Some mostly good news for road warriors.

Unlike my last journey across America's bread basket, there is now an abundance of small, family owned craft breweries sprinkled throughout the hinterlands. That's the good news. The not so good news is that the plague has severely restricted their access and in some cases precipitated their demise. My heart was lifted when I found one open near the end of the day's travels. The "Lost Way Brewery" in Holdrege Nebraska seemed to be a fitting destination. The owners were authentic, engaging, and had come from the Bay City area of Michigan. They offered to open the brewery for me "any time of the day I was passing through" which I hope to take advantage of someday. For now, a couple of cold ones and some outstanding B-B-Q from the food truck parked outside. Cheers.

Ottumwa Iowa. A great place to stop... but not for too long.

As Elizabeth will tell you, Ottumwa Iowa is the perfect "one day's distance" from our home in Berkley, a suburb north of Detroit. The big old downtown hotel has been our resting place for 4 or 5 times during our road trips across the middle of America.

But on this trip I would sleep in the Element at a city owned RV park in the middle of Ottumwa, on the banks of the Des Moines River, presumably with fellow travelers. I discovered that "downtown RV park" is code for "people living permanently in temporary housing".

1st stop - Galesburg Illinois. The birthplace of Carl Sandburg.

Which, of course, I had no idea. Swedish-American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. I enjoyed his favorite dish at a little bar in downtown Galesburg. Flatbread pizza with cream cheese, capers, tomatoes, onions and salmon.

A very small pet peeve.

Freeway exits that communicate fuel/dining/lodging options are by their very nature, indespenable. What I don't get is why there are no signs at the top or bottom of the ramp. If you guess wrong, which is my default setting, you're probably worse off. It's one of the reasons I prefer the old interstate highways.

Being home-bound had finally reached its limits.

In many ways Covid-19 had changed our world. Limited access, limited options, limited plans. Some things hadn't changed; America's sweeping beauty, my wanderlust, and my wife's anticipation of having our domicile to herself. Going on a road trip became like a misquito bite that wanted to be itched. I bought a 2007 Honda element, fitted it with a sleeping platform with storage space and headed out to see Elizabeth in Los Angeles, where she lives.