Day 59 - Harriman State Park to Manhattan 55.2 miles

Our idyllic last night of camping was soon shattered to the sound of engines, kids, scooters and shouting. We appeared to be in the busiest campground in the Appalachians. At least we didn't have to worry about the bears. The noise wore on until 2am; We had a particularly noisy 6am porridge breakfast the next morning in retaliation.

A fantastically fast and steep downhill run out of the mountains to the Hudson greeted us first thing. We reached speeds in excess of 40mph again. From there we joined cycle route 9 which runs straight to New York City. Being a Saturday, all of the weekend riders were out in force, with scores of cyclists passing us each hour in both directions. There were more bikes than cars on the road. Several cyclists rode with us, curious about our travels. Their reactions and congratulations brought home the fact that this was our final day, and we had achieved our goal. The rolling hills passed effortlessly beneath us as we were spurred on to the finish. We almost kept up with the racing cyclists on their carbon bikes.

We crossed Washington Bridge at Fort Lee into Washington Heights, and Manhattan. The contrast in scenery, from mountainous national park to urban metropolis was sharp. Once over the bridge from New Jersey we were truly in the City. The roads were quieter than we expected, and cycling was relatively comfortable, although it got busier the further South we rode.

From behind, sirens screeched out, and we ducked off to the side of the road. A police car and small convoy passed, with three runners being escorted through the city along with several support riders. We shouted encouragement, and the girl running in the group replied "Thanks! Ride with us!" The van behind lowered a window and the passenger reaffirmed the invitation. Sensing an opportunity to join something special, we accepted, and took our place behind the runners. The group stopped for a water break and we said our greetings and told our abbreviated stories. They were running 26 miles for the Run For Hope Foundation doing a 9/11 remembrance run to raise money. They were from New Jersey, and ran from there across the same bridge as us, and were aiming for the World Trade Centre. We joined them along the riverfront.

We met a cycle policeman, a number of retired police officers and serving officers some of whom had served during the 9/11 attacks. It was great to ride and join the escort of the three runners. Maria, who initially shouted to us to join, had herself joined the run in Fort Lee! Not being a runner herself, she jumped straight into a marathon! Remembering my first days running, and struggling to maintain a pace for a matter of minutes, I was in awe of her effort and mental strength to push on.

We joined them past the Intrepid aircraft carrier, seeing views of the Statue of Liberty to our right, and the city to our left. Eventually the World Trade Centre came into view ahead, signalling the finishing straight for our team of runners. They finished together, with a crowd of supporters on the corner. A news agency was accompanying them, and took pictures and film of their feat. We said our respective congratulations, shared details and thanked our friends for letting us share in their accomplishment.

Next order of business; lunch. We sampled the street vendor hot dogs, and sat with views over to the Statue of Liberty. Afterwards, we had the small matter of dipping our wheels to complete our trip. Across the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, which had more people on it than I thought possible, we found a surprisingly quiet park with an outstanding view over the river to Manhattan, and a pebble beach to the water. We dipped our rear wheels and phoned home with the good news.

After lingering for a time to savour the moment, we crossed back over the bridge into Manhattan, and aimed for my friend Nathan's apartment. I met Nathan three years ago in Morocco on an excursion into the Sahara, and was surprised to learn he was in the city and offered us a place to stay. Thankfully he only lived on the first floor of his building, which has only one narrow stairwell to haul the bikes up. He presented us a bottle of Moet, which we drank up on the roof of his building while he described the skyline. After catching up and cleaning up he offered to show us around. We went to a Taiwanese dumpling restaurant for dinner, very authentic, then walked across the city along Broadway towards Times Square. He took us up his office building to a high story overlooking Times Square, and with exceptional views over the city to the iconic buildings.

Afterwards the rain was thundering down, so we took the subway back downtown to his area, and sampled the local bars. The "oldest bar in the city" was trying too hard, but the rest had a good atmosphere. A couple too many beers later and the 55 miles caught up on us.

A final reflective post to follow, likely after we return. 3743 miles in 59 days.

Day 58 - Poughkeepsie to Beaver Pond Campground, Harriman State Park 57 miles

Left over Chinese food for breakfast was nice for a change, and a leisurely morning watching television as the memorial service was not until 11 am. We crossed the Hudson for the second time, and I waited in a cafe whilst Jake and Owen went for a haircut. Our bike pump was broken this morning and, after a long search, there was nowhere to buy a replacement nearby. I found a shop 24 miles away, just off route, and that became our first destination after the service.

On route to the service, we watched a local drop an empty can of beer on the side of the pavement. Owen rightfully picked up the can, and handed it back to the man, who seemed a little taken aback.  He held onto it at least until we were out of sight again.

A hundred or so people were in attendance at the service. Local dignitaries made speeches expressing the sentiment of the day; feelings of sorrow, remembrance, hope and rebirth. The local fire service and police were lined up to the rear, in front of their ladders and fire engines, with their colours proudly displayed in front. A high school choir and orchestra performed the national anthem and other nationalistic songs. The ceremony had a contrast of touching words read out in front of two I beams from the World Trade Centre, and commercialised messages about sponsors and politicians in attendance. One speaker read out all names of the sponsors of the memorial and ceremony, including McDonalds, proceeding to point out the McDonalds nearby. I tried to keep focussed on the memorial during this.

We ate lunch at a local pub, and crossed the Hudson for the third time, thankfully without the driving rain of the night before. Along road 9 W South, the hills were relentless all afternoon. As the road became busier later on, we decided to find an alternate route, as the surface was terrible and the shoulder narrow. Cars were particularly inconsiderate today. today's riding seemed as if the road was throwing everything it could at is to stop us the closer we became to New York City; Gravel piles, deep pot holes, road kill, narrow shoulders, heavy truck traffic and steep hills were in abundance. Despite this we seemed to wing it through unscathed, despite a couple of sketchy junctions (why people can turn left on a red light baffles us still, as an articulated lorry bore down on us as we crossed an intersection).

We reached the bike shop, bought the pump, and aimed for West Point Military Academy. The riverside road around a small mountain was steep but scenic, with views over the Hudson valley to our left, over the precipice at the side of the road. Long winding downhills that we have not experienced in some time were a highlight. We reached West Point Military Academy a little too late to tour the grounds at 4:45 pm, and so we took one last look at the grounds before making for the campsite. It was up hill from there, literally.

21 miles of predominant up hill ground on. We ascended a picturesque valley passing ranges and training areas belonging to the academy for an hour or so before joining route 6 into the Appalachians. Another hour up hill, through heavy forest in the Appalachians crossing the Appalachian Trail, brought us to a view point over a lake. We chatted to a couple of ladies at the top who took a photo for us and discussed routes into New York. A fast downhill, passing lakes and valleys to each side, and a final grinding uphill, and we were at our campground. Tired but feeling good for having some topography for a change. A dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, washed down with a can of Fanta, and a camp fire crackling away made us feel right at home. It feels good to be camping for our final night of the trip, finishing as we began; A fitting end to the adventure.

That's a sad thought.

Day 57 - Albany to Poughkeepsie 79.3 miles

We crossed the Hudson this morning, and followed State Cycle Route 9 South along the river. The road were relatively quiet, with the exception of a couple of sections around more urban areas. An overcast sky brought with it cooler temperatures, and intermittent showers. Rolling hills reminded us of our training rides through Devon, although not quite as severe. We stopped for lunch at midday having covered just 30 miles, and there was talk of wat we could do if we didn't make it all the way to Poughkeepsie.

The roads were quicker in the afternoon, and we were set to reach Poughkeepsie by 5:30 pm despite having 47 miles to cover after lunch. On route, we stopped for a "comfort break" on the roadside, and were spotted by a highway patrol officer, who swerved around to meet us. After a short reprimanding for our choice of location, he let us off with a verbal warning. We later saw him speed past us after another car, which he pulled over ahead.

Having no reply from any hosts on town, and a distinct lack of camping facilities nearby, we decided to shelter from the growing storm in a cafe. We called around the local motels and found the cheapest, over the river from the town. Crossing the river was over an old railway bridge, uncovered and exposed to the full force of the wind and rain. Crosswinds forced us sideways, horizontal rain stung our eyes. Two double beds, a hot shower and a Chinese takeaway delivered to our motel room hit the spot.

Tomorrow we will attend a dedication of a new 9/11 memorial in town at 11 am before riding South to West Point Military Academy to tour the grounds. 90 miles to New York.

Day 56 - Fultonville to Albany 66.7 miles

An excellent nights sleep in the cool porch, followed by fresh blueberry pancakes at Michael's Diner, left us feeling good for the day ahead. We have decided to make it to Poughkeepsie for Thursday evening, ready for the Friday morning 9/11 service at the new memorial they are constructing there. We expected to go past Albany to a campground South along the Hudson today.

The morning mist burned off early, and the temperatures steadily rose all morning, reaching 37 Celsius by lunch time. Another morning of roads in the heat left us tired, and we stopped for a smoothie in Schenectady. The heat on leaving the air conditioned Burger King was like walking into an oven. Thankfully we moved onto trails for the rest of the day.

Large piles of leaves interrupted the smooth trail surface, crackling under our wheels. Intermittent rain showers cooled us off temporarily as we passed through industrial works including an atomic energy research facility, with groups of professionals walking along the bike trail to and from the buildings. We also passed a large munitions manufacturing facility.

On the approach to Troy we caught the most incredible scent in the air, wafting across the trail. Close to lunch time, the scent of sweet barbeque was too good to ignore and we immediately turned right, careening down the grass verge towards the restaurant, the Pig Pit BBQ. Inside we were won over by the promise of a colossal pulled pork sandwich and fries with 'slaw. After talking to the staff, they were amazed by what we were doing, and offered us drinks on the house! The service was fantastic and we felt right at home for the brief time we stopped in. They even left us with a goodie bag of extra pulled pork and bread for the road!

