The license plate quest takes a new turn

A very peaceful country lane in southern KY

We got a little wet today on our ride from Clarksville, TN to Franklin, KY, but it was a really pleasant ride.  We were riding the very rural roads with miles of corn, soy beans and tobacco fields.  The roads were a mix of paved country lanes and very lightly traveled secondary highways.  Only one little routing problem when the road turned into someone's driveway.  Even Google maps showed it as a road, but the locked gate was a little bit of a problem.  We had to back track a mile or so, but no big deal.  Just another text to Nicholas on where to meet us to avoid the dead end.  Here is today's track.

The owners and staff at the 431 Grill in Adairville, KY

On to the license plate saga.  We had found a license plate along the side of the road in every state we have ridden through up to Illinois.  But with only 140 miles of riding in Illinois our luck ran out.  Just to hedge her bets, Beth found an Illinois plate in an antique shop in Goreville, IL and bought it.  In the past when she had given up and got a license plate from a junk yard in Kansas, then we found one not too long afterward.  Not so in Illinois... the streak is over.

However, the quest for license plates continues.  Today, we stopped in Adairville, KY for a mid-morning breakfast at the "431 Grill".  While we were ordering, Beth noticed that there were Kentucky license plates on the wall.  Just on the off chance, Beth asked our waitress if they would be willing to sell her one of the plates.  She asked twice and then  one of the owners came over and talked to us.  The owner went out and looked in their garage but didn't have any.  The ones on the wall were old police plates from when her husband was on officer and they didn't want to and probably shouldn't sell any of them.  In the meantime we told them about our trip; trying to collect a plate from every state we visited; and that we frequently get a late breakfast at the local diner in the towns we pass through. As usual, they all thought we were nuts.

When I went to pay the bill, her husband came out and gave us a license plate off the wall.  It wasn't a police plate but an older plate that the design hadn't been used for very long so would be hard to find.  That just made Beth's day.  So many thanks to the folks at the "431 Grill".  Oh and breakfast was great too!  Stop by and visit if you are ever in Adairville.