Nick Walks America

Ellicott is around 5,500ft above sea level. Pikes Peak which looms over Colorado Springs is at 14,000ft. To me the mountains looked around 5 miles away when infact they were more like 30 miles away. All day my ickle brain was telling me i was nearly there but the mountains just got bigger and bigger, it was really taking the biscuit. It was only 18 miles to Colorado springs but i tell you it was the hardest. By the time i reached the outskirts of the city i was too tired to celebrate so i found the nearest motel, had a shower and slept.

I'm now taking a 4 day well earned break with my bro in Vail to rest, eat and prep for the mountains. I'll be uploading a load of photo's in the next day or so and replying to any emails i haven't replied to yet.

There really is nothing out here. Pumpkin Centre and Rush were nothing more than a cross roads with a few buildings looking pretty strange in the middle of the hi flatlands. It's still blisteringly hot and the last week has by far been the hardest and most challenging stretch of my trip so far, that's the polite version. The thought of seeing the Rockies for the first time has kept me going however visibility hasn't been the best. A few miles from Ellicott i was welcomed by a massive expanse of flatland below my hilltop location. The Rockies were right there on the horizon, but i couldn't see them. At least I've finally reaches civilisation, it feels like I've finally found my way out of the desert, there were people, cars, music, toilets?! I even had a park to camp in complete with swings and a slide to play on.

Early evening the Rockies finally showed their face and the views of the sunset have nearly made the last 101 days worth it.

The last 3 days have been as enjoyable as re-writing George Bush's speeches, as painful as parents evening when you know your kid is a complete bugger, and as uneventful as an all-male pajama party. Monday was one long, very hot walk alongside truckers route 287. Tuesday was one long, very hot walk alongside truckers route 287, except this time carrying 4 days worth of food. In the evening i refilled with water in Aroya before walking a few more miles. The clever idea was to reach Pumpkin Centre 27 miles away by Wednesday evening so i could refill on water. There's nothing between Aroya and there and if it was going to be another blisteringly hot day the 4 litres of water i was carrying wouldn't last too long. It was the perfect plan, the logic was undeniable.

In the high flatlands no-one can here you swear. During the night the bite-valve on my water pouch became squashed between my GPS and the tent pole. Water had slowly dripped out and by morning i was left with a pint, plus a pint in my emergency container. Not funny. A 6 mile round trip back to Aroya was out of the question, so i set off desperately hoping there would be a ranch in the next 10 miles. 18 miles later and nothing. I was contemplating cutting across the scrubland to one of the windmills which are used to pump well water for cattle, yum. As fate would have it a kind guy by the name of Ross pulled up, and as he had no water drove me to Pumpkin Centre. I was alive, if not a little thirsty.

The potential for being so close to death made me think about a few things in a different light-if cows could talk, would they ask for a massage? What would i say to the Queen? If you pull the legs off a fly what would you call it? What can i say, I'm an optimist.

A short 16 mile trek and i was in civilisation at last. Last night i camped in Chivington, a small place where half the buildings were derelict and the other half were just liveable. Randy had told me how Chivington used to be a stereotypical railroad town with bars and hore-houses, now it just looks like a tornado has gone through it. The whole area is striaght out of a movie scene with small cacti, sloping scrubland and dry creek beds. Infact it was once Indian territory, and just North(by car at least) is a monument to the Salt Creek Massacre where 300 Indians were slaughtered. It was pretty atmospheric being able to stand in the complete silence looking at the stars and having no-one charging you an entrance fee or trying to sell you 'real Indian sand'. And then 3 police cars sped past and ruined it. They must have been handing out free leftover donuts in Sheridan Lake.

I stayed in Eads for the rest of the day as a big storm was brewing and i didnt want to be caught out in the middle of the Plains. I saw Casey the policeman again, although he was off duty i stopped myself from telling him his girlfriend was hot, you never know. I should have camped in the designated camping area but it was right by the noisy highway 287 truck route, so i pitched instead right outside the police station. A pretty safe bet if you ask me.

When i left Towner at 6.30am it was colder than Maggie Thatcher in a grump. 2 hours later it was hotter than Kelly Brooke washing my car topless. It's almost worth fighting the cold to see the sunrise, but not quite. Not expecting to see civilisation for 3 days, it was almost orgasmic seeing a newly opened gas station in Sheridan Lake. Fate had brought us together, but not because they sold coffee.

