I finally slept a little last night, then came wide awake again. I didn’t mind so much. It felt nice to lie there and look up at the stars. The air was warm. It reminded me of the first night I can remember spending outdoors with a girl. Kim Lindsey. We only had one sleeping bag, so we couldn’t sleep, but the night had the same caress to it.

About 4 a.m. a truck came to put a boat in the water. I don’t think they saw me, but it broke the night’s spell. After they were off I decided to pack up and get an early start.

It was the first time my headlight was really necessary. The moon is at about one-third, waning. There is no light in the trees, mist in the fields. Orion greets me in the east, the Pleiades now smile down on me from the meridian. Ice savor being out alone in at all. I top it off with the thrill of navigating the unknown county roads by the stars.

Albion serves me up a good cheap breakfast. I’m all blissed out. A series of good steep hills helps work me out of it. Then I catch sight of another cyclist and can’t help pacing off him for a while. I make good time that way to Hunterville. Then I fall into a lull, piddling my way through the fields of corn and beans, the day getting hot.

Monroeville seem like a huge milestone for some reason. I can’t make my e-mail report, I think due to a power outage in Chicago. I do get an e-mail off to Nathan. In the Whippy Dip ice cream joint a local in a tattered co-op uniform answers my simple questions about local crops. He is suffering from low commodity prices. Crops are being harvested early.

Busting out the new map I see that my route now goes north and east, into the wind. In the heat, riding the state line, I think of Captain Bill. This usually means he is beaming me messages through the physchosphere and it is important to call him. I find I don’t have his current number.

Payne, Ohio has four cemeteries. I notice a tombstone with my name on it. A cute girl downtown notices me, but I resist as she looks a bit too young for ethics.

Paulding seems a little rowdy, but I decide to seek a spot. Eventually I resort to asking the police, who give me permission to camp in the park. Once again, the kids see the bike and swarm me. There’s a big football game by the park to entertain me. A kid gives me most of his pizza.