We rolled on a further 12 miles down the Hudson to Albany, and decided it was too hot, and we had enough cycling for today. I had an offer from a host that I had previously declined, however they were happy to take us in tonight. We waited until they were free at a riverside bar on a boat, rehydrating with fresh lemonade and enjoying the cool breeze.

The cool breeze became a gusting storm just in time for us to leave, sending chairs tumbling across the deck. We battled a headwind up the steep hill through town as rain started pattering down, increasing in intensity. We were soaked by the time we arrived at our host's home. Shaun is a professor of arts at a local university, and Carrie works at a community bike shop in Troy, Troy Bike Rescue. Shaun let us in, and we washed and ate our leftover pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, washed down with some local New York beers. Shaun was Airborne working as a signaller for four years before doing his studies. The conversation was interesting, and the evening passed quickly.

Owen informs me we have ridden over 3350 miles as of this morning. Tomorrow we aim to reach Poughkeepsie.

Day 55 - Utica to Fultonville 58.8 miles

We awoke to the smell of fresh bagels brought home by Matt first thing in the morning. He brought a large bag bursting with bagels of myriad flavours, sweet and savoury, with different cream cheeses to top them with. We ate our fill, and wrapped the rest up for later. After saying our goodbyes, we were out on the roads all morning, as the canal path stopped.

A long morning and we hit the canal way again close to lunch time. We felt particularly lethargic all morning, as the end of our trip draws near. A stop in Mc Donalds and a cold smoothie brought us back to life, and fueled us until lunch at Fort Plain. Our choice was pizza or pizza, so we chose the former. As we ate, we watched a heavy thunderstorm pass overhead, with the rain crashing down outside, and decided to wait this one out. The rain had the added benefit of washing the thick coating of dust off our bikes.

We secured an offer from Michael, a host in Fultonville, to camp in his garden. We took a leisurely ride along the final 16 miles of canal path
and arrived around 5pm. It was nice to be washed, tent set up and sat on the porch sipping cold lemonade by 6pm. His black Labrador, Shilo, was very friendly. We finished off the rest of the, now soggy, bagels with the help of Micheal's toaster to dry them out. We took the evening easy, watching television, and chatting with Michael. Micheal owns a local diner, Michael's Diner, and we decided that we would avoid the porridge again and treat ourselves to blueberry pancakes in the morning.

Michael kindly let us sleep in his porch area, while we left the tent up to air out (two months of use has left a rather strong odour). We slept beautifully in the cool porch area.

Day 54 - Camillus to Utica 73.2 miles

We enjoyed a breakfast of fruit tarts washed down with fresh lemonade left over the night before by Liz. Back on the canal, the day was hot and dry, and a stream of dust lay in the wake of each bike. Soon we all had a thick, light grey coating. We rode along disused canal way most of the day, the water thick and covered in algae, leaves had fallen on top and dried in the sun. Above us, the autumn colours creep in further each day.

After a long, relaxed break at a pizza hut, we stayed on the canal all afternoon to Rome, with a few short road sections. We stopped at a museum on the canal to ask about accommodation and fill our water. Here we met a family on a picnic who invited us to sit down and share some lemonade and watermelon. We filled our water and were about to leave, when the family came over, formed a circle and asked to pray for us on our journey. A nice sentiment. Then the museum owners came over, and things took a distinct Confederate turn. One, wearing a beater, had confederate tattoos covering his arms, and admitted wit pride that a large confederate flag down the road was his. One man from the family stated "If I had a choice, I would have gone for the South too." We nodded along and left.

On route we encountered an elderly man, in his eighties, who looked a little disoriented. His bike lay against a crash barrier next to him. He asked us to stop and whether we had some aspirin. He had succumbed to the heat and fallen off his bike, and was worried about his heart. This was the first time I used my emergency supply of dispersible aspirin in anger. We also gave him a bottle full of water and some electrolytes, and waited until his friend came to pick him up. He had been through the wars, suffering a concussion with 15 stitches in his head a couple of months prior after a ladder slipped out beneath him.

Finding a place to camp was difficult, as the camping area was closed for construction. We passed Fort Stanwix, a star fort from the war of independence. We had heard that to locks were okay to camp at, and aimed for Lock 20. As we had been taking it easy, it was 6pm at this point, with an hours cycling to go. But we were not too tired, mentally or physically, thanks to the relaxed canal path riding. On route, I received an email and an offer of a place to stay the night in Utica. On route we passed a man who asked if we had come from Buffalo. When I replied "Seattle!" He took a double take, repeated me a couple of times, and proceeded to have the best reaction we have had yet to our venture.

Cameron had just finished touring America and Mexico a week ago, and kindly put us up in the garden. His housemates were very friendly, Antony, a musician, and Matt, who owns a bagel shop nearby and offered us his child's bedroom (the kids were away) and fresh bagels for the morning. No tent tonight! Cameron cooked us a very welcome dinner, and provided a couple can of the local lager to wash it down.

A good nights kip in a bed then, dreaming of fresh bagels and an easy day along the canal in the morning.

Day 53 - Macedon to Camillus 75.6 miles

A poor nights sleep in the hot, humid and somewhat pungent tent didn't set us up well for the days riding. We ate the leftover cookies, fruit and crisps John gave us for breakfast and set off along the canal again. The first stretch of canal was working, with watercraft moving up and down, and plenty of users on the towpaths enjoying Labour Day weekend. The canal joined a river further up, and widened significantly. We rode through archways of trees, leaves starting to turn ochre hues, with drops on either side of the path into canal and ditch.

We stopped in Lyons for a cold drink and a cake from the service station. In contrast to the picturesque canal side towns we have been passing the last few days, this area seemed rougher, with some form of altercation occurring on the corner by the station.

The route joined Cycle Route 5 for the afternoon, along roads over rolling hills. The gradients were gentle enough that it didn't slow us particularly. This section made us realise just how tedious the road sections were compared to the canal, and with the heat approaching 40 Celsius, we were all a bit worn down come lunch time in Port Byron.

After lunch we joined a mixture of paths and road until rejoining the Erie Canal Path, although on an unused section of canal. Deadwood floated in stagnant brackish water. The occasional toad leapt out of the way on the path.

We stopped at a fire station to ask directions to a free camping spot, and were pointed a couple of miles further down the trail. On approaching Camillus we came across a small museum, and went inside to ask again. We were offered by the very friendly, elderly volunteers a place to camp out back, with access to the wash rooms, kitchen and water in the museum overnight. Liz Beebe kindly gave us some soft drinks and set out food for us in the morning. They also recommended the New York State Fair which was ongoing this evening, 6 miles up the road.

It was nice riding our bikes unladen for a change, responsive to turning, acceleration and braking. The fairgrounds were expansive. We entered at gate 9, into a car park that stretched as far as we could see ahead of us. We found the entrance to the Fair, and a State Trooper directing traffic through interpretive dance, keeping himself and the crowds at the ticket office amused.

As we approached the office, a man behind us called us over, and gave us three free tickets to the fair! Today was definitely a lucky day. We wandered the fair grounds, large enough to have their own shuttle bus inside. Large tents housed livestock expositions, tractor shows and other agricultural activities on the outside. Inside, roller coasters, amusement park rides, music and candy floss stalls abounded. We meandered through, taking in the atmosphere. All manner of food was on offer, and drinks tents served wine slushies, beers and ciders at inflated cost to thirsty customers, ourselves included. We ate some fairground food and watched the Monster Truck show from the bottom fence for a while. Later, we stumbled across a ten thousand strong crowd watching the Steve Miller Band perform during a guitar solo.

An iced custard, root beer float and a corn dog later, and we made our way to the exit. I needed a new T-shirt to replace one which has become particularly worn on this trip, so we stopped at a stall for that. The T-shirt designs were all pretty garish and so rather than find the least sore on the eye, we decided to go all out and find the worst ones we could. Stand by, New York.

Cycling back in the dark was uneventful, save for exiting the fair through four solid lanes of traffic at an interstate junction. We bypassed it along a short cheeky section of train line. We haven't done much cycling at night, and so it was refreshing with the cool breeze and different aspect to the scenery, particularly along the canal. We opted to camp inside the museum and have a good nights sleep rather than the tent.

Day 52 - REST DAY Rochester to Macedon 25.9 miles

A cool night meant for a good nights sleep last night in Davids garden. This morning Owen had to do some work for the job placement with the Royal Engineers he is soon to be starting, and so we spent most of the morning making conversation with David and Nancy over a cup of spiced Indian tea with Owen working away on their laptop. While working outside on the bike, I did managed to stand on a wasp, getting an unpleasant shock as it stung the soft arch of my foot, leaving me with cramp for the rest of the day. Cheers wasp!

Owen finished by midday and we set out on the canal towpath once more. We were stopped a number of times by cyclists asking about our travels, and we had our photo taken by one enthusiastic nature photographer who stopped us on a bridge. We caught up with a couple of tourers, Becky and Gary, who were cycling Seattle to Maine. We spoke for a long while, and decided to share lunch at a local canal side restaurant which made a nice change from the usual burger and chips!

Becky was from a military family, with three brothers of Colonel rank, one cousin a Lieutenant General in charge of NATO in Turkey, another Uncle of General rank and a brother who works as navigator for Air Force One. They were a big Republican family, and we debated the merits of socialised healthcare for a while.

We took photos and said our goodbyes. It was 3pm by this stage, and we decided to write today off as a rest/ half day, and set out for the next town and the American Legion, hoping to repeat our success at the Canadian Legion and secure accommodation. Unfortunately it was closed on arrival. I popped into a small bookstore to ask where we could find a drink in town. Before we knew it we were pulled in by John who took us to a small room at the back with a coffee shop out of a kitchenette, a seating area with sofas, and snacks laid out. A couple of elderly locals were there, regulars, who welcomed us in and offered us freedom to snack away. John presented two lagers and an alcoholic root beer free of charge to us. The store was full of character, and interesting books. John was a keen historian, and many interesting historical books caught our eye. Toy soldiers lined the top of the mahogany bookshelves. We spoke of home and our travels, and they asked many questions, and shared opinions and stories of the States. It was an excellent way to spend the rest of the afternoon.