After using a real toilet i happily munched on my lunch outside. A very smiley guy called Randy (picture) pulled up and offered me a lift. It was like a scene out if 'Me, Myself and Irene' but i managed to pull myself together, say no thank you and explained the unplanned, idiotic, unthoughout trip i was undertaking. A couple hours later Randy stopped on his way back home and passed me a couple of ice cold beers-top man. Another hour later he came back, this time with food, Gatorade and more beer from his wife. People aren't too well off here so it was humbling that Randy was prepared to do so much for a complete stranger. He even called his friend Mary and got permission for me to camp in her garden in Chivington. She was lovely too. Later on when local Sheriff Casey stopped for my first Colorado ID check, he knew both of them and was extremely helpful and courteous too, it's like the Waltons out here i tell ya.

All in all its been a very enjoyable day. My pack is fuller and heavier than it ever has been and I've still managed 26 miles. I hate to say it, but for once i think I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow.

This afternoon i waved a fond farewell to Kansas and limped into Colorado. Being a big cycle route, there were also a couple of cyclists taking it all in who were travelling the other way. I didn't want to spoil the excitement of the unknown so didnt ask what i had in store and just passed on my expert novice hiker experience of what lay ahead for them. I ended up in Towner, a small settlement where Main street consisted of a letterbox and 2 houses. I walked around trying to find someone, anyone, but it was just dead. I ended up pitching by the railway track and spent the next 2 hours watching the sun set and the stars come out over the vast landscape before the cold drove me to my tent. Spectacular.

A short and very hot 22 miles and i was in Tribune, my last stop before Colorado. In the afternoon i followed a 9 mile dirt track running alongside the highway, the open views away from the traffic were amazing. Last night coming into Leoti i saw the guy from Alexander for the fourth time, and sure enough there he was at the gas station again. He works on oil wells so travels a lot, but it's still called stalking in my book. Nice bloke though. It took me an hour to leave the gas station after the lovely checkout girl screamed "you're walking?!?!" at the top of her voice. All the locals decended onto my location to ask questions and give some handy advice. Old man Bill told me how he used to fly his plane over the area and on just one particularly clear day he could see the Rockies 200 miles away. How i wish i had a plane.

On arrival at the Sherriff's office they already knew i was in town. Someone had called me in because, wait for it, i was walking....ON A ROAD?! That's just cu-razy. I appreciate that there's lots of farm machinery lying around and people tend to leave their doors unlocked but come on, i can't hotwire a tractor and as far as im aware the military haven't invented the Tardis rucksack to carry one yet. What annoyed me is i knew who called me in because only one pickup passed me all afternoon. He waved and everything, i mean what sort of person would do such a thing, wave and not mean it? That's just downright cruel.

I promised the Sherriff i wouldnt go tractor-joyriding and was sent on my merry way to the park to pitch my tent up in the dark again. Ir's starting to get pretty nippy at night, 'you could cut glass with them' as i used to say.

I've reached Leoti, slap bang in the middle of the great plains. I've only 212 miles and 10 days to go before i reach Colorado Springs. This will probably be my last post until then as I'm now entering 'the dead zone', no phone reception, no libraries, not much of anything really apart from 2 small towns and a truck stop. It's going to be a case of if I'm not carrying it, I can't have it.

I've prepared a few singalong songs for when my ipod battery dies-
What's wheat got to do with it?
Crazy little thing called wheat
Something wheaty
What a wonderful wheat

They should keep me going, it's not like there's anyone around to hear my shrill cries. If i come out the other side still sane i will be very surprised. Well it's time to hit the road, I'll hopefully see you all in 10 days, another time zone and another State. Adios for now....

It's been a quietly enjoyable last couple of days. I must be easily pleased as nothing of note has happened at all, not a chipolata. I'm most pleased with my progress-54 miles in 2 days with little damage to show for it apart from a hungry belly. The only discerning landmarks now are grain silos marking the next town, with the odd ranch or oil well scattered across the landscape. The trouble with seeing grain silos is that although you can see your finish point ahead, it can sometimes be 10 miles away. Hour after hour the damn things just don't get any closer, then suddenly you're there and the next one's waving at you in the distance.

