Catatonic in Mount Vernon, Illinois

Beautiful Wisconsin Countryside

Bob was keen on making it to Paducah, Kentucky, but I'd had enough after driving into bright sunlight all morning, followed by an afternoon assault of heat from the setting sun. Despite a temperature of -10F, we were cozy in a warmed up car and were on the road by 6:30 a.m. The morning was quite lovely, especially as the sun began to rise over Woodbury and I imagined a cold but beautiful day of skiing at Afton Alps a few miles away. The shadows turned a cold blue and the snow shone bright, untouched by anything but the wind.

The dead of winter lost its hold as we drove south. Well into Illinois, snow depth diminished. By 4:25, we were out of the snow belt and the ponds changed from bright ice to shiny dark liquid. Birds gathered for a last feed in the fields at the end of the day and we suddenly felt depleted, strangely un-refreshed after our last rest stop.

We staggered, exhausted,  into Mount Vernon's Comfort Suites at about 5:30. The hotel is new and clean, soothing in the predictability of its services. We seem to be in the heart of the Bible Belt (where is that anyway?) and I feel a little uneasy as I down my Old Crow, a cheap but satisfying bourbon.