John gathered receipts from a local pizzeria, and had accumulated enough to get us $10 off a meal over the road. He took us over to ensure we got fed. Later he came in as we ate, and had a message from the Mayor, saying we could camp in the local Butterfly Park, by the fire station. We could also use the fire stations showers in the morning should we wish. He also gave us left over cookies, crisps, fruit and bottled water for the morning. He was an exceptionally generous, gentle and kind hearted man.

We set up at the park, put our bottle of wine from the winery in Niagara-On-The-Lake in the stream to cool, and relaxed for the evening. Unfortunately the wine had spoiled somewhat in the heat, as it was supposed to be kept chilled. It was still drinkable, but not as enjoyable as before. Some Dairy Milk washed it down well.

Another day along the canal tomorrow, taking it easy with a target of 50 miles. The stone dust of the canal is giving our grey panniers and bikes a covering of fine white/grey dust, making them resemblant of something from the Rommel's Afrika Korps.

Day 51 - Lockport to Rochester 61.9 miles

We joined the Erie Canal Cycle Way today, which we will follow for 300 miles or so to Albany. The canal is wide, around double the width of the canals we cycled along back home, although there was very little traffic. The path was stone dust, much like the crushed limestone of the Elroy-Sparta Trail back in Wisconsin. With no rush to cover miles, we took it easy, soaking up the scenery and enjoying the freedom from cars.

We stopped early in Middleport for a cup of tea, after a passer by shouted that there was a nice coffee shop in the town. It was the first place in America that made the tea correctly! On leaving the coffee shop we were passed by a Harley-Davidson motorcyclist with a great white beard blown up over his face in such a way that we wondered how he could see!

We rolled on for an hour to Albion for lunch at the Burger King, with locals approaching us all the time of ask about our travels. It was a very friendly town.

A casual ride in the afternoon heat took us to Rochester, with plenty of breaks in the shade as we rode. We met our host for the night on the South side of town, just off the canal. David and Nancy are academics, teaching at various institutions locally and abroad. David teaches photography at the liberal arts college and had lectured in Yale and worked for the International Baccalaureate in Wales and Cyprus. Nancy teaches high school English.

They treated us to a spot on their lawn for camping, with use of the facilities inside their house. Once set up, they drove us to an Indian restaurant, which we have been craving for some weeks now. It was a little taste of home almost, having a curry, rice, naan and beer.

Day 50 - Niagara-On-The-Lake to Lockport via Niagara Falls 43.7 miles

Knees aching, muscles sore, we decided we needed a short day. With Niagara Falls to see, we knew that a touristy day lay ahead of us. We slept in until 8am, although the heat last night meant that none of us were well rested. Karen took us to breakfast, another mountain of pancakes, bacon and eggs, which brought us back into the world. On our return, her mom handed us some snacks of apricots, almonds and chocolate, and we set out.

First of all we had a fifteen mile ride back up the escarpment, which we broke down using excellent route advice form Karen, and a number of good viewing points. We picked up a cycle route into the Falls, passing another tourer going the opposite way. She suggested the boat trip as a must.

On the Canadian side, you can see all of the falls with what are considered the best views. The town is exceptionally touristy, bursting with gift shops and attractions. We took the advice and ignored all of these, instead going for the boat trip to the foot of the falls. The spray rained down heavily on us as we moved into the horseshoe, with water thundering vertically on three sides. It was an exceptional experience.

On returning, we watched an unexpected airshow over the falls, the Snow Birds flying in formation with aircraft, smoke streaming behind them. It felt a fitting finale to our Canadian phase, and we went for lunch before stocking on Dairy Milk and crossing Rainbow Bridge into The Empire State.

We had an offer of a place to stay for the evening in Lockport, so a 20 mile ride lay ahead of us, which was slightly more than we wanted today however it would save us on campsite fees. We rode through more farmland to the town, bought lunch and met Nancy, our host. She works delivering tours of the canal here, and the five famous locks. She kindly offered us maps of the route ahead.

With less than 500 miles to go, we have decided to go easy now, so as not to reach New York City too early. So 50 mile days now, and more stops to enjoy the towns on route. It is strange to think we are in the final state of the trip now.

Day 49 - Turkey Point to Niagara-on-the-Lake 97 miles

As far as rude awakenings go, this morning tops the lot.

"Racoon! There's a racoon in the tent!" Owen exclaimed at 0530. I dozily looked up. The sound of rustling came from our porch area with all of our food.

"Get out! Go! Shoo!" We shouted, alongside a couple of more colourful terms. It paid no attention. I launched a flip flop at it, but it shrugged it off. Owen crawled forwards to scare it off; It looked up.

"Skunk! Skunk in the tent!" And never before has Owen jumped back quicker into the inner, zipping the door shut.

The skunk returned to it's meal of our tortilla chips left over from last nights barbeque. We reassessed the situation. Owen flashed his torch at it; Not bothered. Out of ideas, unwilling to get more physical for fear of having to explain to the Regimental Quartermaster why his tent is now uninhabitable, we accepted our new tent mate and went back to bed. We dozed away, our intruder munching away on tortilla chips in the background.

When we arose again, a black and white fluffy tail was wagging out of Owen's day sack. In mortal fear for the Chamois cream, we thought of alternative ways to scare it off. Jake played the skunk some music, which it didn't like, and it ducked out under the fly. Jake pursued while Owen and I got dressed. Owen was again crawling into to porch area when the skunk slipped back in; Cue shouting, Owen leaping back, zipping the tent and holding our breath. I set my speakers to full and played some heavy metal music, and it panicked and ran. Jake then chased it with a railway sleeper. It didn't return.

The cycling was long and uneventful. We passed a maple tree with the most vivid red leaves I have ever seen. The rest was corn, beans and chilli fields. Workers picked chillies in the heat, scarves around their mouths and faces, and gloves on their hands. It was a hilly morning, but an afternoon of flat, straight roads, one of which was 30 miles long. We later picked up the Welland Canal to Lake Ontario.

Accommodation tonight was supposedly at a winery organised through Mike's friend Michael. We tried a couple of times to call him, but to no avail. Eventually I called Mike and he gave us an address and said he would call Michael too. Great, we thought, all sorted.

We cycled to the winery after dropping down the escarpment a couple of hundred metres to the Lake Ontario shore. We rode through vineyards and orchards of apples and peaches, incredible smells drifted past on the breeze, the air sweet and thick. Wineries were signposted in every direction. At our destination, the establishment was closed, with seemingly no signs of life. Around the back, we found a girl with a friend drinking wine on the back porch. Karen, while a little confused why three Brits had just appeared from around the corner, was welcoming and offered us chairs on the porch while we figured out the accommodation. It all appeared promising, and someone was coming to meet us in an hour and a half.

Karen took us to a winery she works at, doing book keeping, where we were treated to a free tour and tasting. We tasted four wines, a white, red and two "ice wines", learning about the wine making process as we went. As none of us are wine connoisseurs, we learned a great deal. We bought a bottle of ice wine for the road, as it is apparently somewhat rare; The grapes must be pressed while still frozen, creating a thicker, sweeter wine similar to a liqueur. Jake also met a friend of a friend from back in Ross-on-Wye who was working in the winery and led the tour and tasting.

We returned to our back porch and attempted to sort out the accommodation again. After several calls, it seemed we weren't expected, and a call to Mike confirmed that he had texted me saying that we couldn't be accommodated, but texts from locals do not reach me over here. A potentially awkward situation. The woman coming to meet us would have expected us to pay several hundred dollars for the B&B!

Karen came to the rescue, and spoke to her mother, securing us a back garden to sleep in. She also took us out for dinner at a local bar, where we played pool with her and her friend. By he time we returned it was late, we were tired, and we retreated to a hot and humid tent.

Day 48 - Port Stanley to Turkey Point 68 miles

After a few beers and scotch in the evening, we had a lie in until 7am this morning. Bob and Helen insisted on taking us to breakfast at The Buccaneer, where they were married, and we didn't put up a fuss! So a leisurely start today. We were on the road for quarter past ten, with full stomachs and tired legs; Not a combination for fast cycling. A short day then.

The coastal road along the lakeshore was relatively flat, although it had a couple of hills to keep us on our toes. We hit Port Burwell after two hours. On crossing the bridge we spotted something unexpected to our right: a large Diesel Electric Submarine! HMCS (the name escapes me, formerly HMS Onyx under construction), she was set up as a museum, with regular tours. There was no large visitor centre, or establishment, just a portacabin selling tour tickets and the submarine itself. The tour was interesting, although some of the facts were incorrect as Jake later discovered. The submarine was Cold War era. The hull was caved in in some sections from the external water pressure, presumably from diving too deep. The accommodation on board was comparable to HMS Ocean; bunks smaller than 6ft in length, and rarely a ceiling high enough to stand straight in, made all the more impressive with the knowledge that the captain was 6'9"! At the end of the tour, an ex submariner from the HMCS Okanogan was volunteering to answer questions, and told stories of his time in service. It was a real privelage, and totally unexpected.

We stayed in town for lunch before reluctantly moving on. The road became more hilly, dipping down into coastal towns much like riding back home. We made Turkey Point for half past five, and decided to stop for a cool drink and find some wifi in town. Internet access was elusive however. We considered camping on the lake for the evening, but thought we should find internet to check on Warm Showers first. While riding around the town, a couple passed us on their bikes, we smiled and said hello, which got us talking, and they offered us use of their internet at their parent's house. We had a small crowd of family members asking us about our travels, and family friends too! They called a friend who owns a winery which we passed just before dropping down the hill to the town, and secured us a free place to pitch a tent, a shower, and a BBQ dinner with a large group of mountain bikers!

