I was only slowly adjusting to the continental scale of America, where states are the size of countries. Illinois is nearly twice as big as Austria, four times the size of Switzerland. There is so much emptiness, so much space between towns. You go through a little place and the dinette looks crowded, so you think, “Oh, I’ll wait till I get to Fuddville before I stop for coffee,” because it’s only just down the road, and then you get out on the highway and a sign says, FUDDVILLE 102 MILES.
