Oct 24, 2013

For those of you who may think the ride was all beer and skittles (to quote Norm) quite apart from an occasional bit of crappy weather we came across some questionable road as well and here is an example over Norm’s handlebars. …… For the record, Norm negotiated this particular bit of crapola to get some great photos for me but I declined and stuck to the tarmac.



And a quirky mail system in the hotel from a bygone era which is still in use. We also saw one of these where we stayed in the Radio City Apartments in New York City but assumed it was defunct. This is the inlet on the 2nd floor.



The staff here told me the postman comes in with a huge old key to unlock it to clear the mail. Mail can be dropped into it from any floor above and it is cleared from the ground floor and this is the unit on the ground floor.

Bits and Bobs:

Yesterday when we were having lunch at a Chinese Restaurant the waitress saw I was struggling with chopsticks and asked if we wanted forks and I said yes. When she returned she noticed Norm was using his chopsticks (very effectively) in his left hand and asked if he also wrote with his left hand. When he said yes she said that in China they say people who write with their left hand are very intelligent to which Norm of course replied that they say that in Australia also … and I’m not allowed to tell you that she laughed then.

Last night’s Accommodation:



Hotel Baker
100 W Main Street
Saint Charles, IL 60174

A lovely stately old building with surprising public spaces and large areas for weddings and other functions. Very nice restaurant with helpful staff there and elsewhere throughout the hotel. Spacious comfortable room and lovely comfortable bed to retreat to for our final night.