Since leaving Montevideo, MN I have been moving steadily Southeast, headed for Arlington VA.   The challenge has been to keep off the interstates, while not getting tangled up in small roads. I found a wonderful secondary road South from St Paul to Dubuque all through the Driftless countryside (which I now recognise, having read David Rhodes' book) -- US 52 for those that are interested. Coming in from the Western plains where everything is straight, flat and at right angles, the twisting hills and valleys and streams of the Driftless area are a treat. The region's small dairy farms and rocks and forests and streams are anything but monotonous. One consequence of riding the secondary roads is that I discovered the little town of Coates, population 162, a few miles south of St Paul MN. Lunch at the House of Coates restaurant was great. Well worth the extra time.

From Dubuque to Indianapolis it really is flat, and corn and soybean are king and queen of the scenery . I left Dubuque in a hurry that morning, as a dark front moved overhead and it started to rain. I struck out South along US 61, managed to outrace the storm, and then kept on the secondary roads until forced onto Interstate 74 for the last hour.

Contrary to my indoctrination as an economist, I am coming to the conclusion that economic efficiency is an extremely boring organizing principle. Efficiency and economies of scale have given us the Interstate highway system and the fast food chains and the hotels that are so much the same it is really hard to remember where you are. By staying on the byways, slowing down for the little towns, eating meals in regular restaurants and coffee shops (check the one in Eldridge IL, just north of Davenport) and dodging combine harvesters and tractors pulling hay, one is reminded of how different the regions of this country still are.

I started the ride from Indianapolis to Morgantown this morning going East along I-70 at 75 mph along with the rest of the traffic . For some strange climactic reason we drove in a cloud for three hours, never seeing the sun, but not getting wet either. Perfect for those driving East in the morning, when the sun is difficult. Looks like the Cloud is a solution for driving problems as well. At Columbus OH I dived south on US 33 and then US 50 for a great tour of Southeastern Ohio and West Virginia. Those two roads are good, and so much fun to ride.

Tonight I am in Morgantown WV, which is a great example of an idiosyncratic town which has grown along lines guided not by efficiency but by geography and necessity. Town planners have never even seen this place. It is the most confusing city I have visited. Snaking along the valley of the Monongahela, and up its tributaries, the town is put together on two or three levels. One is always going up and round and over a bridge to get to where one is going. It is intriguing and wonderful, with a University in the middle to give it life.