Indiana offers the quintessential feel of the Midwest—small, patriotic towns, tidy homes on rural roads with vast, manicured lawns, and lots of farmland.

We saw a tremendous amount of corn. We also hitched a ride with strangers in Indiana, after missing our connection with Pauli and her Megan.

We ended our ride just past the town of Payne, Ohio. I didn't want to stop in the town itself and have to say that we'd ended a 200-mile bike ride "in Payne." So we went "beyond Payne."

We did the 1996 ride in just two segments over a total of five days.

Photos:  Megan and I pose near a covered bridge outside the small town of Roann. The patriotic scene inside that American Legion Hall, where preparations were under way for a community lunch. We saw lots and lots of corn in Indiana. Megan and I relax for a moment outside the stately county courthouse in Rensselaer. The woman from Yoder, along with her two daughters, who was kind enough to give us a ride when we missed our connection with Pauli. Pauli and the girls. Taking a break from the heat on the cool concrete in front of an American Legion Hall in Twelve Mile. Enjoying some shade along the road. Another state line!
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