Again, the weather held out. A little warmer than the first three days but only a light rain (which Mike described as “refreshing”). The scenery was more varied and, therefore, more interesting. We reached two milestones this trip.

First, we returned to Route 30 after 115 miles of walking on companion roads! (We say we are walking Route 30 across country as a shorthand, but in reality, there are extended stretches where Lincoln Highway runs near Route 30 and/or Route 30 is un-walkable).

Second, we reached the Indiana border. A bittersweet event – glad to be checking off the miles as we move westward but sad to leave Ohio.  We liked the people, we liked many of the small towns, and our route was very walker-friendly. It was nice to walk on more country roads, avoiding the heavy semi-truck traffic, while we were paralleling Route 30. Will be interesting to see what awaits in Indiana – so far (the first 10 miles) are boring highway.

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What a difference three weeks makes! The terrain is the same – mainly flat with one or two rolling hills, but the weather is so much nicer. Temperatures in the high 40’s, little wind and only occasional rain. The biggest challenge is boredom – not much except fields and a straight roadway to see. On a good day there is a town to add some interest. It’s like walking on a treadmill – those annoying songs that get stuck in your head come in handy when we get tired of just putting one foot in front of the other.

FYI – we walked through Delphos and can now say that we visited “America’s Friendliest Town” (at least that’s what the “Welcome to Delphos” sign says).

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