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...

Day 24 - Bismarck to Medina 78.1 miles

We had a late night last night chatting to Kathryn and her friend Tiffany, so with the time zone change as well we had a late start leaving at 0730 and heading to Perkins for a cooked breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs and hash browns with a rolling supply of coffee. We were out on the road by 0930.

A slight headwind resisted us all day, and the difference was marked from yesterday and the day before. We were around 4mph slower on the flat today. We set our sights on Medina where google informed us there was camping in the city park. We have decided to move away from the ACA route we have been following as it drops South 50 miles from the interstate and follows an arrow straight road all the way to Fargo. The shallow gradients of the interstate are far more appealing and letting the knees recover.

On route we encountered a large section of roadworks where the right lane and shoulder were being resurfaced. Initially we got to ride a few miles along brand new tarmac that was coned off from traffic, making it a dream to ride on. But as we caught up the the works the surface had been ripped up and we had to hug the side of the traffic lane, with lorries rolling past close enough to touch, inches from our panniers. We made it through in one piece though although not without a few close encounters. We took the next exit and bypassed the rest of the roadworks on a parallel road to Steele, where we had lunch at the service station. We aso picked up a Minnesota map here. 47 miles down, 30 to go.

The road was mostly flat for the last 30 miles but the headwind slowed us. There were some spectacular moments where we could see from our point on the road up to three miles of straight road extending to the distance, looking deceptively short. There would be an exit in the distance with a bridge, preceded by signs at one mile intervals so we could judge the distance.

We made it the 77 miles to Medina by 6pm and are now enjoying a dinner of spam and beans courtesy of Owen, who has been in charge of dinners.

Day 23 - Dickinson to Bismarck 106 miles

Dan was off to work early this morning so we were out and cycling by 0720. Not before being treated to fried eggs and toast courtesy of our host!

Back on Interstate 94 we had a quick start but soon ran into a number of steeper hills than yesterday, rolling 100ft up, 100ft down. This continued all day. Given the continuing mild tailwind we set our sights on Bismarck. We knew it was 1000ft below us but we didn't drop over 300ft below our starting point until around 95 miles in and the final descent into the city.

Despite the hills, the going was steady although not particularly interesting with wheat fields abundant broken by the occasional field of sunflowers or sandstone tower. Sunflowers grew between the cracks in the road like weeds but nicer to look at.

We unexpectedly passed into the Central Time Zone and were dismayed to lose an hour, although it did give us a sense of progress. We had a late lunch at 2pm after 70 miles in New Salem, where "Salem Sue" towered over the landscape, a giant statue of a dairy cow perched on the hill overlooking the town and interstate.

After lunch we reluctantly set out on the rolling hills once more, 100ft up, 100ft down, and repeat until you die a little inside. We contacted another host in Bismarck at lunch, confident we would make the final 30 or so miles. We received a reply just as we were approaching the exits for the city, which is the biggest population centre we have encountered since Seattle. It read "Sorry no can do, but there is camping in the national park" (or words to that effect). We readied ourselves for a night in the tent, but then another message came through "Just kidding!"

We had dinner in town watching a local team play softball in the park while we waited for Kathryn to finish work. We then followed her back to her apartment, an apartment complex where the garage buildings take up more space than the apartment buildings (which is not unusual as far as we can tell - some houses are half garage over here).

Kathryn is from South Carolina which gives her a different accent to what we have been used to hearing, which is novel. She works in retail, but spends a lot of her time as an anti-fracking activist. We have seen many fracking sites alongside the interstate with large derricks pumping away. Kathryn has done work with locals who believe they have been impacted by fracking in Pennsylvania and now here in North Dakota.

It was very nice of her to offer her floor at such short notice. An easier day we feel tomorrow as muscles and joints are beginning to feel the strain of the last 4 days of hills. The long flat sections we were expecting definitely did not materialise!

Day 22 - Glendive to Dickinson 108 miles

A comfortable night on the floor at Joan's house had us well rested for the day today. We saved our gas and she kindly let us use her hob for breakfast. She donated us some vegetables and cherries for the road and we were off.

We were apprehensive about the prospect of cycling on the interstate today which the Adventure Cycling maps go along. It turned out to be excellent though. It was more of a quiet dual carriageway than a motorway which we imagined, and the shoulder was a full lanes width. We felt quite safe. The gradients were shallow mostly and progress was fast and steady all day. Combined with interesting scenery and a steady supply of cherries in the morning, we had our first truly pleasant day of riding since coming out of the Rockies.

