If Everything Goes Right, Then Everything Has Gone Wrong

Austin TX

The advice I've been given before is that taking the Greyhound in the North of the US is not so bad, but then in the South it gets horrific. We stopped in the most desolate God-forsaken place in New Mexico, at a combination of laundrette, post office and general store with no sign of the town these services were supplying. The shop was barren and had even less items of nutritional value leading to the beginning of 26 hour's eating of a Mars bar, a pack of Skittles, and a pack of M&Ms. Putting up signs to not put paper towels down the toilet is a good incentive, but needs some work as some people don't understand the difference between paper towels and toilet paper creating a smell wafting from the bin of which the Golgothan shit demon would be proud. Back on the bus, a family had got on having been rejected from an earlier bus due to some dispute about the age of their child or something. The T-Shirt with the cheesy picture of a wolf and fat guy with a Swastika tattooed on his chest pointed to only one thing - rednecks.

After arriving in Austin and meeting me CouchSurfing host it was back onto a bike for the Thursday Night Social Ride; about 100 cyclists cycling around the city in the dark, trying to avoid parked cars, moving cars, street furniture and, more difficultly, each other.

Many people say that Austin is the only good part of Texas and with it being a university town, it's a bit of a party town. Did nothing Friday afternoon (I'm blaming the timezone change as well as the previous night's drinking) but then went out again for the evening. Met a load of Ray's friends and had a few drinks and then went to another bar to experience a bit more of Austin. We went to some bar that's notorious as an easy place to pick up women. Even I had me arse slapped walking through the place and we were only in there for 2 minutes. Straight out of that place and headed next door where there was some live Country music happening - amazing when you're drunk.

In the supermarket attempting to get food, me credit card was declined. Not the end of the world, probably Halifax being a pain in the arse again. Logged into me account and there was no connection to the account: credit N/A, available balance £0, no recent transactions. Weird, but seems as though the system is temporarily down. After a night of drinking logged back on to find that things are back up and normal, except me card's been cleared out to tune of £2000. Card cancelled, I'm now on cash or having a £1.50 charge for each and every transaction.

The weather has continued to be ridiculously hot, but we have had some rain at last. There was a bit of a storm in Flagstaff with it being monsoon season and then we've had a couple in Austin. Still hot and humid, but at least it's a change.

The End Is Nigh!

Drinking: Chocolate milk by the gallon

So the last significant post was back in Indianapolis where I'd covered 2500 miles and reached 14 State capitals. I've been slack in keeping up with the blog and taking photos, but I've not been slack on the bike. I've now got 15 State capitals and 3000 miles under me belt, and also crossed a timezone somewhere (I'm entirely confused this morning).

Welcome to Michigan - A Meth Watch Community

Cycling up from Indianapolis towards Lansing, there really isn't much to say. It's all flat and there's nothing but corn fields. Everything looks the same from the west side of Ohio, through Indiana and into Michigan. On me travels I've seen a number of different communities such as the neighborhood watch community, the bike friendly community (usually just as the hard shoulder ends forcing you into the traffic), even a golf cart friendly community. As I entered Michigan I was assured that I was entering a meth watch community which tells you a little of the area.

State Capitol, Lansing MI

Despite Michigan being full of 'chemists' I've met some amazing people and had a great time starting off with lunch in a really small place in Albion, The Red Lunch Box Cafe. Just a shoebox of a building, painted red, but run by a family and with most of the family there. I usually end up in a Subway or something as most towns seem to have only 'bar & grills' and nowhere that looks intriguing or enticing. Meeting a group of people who are friendly, welcoming and interested in who you are and what you're doing just makes for a better experience.

And so began a long weekend of CouchSurfing and drinking, starting off in Eaton Rapids (20 miles outside Lansing) where I stayed with Karen. Myself, Karen, and her son, Tom went into Lansing to visit the Michigan Brewing Company for a flight of beers and some food. Other than that, it was just a relaxed evening watching TV and fussing over the dog.

My first night in Lansing was nice and quiet drinking homebrew with Kuba, his girlfriend Sara, and their housemate Ben. I had the same conversation with each of them about how little stuff I have with me, but it was a much needed evening of just sitting down and doing nothing and throwing a screaming toy monkey with a cape into a ceiling fan. If you've ever done something similar and felt like you've wasted an evening, you're wrong.

Breakdancing at Vacant Lansing

Next day it was off to meet my second host, Pam. We went down to the market for some food, wine tasting (5 free samples, or 10 if you're me), and a basil plant, before going to an old outdoor swimming pool in the shadow of a power plant. Once more of Pam's friends turned up to sort out specifics for a wedding, Pam and I went to Vacant Lansing (expect nothing). The organisers had sent out a couple of clues as to the theme  and a Google reference for the location, but that was it. One of the big attractions of this event is that no-one knows what will be involved until you turn up. They take over a vacant building for one night and explore how the space can be used to draw attention to the area and hopefully begin regeneration while raising funds for a worthy charity at the same time. We had a 90s theme with beat-box and break-dancing, arcade machines (I suck at Pacman) and some painting things going on. After that, more relaxing and drinking the wine bought at the market earlier and making Smores (Smores and wine is not a classic combination).

