After leaving the brilliant Earphoria Hostel I headed to my new hosts for a couple of days. Another wonderful family that I found on the warm showers.org website.
Mike, Susan and their children have all been very welcoming and helpful.  Way before arriving they were sending me tips and advice on things to see and do in the city. They have certainly made me feel like their home is my home.  We have shared some great home cooked meals, a few hours on the beach, a couple of cold beers and watched the Hawks  win the grand Final.

One of their daughters is currently hitchhiking through Iceland and Norway and from the sounds of it is also receiving much generous hospitality. They decided they wanted to 'repay the word' so have opened up their home to me. I can see a chain reaction beginning because I am certainly going to be doing the same once I return home.  
How long will this good will continue being passed from person to person?

I will see them again when I return to Chicago because they have also offered to store and look after my bike and all my stuff while I'm in England.

So Chicago seemed like quite an expensive place to find accomodation so I googled hostels instead of motels and struck gold.

I found this place called Earphoria which only really likes accommodating guests who are musicians or who have a passion for music.

Anyway, they let me in despite not really fitting the criteria which was nice of them. Of course they know about my dj'ing past and I guess that was good enough for them.

The house is in a great spot in Chicago, close to Logan Square, where it seems a lot is going on. It's full of very cool, friendly, relaxed people. It wasn't difficult rounding a few people up to head out on the town to share some beers the first night. 2nd night there are all sorts of brilliant performances going on.

Great place. I love it.

Tomorrow I'm moving to some very helpful warmshowers hosts who have offered to put me up and look after my bike while I'm back in England for the week.

Ok, that's it, I'm done. For now......

My riding is now complete until the 3rd of July where I will commence the last leg of my journey, Chicago to the east coast and Maine.

It will be approximately 1,100 miles in 4 weeks. Barring injury that is quite an easy schedule compared to what I have already done.

I'm now taking a week and a bit holiday.

After spending 4/5 days sightseeing in Chicago I'm going back to England to attend (and be usher and no doubt guest of honour at) the wedding of James and Katherine. ;)

After that, there is the small matter of a gathering of people in a field in Somerset that I'm obliged to attend.

Yesterday I rode as far as Naperville which is basically a suburb of Chicago.

It was a 61.3 mile ride.

Things started out very rural and slowly the roads got busier and busier as I approached the big smoke.

I'm moving to stay in Logan square today for a further 2 nights Which should be more convenient for sightseeing.

I have opted to take my bike on the Metro From Naperville to downtown to avoid the urban riding. Yesterday's journey wasn't the most fun with traffic etc. So far Chicago doesn't feel like a bike friendly place but I'm hoping to be proved wrong.

So I sign out having ridden 2718 miles through 8 states in 52 days.

It's been emotional ;)

P.s.

Anyone thinking about sponsoring these 2 worthy charities, now is a great time, before I arrive in the UK and start badgering you about it.

So my self diagnosis on not feeling great recently is..... sun poisoning.

I'm not sun burned because I use so much sun cream/spray but I have been over exposed.

I had begun wearing a vest top a few days ago because it was the most comfortable option, but have just been a touch overconfident.

It had kind of wiped my energy, given me hot and cold chills, aching skin and hands and some sleepless nights.

So to combat I drank more vitamins and salts etc, kept cool as much as possible, soaked in cold baths, slept with aircon set to super, maxo, mega arctic, slapped on some Aloe Vera, started riding earlier, fewer miles and with arms fully covered etc

It seems to have done the trick because today's riding was the best of the last 3 days. I took things slowly and managed to go 69.6 miles by 13.15.

I started out cautiously. Up at 6 and on the road by 7am having had a good nights sleep and a healthy breakfast!!!

Getting out of bed is more difficult when there is a wall of cold air waiting for you though.

I wasn't sure if I was feeling better but after 3 hours of riding I began feeling more confident.

I have been lucky the last couple if days because when I needed cooler temperatures I got them. The hottest I have had to ride on has only been around 26C/78f once the day warmed up.

