridge overhead . We saw corn fields with corn head high, and more farms with cattle, horses and goats.

Aside from the beautiful scenery, it is fun seeing animals we never see at home. Although we did not see any armadillo in Texas, we did see one in Missouri. We also saw a groundhog, We have never seen a groundhog in the wild. We have only seen Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog’s Day. We also saw a little red fox. They are much cuter then coyotes, and seem to be a little easier on house pets.. We have also seen many deer. Today, there were two doe and their fawn standing in the middle of the road just staring at us. As we came closer I laid on the horn to scare them off the road. Fortunately for us, the horn did the trick, and we continued without a delay.

On our way into lunch, we made a stop in Metropolis, Illinois. In front of the city hall is a huge Superman statue. We had to take the photo opportunity. After taking several photos, we hopped back in the car and headed for Paducah, Kentucky.

We stopped for lunch in Paducah on the Ohio River. I am always surprised by some of the crowds that we attract, especially at the lunch stops midweek.

While at the stops we are asked many questions. The most common question people ask us is the year of the car. The second most common question we are asked is where we are from. Today while at the lunch break, some people approached Brad and asked him where he was from. Our standard answer is Southern California. Most people respond with, you have come along way. These people told Brad they had family in West Covina, California. Brad laughed and told them that was his home town. We meet so many kind and friendly people, they are often the highlight of the trip.

Aside from seeing the country, the best part of this rally are the people. Brad and I have made many friends over the past seven years, and they come from all over. One couple we have become good friends with are from Kentucky. We met JeanAnn and Gary Martin our first year on the race. They seemed to always start around the same time as we did, and JeanAnn has always helped us. She became known as our “Mama Duck”. Seven years later, and we still follow her all over the country side as we transit from one town to the next.

We finished the evening in Owensboro, Kentucky. We drove through the arch next to the Ohio River. There is a fantastic park along the river’s edge. The park was packed with many people and the 100 or so cars that are in the race.

We have neglected to recognize the people who have helped us get here. First, thank you Dale Wilson and the entire Reliable Carriers Team. Reliable has not only sponsored us the last two Great Races, they hauled Jane all over the country the past two months. They shipped Jane from California to Maryland, Maryland to Connecticut, and Connecticut to Texas, and had her exactly where she needed to be right on time.

Next, thank you Kalli! Without your care for Mike, we would not be comfortable leaving him.

Lastly, we wanted to say Happy Birthday to Blake Zusman, and Happy Anniversary Janet and Dad!

Tomorrow, we are looking forward to another fun and beautiful ride to celebrate Brad’s Birthday!