The headwind of the last two days was initially still there but weaker, but soon it changed to a tailwind and strengthened considerably. Hills which would have been 7mph hills yesterday were a casual 12-14mph today! Our initial destination aim of Midora was reached by 1230, 65 miles in.

At Midora we stopped at the Dacota Cyclery shop to buy more Chamois Cream, learn how to properly calibrate the brakes and to check my bikes fit to try and alleviate the knee issues I have been having of late. It seems I rode the first 1000 miles with my seat an inch too low which is the source of a lot of my problems. With it raised, cycling became somewhat more comfortable.

We found an all-you-can-eat buffet in town, and as it was 5 minutes before closing we were told we could only have one go through. Seeing this as more of a challenge than a problem, we each stocked trays high with plates of food and dessert. We suffered for it after though and couldn't move for the next hour!

Once we felt functional again we set out, though not before contacting a host in Dickinson on the off chance of a place to stay. Soon after leaving it was a long and steep hill over a broken sandstone plateau. We found an excellent viewpoint overlooking Painted Canyon; a vast landscape of sandstone towers and deep valleys between them. We imagined what it must look like at sunset in awe.

It was rolling hills from hereon to Dickinson but the tailwind made light work of them. We made Dickinson for 6pm, and resupplied at the supermarket. Having not heard from our potential host we made for the nearest campsite on the Heart River. After descending to the river we found the office shut with a large "No Tent Camping" sign outside. A little dismayed I set about finding another site, but saw an email notification. Dan had replied and we had a place to stay! It was trickier than we anticipated to find his apartment block, and by the time we found him after he came out on his bike to meet us we had accumulated 8 bonus miles for the day!

A light dinner of cake and tea (we are still feeling a bit too full from the buffet) and a chat about his cycling experience and work and we are off to bed. Fingers crossed for similar winds tomorrow.

Day 21 - Vida to Glendive 78.2 miles

We decided to get out early again today, as the extra hour on the road meant we could get a good distance covered before lunch despite the headwind. The wind was still in our faces, although it was a little less intense than yesterday.

This morning a thick fog blanketed the plains with visibility initially around 20 metres. Lights on, we progressed steadily and cautiously. It was actually nice without the view of the straight road and the ocean of wheat through which we were cycling. Hills, creeks and side roads appeared only as we approached them, making our progress seem quicker in our minds. It was not to be though, and the sun soon burned the fog off; The undulating road stretched away from us South to the horizon.

Last night Jake timed how long it took for a cars rear lights to disappear over the horizon along this road, and it was close to four minutes.

We stopped in Circle to refuel on snacks and check the internet to see if our probing messages to hosts in Glendive had bore fruit. Success! Two out of three hosts offered us a place to stay, and we sent a message to one to accept the offer before setting back out on the road. 49 miles to go.

We began heading East again from Circle, the next town being Lindsay 25 miles away. It was uphill for the first 20 miles or so and the headwind stayed with us. A quick icecream and lunch in Lindsay and we were off down hill to Glendive.

In town we met with Joan, who calls herself 'Mutt'. She lives in a quiet neighbourhood with her dog Cinder and the air-conditioning in the living room was a great relief from the 36 degree heat outside. She works as a physician in the town which provided a good opportunity to discuss the healthcare system here. She kindly took us out to Makoshika State Park, where many dinosaur fossils are excavated each year. We visited some stunning viewpoints overlooking the eroded Sandstone landscape with the great plains extending away into the distance. We also visited an amphitheatre where Shakespearean plays are performed against the dramatic backdrop of the park. We then drove back to the town, discussing her time in the Peace Corps and the weather as us Brits are known to do, except here that includes tornadoes! One struck last week, and we were off on a tour of the local damage, with great trees ripped out of the ground and windows smashed. It was sad to see the local cemetery badly damaged by the storm.

We have just been back and cooked dinner, again she showed her generosity by lending us her fresh vegetables and dressing for a salad. A night indoors tonight will be a welcome change.

Day 20 - Glasgow to Vida 73 miles

"How far did we go today Jake?"
"72...73 miles or so?"
"Not bad."
"Yes, a good days cycling... I didn't enjoy any of it."
"No."

We were up and ready to leave in record time this morning, as we took advantage of the hotel restaurant which opened at 6am. We were on the road for 0720 and saw nothing for 45 miles. A 20mph headwind fought us all the way. It conveniently changed direction as we took the few turns in the route so it remained in our faces all day. The going was slow but steady, and the joints didn't give too much trouble thankfully.