Drinking day number 4 began with breakfast followed by ruthlessly decimating the wedding playlist that had been worked on the day before. Seriously, no wedding playlist is complete without the half past 10 Chesney Hawkes, Jon Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams combination of cheese. Things got a bit complicated then as a number of plans varied and intertwined as I was supposed to be cooking for Kuba and playing kickball, but got an offer of frisbee and volleyball at the lake with Pam. I forsook the cooking and kickball in favour of frisbee, volleyball and a pint before heading back to Kuba's for a friend's birthday and much more drinking.

I can confirm that drinking does very little to prepare you for a 65 mile ride on a really crappy road in ridiculous heat. I was in agony when I reached Grand Rapids, but I had somewhere to stay as one of Pam's friends, Jeff, had agreed to host me. With another of his friends, we went for a tour of the local breweries to complete the 5 day drinkathon.

Meeting and staying with people is amazing and makes for a much more interesting and fun time, however it is pretty tiring and I wouldn't have made it anywhere near as far as I have done. Think I'd still be languishing in New York or Pennsylvania if I'd have been CouchSurfing the whole time.

Warren Dunes State Park, Lake Michigan, MI

Since the Lansing drinkathon, I've made it to Lake Michigan which I'm following round to my final cycling destination - Chicago - the end is nigh!

IN Indy

Listening to: Human Fly performed by Brown Bottle Flu

State Capitol, Indianapolis IN

Three achievements to report here: 14 State capitals, 2500 miles and 3 months in the States. From here on in, I'm making use of the B2 visa.

Following on from things going randomly right in Richmond, my public request for a couch in Indianapolis was answered by a teacher called Brandon who has an entire summer off with nothing to do other than party. Events were started with a trip to a brewery where they do tastings much the same as they do in wineries. Great concept, but a fair amount of beer to get through in one go and by the time you get to the last beer you can't taste anything nearly as well as when you started.

Original LOVE sculpture, Indianapolis Museum of Art

Another day, and another art museum - the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Decent collection of art, and home of the first 'LOVE' sculpture, but not as good as the Columbus Museum of Art. The IMA has a better collection but just doesn't inspire the same connection with the art. There are some good quality gardens that are well worth the look around though. The best thing to cure a day of culture? A bar where you turn up with your own giant goblets for cheap beer (cheap crappy beer anyway).

Canal District, Indianapolis IN

After a little confusion I met up with my second CouchSurfing host, Becs, and do I fancy going to see a band? Of course I do! We were driven down to Bloomington IN by one of Becs' friends after we picked up her previous CouchSurfer, a crazy German guy by the name of Axel. Arrived at the venue and nothing. Band haven't shown up. Bit of berating on Facebook over dinner and the gig's back on! First time I've seen a 3 piece punk band play with only 3 bass strings, playing to an audience you could count on your fingers, but quality version of Human Fly. The guitarist and bassist were both in separate bands in a battle of the bands playing across town. We did the groupie thing and headed over where there was a crowd so big you'd have to take at least one of your socks off to count the number of people. 1 beer, 1 hairy bear, 1 share of a fishbowl, 5 bands and home at half 3 - decent evening.

I think I now know what my next plans are. I've been cycling for 3 months and I've covered a significant distance, but if I carried on cycling I'd have to really bump up the distance cycled per day and I'd still miss a lot of sights. The massive three people who answered my question on Facebook have confirmed that stopping cycling and doing a bit of sightseeing is the right thing to do. The plan then is simple: cycle to Lansing MI for capital number 15 and follow the lake round to Chicago IL. Sell / give away / abandon the bike and continue the journey by train or bus most likely in some kind of loop going to Seattle, San Fransisco, Utah, New Orleans and work my way back to New York to fly home again. If anyone has any suggestions for places to visit then leave comments, send messages, Skype, email, etc. etc.

Sometimes, Things Just Go Right

Listening to: Sly & The Family Stone (on vinyl)

Columbus OH

With my second host in Columbus, the lovely Kristen, things started off with a late evening. From nowhere a load of people turned up, largely thanks to an app called GroupMe and there was plenty of talk about bikes. Really good group of friends and housemates who were completely relaxed and laid back with each other. After a day wandering round an area of town called the Short North and doing my best to avoid the sun, we headed out to a club that plays proper 50s rock 'n' roll. In my slightly "worn" t-shirt and trousers I thought I'd be under-dressed for a place like this, but no, not even close.

Ohio - it's flat

Leaving Columbus, I nailed 75 miles to get to Englewood, north of Dayton. Finally, my fitness is back good and proper. I'm now well and truly in the flat part of the States. I'd heard that it'd be flat, and it really is. Not even 4 years in Oxfordshire can prepare you. In Maine there was ocean to look at, in Vermont there was mountains and forests, in New York there was lakes and wineries, in Pennsylvania there was plenty more mountains, but in Ohio there's just flat fields. As I approached Englewood I was cycling along a ridge when I heard a jet engine with the unmistakable sound of afterburners and I knew that something decent was overhead. Just about kept one eye on the road as 4 F/A-18 Hornets flew past in a tight 4 diamond formation - only America's equivalent of the Red Arrows, the Blue Angels.