Not much to report on the roads today.

I bought an actual roadmap for Illinois which has proven to be a lot more accurate than google maps on the phone.

I had another road closed dilemma. Again I opted to ignore it and found a very easy way around which saved many miles of detouring. The scenery is still fields and occasional small towns - but I can smell Chicago and I can't wait.

Since reaching the Plains And travelling beyond, very often, the small towns I have passed through have had spooky feel about them.

Most have been partially and some even completely deserted and delapitated.

It has been very obvious that many have had better times.

It feels like there is more activity and life the farther east I travel, however things can still be eerily quiet at times.

Even when I hit populations of 15,000+ the 'city' centres or downtown areas can have next to nobody walking the streets. There is often a train line going through these places too but the only trains I have seen are several mile long freighters. Not for passengers.

These giant walls of grinding, steel containers constantly sound their very loud, droning horns as they pass through. Several times I have been walking, feeling like I'm in a scene/chapter from War of the Worlds where the Tripods let everyone know they have arrived. I'm the only one not to have disappeared though.

Today was a short day but still it was tough going.

I rode 46 miles and arrived by 12 but certain things went against me.

Wind, roads deteriorating to gravel tracks, other roads not suitable for bikes e.g. too busy. There was also probably a more direct route but unfortunately I didn't choose it.

I really wanted to finish riding as early as possible to give myself plenty of time after to keep cool and relax. Still not quite feeling 100%. I'm not sure what it is but it's not flu.

I almost forgot about this. Thanks Jen and Lance for sending it to me.

Just a couple of small errors in this journalism. hehehe

Today was a nice leisurely 50.5 mile ride into Illinois, the 8th state on my journey and the home of Chicago, yee haa.

I managed to avoid letting myself believe the day would be easy. I told myself I was going 100 miles.

The temperature and humidity went up a few notches but I was still comfortable, or so I thought.

Strangely it's when you stop riding that you realise how hot you are. The wind/draft really helps to cool you.

At its peak it was 30-32C or 86-89f.

After crossing the Missisipi the fields and crops were noticeably muddy and wet. The whole area for miles from the river has flooded recently, apparently for the third time this year!

I was hunting out the quieter roads to ride which is becoming increasingly difficult. I had some music playing to help me keep a good tempo.

I often wonder what the local hillbilly (No offence) farmers must think when they hear some Industrial Techno music coming out of nowhere - only to then see sweaty old me coming over a hill, or around the corner, doing my own brand of bike dancing. To some people I must look and sound like I have just landed.

Since arriving I have been feeling some flu like symptoms. Mainly aching hot and cold skin, but not too bad. Worst case scenario is it's Man flu but it could be too much sun/heat exposure.

Anyway, I'm staying cool and replenishing everything and anything I have lost. I will see how I feel In the morning and if I'm not 100% I might stay put again and stay cool.

Last thing I want is another day off but I will take it easy if needs be.

I started the day with 1 of the biggest breakfasts I have ever had. One plate full of egg, bacon, toast and a massive pile of (American) hash browns and a second plate with a stack of pancakes!!

I set off feeling very rested and with plenty of energy.

The roads were fairly quiet because its Sunday. I had some upbeat music to help me hammer out the miles.

I was flying, or at least I felt like I was.

The roads answered my prayers and flattened out which made for a nice change. There was cloud cover almost all day, no rain, almost no wind and temperatures stayed under 25C/77F which made for perfect riding conditions.

I had done 50 miles by 10.50, 60 miles by 11.30 and finally 88.12 miles by 2pm.

I actually made Burlington on about 85 miles but messed about for ages looking for a decent motel pushing the distance pedalled up.

I feel like I could have gone double the distance today (at a push). I'm forcing myself to slow down though.

I'm already giving myself 4 days to hang out in Chicago. If I continue that pace of riding I will be in Chicago for longer and things will get expensive.