I've now left starestown and entered nicestarestownville. People still gawp, but add a smile or a wave. I haven't seen much of where i am now-Scott City, but Dighton was very welcoming. At 9am a mix of country and rock music played out onto the empty high street from city hall, people stopped to speak, it was all very surreal. Communters are also starting to get to know me as are the cattle trucks. One guy stopped and said "I saw you yesterday, looking good!" Thanks mate, but i like girls. Just now i say a guy i spoke to 3 days ago in Alexander. This place is basically one small community, just very spread out.

It's been an unusual day. I cooked breakfast, me, cooked, breakfast, it's just not right. And at 6.30am in the night. The sky was bluer than blue, what i now call blueblue, and it was an amazing sight over the now lunar landscape. I know this will possibly upset a few people so i will say it-God must have been a gay fashion designer in another life. With most of the crops harvested, the leftover landscape complemented the blueblue sky perfectly. Hopefully have some pics up soon.

What's strange is that it's cold, and very windy. After months of sweating like a Mexican wrestler, I'm now in winter attire. Wearing a woolly hat and shades just feels wrong, like a bloke walking into the ladies toilets is wrong(but it still has to be done at least once).

As if by magic I've also left niceville and walked into staretown. No smiles or waves now, just stares. Some yocals even slow down to take a good gawp, which annoys the hell out of me. I will start pulling moonies soon, that'll give them something to stare at. Even when i reached Ness City(which so isn't a city) the yocals were falling over themselves to take a good gawp. "Look look, there be one of those real people from that there real world?! It does exist!!" Even the usually friendly cops couldn't help themselves, wearing their feminine beige trousers and, oh a gun, well I've always been quite fond of beige myself. On the good side the lady in the gas station was very friendly, and Ness City even had a small camping area for drifters like me. Thank god there was somewhere to eat, I'm always starving lately. Fatty.

These old railway towns really are dying a slow death. The gas stations which should be supplying me with coffee and donuts just don't exist anymore. That's just downright selfish. I arrived in Rush Centre just before lunch ready to stock up at the gas station and food mart, which according to all my research were waiting for me. They weren't. It looked like an annoying 5 mile detour north was needed to La Crosse as i was still 35 miles from the next town and short of food. Luckily the local bar had just opened so i was able to ravage on an 18oz cheeseburger, curly fries and pasta, yum. My noodles and power bars would get me the rest of the way so on i hitched, sorry walked, to Alexander, and a very nice rest stop to camp. There were toilets and everything, you people don't know how lucky you are.

At the rest stop 3 separate people came over to ask if i was the guy they saw walking earlier. Tired and grumpy, i really wanted to say "No, i just have a very big handbag, prefer to cook here than in my own deluxe kitchen and I've borrowed James Bonds invisible car". Please.

The heavy rain is back, and i was luxky to have booked myself into a cheap motel last night as a half-way treat. Towns are becoming more spread apart from here on in, and i will have to plan carefully so that i don't end up as another one of those roadside crosses i keep seeing. Untimely death isn't on my agenda. Due to the recent spell of wet weather my bestest friends the mosquitos have been given a few extra weeks to happily munch away at some prime British meat. They obviously know the end is near as they're making an extra special effort at trying to suck the life out of my legs.

It was a slow and relatively quiet day. It was a case of having to stop every time a truck went past so i wouldnt get soaked, and stopping every so often to dry my feet. A crazy life i lead! I don't see myself getting into too much mischief in the coming weeks, so posts might be a bit thin on the ground or delayed. I've made it to a small town of nothing called Timken, it does have a small park which is a bonus i suppose.

Yes sir, it's as right as the arch-enemy of wrong, I'm half way across the USA. Each individual day has been a right royal challenge, but thinking about them all together to have gotten where i am now, I've pretty much just got on with it, enjoyed it and I'm giving a special Winston Churchill style two fingers at the few who doubted me. Of course big thanks to all those that have helped me get this far, you know who you are!

I'm now due to finish early December, a whole month ahead of schedule which is an accomplishment in itself, as is being able to spell accomplishment. I'm actually aiming to finish November 30th as i have some unfinished business back home, part of my renewed 'life's too short' attitude.

In 3 small weeks I'll be done with the flatlands and into the Rockies. I have some of the worlds greatest minds revising my route over the mountains so rest assured that a bit more effort is going into planning the dangerous part of my trip, there's only so much blagging one man can do. So what have a learned since Kansas City?