From Englewood I headed to Richmond, Indiana. Along the way I met another cyclist (Ross), heading towards California, in a petrol station. As we were both heading to Richmond we rode together to meet his Richmond contact through WarmShowers (Aaron). Once there we had some icecream and spent the afternoon playing guitar, violin and accordion with a songwriter friend of Aaron's, Nathan. I am incredibly jealous of these people as they're so creative and can connect with each other through music and write songs together with no apparent effort. The unexpected and unasked for generosity of people has been shown again today by Aaron who prepared dinner for both myself and Ross, and also found a friend nearby who could host me for the evening so I'm now staying in a massive old house with the incredibly kind Kurt. Sometimes things just work out and work out well. It's a great feeling to be a part of it when things do work out like that and I hope that I can be on the giving end of random generosity once home again.

America - Fuck Yeah!

(Sorry Granddad, it's a reference to Team America. You won't like it.)

Everyone is wearing: Short shorts.

4th July fireworks

Columbus Ohio - State capital number 13, over 2300 miles covered. I arrived in Columbus on 4th July, an important day in America celebrated with quality foods such as burgers and hotdogs, and by blowing shit up. Independence Day celebrates America's independence from British rule. A key influence in this was the raising of taxes on the Colonies without representation in Parliament.

Taxation without representation is tyranny.

A tyranny that Americans fought against and upheld the principle as a cornerstone of their democracy, unless you live in the nation's capital, Washington DC, in which case you get taxed as much as anyone else and only have one guy in the House of Representatives who can only listen to what's happening and not vote and that's it as far as representation goes. Independence Day is a reminder that America is free from British rule. That Britain no longer has any say in its direction or development. That Britain can claim no responsibility for America's growth and rise to superiority as a global superpower. That Britain can no longer claim any responsibility for America's foreign policy, warmongering or crippling debt. That Britain is free!

Fine pair of beards

My stay in Columbus began with meeting my WarmShowers host for a few nights, Josh. Got to say - he has one luxurious beard. 4th July in America wouldn't be 4th July in America without a cookout and fireworks and I've been fortunate enough to experience it. We headed out to a friend of Josh's for burgers, hotdogs and beers with an impressive collection of beards on display. On the way to the park to watch the firework display, we were surrounded by kids with glowsticks. Looked like something out of Avatar and not something to be tried on a bad acid trip. The fireworks came complete with patriotic soundtrack that everyone claimed not to like or listen to and yet they all knew the words. We missed the start of the fireworks as they were set off a little early to miss the approaching storm (another one - this 40 C heat with 60% humidity is just crippling; the dew point was 25 C the other night) which we just about avoided on the way home.

Mobiles constructed by visitors to Columbus Museum of Art

In COSI, yup, another science museum, I thought I had a new favourite museum. The first exhibit about the ocean was just incredible. There were water jets and games and fun things all over the place in a space that looked like a cave with a giant statue of Neptune looking over things. After that though, somehow I just couldn't connect with the rest of the exhibits. There seemed to be too many things that were for kids and just there for the sake of fun and the educational aspect didn't really come across, or there was just displays of things that were a bit boring and didn't inspire. So, Connecticut Science Center remains my favourite museum for now. Honourable mention for the Columbus Museum of Art though. Not the biggest collection, but with post-it notes and set questions all over the place, materials to make sculptures and tags with emotions to make you find a piece that conveys that emotion, the museum engaged visitors with the art better than any other museum that I can remember. Any place that has a collection of shapes and holes and tunnels and asks kids to make a quality fort with supplied sheets and cushions has got to be doing something right.

Where for art thou, Romeo?

Feeling: Mothered.

Nuclear Power Plant, 3 Mile Island, Harrisburg PA

What a difference a guide makes. An intention of mine was to experience life across America as it's experienced by the people who live here, and for the most part I've failed at that. But Mary has been incredible in showing me around Harrisburg and the surrounding area. After getting the bike into the shop for a new rear wheel we've seen quite a bit starting with a drive onto 3 Mile Island - the location of a partial nuclear meltdown in 1979.

Beverage, cigar, and 1900 miles complete

We had a quick trip into Hershey, "the sweetest place on Earth" (give me Cadbury's any day), followed by a walk around Harrisburg to get the touristy sight-seeing bit out the way. After that it was the first bit of experiencing Harrisburg - Rae's Tobacco Shop. If you're going to celebrate 1900 miles of cycling, why not do it with a fat cigar and a JD and coke on a Friday afternoon? The shop has a smoking area for people to smoke and generally just relax - think a pub for smoking cigars. There's a crowd of regulars and conversation ranged from guns to beheading chickens to the US becoming a 'nanny State' with the UK used as the primary example of a 'nanny State'. To finish off the day was some Shakespeare - an outdoor rendition of Romeo & Juliet with a New Orleans setting and an incredible portrayal of Juliet's nurse.

Shakespeare In The Park - Romeo & Juliet

Saturday was more sightseeing, and if you're in the area there are two main tourist draws. As we'd already done Hershey it was Gettysburg's turn. For those that don't know, the battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle in the American Civil War and ended the invasion of the North (see Wiki for more details as I actually know very little about it all). I've seen a number of battlefields across Europe; WWI and WWI employed trench warfare and the lines are about a mile apart or less, the older battlefields just appear to be fields. Gettysburg is HUGE. There's a driving tour with stops at the most crucial points in the battle that's 24 miles long. In the panoramic below, pretty much everything in the foreground was battlefield, and that's only a small fraction of it.

