Torris was right, it is a beautifull ride. Through fields of corn and tobbaco (I'll show you pictures as soon as I can upload them...) What he didn' meantion was the wind...

Wisconsin

Wisconsin, at least in the south east, is very flat farmland, speckled with trees. The result, at least while I was riding, was dramatic wind gusts. Now, when I rode down to Boston, I thought it was windy. I take that back... I was leaning into the wind, as if taking a turn, just to stay in lane. Every time a truck passed me, or I went under a tunnel, or I passed a group of trees, I had to stop leaning as the wind cut out. It was a real effort, and, at first, kinda scary, until I got used to it. Still, everynow and then, a gust would catch me, and I would slide a couple feet before I could recover.

Then, because it follows me like the plague, it started raining again. On the plus side, the wind let off some. I put on my raingear and kept going.

By now I was heading into the central part of the state and it starts being a little more hilly here. (pics when I can get online for real...) These are really beautifull landscapes I must say. It is the first time that the countryside doesn't look like Massachusetts to me. The trees are different, the colors are too. I finally feel out of the Northeast. Chicago had the lake, of course, but the countryside could still have been hidden somewhere in MA. Wisconsin can't.

When I hit 94, I stopped on the side of the road to debate taking 12 all the way to St. Paul/Minneapolis when I cop pulled up and told me that there was massive construction on 12 and that I would enjoy 94 much more. This is the third cop I meet, and I've either gotten a "nice bike" comment, or some riding tips. I'm confused... Normally cops scare me, now they're helping me? What's up with that???

But he was right, and 94 was a nice ride. It even stopped raining. More rolling hills, with speckles of trees. Occasional overlooks that go forever in a country that isn't full of mountains. It's amazing how much farther the horizon can look when you don't live in a valley.

I was approaching the border with Minnesota as the sun was setting. I gotta say, there is something to be said about riding into the sunset (pic to come). It grows cold fast here after dark. I had to stop and get the lining of my jacket out of my bags, and put the gloves on. I heard the temperature dropped to 41 degrees last night. Add windchill and you have one cold Frenchman. Wasn't so bad when I got the cold weather gear on, and I was only an hour away from my stop.

Minnesota

I drove through St. Paul and part of Minneapolis. At night, they look like all big cities. I'm staying with Sabrina, an old friend from France I grew up with but hadn't seen in years. She travels a lot for her job, but she's in town this week. She does not, however, have the internet at her house, which is why I'm stuck writing this post in a library. My time is running out, so... that is all for today!