At the bike park, over the road from the winery, we stopped and pitched our tent by an old rusty water tower, and waited for the owners to come back from their ride. One by one, mountain bikers rolled in out of the wood line, and we greeted each other. Dave Pond, the co-owner of the site, set us up with showers and introduced us to the group. A group of around twenty cyclists were out for a final ride with a member of the group who was moving to Vancouver soon. We felt privelaged to share in the festivity. Dave brought us a cooler full of cold lager, and we enjoyed a plentiful supply of sausages from the grill, courtesy of Luke. Jennifer, from back in Turkey Point, even stopped by to check on us. Apparently my "smile was so sweet she had to help us out." We shared stories of our travels, enjoying hearing of their own (mis)adventures! Mike McArthur, the owner of the winery, even used his connections at the Niagra wineries to secure us a place to stay for tomorrow night!

We polished off the farewell cake with the party, said our goodbyes, shared our details, and now we are sat around the campfire with the last of the beers, and the last of the wood, looking at the stars (and writing this blog!)

Edit: HMCS Ojibwa!

Day 47 - Leamington to Port Stanley 110.9 miles

A smooth morning meant we were away from camp on schedule for 0800. Our first port of call was Leamington Town to continue our search for the elusive maps and gas. After an hour of looking around various supermarkets in town, an a coffee at Starbucks to reassess when it was all going wrong, we managed to get everything we needed. An hour delayed, we expected to just make our target for the day, particularly with a long detour as a bridge was out on Route 34.

The roads were quick today. We were going steadily at 15mph all day, with a slight tailwind. A distinct lack of hills, and a good road surface, meant we made 55 miles by lunch. The scenery was similar the whole way, corn fields on both sides, with views over Lake Erie to our right. A cool breeze off the lake was much welcomed.

We stopped in Blenheim for lunch, with wifi, where I called up a few potential hosts ahead of us. No luck, but we did get through to a coffee shop where the woman offered to find us somewhere to stay in Port Stanley, and some advice for spots nearby if she couldn't. With 55 miles to Port Stanley, it was at the edge of what we could cover in the afternoon, assuming the wind and hills stayed friendly.

The going was quicker in the afternoon, and we made Port Stanley by twenty past six. Using the wifi at the coffee shop, which was closed, I checked my emails, but nothing from our host at the shop. We decided a drink at the pub was in order. I was told the Royal Canadian Legion was a good bar to go to, where people had been offered a place to stay by locals before, so we went there. A cold cider went down well.

While asking the bartender about camping in town, and seeing her efforts to contact the owner of a small RV park up the road, a couple at a nearby table unbeknownst to us decided that we would be staying with them tonight. The Army insignia on our jerseys helped. As we left the Legion, they came out behind us and asked us where we were off to. We were struck by the strong Glaswegian accent.

Bob, a widower, and Helen recently married last July. Bob was ex Army, serving with the Scots Borderers in the jungle in Malaya. Before that he was in the merchant navy, serving various liner routes before jumping ship in Canada and hitchhiking across the country. He was caught working at a farm, and spent a short while hopping between different Canadian jails as he was sent home. Helen has a background in nursing. They had a plethora of interesting stories, with Bob reminiscing on his time in the jungle, including a young officer charging through a swamp with his family sword after getting ambushed; His platoon losing all of their rations and supplies when told to bed down near a river in monsoon season; And getting called into his commanding officer's office to be told off for not calling his mother in three months, as she was giving his CO a hard time. They insisted we call home in the morning.

With full bellies after Helen's lasagne, pizza, fruit and toast dinner, and relaxed after a couple of beers and a scotch, we are looking forward to an excellent sleep indoors on their comfortable guest beds.

Day 46 - Detroit to Leamington (Canada) 50 miles

This morning we set out early with Mari, who kindly offered to drive us over Ambassador Bridge to Canada, as there are no bicycle friendly crossings in Detroit. Her small red car was loaded to the brim, inside and out, with our three bikes, six panniers, three day sacks and handlebar bags. Plus ourselves. We were nervous for her suspension on Michigan's crevassed roads.

A couple of brief questions got us through customs relatively pain free, and then we were in Canada. Mari dropped us off at a McDonalds near the border where we could use the free wifi to plan our next moves. We said our farewells, and went in for a second breakfast.

After planning the route, contacting a potential host and finishing our teas and coffees we set out for a supermarket to do a resupply. Camping gas is proving elusive, as are road maps. We failed to acquire either today. As we prepared to leave, Jake noticed a few bubbles in his tyre. This spelled the end for that tyre, as it could blow at any point, meaning our next port of call would need to be a bike shop. Easier said than done in an unfamiliar city, on a Sunday morning with no internet. The customer service at Real Canadian Supermarket were outstanding, and found a list of bike shop numbers in the phone book, called them all to find which were open and gave us the address! A stranger came over, who was looking to buy a bike from a shop in town, and knew it was open today also, although not until 12.

We knew there was a Walmart down the road, and with time to kill we decided to try there for maps and gas. Again, no luck. However we did find a foldable tyre that should fit. We bought two, one as a spare. Outside, we fitted the new tyre, with groups of curious strangers stopping by to chat. On inflating the tube though, twice the bead popped out of the side and the tube exploded, leaving us two tubes down and with ringing ears, costing us $20 for the privelage. I returned the spare tyre.

We decided to go for the bike shop instead. It was 1230 when we arrived, and they had everything we needed, including a new tyre for Jake, new tubes, and a good quality foldable spare tyre. They also gave us directions to a good lunch spot with internet access, since our phones do not have data in Canada. Warm Showers server was down so I couldn't inform the host I contacted that we would not be making it that far today. We set our sights lower, to a campground 25 miles away along Lake St Clair.

A pleasant cycle along the lakeshore and we arrived at our campground by 4pm, fresh and looking forwards to an early finish and a dip in the lake. It was one of those days though; The site only sold weekly pitches. The woman in the office, after some effort, googled us another campsite South of there, 16 miles. Our closest option, we went for it. 16 miles of arrow straight road into headwind taught us for expecting an easy day with an early finish. We made it by ten to six in the evening, and a Cornetto from the campsite shop made it all okay again.

The best thing to come out of today though, by far, has been discovering Dairy Milk chocolate in Canada! We each had a large bar to ourselves.

Tomorrow we will join the Lake Erie shoreline road which we follow to Niagara.

Day 45 - REST DAY Detroit

We set out for a Mexican bakery this morning, getting a mountain of baked goods for just $5 which we took to the riverfront to enjoy, looking over the waters to Canada. Cycling into town, we had a 6 lane main road to ourselves, weaving between the lanes. Apparently the population of Detroit had dropped by two thirds from 2 million to 700 thousand.

We walked along the River Walk, passing the grand General Motors building, standing proud on the river front. Later we visited the Guardian and Fisher buildings, old remnants of more opulent times; high painted ceilings, marble floors and walls, decorated with figures and stained glass. Shops lined the main entrance halls, but it was quiet despite being a Saturday.

We spent the afternoon looking around the history museum, with exhibits detailing Detroit's rise through the motoring industry, it's musical heritage with Motown Records, and a large section for the underground railroad ferrying slaves to emancipation in Canada. The individual stories were particularly interesting, detailing individual contributions and situations where people have saved others from slave hunters seeking a bounty.

We were invited to the neighbours house for a dinner of soup, hotdogs and burgers which was excellent, being invited into their family home, with kids running riot. We talked away the evening, watching a large Mexican party coming to life across the street. We retreated inside as the biting insects became overbearing, and are now talking with Mari. Tomorrow Mari is kindly ferrying us across the waters to Windsor, saving us a 50 mile detour around the lake.

Day 44 - Ann Arbor to Detroit 46.2 miles

It was Kate's birthday today so we went out for breakfast at a diner style restaurant called Coney Island. One thing we have been impressed by is the variety of breakfasts available in the US, where the menu resembles more of a magazine.

Our host in Detroit, Mari, sent us a PDF route from Ann Arbor to Detroit which saved on the route planning, and kept us on bike routes, paths and quiet roads. We rode along the Huron River for the morning before joining the Ann Arbor - Plymouth road to Plymouth. We took our 11 o'clock stop in the central park by the fountain, feeling no pressure to rush with less than 50 miles to ride for the day. After Plymouth we rode along a smooth bike path, which made a change from the awful roads, towards Detroit. The outskirts of Detroit seemed very run down, rough areas. Grass was overgrown through a broken pavement, roads were fractured, lamp posts were brown with rust while the buildings were in disrepair and covered in graffiti. We made it through that area and it became nicer as we approached Downtown, but still in need of maintenance. It is what you would expect a city to look like a year or two after everyone disappeared, nature taking over.

Our host was out, but the decorators let us in. We changed and walked 40 minutes into the centre for lunch at a more disappointing All American Coney Island. We then did some emails etc at the library before walking back. Mari had a barbeque going when we returned, with fresh squash from her garden, zucchini and bratwurst. The neighbours, her housemate and friends, and even a host we contacted in Ann Arbor but didn't stay with arrived! It was a fun evening chatting with the locals to the area about how Detroit is redeveloping after the motor industry left, as well as later playing games over a beer or three in the evening.

We have been invited to a youth ride out Mari is doing as she works for a bike shop helping kids earn their first bikes. Something to look forward to tomorrow.

Day 43 - Tekonsha to Ann Arbor 82 miles

Clear skies gave for a brisk morning at the campsite. Everything was particularly wet with a thick layer of morning dew. We overslept as we forgot to put the time forwards on the alarm, but managed to set off for 0830 regardless.

More corn and soybeans for the most part. We made quick progress to Ann Arbor along the rolling hills of the county roads. While the people in Michigan have stood out for being some of the most generous, their roads leave much to be desired. We have been told they have an odd attitude towards paying tax for road repairs along the lines of "why should I pay for everyone else's road?" which results in some cases of whole streets in towns left unpaved as the residents do not wish to pay for the road maintenance.

We stopped in Jackson for lunch, at a local brewery. The food was exceptional apart from they served crisps with their burgers instead of fries/ chips, leaving us still somewhat hungry. On leaving, the brewers were unloading grain outside and approached us inquisitively. After a short conversation, he went inside and produced three cans of their specialty IPA for us to take on our way!