Gettysburg PA

A lazy day was had yesterday. Bit of a drive round town, a BBQ and then a sit round a fire with fine wine, a fine cigar, and finely toasted marshmallows against a backdrop of the silhouette of trees lit up by a twinkling of fireflies. I was with a guy called Dan Garvin who is an ex-Scientologist and member of their OSA (Office of Special Affairs - essentially their intelligence division). Amazing to hear how the Church of Scientology abuses its members and how aggressive they are in pursuing their targets considered 'fair game'.

Harrisburg PA

Many many thanks to Mary for hosting me. Terri, Mary and their families are a model of human kindness and generosity and a real inspiration. How different things would be if Terri had gone for a run that day or my spoke had broken 1 mile further down the road - sometimes things just work out well.

PB? Smashed!

Aching: Everywhere.

Somewhere in Pennsylvania

Detours aren't always fun. Cycling across Pennsylvania, there was a bridge down so I had to take a bit of a detour. I was told the best way to go by an old guy in a local shop. Off I go to find that my new route is dirt track and hill. With skinny tires, a very weak rear wheel and suspect brakes, this is not good. Once in Williamsport I was directed to a motel another 8 miles out of town past a massive hill with roadworks where I was told by one of the workmen that I was just going to get hit if I carried on. Made it safely enough to the motel in the middle of nowhere but then had to walk 2 miles to find dinner.

Susquehanna River, Nr. Harrisburg PA

I've been averaging about 40 miles cycling a day which worked out nicely as I was about 80 miles from Harrisburg so I could get there in 2 days. Looked at the 40 mile mark, and there is nothing in the area. It'd have to be a 60 mile trip and a 20 mile trip, or a 20 mile trip and a 60 mile trip. Don't really feel like doing a 20 mile trip. At the beginning of the adventure and when it was chucking it down it was alright, but I can do better than that now. I nailed 65 miles in an afternoon, so why not 80 miles in a day? Previous personal best distance, was 65 miles. Yesterday I nailed 85 miles all the way into Harrisburg.

Remember Terri and Chuck from Portsmouth NH? They're the ones who helped me when my first spoke broke and gave me a lift to the brilliant Pappa Wheelies bike shop. I'm now staying with Terri's sister, Mary.

Vermont To New York

I seem to be fairly negligent as of late in writing about a place when I'm actually there. This time, I've been to State capital number 11 - Albany NY - and already moved on.

Cycling through a cloud at the start of 6 miles of downhill

In the last post I was in a bed and breakfast in Pittsfield VT and from there I continued me 170 mile journey across a mountain range or two to get from Montpelier to Albany in just 3 days. From the BnB things started fairly rough with a 10 mile uphill ride from 900 feet to 2100 feet. I was cycling through a cloud by the end of it, but what goes up must come down and that 6 miles of downhill was pretty epic.

A chance to stay in Manchester couldn't be overlooked, although the Manchester in Vermont is just a little different to the Manchester back home - few more mountains, and a little more forest. I did overhear a brilliant half a conversation whilst I was having breakfast though...

The officer said that it is allowed here, just as long as you don't touch yourself.

All clear then - when in Vermont, as long as you're touching someone else, it's all good.

Empire State Plaza, Albany NY

In Albany I had a well deserved rest-day. It's not too bad a city. There is one street with some fun to be had and a couple of decent sights to be seen. But, despite going to an 'English Pub', I'm yet to be served a warm beer and a menu with Doner Kebab with options such as chicken curry as a filling and no mention of doner is a travesty. There was also a choice to be made: either nail it down to Harrisburg to keep the capital counter up, or add an extra 300 miles or so and head west to Niagara Falls before going south to Harrisburg. The people of Facebook chose, and chose well. Found a bike path that heads west, and when I got onto the path there was a sign saying that it goes all the 349 miles to Buffalo (or close enough).

So tonight I'm in the village of Fultonville. Across the river is the village of Fonda. There's very little here other than a speedway so all I can hear at the minute is the sound of far too many V8 engines on a way too small oval track.

Birthday Boy!

Before I forget, couple of things to finish off. First of all, as it's crept over to the 27th with the time difference, I can say happy birthday to my big brother! 28 again with his first year of experience!


Last thing, over here is a holiday weekend. On Monday is Memorial Day - a day to remember those fallen on behalf of the US armed forces. I'd like to remind everyone of another group of people who have lost their lives...

Ghost Bike, NY

The 10 Capital, 1000 Mile Spectacular!!!

State house, Montpelier VT

When considering the trip I was thinking that I'd be pretty pleased with myself once I made it into double figures with State capitals. Yesterday I achieved that by reaching Montpelier VT. Around the same time I also passed the 1000 mile mark. For any Daily Mail readers that's 192000 double decker buses, 15304 football pitches, or going from Land's End to John O'Groats and making it over half way back again.