Does anyone have any recommendations for Chicago?

Burlington sits on the mighty Missisippi River. When / ifI cross it tomorrow morning I will have arrived in Illinois.

The storms that were meant to be never really materialised. It's ok though because time is on my side;

Only 330 mile to Chicago,

Approx 1500 miles to the finish,

2403 miles ridden so far,

7 states,

1 million counties,

3 time zones.

Mountains, desert, corn fields, wind, rain, snow, blazing sun, 40+ -0 C temperatures, altitude, humidity.

I totally forgot to mention in the last blog. Yesterday I crossed into Iowa, my eighth state since starting.

Another early start and a wet day.

I was out of bed at 6.10am and managed to get going by 7am this time. I had a big breakfast before setting off which was a struggle. I'm never hungry when I wake up, especially at that time. A good feed is essential though.

The first 45 miles I was heading in a Northerly direction. The day started out beautifully with some good views and sunshine. I covered 40 miles by 10.30am.

On the horizon looking west the whole sky was becoming very dark. A big rain storm, which was developing into a storm was slowly moving east to meet me as I moved north.

Once I reached Centerville the direction I was travelling was due to change to head East as well.

As I hit town so did the fringes of the rain storm. I couldn't decide whether to set down in a cafe and wait for it to pass or go for it, to my chosen destination. I wanted to reach Bloomfield which was another 25 miles away.

I looked around for a suitable cafe or diner in Centerville as the rain began to get heavier. I couldn't find anything and decided not to wait and push on, fast, to get the days riding done.

The sky overhead didn't look quite as dark any more which helped me make my decision.

So off I went, basically on the fringe of a big system that could turn into a storm. We were both heading on the same direction, slowly. I think I was a little faster.

Occasionally the sky would light up behind me and I would wait for the thunder. I was getting rained on constantly and was pushing as hard as I could sustain for a couple of hours, having already ridden 45 miles.

There seemed to be plenty of houses on route, occupied mainly by Amish people, so I knew it wouldn't be hard to stop somewhere if the weather got really bad.

It was quite an exhilarating finish to the day and I arrived in Bloomfield having done 71 miles by 1pm, soaked through but pleased with myself.

Tomorrow lots of stormy weather is predicted so I may well just rest for the day. I'm not worried about rain but lightening really does put a damper on things.

I decided to leave a 7am today to try and get in as many miles as possible before things got unbearably hot and humid.

In actual fact I didn't start cycling until 7.20 - once I left the room I had to scrape Tarmac off of my bicycle from the previous days riding. I sign of how hot things got.

I was riding into a mild headwind all day which was coming from the north east. This was actually a bonus because it was colder air, making the day slightly less humid and of course cooler, which was a welcome relief.

Today I achieved the target I set myself, which was to ride 76 miles to Milan.

It seems to be a nice town but is certainly like going back in time. It's a bit like a western except for the 4x4 parked everywhere.

The lady that runs the hotel I have set down at proudly told me twice that this building is 124 years old. Had she not told me I would have guessed older after seeing my room.

The rolling roads are just relentless. I'm really hoping to hit some different scenery or a different style of riding soon. After 5 hours of up and down in often intense heat things can get a little frustrating.

Hello (again) Missouri, my 7th US state on this trip.

What a crazy hot day. It seems the humidity has gone up a few notches and riding is now becoming very sticky and even harder work. The temperature at the days peak hovered around the mid 30's or 90's.

I left Leavenworth and my fantastic hosts just before 8am.

The riding was fairly suburban with commuter traffic to begin with but nothing too heavy.

I had hoped to do a 97 mile day but I came through Camden on 64.15 miles and decided to throw in the towel. I spotted a motel with a very cool looking pool and couldn't help myself.

The rolling hills have continued way into Missouri.

I can confirm it is a myth that Kansas is a flat state. Western Kansas was flat as a pancake but Eastern was relentless ups and downs.