More rolling hills brought us into Ann Arbor past the University of Michigan sports grounds, which were vast; Two golf courses, a 110000 person stadium and countless other facilities. On route we were overtaken by the three guys we met at our host's house in Gary.

Our host was out, but after some communication issues we managed to get access through the garage. Two people were inside, who we had an awkward conversation with as they were just heading out. We were told the guest room was taken and assumed they were the friends of the host. Kate arrived later with food for dinner, shortly followed by Clayton. Kate works for Google while Clayton is studying medicine at the university. They took us around the town, showing us the university library which is very similar to the dining hall from Harry Potter, and treated us to ice cream from a local establishment which served unusual flavours. I went for the Basil flavour, strangely refreshing. We spent the evening watching comedy clips from the US and the UK.

Day 42 - Granger to Tekonsha 70.8 miles

We took advantage of the "free" coffee at the KOA in the morning, before getting away. As always when we cross a time zone, we were feeling lethargic this morning, sleeping in an extra hour and not leaving until 0930. A day of county roads lay ahead, skirting the Indiana border with Michigan most of the morning, before making way Northeast in the direction of Detroit. The roads were straight and the scenery familiar with corn and soy beans lining the roadside.

We stopped at a local pub/ restaurant for lunch in Constantine by the river. The food was excellent, and after speaking to the owner who was a keen triathlete she bought our lunches for us! We made sure to leave a generous tip for the server.

More corn and soy beans and straight roads and not much else for the rest of the day. It rained most of the day, and stayed cool, a slow drizzle not dissimilar to what we are used to back home.

At the campground the office was closed, and the host was not around so we stood around wondering what to do for ten minutes or so. We approached a family having a barbeque outside their RV, and met Brant, who directed us to a quiet corner of the park to set up. Later he approached, family in tow, with beers brewed by his brother locally alongside some pears picked straight from the tree in his family's garden. Later they supplied cut wood door us to have a fire. The camp warden was speaking to Owen as we showered and on hearing our "story" decided to let us stay the night free of charge! Today has certainly been defined by generous people.

I had some luck with the Warm Showers again so we will head to Ann Arbor tomorrow to stay with a kind couple who have offered us a place indoors. We should reach Detroit on Friday. For now we are sat around our fire with our beers watching fireflies dart in the trees around us.

Day 41 - Gary to Granger 78 miles

Ed and Monica treated us to a feast of melon, bacon, coffee cake, eggs and potatoes with coffee which got us out on the road in good spirits. We said our goodbyes to Zach, Cameron and Jeff after challenging them to a race to Detroit.

Today was fairly uneventful. We passed through a few different communities varying from the opulent suburbs with lakes and manicured gardens to the more deprived. For the most part though we were cycling through agricultural land with corn towering above us on both sides. Curious, we walked a little way into the corn and could see how people get lost as you could only see a metre or two through the maize (sorry, I had to make the pun...). A pleasant surprise was a stretch of mint fields, with a refreshing cool breeze carrying the scent with us.

It was a long day remembering groups of three road names at a time which were when we would turn off the road we were on; Precious few paved cycle routes broke the monotony. Using my phone to navigate, there was a lot of cycling one handed, looking at the phone in the other. This has been okay so far, but after a close call with a parked car I invested in a handlebar phone mount to navigate with.

Losing an hour as we moved across the time zone into Eastern Time meant we had a later finish in order to cover the distance. We pulled into a KOA site North of Notre Dame University in Granger, next to the Indiana/ Michigan border. At $49 for one pitch, it was by far the most expensive site we have stayed in so far. We will avoid in future.

Tomorrow we will move into Michigan, with less than 200 miles to Detroit, and under 1000 to New York.

Day 40 - Aurora to Gary 80 miles

We left the Taylors house after four excellent nights, and not without a pang of sadness did we finish our final breakfast by Sue. Onto the Prairie Path again towards Chicago, we rode beneath towering electricity pylons crackling in the morning air. The path had a number of branches, and we took a little detour North of where we wanted to be giving us a few more bonus miles; The Great Western Path took us back on track, although arrow straight for most of the way.

As we entered the metropolitan area surrounding the city of Chicago, we crossed through neighbourhoods of all descriptions ranging from opulent with large houses and manicured gardens, to some particularly deprived areas, where we gained somewhat more attention than we would have liked. The road surface was actually a good reflection of the area, with the most rutted surfaces in the deprived zones; later as the surface changed I began to anticipate what sort of area we were coming into, especially prescient around Gary.

On the path the most interesting thing we witnessed was a hawk swoop in front of us, plucking a chipmunk from the side of the path, and taking it to a low lying branch overhead. It dropped the chipmunk on the branch, which looked stunned, but alive. It sat there, seemingly awaiting it's fate. The hawk deftly killed it, before glaring at the three cyclists gazing on from below with caution.

We rode straight through the City, aiming directly at Seer's Tower, and stopped for lunch after navigating our way through Downtown. A "posh Subway" as Owen put it, we went to a sandwich chain with a woman playing the guitar and singing in the corner lending to the atmosphere. After lunch we set out along the lakeshore path around Lake Michigan. This was mostly flat, and passed a number of marinas and lakeside communities. The whole lakeside was built up. We made our way around to Wolf Lake, which we crossed on the boardwalk bisecting the lake, which was a nice experience slightly marred by the expansive BP industrial piping facility on the opposite shore. Industrial traffic on the other side was less relaxing to cycle through as we approached Gary.

Gary was another deprived suburb, which grew more so the further we went through. We opted to travel through on the bikes as opposed to taking the 12 mile detour around as we new we could stay on the main street through the area and be relatively safe. As we passed out of the main area and into the suburbs the ruts in the road became worse. As we turned a junction, a couple of shots cracked from a few blocks away. Pistol shots that we recognised from ranges with the OTC. We kept our heads down and cycled as fast as we could through the place, foregoing the usual navigation briefs in favour of just getting through.

Thankfully our hosts area was much nicer; A couple of miles outside of Gary, near the lakeshore in a green, leafy estate. I approached the door and knocked. Ed came over and I introduced myself as the person he had spoken to over email. He looked confused. I was sure it was him, from his image on the site, so what was wrong? Apparently three other cyclists had called in, and he didn't realise we were two different groups! We greeted the people we would be sharing Ed and Monica's back garden with. Three cyclists, guys who were highschool friends, in their mid twenties who quit their jobs and set out from Seattle to Maine with no time limit. Poor Monica was expecting to feed just herself and Ed, then the other three before Jake, Owen and I turned up and she made a second trip to the supermarket to buy dinner supplies. We were very grateful of the excellent Mexican meal she put on for us.

We spoke about routes, travels, backgrounds and shared a couple of dits from each others tours before retiring for the evening. We will skirt the border of Indiana/ Michigan tomorrow heading directly East.

Day 39 - REST DAY Chicago

We had a relaxed morning today, having an extended lie in before another great breakfast by Sue. Peter took us out to a nearby lake where we rented kayaks for an hour, taking a relaxed tour of the lakeside. A few heavy showers rolled through as we were on the water, but they were short lived and we dried off quickly. The weather improved for the afternoon.

Owens family came up from Chicago for the afternoon, and we accompanied Peter on a tour of the local airfields. We saw houses backing onto a runway, each with their own hangars. At the next airfield
we were able to get more hands on with a few small aircraft. Owen showed his knowledge explaining to me how you would control the aircraft, and giving a crash course in the proper terminology for different kinds of components. His familiarity was impressive, as you might expect from someone wanting a career in aeronautical engineering. We met a number of interesting characters who worked at the airfield with Peter, all very friendly and happy to answer questions about the aircraft. We saw a couple of aircraft take off before we had to leave as we were running late for dinner.

A taco dinner awaited us getting back courtesy of Sue, followed by a fantastic cake decorated with a map of the states and our cycle route. We said our goodbyes to Owens family after dinner, and settled down for an evening watching Battle of Britain and Tora Tora Tora. We depart tomorrow for the next phase of our journey into Indiana and Michigan.

Day 38 - REST DAY Chicago

We were treated to another great breakfast this morning courtesy of Sue, before venturing into Chicago and the Museum of Science and Industry. Not knowing the public transport system well, we took a train to a rough looking neighbourhood 2 miles from the Museum, and made hastily towards the large buildings of Chicago medical school out of the rough area.

The museum looked grand from the outside, and inside was set over three main levels. We luckily gained free entry thanks to our military ID, saving us $20 each.  The usual attractions you expect from a science museum were dotted around; a tornado simulator, small science demonstrations of interference and various physical principles. I got a little carried away with the interference demonstration using a combination of transducers, which is what happens when you spend a year studying marine acoustics. Initially though we were drawn to their Spitfire and Stuka dive bomber suspended from the ceiling, the first of either aircraft I have seen.

We looked at a large model train set they had set us, with depictions of Seattle, the Rockies, the Great Plains and Chicago. Not quite to scale, they seemed to skip a good thousand miles of wheat between the cities!

Other notable exhibits included a collection of foetuses collected in the 1930's with consent following unfortunate accidents, set in a chronology of the developmental stages. It was fascinating visualise the development of a baby. Another part of this exhibit had technological innovations in medicine and anatomy, such as cochlear implants, a bionic arm controlled by the mind, and a heart valve grown in the laboratory, pumping away in the corner! A visualisation of the Periodic Table with examples of all the elements (the safe ones at least!) and their uses was excellent to browse through. A few other highlights were a series of functional engines spanning from the relatively modern to the Ancient Greeks, a large aviation exhibit and a bicycle exhibit with the original precursor to the bicycle, a large wooden framed, steel rimmed bone rattling contraption.