We left Milk River behind and started following the Missouri River to Wolf Point. At lunch we took advantage of the McDonalds WiFi to research the next town to camp, which looked pretty basic with no official camping and a declining population of 70 at the 2001 census. I also contacted a few potential WarmShowers hosts for tomorrow evening in Glendive.

After lunch we turned off Route 2 for the last time (with a long sigh of relief after being on it since Columbia Falls before West Glacier!) We headed South and the trusted headwind turned from Easterly to Southerly at the same time.

Crossing the Missouri River Jake and Owen paused on the bridge to look at an old disused bridge adjacent to us. Distracted by the map I braked too late and went into the back of Owen, almost losing my balance backwards. It was only when I looked behind did I see the foot high token crash barrier and how I nearly went for a swim in the Missouri!

A minor accident earlier in the day also saw Owens rear mudguard get snapped and that is a future project to repair on a rest day.

The road was arrow straight from here on with no settlements until Vida. We did get some excitement out of watching a thunderstorm develop to our Right which crept towards us as we rode on. Plenty of lightning and thick sheets of rain. This spurred us on to bypass the main body of the storm to save us a period of lying on the tick-strewn grass to avoid the lightning (we are the tallest things for miles). We got to Vida just in time, were happy to see a small bar which served food and offered us a patch of grass to pitch up. We are now sheltering inside away from the rain.

Fingers crossed for a let up in the headwind tomorrow. Around 79 miles to Glendive.

Day 19 - REST DAY Glasgow

Today was spent mostly relaxing in the pool/ jacuzzi for myself, being mindful to rest my knee, while Jake and Owen went into town to see the museum and get haircuts. A fairly uneventful morning and afternoon. The Rodeo was still on so we decided to head down and see what they were doing today.

Before leaving we got chatting to a Canadian man with the strongest Canadian accent we have heard yet (with Canada only 50 miles away we have run into a few on our travels). He was touring the US on his motorcycle and seemed to think we were mad doing it on our bikes. We had an interesting conversation and he kindly offered to watch our things as we went to see the fair as he was not too interested in the Rodeo. We exchanged some details and he gave me a t-shirt from his hometown as a memento.

The Rodeo was the same as last night, except the contenders appeared less skilled. We quickly grew bored and it seems once you have seen one Rodeo you have seen them all. We stayed for the Barrel Racing which seemed the most sporting competition then left for an early night, anticipating an early start tomorrow. We all felt ready to get out of Glasgow.

Day 18 - REST DAY Glasgow

We decided to have a couple of full rest days here in Glasgow, MT, to let the knees recover and watch the Rodeo. We started with a large breakfast of pancakes or biscuits and gravy to break from the usual porridge. Jake and Owen went down to the fair grounds out of curiosity to watch the "Cowboy Church Service" while I cracked on with some admin back at the campsite/ hotel. They returned with quotes such as "A gun and kind words are better than kind words alone. Amen."

A buffet lunch at the restaurant meant we all suffered from eyes bigger than our stomachs and we were summarily defeated by the large American plates. It was nice then to use the rare internet access to get back in touch with family and friends back home. Meanwhile Jake and Owen had another interesting encounter with a couple in the hotel lobby who proposed that due to Americas recent legalisation of gay marriage the US was going to go into economic collapse before getting invaded by a coalition between Russia, the Middle East (they failed to specify who in the Middle East), China and Japan (who therefore must have reconciled their differences with China and broken down its strong relationship with the US in the last 3 days - we miss out on all the news over here...). Interested to see how far this conversation would go they took on a Louis Theroux style approach to questioning them, asking innocent questions to open them up further. The US would be occupied by the coalition for 7 years. Their source? A Romanian man they met earlier in the week.

Back to reality, we went down to watch the main Rodeo that evening. There was a large line up of events beginning with mostly events where the men had to subdue a cow or steer from horseback using either lassos, their bare hands or both. It then moved on to Barrel Racing where women tested their riding skill and the agility of their horses to circle three barrels in the arena in the quickest time possible. Bareback and saddle bronc riding saw plenty of men getting thrown around, and then the bull riding saw them getting thrown off faster. Unlike the bull running and ring events I have seen in Spain, the bulls here appeared to have their horns clipped to blunt them, making it relatively safer. They rounded off with a Wild Horse Race, where a team of three had to catch a wild horse, saddle it, one would then ride it around a pole (he would cling on for dear life long enough for the horse to run around the pole by its own accord) then jump off with the saddle (less graceful than you might imagine) then race the saddle back to the judges. This was entertaining as it mostly consisted of two or three men in cowboy rig getting dragged around the arena on their fronts by a rather disgruntled horse!

