April 27

JB and I relaxed and had some coffee this morning. I needed the day off. I rode too much yesterday, too much and too hard. The right knee is starting to give me some problems, my calves and quads are super stiff and the upper back is tight and cramped. Not that I'm complaining.

Justins showed me his Beretta. He lives in a trailer, hes got a gun and a pitbull. the son of a bitch is living the dream.

Justin and Stephanie have this shitty roommate DJ, Smelly and selfish. It's actually his pitbull. He has a ridiculus black pickup with rims the size of the Voyageur's and airbags that take the a hair off the ground.

the Beretta wasn't good enough for JB so we wen't to the gun store later in the day. he picked himself up a 45. Thats a big boy gun. He'll have to wait three days to get it so I wont get to handle it. You have to have a FOID card to handle guns at the store.

Stephanie's family lives about 50 miles west of Carterville Just off the Trans America Trail, my route to the west. She talked to them and arrnge for me to stay with them when i carry on my jopurney.

In the evening we wen't to one of Justins college friends in carbondale. Justin used to attend Southers Illinois University, thats how he met steph. I'm just about done with the whole college thing, these fella's were older guys seniors and beyond. They seemed about ready to be done with college too. Everyone just seemed burnt out and drinking and having a goodtime just turned into a routine that had to live up to untill the day they graduate. I'm happy to leave the ilstu. I was just about done with it, Not that i was much of a partier. I left at a good time, I don't miss it too much and I wasn't aching to get the hell out either.

Sleep was rough, DJ came home at about 3:00am and started watching the dark night in his room with the door Open. of course he has a surroung sound system in his tiny room that is extremely unnecessary.