By far the pinnacle of the exhibits though was the U-boat on display. U505 was captured by USS Guadalcanal and it's task force during the Second World War yielding the Americans important enigma codebooks and machines. The capture was kept a secret until after the war, a remarkable feat. We were able to walk around and under the boat, and had a brief but very insightful tour inside. It was larger than we expected, although certainly no Ritz inside for the crew of 59. On the outside there were still large holes in the conning tower courtesy of the US task force that captured it, fro .50 calibre, 20mm and 40mm armaments. One crew member was killed in the capture, but the rest were taken alive and failed to scuttle the vessel. An acoustic torpedo was laid out next to the submarine, which gave me another opportunity to get excited about marine acoustic applications. A couple of enigma machines were on display, which I have never seen before and provided the icing on the cake. An excellent exhibit all around.

Ceri treated us all to a meal after the museum, at a nice pub style restaurant. It was nice to sit down for a proper dinner with a glass of wine and flowing conversation for the evening before we returned on the train to Aurora.

Day 37 - REST DAY Chicago

Sue kindly cooked us breakfast of french toast, eggs and lashings of syrup before driving us to the train station in the morning. We caught the commuter train into Chicago Union Station, the same train that features in the film Source Code.

We spent the morning walking around Chicago, looking at the lakefront and Navy Pier. Chicago has the most sailing vessels of any city in the US and that was apparent as we passed scores of vessels of all shapes and sizes berthed along the shore. Cycle lanes ran along the lakefront, and tourists on "Boris bikes" shared the lanes with racers training. We caught sighting of the Chicago skyline which was spectacular.

Back into the city streets, we explored the river front shops and buildings before venturing to Millennium Park, where we found a few statues and art works including the large mirror arch bubble which we recognised from the end of Source Code. We also stumbled upon an orchestra practising in a large amphitheatre; A woman sang excellently at the front, her voice carrying across the park. Later we discovered there was a free to watch performance of Elgar's The Kingdom taking place in the evening.

Owen's family met us at Buckingham fountain, which erupts a 150ft geyser every hour for 20 minutes. We stopped for lunch at a nearby cafe, occasionally getting spattered with water blown over from the fountain. With Owen's family we decided to have a go at a Segway tour, courtesy of Ceri, Owen's dad. For a couple of hours we became those people that everybody thinks "No, I will not look that stupid" and did our best shameless tourist impression. It was a very interesting tour, and the Segways added an element of novelty. One more tick off the bucket list!

For dinner we picked up some sandwiches to go, and a few beers, and found ourselves a corner of the amphitheatre ready for the performance by the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus. We stayed for the first three parts which were excellent, albeit heavy to follow. The park was full of people enjoying the performance, locals and tourists from all backgrounds mixed together; Some people in the audience were still in their work clothes. The sense of culture is prescient in Chicago.

We look forward to exploring the Science and Industry Museum tomorrow.

Day 36 - Beloit to Aurora 82 miles

This morning we were treated to one of the nicest breakfasts of the trip. A plentiful supply of a bread and butter pudding style bake with mountains of fruit, bacon, syrup and coffee! This helped wake me up better than Gizmo's repeated headbutting to the face at 0630 (no hard feelings Gizmo).

Tom kindly offered to escort us out of the town to the trail, swinging by to meet Rob at Beloit College who had a few mementoes from Wisconsin for us. Tom and Rob were the first to notice our exercise logo on our jerseys with the dragon, unicorn and lion. We departed the college, and Tom took us to the trail head. Golden Finches (thank you Tom for identifying them) darted alongside us while we rode.

Today was mostly along crushed limestone paths and county road sections in between. A Southwesterly wind meant we alternated between headwind and tailwind all day as we went South then East along the gridded county roads. 46 miles by lunch in Sycamore, with most of the hard work done for the day; The rest was all cycle paths.

We took the Great Western Trail to St Charles, crossing arching wood bridges and meeting a few nice groups who would inquire as to our destination. It was always fun seeing their double take in our rear view mirrors when we replied "New York!"

From St Charles it was a scenic path down Fox River where a local cyclist, Paul, met us and as we were going his way opted to stay with us, chat and escort us to Aurora. Paul was Italian in origin, and has family there in the South. We spoke of Italy, in particular Venice, and Hawaii which is like a second home to him and is somewhere I would like to visit. We split ways at Aurora, thankful for the local knowledge and the opportunity to switch off to an extent and follow a local rider.

A final bike path took us straight to Peter Taylors' house. Peter is a family friend of Owen who kindly offered us a place to stay for a few days while we rest in Chicago. Owens' family is also here, who Jake and I first met on our training ride, and it is nice to see some familiar faces. Plenty of photos and home video, while we told stories of our trip and heard about their experiences here in Chicago over the last week.

Tomorrow we are looking forward to a whole day without cycling! (The first in 36 days).

Day 35 - Sauk City to Beloit 86.4 miles

Last night after finishing the blog I set to messaging a few hosts in the hopes of a nice place indoors to spend the night. very quickly I received replies from two hosts, one offering to pay our camping fees which struck us as very kind and generous for a stranger, and another from Terri and Tom in Beloit who offered us up a floor for the night. Fantastic! We took up the offer and even had a cooked dinner and breakfast to look ahead to!

We blitzed through the continental breakfast buffet and were out for 8. Some gear issues on Jakes' bike delayed us a little but we were well on our way by half past. Initially we took a road alongside a railway line winding through the valleys and hills. This road took us up to the Wisconsin Heights, which lived up to their name presenting us with two substantial hills at Mt Horeb and New Glarus. After grinding over these, fighting a stiff headwind all the way, we stopped at a pub in New Glarus for lunch. We made it just short of half way to our hosts by lunch, and not as far as we would usually have come.

The final 46 miles initially took us along a sheltered state trail, providing precious relief from the wind, and letting us make up the miles. We were very conscious of making it to our hosts in time for dinner. At Brodhead we left the trail and onto the county roads. Along the Beloit - Newark road the trail became hilly again, but the wind was behind us and dinner was calling. I sent our hosts an ETA and what route we were heading in on. About half way down the road a tall man on a road bike in a yellow jersey approached shouting to us. We wondered if there was some trouble ahead. It turned out to be Tom! He had cycled out to meet us and very kindly escorted us back, avoiding the hills we were currently grinding through. His knowledge of the local area was fantastic also, telling us of the crops, birds, industry and even when we temporarily crossed into Illinois. He had a union flag outside his house heralding our arrival.

Inside we were greeted by their four cats, the most memorable of which was Gizmo who was by far the most friendly cat I have met (and quite possibly the fluffiest). A macaroni cheese bake with home made sourdough bread went down exceptionally well, before we set out for the local supermarket to pick up the New Glarus Spotted Cow beer. An enjoyable evening chatting with Tom and later his wife Terri and daughter Airn. Tom works as an orthopaedic surgeons assistant, helping with casts and in surgery, which I am all too familiar with! Terri works with children who have been excluded from school. We spoke about current affairs and local traditions at home and here over a dessert of brownies and ice cream which set us up for bed with full stomachs.

Day 34 - Sparta to Sauk City 85.3 miles

After a night of rain in the tent at a fairly primitive campground we were out early under the cool overcast sky. The temperature was perfect for cycling today. The rain had turned the hard crushed limestone path into a grippy, muddy surface that dragged a bit on our wheels. We considered moving onto the road, but one look at the Devon style hills the road was climbing over and we decided the old railway line was better, even if it dragged a bit.

The trail reminded us of the Plym Valley Trail that we trained on back home, on a disused railway cutting between and through large rolling hills. We passed through a few long, wet tunnels, the longest of which was a mile long. As we approached a tunnel we would be struck by a strong, cold breeze on the trail, before the tunnel came into view. Unlit, and full of mist, visibility was poor and it was fun dodging the potholes as the came into view a metre or two ahead. They echoed very well, and for entertainment in one Jake played the march of the Grenadier Guards while we rode through, the march resonating through the tunnel.

We made it 45 miles along the trail before lunch at a local restaurant in La Valle catering to cyclists on the trail. We decided to go for another long day into Sauk City, with the prospect of a few days off in Chicago drawing closer.

Leaving the nice gradients of the trail, we were on road for the last 30 miles. We kept off the main roads for the most part, sticking to small county roads. Three lycra clad touring cyclists seemed a novel sight to the few locals we passed. We hit the steepest hill of the trip so far, and the first we have had to walk our bikes up.

The final stretch from Baraboo into Sauk City was mostly along the busy Route 12. A light rain started as we ascended the second large, steep hill of the day. By the time we topped out it was becoming heavier. The descent was a wet one as the rain became progressively worse. We moved off the main road onto local roads as visibility worsened, for safety from the traffic. Lightning could be seen ahead and I became somewhat apprehensive cycling in the open ground of the main road, so the local roads were a little less exposing. As we went, the storm grew worse. Lightning bolted overhead. An arc crashed into the treeline at the crest of a hill 100 metres ahead. Every flash that filled our vision seemed too close.

As we came into Sauk City, we made the call the stop in McDonalds for dinner and to use the internet to look up accommodation options. As we parked the bikes up and walked inside a flash filled the windows and the power momentarily cutout as the building was struck! We decided camping was a bad idea, and called the local motel to book in. A night in a wet, windy tent became our first night in a proper bed since Seattle, 34 days ago, a continental breakfast and a heated swimming pool.

We hope to make Chicago on Thursday evening now, with 166 miles to go.

Day 33 - Wabasha to Sparta 89 miles

First thing in the morning we retreated under the park shelter to get out of the downpour that had continued through the night. As we were getting ready to depart, Daniel came over for some parting words and a couple of pictures. We exchanged details to follow each other then left.

We crossed the Misissippi under an overcast sky with a fair wind, reminding me of crossing the Bristol Channel to Wales in training. We followed the river South through a few small towns, picking up a disused railway line which we would follow for the rest of the day.

Lunch was at a local inn on the river we passed, which served good food but not enough of it, and we were not too full by the end. This would bite us later on. We decided, as there was a 24 hour Walmart in Sparta, we would push on for a late finish and eat there. Our energy levels crashed on route, but luckily we had enough snacks to fuel us on to the end.

We met another group of tourers, older than us, doing a five day tour of the trails. We were keen to get to dinner though, and only stopped for a brief chat.