Got to say, I like Montpelier. It's a very small place, but seems to have a lot of life there. It seems to be a place that draws people into the centre of town as opposed to many other places in the States where anything of value or interest is custom built outside of town leaving the centre a bit desolate. They also have a quality pub - The Three Penny Taproom which I can confirm sells many excellent beers and I'm sure sells many many more that I didn't try. I also have to thank the good people at Econolodge for the following exchange:

Me: Hi, how much for a room for the evening?

Econolodge: $69 plus tax.

Me: Is there any way that can go lower?

Econolodge: I can do $65, plus tax.

Econolodge: $60 plus tax?

Me: Yeah that sounds good.

Econolodge: OK, I need some ID blah blah blah. What brings you to Montpelier?

Me: I'm trying to cycle to as many State capitals as I can and this is number 10.

Econolodge: On  a bike? A bicycle? Wow! No charge for your room. You can stay as our guest, and I'll see if we can get you some publicity in the paper.

As I said, I like Montpelier, and Vermont as a whole. It kind of feels like a mix of New Hampshire, the way you're pressed into the forest, and Maine with it's mountains and general atmosphere of vastness. When you can see anything from the road all you see is forest disappearing into the distance, up the mountains in the midground and then up the mountains in the background. And today I was following the Mad River along the edge of the Green Mountain National Forest which is just incredible.

Mad River, Vermont

Tonight I'm at a bed and breakfast, kind of in the middle of nowhere, but they had a massive sign promising the best breakfast in Vermont and it was raining and I was knackered so a good place to stop. Had a really nice evening eating with the family who live here and another cheap night as they can't do breakfast for us. Works for me though.

There's A Moose! Loose! About This Hoose!

Word of the week: Melodious

Another day, another State capital. Another night, another Youth Hostel.

Dead end in Maine, and a couple of lads with the right idea.

From Portsmouth I headed north East to follow the coast towards Portland and then onwards to Brunswick. Being New England, all the towns have stolen their names from well know English seaside towns: Portsmouth, Portland, Yarmouth, Scarborough, Freeport, and the well known sea-side town of York. Most of these are like cycling through Scarborough with the beach and sea-front tourist shops and restaurants, except for Freeport which is more like cycling through Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet Village.

From Brunswick I essentially followed the Kennebec River up to Augusta which looks a little like this...

Kennebec River, Maine

I got Hugin working so that I can stitch photos together for panoramic scenes. But, I made it up to Augusta for State capital number 9. Not too much to say, but the racoon (roadkill) on the wildlife list can be replaced with racoon (alive). Also, the cycling is beginning to take its toll on my body. The roads are pretty cracked and all the vibrations coming through the front wheel are turning my forearms to jelly. I had a really nice roast crispy duck the other day and had to eat it like a toddler because I just can't hold a fork properly. I think I'm getting close to having to sign my name with an 'X' too. I've got no idea how I managed to control two very short straws this morning to use them as chopsticks to have a pasta salad for breakfast.

There's one youth hostel in Maine at Bethel. Surely I could make that in one day. My average is hovering around 40 miles a day with the most I've done so far a solid 60 miles through Delaware. Delaware was flat. The 65 miles between Augusta and Bethel goes into a mountain range and isn't anything close to flat. Plus, there's nothing there apart from wildlife (I saw some more deer and I think I saw a porcupine, but it was a bit flat to know for certain). Some nice views though...

North Pond, near Bethel ME

Heed the warning - beware the moose with three legs

Tonight, I was in Bethel for some food and a beer or two. About to start the 5 miles or so back to the hostel but there's a bit of a thunderstorm brewing and me legs are actually killing so call in a lift off the guy who runs the hostel. The mountains look incredible being lit up by lightning. We also saw another entry to the wildlife list. Moose trundle across roads similar to deer, but at a quarter of the speed, maybe less. They're also all legs and then a tonne of moose meat at windscreen height. Probably the closest I've come to death for a while.

The Pond

Listening to: The Beatles, All You Need Is Love

State House, Concord NH

After the pissing rain in Derry NH, things seem to have gotten a little better. For now anyway. Up in Concord I walked into a bar with apparently the best timing ever. No idea what the joke was, but it had something to do with the big red 'S' emblazoned across me chest. Had a pint and some food thinking 'could just do with a bit of Beatles' when All You Need Is Love comes on. Next day I was in a diner in the middle of nowhere outside of Concord thinking 'could do with some Beatles here' when Boom! All You Need Is Love comes on the radio. Good times.

I've been told before that New Hampshire has the second highest tree population in the States, and after cycling through it I can believe it. There's the odd house, the odd lake, but otherwise there's nothing but tree. People do wonder about how lonely it must get to be doing this by myself, and it does get lonely. For a good portion of the day there is nothing to do other than think about names for cheese shops (Curds & Wahey!). But then, as you fly down a hill, surrounded by woodlands, meeting a picturesque stream at the bottom of the hill in the blazing sunshine you begin to think about the people back home, sat at the computer fiddling with Excel spreadsheets and trying to stop Word from reformatting all the pictures. Sucks to be you - it's beautiful out here.