-there is a special place in hell waiting for mosquitos.
-a smile can get you anything-if you mean it.
-i would be lost without my mobile phone and ipod.
-I'm still Australian, with a slight twist of New Zealand now. Nice.
-what Americans fear the most is themselves.
-two legs are better than one.
-Kansas just pips Pennyslvania as the friendliest and most welcoming State I've been through so far, well done you guys!
-i love my car more than life itself.

I'm currently updating the blog via the library as both of my phones have zero reception, so apologies for the lack of photos.

Through the process of elimination, to be exact walking past fields, I've realised that what has been flaring up my allergies again is wheat. This is a small problem, like Bin Laden is a small problem. I'm currently in the wheat state, the kingdom of wheat, the epicenter of wheat heaven. There's so much wheat here they make houses out of the stuff, cars drive on it, I've even heard stories that dogs are made of it. I've probably walked past or peed near the wheat you'll be eating soon.

With itchy red eyes my charm offensive with the locals is in real jeopardy. Dirty, smelly, unshaven and now with blood-shot eyes, even I'm beginning to think that i may indeed look like a dog-shooting, spider-leg pulling terrorist.

On the walking front, nothing of interest happened and i ended up walking the full 29 miles to Lyons. After popping down the local police station to let them know i was in town, Casey the local policeman not only gave me a lift to the local free campgrounds, but also gave me a quick tour of the place and showed me where a horse endurance race will be coming into town tomorrow. Now that's what i call a welcome, thanks Casey!

The order of the day day was eat, rest, eat, see the sights af McPherson, and eat a bit more food. My dreams of seeing Leo the MGM Lion were shattered when i found the local museum to be closed. I don't pick my rest days very well as everything else seemed to be closed too, something to do with being open on the weekend. The weather has turned 'English' and is expected to reach a chilly 8c tonight. Im now only 60 miles from my half way point which is rather exciting. If you're interested I'm also around 65 miles South East of the Geodetic center for North America, which is sat on a ranch in Osborne County(Osborne is a great name).

I popped down the local paper for a quick interview so hopefully I'll be in the paper without the help of crazy people or the police this time. Im now sat in one of the few places open, a local side bar, singing along to 'sweet home Alabama' with a bottle of Miller. A couple more beers and I'll be ready to whip the locals at a few games of pool. It's great to be normal again.

For the first time phone reception is really bad, my phone keeps linking to some US 40 network which wont let me publish photo's, so I'm old-skooling it at another friendly library.

It's cold, wet and windy, and I'm ba ba dah dah dah-lovin' it. Apart from the ocassional truck soaking me with spray it's been great walking weather. No burning sun, shade-hunting, beaty swollocks or crawling on all fours looking desperately for water. All day there was an erie feeling of a storm brewing, which made for an unusual atmosphere in what i can best describe as the prairie land i was now walking through. Things are starting to open up and everything is becoming barren. Cows aren't great at holding a conversation, i think my 'Queens' English is confusing them. I had aimed to finish 21 miles West in Admire, but a guy at the gas station in Osage City described Admire as a "diieeiinng toowwnn" as if something sinister was going down. Not wanting to disappear forever under strange circumstances, i stomped another 5 miles to Allen. I ate at the Allen Bar and Grill, where i learned the British lads Stuart and Dave also stopped during their Discovery trail walk last year, it seems I'm following them. I was invited for coffee and offered a place to pitch for the night by the lovely Martha and Bill who lived around the corner. They spoilt me with great coffee, great company and a wealth of knowledge to help me on my trip. It turns out Bill has been fishing and camping with some of the Coleman family(my sponsors), a small world indeed.

I've had a number of emails from kind people wanting to help fund my trip and donate to me personally. Whilst it has never been my intention to raise money for myself, I'm acutely aware that my funds are depleting quicker than i had hoped, and i may regret declining such offers in the near future. For this reason my bro Jez has kindly set up a donation link on the left of this site. Any money raised will only be used if i run out of my own, and anything left will be split between the 2 charities, unless you want it back of course! Thanks.

Kansas City is an amazing place, i would recommend it to anyone. I stayed downtown with Matt who was an awesome host. With a great transport sytem, i was able to see lots of sights without walking too far; funky westport; unique country club plaza; the National WWI museum; the hip power & light district to name a few. In the evening i was shown around the East side and tried out the world famous 'Arthur Bryants' BBQ grub. After Pittsburgh, Kansas City is definitely top of places i would live, the local ale is pretty good too. It's been a great finish to my Missouri leg, tomorrow i make a short hop to Kansas City Kansas, now that is confusing.