At Walmart I was looking to see if they had a Wisconsin sew on patch to add to my collection from other states. An employee approached me and said he had something better, but he would post it. Joe Mathews, a member of a local National Guard unit (32nd, but I cannot recall the full title), offered to send me a flash of his unit, which would be unique as opposed to a patch bought from a supermarket. He also gave us a Challenge Coin, with the National Guard and US Army cast on either side. These unexpected mementoes of the trip were very much appreciated, and certainly perked up morale after the long day into the wind we just had.

We demolished a foot long Subway each and a cheesecake between us, the found our campsite. Owen and I have now swapped our tyres over, as the rear one was wearing much faster with the weight of our panniers. I also received another puncture, another small staple of metal, which we now know comes from the blown out tyres spread along the highways. An early night now, and only 3 or 4 more days to Chicago.

Day 32 - Inver Grove Heights to Wabasha 74 miles

As Larry and Jane had kindly offered to cook breakfast for us this morning we allowed ourselves an indulgent 0630 alarm. We arose to bacon, eggs, coffee, tea, orange juice and toast with jam which was like a dream come true. After a quick navigation check with the help of Jane and her map which helpfully had the contour lines drawn, we took some pictures with our kind hosts, said our farewells and departed.

Only a slight headwind today as we headed Southeast along the Mississippi, which kept us cool in the muggy heat. An overcast sky helped a great deal. Rolling hills and dense greenery was reminiscent of the UK, and as we approached Lake City and the river widened it looked more like an estuary than a river; Steep cliffs lined the banks, the river widened into the distance like an estuary mouth and a number of sailing boats and other water craft enjoyed the calm water.

We stopped in Red Wing for lunch, trying our first Arby's (a commercial sandwich shop chain). It was fairly uneventful cycling today, which I suppose is a good thing, and the time went fast with plenty to look at as we went. It was a quick 33 miles after lunch along the River Road through Lake City to Wabasha. We managed to get a toot of the horn from another Amtrak and later a large tug boat pushing two barges! We decided to stop early in Wabasha, close to our 75 mile target which gave us a little extra time at the campsite to go for a dip in the Mississippi before we cross it tomorrow. On seeing the quality of the water, Jake and I limited ourselves to a quick paddle, but Owen went all out for a swim. Luckily the showers were close at hand.

Tomorrow we cross the river and follow its course along the other bank, avoiding a section of interstate on the West bank kindly pointed out by Jane this morning. We should leave the Mississippi behind us tomorrow as we enter into Wisconsin on our way to Chicago.

Edit: On finishing writing this post yesterday we were approached by two gentlemen. One, Thomas, worked at a local bar and pointed us in the right direction for a couple of beers to celebrate our 2000th mile and the crossing of the Mississippi tomorrow. The other, Daniel Lee Richard Tougas, was canoeing down the Mississippi from St Cloud where we stayed with Stephanie, all the way to the delta and the Texas coast! We joined them at Slippery's, a local haunt with good craft beer on tap. Thomas treated us to a round and we shared stories. Thomas had been walking in Brecon, a favourite place of mine for hillwalking. Daniel used to be an Air Force mechanic working on F4 Phantoms during Vietnam.

Day 31 - REST DAY Minneapolis to Inver Grove Heights 34.1 miles

In the morning there was the bustle of a communal house getting ready for work. The atmosphere in the house was friendly and relaxed, and they seem to have found a good way of balancing communal living which can often be fraught with difficulties.

We cooked a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs, washed down with their own lemonade and saving room for the food at the much recommended Global Food Market up the road. Once there we picked up some extra goodies, cakes and pastries, before heading out for the Greenway beneath the city. An old railway line, it has been converted into a two lane bicycle route with a pedestrian path and green field alongside. With the 24 hour cycle in full swing still, tents and stalls lined the way with teams setting up their base or shops selling wares.

We rode to the river and the stone bridge where the US Army Corps of Engineers had a hydroelectric station on the river at the site of an old mill. After exploring the town, sampling some fresh local strawberry lemonade as we went, we had a last look at the hydroelectric park, learning a bit about hydroelectric infrastructure, then returned to the bikes. The mercury was soaring again today, approaching 40C again; It was nice to get moving on the bikes to let the wind flow over us.

Returning to the Global Food Market for lunch we decided to try some authentic Mexican food with plates of tacos, burritos and some style of pancakes, finished off with a few churros (deep fried dough sticks with sugar and cinnamon).

After lunch I contacted a couple of hosts outside of the city limits on the off chance of a third night with a host in a row, we packed our things and left. Around 10 miles in, and a couple of bonus miles gained from roadworks, I received an email from Jane and Larry Copes who live just outside the twin cities (Minneapolis and St Paul) to the South. Success, we had a lawn to pitch our tent, a shower (cold, not warm, by choice after cycling in the humidity all day), and even a cooked dinner! Only 13 miles of rolling hills separated us from our destination. With a few hours yet to go we took our time, enjoying the surroundings which are looking greener the further we go on our way.

We pulled into their driveway, noticing the fresh tarmac as you do after a month on the road, and spotted Larry in front of his garage cooking a barbeque; Already a promising start! Larry and Jane were very friendly and had dinner ready just in time for us arriving. Sausages, rolls, salad, fruit, smores and a cold drink all went down well, and were more than we could have hoped for. Jane and Larry entertained us with stories of their own cycling escapades, around the US and the UK. Soon after dinner they were off to a local dance and left us with ample supplies of biscuits, marshmallows and chocolate for smores, along with the promise of breakfast which we will be very grateful for!

Day 30 - Waite Park to Minneapolis 78 miles

A comfortable night on Stephanies' futon set us up well for today. We had an indulgent lie in until 0630 and a relaxed morning as Stephanie cooked us a breakfast of porridge and scrambled eggs.

The roads were busy in the morning and a few roadwork sections forced us to find detours. As we found on the training rides, progress becomes a little stop-start in metropolitan areas. We found our road, route 75, and caught the Mississippi River Trail. Still no sight of the Mississippi though.

The road was another very straight course following roughly the route of the interstate, and occasionally we would weave alongside and see the heavy metropolitan traffic roaring through. This interstate was a world apart from the quiet dual carriageway that we rode through North Dakota on, and we were glad to be on the side road.

Occasionally the Mississippi Rover Trail would branch off down a short section of bike trail, but mostly we were on quiet roads all day. We made Otsego for lunch, where we stopped at Denny's, a commercial chain of diners.

After leaving Otsego we had a particularly hilly section to traverse before we hit the outer suburbs of Minneapolis. The temperature climbed to 40C and the humidity compounded this such that whenever we stopped we would be immediately drenched in sweat. Tempers frayed at times with this, but it was nothing an ice cream at the next service station couldn't fix.

We caught our first sighting of the Mississippi along here, and as we moved into the metropolitan area we rode alongside its banks into the centre of the city. On our way in we were struck by the size of Minneapolis. It was a good 20 miles from the outskirts to the centre. When we came alongside the interstate around 15 miles out we caught sight of a cluster of skyscrapers in the heart of the city, the first we have seen since Seattle.

Minneapolis is the most bike friendly city I have been in. Large cycle lanes with buffer zones and even a few solid barriers make navigating the city easy and safe. There is even the "Greenway" we are told which runs underneath the city and is totally free of traffic. The city seems a diverse, liberal and multicultural city. A very pleasant place to be, and we decided that tomorrow it would be nice to spend a morning exploring.

I managed to contact a host in the city, Natalie, who offered is a place in her shared cooperative house. Natalie works in education, teaching about cooperatives and also some outdoor education. She is actually going to start leading tours with ACA, the makers of the route maps we have been using.

On arrival we were greeted by her housemate Andrew who, seeing our weathered and sweat drenched selves, asked "would you guys like to go to the lake?" This was music to our ears! An afternoon swim in the lake with the sun setting over the far side was fantastic, and we felt human again. We also met Beth, who was another host I had messaged but could not accommodate us. We swam then went for ice cream.

A 24 hour cycle race had started by the time we returned, doing laps of the block we are staying on. Our hosts sat outside with banjos and fresh lemonade!

We have been told that the East African food here, Ethiopian and Somali in particular, is excellent, with the largest population outside of Africa. We went to investigate and found an inauspicious looking establishment where one local approached us warning that it was Somali food. I asked whether that meant we should not go in, but he said no, but he thought we might not like it... .

It was excellent. Goat meat with excellently flavoured rice and salad and fresh juice. The rice reminded me of an establishment back in Qatar that served rice and chicken which was very good. It was good food and lots of it. We were the only non-Somali people in there. We then moved on for a quick craft beer where the tiredness caught up with us.

We returned to the house, which was easy to find as we just had to follow the cyclists until we heard banjos. After a short conversation with the hosts and their friends we retreated to the living room for the night.

PS. I forgot to mention a very interesting woman we had a chat with on our way through a small town yesterday whose husband had been in the 8th Air Force and flew 36 missions in a B-17 as a radio operator over France!

Day 29 - Dalton to Waite Park 103.2 miles

Luckily the thunderstorms swept by to the East of us overnight, leaving us dry in our little corner of Dalton City Park. More locals came by to chat in the morning, with one friendly man bringing over some ice cold water which we drank while he told tales of other tourers that had passed through over the years. It seemed as if everyone in town knew of the British cyclists in the park.

A derailleur misalignment set us back slightly, and we finally left around 0820. This mattered little though as the wind had slackened off somewhat and the path was very smooth and fast. We followed the Central Lakes Trail and the Lake Wobegon Trail all day; Smooth crushed limestone packed into a solid surface. We averaged 13mph (10 on the up hill, and 17 on the down) which meant by lunch we had almost made it to our target destination for the day! With 60 miles down by 1330, we set our sights higher and aimed for St Joseph, the end of the trail. Not before Jake and Owen attempted the ten cheeseburger challenge at McDonalds... .