Somewhere in New Hampshire

What a day I had yesterday! Simply incredible. Nice easy day of cycling planned to get me from Durham NH to Portsmouth NH going round the Great Bay which is only about 20 miles. Got off the main road and could smell the salt and ozone of the sea. Things were going to be good - THWUNK! Look down and me back wheel is going all over the place. This needs looking at. Bike is upsidedown for a minute before another cyclist comes past and invites me back to hers, just round the corner, where her partner has all the tools I could need for a fix. Score! Unhook the rear brake and limp it round the corner to have a better look at the problem and I've broken a spoke. Terri and Chuck give us a lift into Portsmouth to the quality bike shop Papa Wheelies. While the bike is on the mend, myself Terri and Chuck go off to the Coat Of Arms, a British pub, for a pint and some lunch. Back at Papa Wheelies, Steve is so inspired by me journey and by Terri and Chuck's generosity there's no charge for the fix. I was beaming as I went into town to see what was going on and to kill some time before finding a motel.

Heroes of the day - Steve of Papa Wheelies, Terri and Chuck

Sunset from Portsmouth

Portsmouth is fairly well known for its nightlife, and on a stunning Saturday it had to be good. Went to the Portsmouth Brewery for a couple of local ales and spent the evening talking to a few random but brilliant people at the bar. Went somewhere else for some music and ended up pretty much crashing a hen party. Fantastic day, and a much needed evening. Many, many thanks to Terri and Chuck for their help and company. Many thanks to Steve at Papa Wheelies for the bike fix. And many thanks to anyone I met last night for making it a great night. I've heard before that Portsmouth is a great place, and you've all proven it.

Live Free Or Die

Shouting: Jaaaaaaaan!

The Big Noodle, Boston MA

So, there's some more animals to add to the list of wildlife encountered on my travels: bedbugs, a rat and a cockroach - gotta love hostels. Although, to be fair to the hostel the rat was seen in the pub down the road rather than the hostel. The cockroach though, my god! It was about half the size of my foot. I thought that the apocalypse had come and I'd managed to sleep through 50 years of nuclear winter allowing the cockroaches to mutate and grow freakishly large as they feasted on the abundant and glow-in-the-dark human flesh. But no, it was just a youth hostel.

Another benefit of cheap hostel accommodation is the people you share a room with, and what a pleasure it was to be sharing with Sleeping Beauty. He slept a lot anyway, but he was no beauty. His snoring was something to behold. To be able to snore with no rhythm, with varying pitch, varying volume, going from wheezes to full-on room shaking snorts and consistently breathing in far more than breathing out should be considered an art in its own right. An art, but at 3 in the morning, a right pain in the arse.

Boston from top of Bunker Hill Monument, Boston MA

Apart from the infestations, I had a good time at the hostel in Boston. Met a load of really nice people, including Ricardo and Lucy who've been stalking me since Philly. Had a few decent beers; plenty of Harpoon IPA but I think the Goose Island Honkers is better. Last night we went bowling and I managed a not too disrespectful 103 and 113.

Today, it's pissing it down, and I'm sat at a bench underneath some wooden cover at the back of an ice-cream parlor on the outskirts of Derry NH with a clammy arse stealing WiFi from the Dunkin' Donuts across the road waiting for either the bar to open or someone to get back to the motel to let me have a room. Step up from Sleeping Beauty and cockroaches that could swallow a cat though.

Got to love a bit of patriotism. And chocolate.

Number 7

Wearing: Clean, tumble-drier warm pants.

Dan's flat, Providence RI

The things people can do with open spaces is incredible. To be able to turn one huge space and turn it into several separated, multi-story units with different atmospheres is inspirational. And the friendliness and kindness of some people is great to witness. Dan gave me bike a service helping me get to Boston in record time, and his girlfriend brought me some amazing cakes from the bakery helping me trousers fit for another week. We can also add to the wildlife tally - whilst we were playing with an accordian (Axel F anyone?) a groundhog came out from underneath a girder to listen.

I had two thoughts about Providence. First of all, it has the same kind of atmosphere as St Andrews, or at least College Hill round by Brown University has. You can feel the university atmosphere and for some reason it has the same kind of feeling of being in it's own bubble and shut off from the rest of the world. The other thought is that in contrast to the UK, the centre of town empties at the weekend. This was the same in Wilmington. Final thought about Rhode Island - it's a lot flatter than Connecticut.

Bunker Hill, Boston MA

From Providence, it was a simple ride up to Boston to get State capital number 7. One thing Americans are good at is BBQ. I stopped off on the way at some BBQ pit for a burrito and it was great. Since arriving at the youth hostel I've met a couple of new people and a couple who seem to have been following us from Philly and through New York, although they came here on bus and spent 10 days in NYC rather than 2 days and cycling.

Spent today wandering round and following the Freedom Trail. While I was having a break in Boston Common I was randomly given a shed-load of free condoms courtesy of Boston Glass Community Center.

Clean pants, and free condoms - Boston is a great city!

May The Forth Be With You

Song running though head: The Proclaimers, 500 miles

Happy Star Wars day people!

Today (or fairly recently - difficult to know for certain) I passed the 500 mile mark. I've also arrived in my 6th State Capital: Providence RI.

I'm staying with a second guy from warmshowers called Dan, who lives in a commercial studio space, but we don't talk about that.

For anyone wondering, vegan baked goods are made with witchcraft and rug hair apparently.