Tomorrow we are having another full day off to rest and checking out the local museum and the town.

Day 17 - Sleeping Buffalo to Glasgow 57 miles

We aimed to set out early from Sleeping Buffalo to get to Glasgow in good time for the Rodeo, but a couple of punctures that had deflated Jake and Owens' tyres overnight had other ideas, so we departed around 9am. The mosquitoes were rediculous all day, and an early headwind as well as aching joints made going slow in the morning. As we rode, irrigation ditches and creeks lined the road which made great breeding grounds for the mosquitoes. With 3 inches of rain having fallen last week here, they were out in force. At one point we each had a cloud of hitchhikers on and around our panniers. The big spray helped to keep them off ourselves, although we still came out of it with a fresh set collection of bites. Every uphill, when the pace slowed, the mosquitoes would catch up and it would start all over again.

We stopped early after 25 miles for lunch as it was the last town with a restaurant where we could shelter indoors. The temperature outside meanwhile soared again above 40C. After a quick lunch we set out again to cover the last 30 mile section to Glasgow.

The headwind thankfully turned to a tailwind which made the going somewhat easier, but a few more creeks intersected the road meaning hills in and out of them which with sore knees slowed us down. Another puncture resulted in Owen having to stop suddenly and unexpectedly without warning. I was busy opening up a chocolate bar and didn't notice, resulting in me having to swerve around to avoid a collision. Loose gravel meant it could only end one way and my wheel slipped out from under me and my front wheel got caught perpendicularly in a rumble strip cut into the road. I broke the fall with my elbows and face but came out with just a small graze on my elbow, nothing major. A pickup driver whop saw this hung around until I was up and waving to say it was all good, and another driver stopped to see if he could help as Owen repaired the puncture. The locals have mostly been very generous and helpful.

We got to Glasgow at 1540 and made camp for 1600. We cleaned up and made straight for the local Dairy Queen (like the McDonalds of icecream parlours over here) and then investigated the local Rodeo. It was the Ranchers Rodeo today and we saw them competing to see how many cattle they could round up into a trailer in 3 minutes with 5 ranchers on horses. Then we watched the ranches compete in bareback bronc riding which was a lot more exciting, at riders were thrown against metal railings and off horses!

A full rest day tomorrow and potentially the next day to rest the joints and recover before we set out for Fargo which we should make after a few days cycling. The rodeo continues over the weekend to plenty to see and do.

Day 16 - Harlem to Sleeping Buffalo 70.3 miles

This morning consisted of more straight roads with views of open agricultural land. Birds of prey circled overhead and the occasional field of cows broke up the swathes of wheat. Around 10 miles apart along the highway are regular towns built up around granaries next to the railroad. Most have populations of around 100 to 200, and names from all over the world such as Zurich, Kremlin and Devon. A woman at the bar last night said they used to just spin a globe and see where their finger landed to name the towns.

We had a strong headwind all morning which made it feel like cycling uphill, barely exceeding 10 mph. By 1230 we had only done 30 miles or so and we decided to take a break in Dodson. The County Fair was gearing up for its 100th year with the local scout group running a food stall that we stopped by for lunch. We saw people preparing their horses and livestock for the rodeo on Sunday, and banger racers pulling up for their turn to race tomorrow afternoon. Had the events been happening tonight we would have stayed to take in the atmosphere. After an hour, and a chat with a couple of locals who were "blown away" by our accents, we moved on for Malta.

We swept through Malta, stopping only for some insect repellant, suncream (which we are going through like it is going out of fashion) and I collected some antihistamines; the mosquitoes are getting overwhelming.

We opted for the "Alternative Route" from Malta to our campground at Sleeping Buffalo, which turned into a dirt track with steep rolling hills that was painfully slow going and started to take its toll on our knees, bringing back a few niggles that were easing off after the Rockies. The route went through a nature reserve, and with the heat and scenery it looked very much like we were in Kenya rather than Montana!

With temperatures soaring above 40C, fatigue was setting in and spirits were low coming into Sleeping Buffalo. We had heard rumour of hot springs and were glad to find a large spa facility which we were able to enter for $8.50 (around 6 pounds) with natural hot springs at 107F as well as a cool 50F pool, the same as the river we washed in at Libby Dam. This was a blessing for our joints and the day turned from one of the worst to one of the best. Although the mosquitoes are unrelenting where we are camped.

We have heard of another Fair at Glasgow, 50 miles from here, and feel that a rest day at the fair is in order on Sunday.