Corn and beans and windmills

Saturday September 12th and it seems that as well as corn and beans they are growing windmills as a cash crop in Illinois ....

..and like the corn and beans the windmills go on for miles and miles.

 Illinois is the 4th ranked American state in terms of installed wind turbine capacity, but second only to Iowa in terms of potential, so I suppose this comes as no surprise.   This recent development was part of the Top Crop Wind Farm which has 300 windmills extending into three counties.

As a crossroads state which incorporates the city of Chicago, it is also not surprising that the state is crisscrossed with railway lines, and trains blasting their horns as they approach the many railway crossings is a characteristic background noise.  Lady watches one of the endless freight trains that trundle across the landscape - another new experience she has had to get used to.

 Do they realise there is an enormous spider on their roof.....

or can it really be only fifty days until Halloween?

 

 As this is a mainly crop growing region with very few farm animals in evidence, paddocks, pens and livestock barns were replaced by neatly mowed lawns and pristine sheds. I was beginning to get a little despondent by the time I reached Ransom, but was reliably informed that there were people with horses living on the other side of town. .  Robin Hood (his real name) and his merrie maid Lee Anne Houck came to the rescue, and immediately welcomed me with open arms...

Lady was put in a corral with hay and water, and I was invited to stay in the house.  Before the windmills were built, Robin and Lee Ann moved to their 'piece of heaven' to retire and downsize after lucrative jobs in the big city, so it was galling to then find themselves in the middle of a huge wind farm. Ironically there does not seem to be a single one in the photo, but I can assure you they were lurking in the background!.
Sunday September 13th
The temperatures had dropped, and it was lovely cool sunny riding weather, though the scenery was a touch unvaried.   Just in case you have forgotten what corn and beans look like..

 I think there is a wag on the loose.....

 There was still a shortage of livestock or horse farms, so I was very grateful when Paul Tennelly (shown here with friend Kelly) offered me the use of his fenced garden for Lady overnight.

 He has in fact only just bought the property and is intending to demolish the existing house to build a new one, so the thought of a horse trampling all over his neatly mowed lawn did not fill him with horror.  I camped in the garage which made a very spacious bedroom.....

...and Paul very thoughtfully bought me a ravioli takeaway!