Day 18

Had a great sleep ... waken at 05:30 with a few mosquito bites! ... that was a full 8 hours. Set off at the usual slow pace ... a bit overcast at the moment but no sign of the rain that was promised. Got a fill of cool water at a farmhouse ... the lady was a talker ... talk, talk, talk ... Oh was I glad to get shot of her! The maize here is about 7 ft tall and very evenly sowed ... chatted to a farmer who owns and works 8000 acres ... 6000 acres of soya beans and sweetcorn! Further along the road watched as a Piper Pawnee crop duster aircraft doing his stuff spraying a big field ... Wow! he flies a couple of feet above the deck then swoops up and around for the next pass ... effortless. Took a wrong turning and ended up about 20 miles off course ... stupid really ... didn't check my route earlier ... have arrived in the nice little city of Burlington on the west bank of the mighty Mississippi in the State of Iowa. I can detect a different accent out here ... and the place seems friendly ... still no indians, though! Am having a problem with the technology ... my solar charger is not working as well as I had hoped ... no shortage of sunlight ... I have it strapped onto my rear bicycle pannier, so maybe it's overheating or not inclined enough to capture the Sun's rays ... just another thing to worry about? T-mobile data coverage is poor out here ... I can get onto Wifi at McDs and I can phone but it's not as easy to blog as I was hoping ... so far so good, but later on I might only report in every couple of days or so. So much for yesterday's rest day ... there's a voice inside me pushing me on while the going is good. No aches or pains and I've lost as much weight as I need to at this stage. I've surprised myself with my ability to cycle in the heat ... the trick seems to be drink plenty of fluids and go slow.


(Keeping up to date with the News. I knew Johnny Curry well and followed the drama as it played out.) I'm trying to recall some of the places I've past through but it's all becoming a blur ... seeing too much of the same thing and not able to take it all in. Must be an age thing? In Fort Madison now, a pretty place on the banks of the Mississippi ... would like to have got here earlier. Just about finished for the day ... will clock up 60+ miles. Wasn't too hot today and it is threatening to rain now. Was on the very busy dual carriageway (route 61) when they closed one side ... it was all dug up. The other carriageway was split with little or no shoulder. I chickened out and walked for 2 miles. No way was I able to cycle alongside that traffic ... good decision Joseph! Final leg of the day is to cycle west out of town and find a spot to sleep.


Original Fort Madison


And river boats like this really do exist. Goodnight.

Location:Burlington, Iowa