I again climbed over 4,000 ft today which is amazing considering my maximum and minimum elevations were only 300 ft apart.

I passed another cyclist (not a tourer) who described the local hills as a chess game. It's a tactical approach knowing which ones to attack and which to roll up slowly.

I think I'm losing this match because my knees are aching more than they have for several weeks. I'm going for it on too many climbs!!

This same cyclist also tried to give me everything he had. His food, his water, his spare tubes etcetc

I tried to let the wind dictate my route today. It started by heading north and so did I. As the day grew older we both switched direction and headed slightly more easterly.

Unfortunately this method of choosing a route can lead you onto some pretty poor roads, or 'unimproved roads'   or   f@*%ng s^*t roads.

I ended up riding on basically dirt tracks for a while. Whilst out in the middle of nowhere on a dirt track I started to hear gun fire and proceeded to pedal faster. I think it was just a shooting range but I had to remain hopeful they didn't mistake my helmet for a ..... thing they would want to shoot. All was fine though.

I leave Kansas with good memories of many, many people I met when off the bike. A friendly State.

What a great day off.

I woke up to the smell of Bacon, cooking courtesy of Jennifer.

I walked downstairs to find Lance working on a gleaming bike in the back garden. It was mine, I hardly recognised it.

Once all the dirt and grime was removed we took it to the basement / bike workshop where I was given an all round lesson on bike maintenance/repair etcetc.

Brakes adjusted, gears re-tuned, chain cleaned and in the end replaced, tyres swapped.

My bike isn't running like new now - It's better than new.

Thankyou so much Jennifer and Lance for looking after me and my bike and helping make this trip even more enjoyable.

After this we made out way to Kansas City where we had lunch and a bit if a look around downtown. We crossed another state line into Missouri but as it was by car it was kind of cheating. Tomorrow I will ride across as well.

It was a sweltering hot day and I was A - wondering how I could ride in these temperatures and B - thanking my lucky stars I wasn't.

The evening consisted of J and L's family and friends coming over for a BBQ. I think the gathering was arranged to show off the crazy English bloke riding across country.

In attendance were; Elaine, Shirley Who gave me homemade cookies for the next days ride!, Sergeant Major Dell who enjoyed recounting his roll number (which was something like 5347621132545875), Gayle, Rick, Dave, another Dell, Todd, Camden, Janai, and of course Jennifer and Lance.

Again, there were a few bike nuts, chucked in and everyone was uber interested to hear how the journey had been going. Such hospitality and friendliness seems to be becoming a theme of Kansas.

I'm also noticing the power of the accent is strong at the moment. It's proving to be a big hit. Unfortunately I'm not available for reciting Harry Potter books and certain phrases etc. I have a schedule to keep ;)

anyways, I'm feeling fully refreshed and ready for the next leg, approx 550 miles to Chicago Ilinois.

Today was a great workout!

I covered 66 miles In very hot temperatures at +30C most of the time.

The roads undulated all day. They resembled a rollercoaster because they rolled up and down but not side to side. The temptation was always to push hard to get to the top without loosing all your momentum. The undulations seemed to egg you on to not take it easy.

This would have been good exercise for half an hour but 6+ hours is taking the biscuit.

If anyone is looking for the perfect interval training come here. I actually climbed 3,100 feet which was the equivalent to some days in the mountains.

I was soaked and exhausted by the time I arrived at my extremely friendly and welcoming hosts for the next two night's.

I found JennIfer and Lance (and family) from the warmshowers website. They are more bike crazy people and must have 10+ bikes in the house. We had a fantastic home cooked meal - my first since arriving in the USA, and probably my best.

After dinner we went for a short bike ride around Leavenworth and downtown where they pointed out the sights for me. Tomorrow they have both booked a day off work and we're planning to do some sightseeing around Kansas City. The world seems to be full of good people. :)

Having had a relaxing evening in Herington I set off late this morning.

Much later than normal.