Towns are close together here relative to North Dakota and Eastern Montana, around 6 miles apart. They also seem to have a bit more life. With church spires to aim for, trees lining the path and rolling green hills, it was almost as if we were back in the UK cycling along one of the old railway lines.

We passed a few questionably named lakes (you can wait for the Facebook pictures to elaborate) and made St Joseph for 1730. After a little cycle around town trying to find the correct park where camping is allowed we pulled into the site beside the softball pitches. A local came by and informed us that the site was full and the police were moving people on, luckily just as I was about to pay! We rolled around the corner to a tuck shop for a soft drink, a chocolate bar and a think. I checked Warm Showers on the off chance there was someone within cycling distance with a phone number to ring. After 95 miles already, cycling much further was not a welcome prospect. It turned out we were in a hotspot for cycle touring and hosting, and were spoiled for choice! We picked the closest one.

After two tries I got through to Stephanie Hart from Waite Park. At such short notice she brilliantly offered us a place for the night when she got home from work. We took a leisurely scenic route to her house avoiding the busy main road, crossing the Sauk River again. We met her at the apartment block, a cheerful woman who had toured and hosted a number of times; A postcard from another couple of cyclists she hosted is laid on the table. She works for a non-profit connecting supply teachers with schools to help children get up to speed with their English and maths.

A shower, a clothes wash, a hot dinner of quinoa with black beans and vegetables and a cool root beer and hard cider (what they call alcoholic cider), and we are feeling human again. Tomorrow we should hit the Mississippi and follow that South for the day. A major milestone in our trip.

Day 28 - Fargo to Dalton 72 miles

Last night was the most comfortable nights sleep we have had so far. Delia we very accommodating, and it felt like home. We had a later start at 0600 and were out for 0800 after saying our goodbyes to Delia, her family and pets.

Leaving Fargo and North Dakota behind us, we rode parallel to the interstate along County roads most of the morning. A 20mph Southeasterly headwind, gusting at 30, made us question the reports of a prevailing Westerly wind we received before setting out. We have had maybe three tailwinds this trip.

Until lunch it was pretty similar to what we have been dealing with across North Dakota; long straight roads with corn or pea crops on either side. Our progress was laborious, rarely reaching speeds in double figures. We stopped at Rothsay for a lunch of burgers and cherry pie at the truckers cafe and it took some effort to will ourselves onwards back into the headwind.

We turned off the direct route into Fergus Falls in order to enter from the West and pass the local Walmart Supercenter for a resupply of gas for the camping stove. From Fergus Falls we joined the Central Lakes State Trail, a crushed limestone cycle path along an old railway line. The surface is compacted like tarmac and is very quick; With trees lining the route, the wind was somewhat abated and our speed picked up.

By the time we joined the cycle route it was getting to 5pm and time to look for a nearby campsite. We pushed onwards to Dalton where we are camped in the City Park. Free of charge, but with only a water tap and a drop toilet. A local kid, Tyrone, came over inquisitively asking about our trip, and the UK. He seemed bright and motivated, playing a number of instruments and very keen on his cycling; He will go far.

Fingers crossed for a lighter wind tomorrow. With thunderstorms set to pass over tonight we are hopeful the wind will abate soon after.

PS. We are officially half way there! (Bon Jovi that's your cue).

Day 27 - REST DAY Fargo

We had a good night last night. This morning was less fun. We shied away in the nearest greasy spoon  with a steady supply of coffee to ease us back to life.

Today we needed to do some route planning, printing off maps for the sections ahead where we deviate from the ACA route. I also had to send of some signed documents. Next up was the bike shop. On route to the nearest shop we encountered Shaun, who we met last night at the brewery. He works at another bike shop in the city and escorted us there on his way to work. I had my spoke fixed, they found the culprit behind the puncture as well. They things became expensive. New chains were needed, but luckily not new sprockets, and my bike needed new brake cables. It was good to get the bikes totally tuned up again though, and the difference was noticeable on riding away from the shop. I also took the opportunity to buy a new rear view mirror as my previous one was being held together by duct tape and wedged into position with a small rock!

Onwards then to the Fargo Air Museum, which was smaller than we expected, but nevertheless had a few interesting aircraft, as least for myself as I have never been to an air museum or air show before. Apparently it was somewhat lacking compared to what you can find in the UK.

We had a few technical issues contacting our new host for tonight and so did not know where we were heading until 8pm. I will have to be sure to tell future hosts to message me online as texts are not getting through. We made it to Delia's house at half 8 and were greeted by her energetic Labrador with its slobbery fetch ball and her other animals including another, smaller dog and a number of cats. She has hosted a lot of people this Summer, including our fellow Scottish traveller heading the same way, Gordon. He is gradually making ground from us. We have shared a number of the same hosts so far.

Her home is warm, welcoming and her family is exceptionally friendly. She regaled us with stories of past travellers, and her daughter Sam has an incredible knack for remembering names, reeling off a list of a few dozen travellers who have passed through. Their house is lined with books in any space available, and Sam reportedly reads between 80 and 90 books per year! It was a shame we arrived so late and could not talk longer.

Tomorrow we head southeast towards Minneapolis, on the run towards Chicago. We should reach The Windy City around the 22nd of August.

Day 26 - Tower City to Fargo 50 miles

Knowing it was going to be a relatively short day into Fargo we took the opportunity for a lie in, finally rolling out of the tent at 0730. Our host, Lindsay, was working until 3pm so there was no rush to get into town. Our gas ran out last night and the emergency solid fuel canister was disappointing to say the least, taking half an hour to boil a kettle. We packed up quickly and wiled away the morning in the local cafe for breakfast instead.

I received another slow puncture which had leaked overnight, and the first order of business was to do a repair. We couldn't find anything in the tyre, so I put the inner tube back in, which is starting to become more repair patch than original rubber. Soon enough the wheel was going flat again, but it was a slow enough puncture to make it to Fargo, topping it up every hour or so.

We stayed off the interstate as we approached the city as it was getting rather busy, and I recalled reading a number of news stories of cyclists riding on the busier sections of interstate getting into some trouble with the highway patrol. Not wanting an international incident, we stayed on the smaller County roads. These varied between gravel and tarmac, and laid out in a perfect North - South, East - West grid. There was not a great deal to see on route, although we passed a large ethanol manufacturing plant which apparently is where all of the corn grown in the region is destined.

We made it to Fargo in time for lunch before meeting Lindsay. We found the North Dakota State University campus and their local student haunt to eat. After a fairly standard student bar meal we had a look around their campus. Like everything in America, it was on a much larger scale to what we are used to in Plymouth and Exeter. It's own busses would run across the site. Despite the size it was surprising to learn the university, with twelve thousand students, is less than half the size of Plymouth, with thirty thousand.

We also found an information stand for their Reserve Officer Training Corps, the equivalent of our own University Officer Training Corps, which gave us an interesting insight into the system they have across the pond.

Time to meet our host! Lindsay immediately came across full of life, introducing to her awesome three legged dog Avi with a personality to match. A cold beer went down nicely, and she soon opened up with a fountain of knowledge of the best and local beers from here to New York.

We left for dinner of tacos which thankfully were kinder on our digestive systems than the Taco Bell we tried a couple of weeks ago. We washed them down with Margaritas before Lindsay took us to the local craft brewery. We spent the evening chatting while tasting the local ales and eating the steady supply of salted popcorn. We introduced them to local British games such as the Gloucester cheese rolling, shin kicking and village football.

Day 25 - Medina to Tower City 80 miles

Last night we went for a drink at the towns bar to wind down. On approaching the bar a woman outside approached us, "What do you want?"

Glancing between her and the bar we thought it obvious what we wanted, and hesitated.

"You're not soliciting are you? What do you want?"

"Err... no. We want a drink... ."

"How old are you guys?" She asked, and gestured for us to show our ID. We assumed she was the owner. She was dressed in a hoodie and sweatpants and was slurring her words. Once we showed our ID she took us inside where we saw the actual bar lady who looked quizzically at this woman when she told her she had ID'd us. It turned out she was just a drunken local. On entering the bar there was a classic room goes silent, music stops playing, and everyone is staring at you moment. This town definitely does not get any visitors we thought. We hastily had our drinks then left.

The morning was less eventful, but the time zone change was still catching us out, and we were up a bit later than usual at 0545. We were on the road for 0750. Arrow straight and lined with vast swathes of agricultural land, wheat and corn fields, along either side. It was reminiscent of Eastern Montana. It felt like the longest morning yet.

The road would occasionally bisect a small lake, where a lot of wildlife could be seen. Birds like pelicans, ducks, small rodents and the occasional crushed terrapin or frog on the road.

Lunch took an age to arrive. It was a late one at Valley City, 60 miles in. We thought to be quick and get back on the road so we could get to the campsite early, but a slow puncture on my rear wheel had other ideas. Small staple like slivers of metal occasionally get themselves into one of our wheels. One every few days it seems.

I also contacted a few warm showers hosts in Fargo. In lightning time we had a reply from a girl called Lindsay who we are looking forward to staying with tomorrow evening.

We aimed to get 23 miles to Buffalo after lunch, but with the puncture and a large hill out of Valley City we decided to call it a day at Tower City after 16 miles. We found a lovely campsite at the local motel, tucked away in the corner with dense corn fields on two sides, the tent nestled between an apple tree and a lone evergreen. A vegetable patch next to the tent contains a range of vegetables that would normally need a greenhouse in the UK to grow.

The proprietor was mowing the grass and asked Jake and I to move a swingset for him. We obliged and he proceeded to pay us $10. We said it was not necessary but he insisted, so we resolved to put it to the charities. We have had a couple random donations from people now, the first being from a man in a supermarket who approached us while we were packing our bags. He donated $20 and got talking to us, after which he pulled out another $10! We have also been approached by a woman at Perkins who took details for the online fundraising page (www.virginmoneygiving.com/EUOTCmain).

Owen just opened the two tins of beef stew he has been carrying around for the last week to find out it is just a runny beef stock. Dinner tonight is spaghetti with beef stock...