McDonalds - All Coaches Welcome

Listening to: Eels, Love of the Loveless

Well, it’s been a little while since my last post, mainly because not very much happened in New York and I’ve been taking advantage of the motels I’ve stayed in and rested.

New York from Empire State Building

In New York I was hoping to meet and stay with me friend from uni, Chelsey. However, she managed to fall off a pavement and required surgery to fix her collar bone. With my guide gone I was left to my own devices and spent most my time wandering the length of Manhattan. For the first time I held a human brain at the Bodies exhibition that I stumbled across trying to make my way towards the Brooklyn Bridge. Also for the first time, I saw a rotund kid in a onesie playing baseball. If you wish to get noticed in New York though, head over to New Look where you can get a Superman hoodie for £20. Makes a change to have cabbies stop you to take a photo, compared to the usual “look Mommy, it’s Superman!”.

The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed my injury count go up. Nothing serious, and expected. At some point I smacked my peddle into the back of me leg to give me a cut and a bruise. I wasn’t going to include this in the injury count, but it made things a bit painful walking the length of Manhattan.

Hudson River from Tallman Mountain Park, NY

Leaving New York, the plan was simple: head north, go over the bridge, head east at Yonkers and follow the coast up to Connecticut. The reality was somewhat different. The heading north bit went without a hitch. Saw a bike lane heading over a bridge and thought ‘yeah, looks good’. A couple of hours later at the edge of some park I found out that I was on the wrong side of the Hudson river with no crossing for many more miles. Was a beautiful place though, even if there was Lycra everywhere (some race on apparently). Continued north following a bike route (NY bike route 9) and making the odd detour though State Parks. From these detours we can add to the wildlife I’ve seen, and none of it roadkill this time. I saw some deer, a chipmunk and some wild turkey. Eventually ended up in Bear Mountain Park. The Bear Mountain Inn had rooms starting at something stupid, so bugger that, I went off to the Econolodge and even haggled a cheaper rate out of them.

Bear Mountain Park, NY

From Highland Falls I headed over the Bear Mountain Bridge. The hill on the other side was relentless, but if you’re driving I can recommend that road (Route 6 and 202) – amazing scenery and fun to drive. Found a bike trail that took us into Brewster and eventually crept over into Connecticut to stay the evening in Danbury. Not much going on in Danbury, but I got an alright and much needed curry at least.

Connecticut Science Center, Hartford CT

Connecticut is New England proper and there were more and more British place names that I’ve passed through: Plymouth, Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester, Bolton, Glastonbury and of course the State capital Hartford (named after Hertford). In Hartford I stayed in the cheapest motel yet, in the dodgiest part of town yet. Walking back towards Downtown I was talking to a guy who started the conversation at 11am with “Hey man, you got a blunt?”. Lunch at a brewery café with a beer complete with orange slices. I’m sure this had no impact on my enjoyment of the Connecticut ScienceCenter, but it was amazing! Maybe even amazing enough to contend with the Newseum for favourite museum. A little child orientated, but still, stuff to press and touch and play with and twist and turn and watch everywhere. I raced a robot in creating a pattern with different shaped blocks (I lost miserably), I flew across the surface of Mars, I endured 80 mph winds (or so it said. It did dry my hair nicely though), I played with harmonics (no Carl, I still don’t understand anything about vibe) and I dropped a weight onto a dummy’s head to look at the impact of collisions comparing different safety gear (I chose the scrum cap – that dummy definitely died).

Tony - My host in Hartford CT

After the Science Center I met up with a guy from warmshowers who agreed to host me for a night. Tony was a great host. He cooked some food for us, found us a decent bar for a pint, gave us a bed for the evening and then gave me directions to get to my next town following the Hop bike trail, part of the East Coast Greenway.

So, I’m currently in Willamantic. I spent hours wandering around Eastern Connecticut State University asking the students if they had a spare couch, and got a couple of promising leads. Nothing came from it though, and I'm back in a motel.

Trenton NJ

Downtown Trenton NJ

Following Philly it was a short ride over to Trenton NJ to claim another capital. There was bugger all in Trenton and nowhere to get an internet connection to find if I had a room for the evening, so I decided to just get the train into NYC. On the way to the station I was accosted by 2 homeless guys. The first was from Trinidad and Tobago, enjoyed football and cricket, and was a pleasant enough guy. The second, 30 seconds down the road, was claiming that he was homeless, diabetic, his mum had just died, and he definitely wasn't a drug addict. Plus he called me an asshole.

Although I want to cycle everywhere, I do have my reasons for taking the train from Trenton. First of all, cycling in and around NYC is not for the faint hearted like myself. It's also a lot quicker and at only $15, pretty cheap. Finally, the cycling route would take me through Rahway, Linden and Newark which will be very familiar to some of my old colleagues. I've been there before and the wider berth these places can be given the better.

New York NY

Familiar Places

Smelling of: Yesterday - sweat
Yesterday evening - lemon & coriander (yay for complimentary hotel stuff)
Today - damp

I've had a plug from me brother on his blog who said I was "rather amusing". Hopefully some really interesting stuff will happen soon so I can be downright hilarious. Until then, rather amusing will have to suffice.