I wasn't on the road until 10.30 which was a bit of a gamble bearing in mind I needed to cover 89 miles in windy conditions.

In the end it was a good days riding and I didn't suffer too much for the slow start. It was very hot but I was pretty lucky with the wind direction. I was rarely riding into a headwind which is the most important thing.

Most if the journey was very desolate. I rode through 2 towns and again everything seemed closed or shut down. I found 1 shop open and bought a few bits of food to keep me going.

Early on I found my first turtle crossing the road. I would like to say I saved it but as I approached it it was just stepping to safety. Instead I think I just annoyed it a little. He didn't look to pleased to see me.

Kansas has progressively become more and more picturesque and today was no exception. Beautiful green fields and hills all the way.

The clouds were looking angrier today. They seemed a lot bigger and climbed higher. From hoping not to see any Tornadoes, I have now been positively willing 1 to appear on the horizon. Views reach for miles so its quite realistic to see 1 and not be too close to it.

I have asked a few local people and a lot have witnessed Tornadoes. 1 person said they had seen 10!!!

I have to say I have enjoyed riding away from the official ACA bike route. I have seen fewer touring cyclists but had much better interactions with local people.

On the ACA bike routes there are tons of cyclists doing similar things. The towns on route are thoroughly used to cycle tourists crossing their paths. It's nothing new to them but it is to me!

It's been refreshing meeting people away from the main cycling route. Someone passing through their town riding coast to coast is far from the norm.

I have now ridden 454 miles in the last 7 days. Tomorrow I ride to Kansas City where I hope to enjoy a day off.

Wow, it seems the shorter days always end up being the hardest.

I'm sure it's just psycological. You let yourself believe its going to be easy then the shock of actually riding 50 miles sets in.

Today was really tough. The wind was strong and it sapped any energy and happiness I had. I will leave it at that. I don't want this blog to end up being continuous moaning about the wind.

The good thing about today was that I was finished by 1pm giving me plenty of time to chill.

I went and had lunch, sat in a reclining chair, fell asleep, woke up and then went for dinner. Rock and Roll.

After dinner in the local bar grill I got talking to a great (Bartender and) family from Texas who had travelled to Kansas on a bit of a road trip.

The group consisted of the parents and 6 children and young adults. They were all great people and interrogated me for a couple of hours; where I had been? had I met the Queen? what sports did I like? can I rate their English accents?

I tried to turn the tables and interrogate them but they were too strong for me.

They even sang for me! I can confirm they were very good. I felt like Simon Cowell.

It was lucky I had a mid day sleep before hand otherwise I wouldn't have kept up with them all.

They took a photo of us all which I will add when they email it over but I should have taken one myself.

It was an uplifting end to a difficult day.

I put in another solid day today notching off 94.7 miles. That's 187.5 miles in 2 days. Hopefully I can manage back to back 100 mile days before this trip is up.

I started out at 7.30am, walking out of my motel and into the restaurant next door. I don't think there was 1 patron under 75 years old. Once I had ordered my food people realised I wasn't local and the questions started coming. It was a nice start to the day. Everyone was very interested and wished me luck on my journey.

I was told to look out for Bison a few miles from town. I also overheard other tables talking about me. One lady said 'yes, he is very hard to understand' which made me laugh to myself.

I'm really glad I was warned about the Bison because when I first glanced over they looked like cows in the distance. On double checking I could see they weren't. I stopped to take some pictures but was frustrated that they were too far away to capture clearly. I was ready to move on when I noticed they were starting to make their way over to me with 1 leading the way and the others following almost in line. They wanted to check me out too which was a result.

Eventually they reached the fence that lined the road. We all stared at each other, open mouthed for a while. I wasn't sure how to speak to them. They didn't talk cow or horse so we didn't quite understand each other but we shared a moment.

The new road (Route 4) that I was so excited to turn on to yesterday also goes on for many hundred of miles it seems! I was told by 1 person that the Bike Across Kansas event uses this route but I haven't had that verified.

