Civilization (?)

Eighth state line crossing

When we left Missouri, and entered Illinois there was an abrupt change of venue. 
People. Buildings. Traffic.
Behind us were the small towns, as we entered the land of exurbs, suburbs, and metropolitan space. Homes are closer together, schools, and swing sets.

The thing that struck me in this southern bit of the Land of Lincoln was the cornfields.
Corn next to the people, corn next to the buildings, corn next to the schools.
Have you ever seen a cornfield smack in the middle of town?
Most other places had darling little parks. Nope - cornfield.
There was even a huge prison as an island in the middle of sea of corn.
Every once in a while they'd throw in a soybean field just to mix it up.
In the "wild west" the cornfields were indeed wild and vast as well.
In Illinois they were orderly, labeled, and civilized.

In the booming city of Champaign we came across another civilization - warriors of the raging road. Gone was the smile and wave, or the STOP sign chat with the car next to you.
In Champaign you best move along, or hear a car horn in your left ear...which amazingly makes you jump a foot off your saddle.  Then there are the sirens, and motorcycles, and dump trucks.
This was civilization.

That is why, with joy, we left it behind.
We entered Indiana with gentle rolling hills, farms, and roads lined with blue wild flowers, Queen Anne's lace, milkweed in bloom...and more corn.
It was quite civilized.

Look up at the birds - hundreds of them

Wabash River, Indiana...more water than the Rio Grand, less than the Mississippi

master of multitask...don't text and ride