Chester PA

Going through New England there are loads of places that are named after the original back home. I've gone through Abingdon, Aberdeen, Oxford, Glasgow, Chester and Newport. But I'd like to compare a very important town to me.

Nottingham, Notts, UK
City of my birth
Size: 29 sq mi
Population: 306,700
Famed for: Robin Hood, lace, and supposedly the best shopping in the UK outside of London

Nottingham, PA, USA
Stayed there the other night
Size: 20 sq mi (mostly farmland)
Population: 2,500 (I got this off Wikipedia, so I'm not entirely certain it's the same place. Maybe it's a typo with one too many 0s?)
Famed for: Herr's Snack Factory

Susquehanna State Park, MD

Nottingham PA, as the name suggests, is in Pennsylvania. How I got into Pennsylvania at this point is a mystery. I was supposed to head straight into Elkton after crossing the Susquehanna river from Baltimore, but I couldn't continue on route 40 so I had to head North to go through Susquehanna State Park and cross the Conowingo hydroelectric damn. While there I got to watch some eagles flying about. The wildlife has been incredible so far. I've seen eagles (soaring), robins (bigger than their European cousin's but nowhere near as cute), cardinals (the red birds), bluebirds (the blue birds), possums (roadkill), turtles (basking), a lynx (roadkill) and a bear cub (roadkill). A few other things as well, but I can't identify them. Met a couple in the park who offered us a place to stay for the evening in Bel Air. Everybody... "In West Philadelphia born and raised, on the playground where I spent most of my days, etc.". Curse you Bel Air for being in the wrong direction! The couple told me to cross the dam and follow the road to Elkton, and somehow I ended up in Pennsylvania heading North.

Route 13 and the bastard bridge, DE

Leaving Nottingham to head South again, there could only be one road suitable for the task: Blue Ball Road. Incidentally, it's not blue yet, but I know the razor-like feeling Colin was on about. I'm assuming the Sudocrem does more than give cheap thrills upon application but I'm yet to feel the proof. Blue Ball Road took me into Elkton from where I had to suffer McDonalds in order to abuse their free WiFi and figure out where I was and where I needed to go. Back onto route 40, down route 72, and down route 13 all the way into Dover DE for another State capital. All these roads are much like cycling down the A34 except with a bike lane (the hard shoulder with a man on a bike painted every now and then) and all the cars driving on the wrong side of the road.

City Hall, Dover DE

 Dover DE is a very small town. The main attraction is a casino and the Nascar race track. Other than that there's a historic part of town which looks nice, but there's nothing else there.

With nothing to do in Dover, the next step was to get back up North to head towards Philadelphia. Within reasonable distance was Wilmington. From Elkton to Wilmington is roughly 20 miles. From Elkton to Wilmington via Dover is nearer 100 miles. Dover has been a pain in the arse as it is half way down a peninsular (Annapolis to Dover is 65 miles or so, or if you go my route, 150 - could have saved sooooo much time). I was talking to a guy in a cafe in Dover who suggested taking route 9 up North which seemed like a decent idea. Country roads with farmland and wetlands all the way up to Wilmington. Beautiful. Somehow I ended up back on route 13 again (bit like A34) having to cross the same bastard steep bridge battling the traffic. I missed out on 25 miles of coastal roads, state parks, managed wetlands and a power station. I also got horrifically lost. I was following route 13 when it became route 7 and route 13 joined with route 1 which is a little more like a motorway and I couldn't go on there (I've got absolutely no idea how these different roads work - finding a side street is a piece of piss, finding a major road is a fucking nightmare). Followed route 7 all the way into a mall - less than helpful. Asked a friendly police officer for some help and he says go back around to route 7, under route 95, and where it splits with route 4 follow route 4 all the way into town. Went back around, can't go onto route 1 and nowhere to go under route 95. Tried another route in right kind of direction and ended up in another mall - fucksocks! Another route and I stumbled on route 4, but which way? No bastard signs to Wilmington. My trusty compass helped me out and after a couple of miles I was on route 7!?! On the edge of town I met a guy who stopped me to ask about me bike. Turns out he was a farmer, had landscaped half of Wilmington, been some precision engineer, been a security official at the bank and he was alright to sit outside the bank as they wouldn't know who he was as he wore prosthetics for that job, he did some work at the hospital draining knees, and told me all about his various bank accounts and bonds. I think he was just a little bit nuts.

Wetlands off route 9, DE

Absolutely knackered and not much happening with CouchSurfing so settle on one of the cheaper hotels in town.

Girl on desk: That'll be $119.

Me: Is there any chance of haggling that price?

Girl on desk: Do you have a loyalty card?

 Me: No.

Girl on desk: Yeah you do. That'll be $100.

Welcome to Newport (just before Wilmington) DE

To think what I may have achieved had I smelled of lemon and coriander before I checked in.

Over the past week it's been amazing weather and I've been badly sunburnt and on the point of heat stroke. Today, it's been pissing it down. I'd been asked what I'd do when it rained, and the obvious answer was that I'd get wet. And I did. Very wet. Got me trainers in the drier right now. At least it was only 30 miles from Wilmington to Philadelphia and I had the route written (smudged) on me hand so I didn't get lost and it only took a few hours, but I'm here in Philadelphia where it's always sunny (or not).

Welcome to Philadelphia