Tales from the Trails

Several months ago, we traveled across the heartland of America from Michigan to St. Louis and I remarked about the lack of crops on Indiana and Illinois farmlands. There was a paucity of corn and soybeans which are crops one normally sees about that time of the year.

Well, guess what? We just made that same trip again last week and all the fields were overgrown with corn and soybeans. Now I'm not a corn expert, but I suspect that the current crops are what would be characterized as animal corn or perhaps corn used for E85 car fuel. In any event, it was a wondrous sight.

And speaking of E85 fuel, there are some recent reports that this cheaper fuel may be harmful to your engine and give your car a rough ride. Other reports indicate that the "check engine" light may come on once the E85 fuel is added to your tank. Interestingly enough, my Chevy Impala had a small tag on the trunk indicating that E85 fuel was compatible for the car.

My new Chevy Malibu does not have that designation. Could it be that the Malibu engine is not compatible with E85 or has General Motors determined that it might damage the engine? Just wondering.

Along the way, we also noticed signs heralding something called "soy diesel," which I guess is another version of fuel for cars. The signs were always adjacent to the soybean fields. Seems our nation is always searching for alternatives to oil. If it means lower prices and better fuel economy and smoother running engines, I'm all for it.

By the way, while we were in St. Louis we paid $3.19 a gallon for gas -- the cheapest anywhere. Once we were on the Indiana Toll Road, gas was $4.09 per gallon. Can you say "price gouging"?

Our trip to St. Louis was punctuated with the normal amount of orange barrels. We have come to expect the inconvenience but there was a stretch around Indianapolis that was restricted to one lane and it went for over five miles. Then while on our way to Chicago on the return trip home there was a stretch of road on Highway 55 that went for an eternity with orange barrels and there was not a worker in site the entire time. Maybe the workers were rollicking in the corn fields.

One of the advantages of being on the road is not having to endure TV news updates about the Kardashian wedding. Seems every news show had to devote some time to the antics of this dysfunctional family. Reports are that the engagement ring was 20 carats and the wedding with over 500 guests cost $20 million with two wedding gowns topping $20,000 each. Now I am not an advocate for additional taxing for the rich, but if one flaunts one's riches, then I say their tax structure should be changed. Obviously, this family has too much disposal income.

On our journey through Shipshewana, Ind., we saw a more reasonable approach to life, that being the Amish community. If you ever want to witness a serene lifestyle and enjoy a day among some remarkable people, travel to this community. It is truly a joy to see the well-kept farm land, the pristine homes with laundry hanging on lines in the yard (no electricity here) and the horse-drawn carriages lining the streets. And, of course, some of the best pies in the nation! No Vera Wang clothing here and no 20-carat rings.

Being from Michigan, we have a helmet law for motorcyclists which I think is sound and reasonable. Several states we drove through do not have helmet laws or only mandate the wearing of helmets to those under a certain age. We observed many cyclists sans helmets roaring along at 70 miles an hour or more and we marveled at their "devil may care" attitude. If us recreational bikers on our Schwinns wear a helmet, one wonders why motorcyclists want to challenge safety by leaving their helmets at home. The argument in Michigan, where some are advocating rescinding the helmet law, is that motorcyclists will not vacation in our mitten state if we require helmets. Having seen some of the riders and their companions, I'm comfortable with them not coming to Michigan, but that's just my politically incorrect position.

So there you have it -- another interesting trip. Hope your travels take you to some interesting places.