1999-10-16 I'm camping in a small wood south of Momence, IL, probably closer to Wichert. It really didn't rain too much today, but everything is damp. And it's blacker than the inside of a cow. I set up my tent and am comfortably typing emails. Of course there are dogs barking in the distance. Always with the barking. They seemed to stop after somebody fired off half a dozen rounds. Don't worry, Carrol, I'm sure it was just a bunch of rednecks shooting at rabid coyotes or something. And trains run not too far from here, although that doesn't bother me that much. Hey, I made it through Chicago. That's got to count for something. Chicago does have it's good points. "Early Edition," my favorite TV show, which I don't get too much of now, is filmed there. There's also a pizza place downtown called Pat's that has what I'm thinking is the best pizza I have ever had in my life. First of all, it tastes great hot and fresh, but even better, in the morning when you take the leftover's out of the fridge...oh my goodness. Thank you Donna for the pizza. There are also painted cows all over the city. I don't know why, but because I can't think of why that could be bad, it must be good. Now I'm in the land of corn. Whole lotta corn. Corn fields do have a sort of picturesque quality to them, though.