The scenery was really nice today but with little variation. It seems the farther I ride into Kansas the more the hills roll giving more and more character to the state. The weather today was decent too. Lots of sunshine and there was a slight headwind but really, really mild.

At the half way point today the road ahead was closed and there were signs for a diversion. I really didn't want to take this as I knew I was already stretching myself today. A diversion could have added many miles. Ignoring the road closed signs I carried on - the reason for the closure became apparent.

A bridge was down in a small town. I asked someone what the best way round and sure enough there was a route the locals were taking that was a much shorter diversion. It involved riding down a bumpy and dusty dirt road for a mile though. Still, this was much better than the other option so the gamble paid off. Soon after rejoining the original road I crossed another county line.

I now realise that with the bridge being down, road closure, riding the dusty, dirt road and crossing the county line that I was probably an extra in the Dukes of Hazard today. They are still making it aren't they? I think I just missed out of seeing a police chase, and a car breaking through the road closed signs and jumping the river with a makeshift ramp.

Maybe I will catch it tomorrow.

http://youtu.be/1D_A2sneZ9Q

After nearly 300 miles of riding along the same road (Route 96) I finally turned on to a new one today! Yippee. Exciting times!! ;) That may give you an idea of how monotonous Kansas has been so far.

I have also left the official ACA bike route and maps that I have come to rely on. They have really simplified things giving me great info on upcoming towns, details of services along the route etc etc.

I will be fine travelling with a standard Map but I'm going to have to spend a bit more time planning before setting off each day.

I had been told that Kansas has its own beauty and after today I can say I have witnessed it. It required some respite from the wind for me to be able to see and enjoy it though.

It was a nice calm day with plenty of sunshine interspersed between lots of small pockets of cloud. The fields rolled more, became greener and lots of trees appeared which was all easy on the eye.

It was still a fairly boring day by previous standards, however the miles seemed to fly which made a refreshing change from the last 2 days.

I covered 92.65 miles.

My onward itinerary is to travel to Chicago for the 25th of June via Kansas City. I'm not sure of an exact route or any towns etc to pass through. I will keep you posted though.

Today looked bleak before I set off.

A HUGE thunderstorm passed by the evening before. I think it was about 50 miles south of me but it left its mark. It was literally a constant rumble of noise and light and was really impressive from the outskirts. I would have loved to have been in the middle of it.

The next morning the storm had left behind lingering drizzle, clouds and an apparent chance of lightening according to my phone app.

I contemplated hitching a lift to the next town. I didn't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with lightening threatening overhead. Over breakfast in a gas station I talked about the journey with an old farmer. He convinced me there weren't going to be any storms. He showed me his much more professional and informative weather app which I promptly downloaded.

Sadly, having lost any good excuse for a lazy day I steeled myself and set off into the greyness.

More wind, but this time with drizzle/rain and cool temperatures. I didn't mind the drizzle and the coolness. I actually liked it. As for the wind... Hmmmmmm

I opted for a short day because of the weather. 49.5 miles. There was very little to see. It was slow and painful.

The highlight of the day arrived at the halfway point in a town called Leoti. I was just dragging myself in to the outskirts, wondering where to stop to get some food. A 4x4 passed in the other direction. A lady smiled and waved. 2 minutes later the same 4x4 pulled alongside and Marcia asked if she could get me lunch!

My instinct was to say no thankyou but l'm glad I ignored that. I accepted and followed her car for about half a mile until we reached her recommended lunch spot. The food a was good and conversation was nice, each telling out own stories and talking about each of our families. It sounds like she has some successful children and she is a proud mother. Marcia has been 'picking up cyclists' for years and has made some lifelong friends apparently. We have swapped details and I will keep her posted on the trip.

Thankyou Marcia for an unexpected treat !

The rest of the journey continued to suck but my mood was lifted and all of a sudden the wind didn't seem quite as strong.

Weather is looking better for tomorrow I'm pleased to report.