Day 47. INDIANA Rensselaer
52 miles 479 feet
Today was shorter to prepare for a longer day tomorrow (and rest from yesterday's long ride). The scenery was similar but the weather was perfect: 80s, light headwind, sun. Jacob and I biked together again, entering Indiana, and found one of the best restaurants of the trip, with sit-down sandwiches in a converted old bank, complete with strawberry pie a la mode. Sooo much better than the gas station lunches of the past week. For dinner we found another jewel: a combination Mexican grocery store and restaurant with great food and a vast selection of of groceries, one of the best I have seen.
Corn is everywhere but I needed a refresher on corn biology. It is in the grass family and contains separate male (tassels) and female (silk and cob) parts in the same plant. The pollen released by the tassels at the top finds its way to the tip of a strand of silk, fertilizing it, and producing seeds. Much commercial corn is genetically modified for resistance to fungus, drought, and herbicides which are a key part of commercial corn production. Sometimes 2 corn varieties are planted nearby and the tassels of one of the varieties is removed ("detasseling"—high school summer job for my wife in Iowa) so that it will be fertilized by the other variety, producing a hybrid.
GMO varieties are resistant to herbicides which are sprayed on to the corn fields by plane, by herbicide sprayer, or drone. I've seen each of these methods in use. All are impressive but perhaps the most dramatic are the planes that fly just feet above the corn and make harrowing approaches close to powerlines. Farmers can spray the whole field but only the weeds will die.
Tomorrow I go farther in to Indiana. I'm 2/3 done!
Today was shorter to prepare for a longer day tomorrow (and rest from yesterday's long ride). The scenery was similar but the weather was perfect: 80s, light headwind, sun. Jacob and I biked together again, entering Indiana, and found one of the best restaurants of the trip, with sit-down sandwiches in a converted old bank, complete with strawberry pie a la mode. Sooo much better than the gas station lunches of the past week. For dinner we found another jewel: a combination Mexican grocery store and restaurant with great food and a vast selection of of groceries, one of the best I have seen.
Corn is everywhere but I needed a refresher on corn biology. It is in the grass family and contains separate male (tassels) and female (silk and cob) parts in the same plant. The pollen released by the tassels at the top finds its way to the tip of a strand of silk, fertilizing it, and producing seeds. Much commercial corn is genetically modified for resistance to fungus, drought, and herbicides which are a key part of commercial corn production. Sometimes 2 corn varieties are planted nearby and the tassels of one of the varieties is removed ("detasseling"—high school summer job for my wife in Iowa) so that it will be fertilized by the other variety, producing a hybrid.
GMO varieties are resistant to herbicides which are sprayed on to the corn fields by plane, by herbicide sprayer, or drone. I've seen each of these methods in use. All are impressive but perhaps the most dramatic are the planes that fly just feet above the corn and make harrowing approaches close to powerlines. Farmers can spray the whole field but only the weeds will die.
Tomorrow I go farther in to Indiana. I'm 2/3 done!
Corn up close. Tassels (male flower) on top, and silk (female flower) below
Low flying sprayer plane. See how close it is to powerlines
Herbicide sprayer, with spraying "wings" retracted as it drives through town.
American scene with VW bug.
Superb dessert with lunch
Lunch restaurant
Rensselaer Indiana scenes