Like the speed of a man quietly breaking wind on a first date, i have conquered Missouri, and have mixed feelings about this fine State. I've met some of the most friendly and helpful people so far, yet come across some of the most paranoid egits who have no conception of the world outside their own community, and have no inclination to want to broaden their horizons. As burly farmer quite rightly said, these are the few people that give Americans a bad name.

The katy trail, although not a walkers paradise and definitely for bikes, is something Missouri should be proud of, and its success is largely due to the people living along it. Western-mid Missouri has little to offer the traveller apart from friendly farmers and rich people with ego-boosting huge lawns. And the occasional crasy woman. Trying to find anywhere to camp was a nightmare. I have been lucky, very lucky with the cool weather, yet feel slightly guilty. The abnormally cold weather(you're kidding right?!) mixed with high fuel prices(you'd fall off your rocking chair at the prices we pay in the UK) has led to many small businesses along the Katy Trail taking only a quarter of their usual takings, and there are many glum faces behind the smiles. A good Mof hug won't help here i feel.

As for me:
* Im no more crazy than when i started.
* I miss my friends back home and the road can definitely be a lonely place, yet I'm still motivated and accept that this is a challenge, not a holiday.
* I still can't get that stupid song 'the long and winding road' out of my head. Worst still, it's the Will Young version.
* I'm worried Dave the cat back home has been stuffed after being killed by the local plane crash.
* I'm remembering all the words again to all the country music songs i hear thanks to my Mother force-feeding me them as a baby.
* My hair is longer than it has been for 6 years, and although i now look like Buck Rogers i don't want to part with it.

Just a quick hello to my old friend Clare. i have her to thank for me being here, she's always been my inspiration and i will be lost when i get home and she's travelling the world. Have a great time out there with Karl! On a lighter note, i have a new, concept, not yet on public sale tent waiting for me at the Post Office from my sponsors Coleman Exponent. I almost feel dirty geting over-excited about a tent, I'm in fear of becoming a geek. Must find pub....

More pics have been put into the Missouri folder too....

The human body is a triumph of engineering. Im now half man, half walking machine. The rain and faffing before the weekend should have added another day onto my St Louis-Kansas City leg, but i was determined to finish today. I've used the last 3 days to test my limits and see how far I've come in 70 days. The route since Boonville was pretty much rural sloping farmland apart from 2 towns, so there wasn't much worth stopping to see anyway. Also my UK phone battery was dead and i had minimal credit on my US cellphone, and contact with the outside world is what keeps me going.

I'm not sure how far i walked yet in the 3 days but it must be around 80 miles. I'm now sat in Starbucks on main street, Kansas City MO, and pretty chuffed with my achievement. Yes I'm knackered, hungry and smelly, but I'm still positive and my legs are still attached. My feet and ankles are the only body parts that really suffered, and i have a lot of making up to do to bring them back on side.

I made the right choice in dumping Katy Trail, I haven't had one mosquito bite since Friday. Im now off for some R&R in the city and to prepare for the next instalment of my journey in Kansas. You'd be crazy to miss it!

The quiet rural hills of Mid Missouri make for great scenery, but a boring blog. Nothing even slightly entertaining or interesting has happened since Friday, that is until last night.

I camped up just outside Blackburn around 7pm. I found a nice grassy verge on a gravel track away from houses off the main road and settled for the night. I'd spoken to the land owners brother, and later his son, and they were fine with my being there, i would be gone by 5am anyway. Things took a turn for the worse when a big burly farmer knocked on my front door. Apparently some woman half a mile down the road was in hysterics because some child-molesting, murdering terrorist was camping near her house. I jumped into burly farmers truck and we drove to her house to see if we could help out and find the murdering scum that threatened her children. When we got there i introduced myself as 'Nick', and she introduced herself as 'Go Away'. She then ignored me and repeatedly told burly farmer that he was an idiot.

She was obviously a paranoid schizophrenic so we left her to find the evil doer herself. We'd just got back to the campsite when the County Sheriff pulled onto my drive. He's also heard there was a dog-shooting, spider-leg pulling terrorist lurking and came to make sure i was okay. As with all the fuzz I've met along the way, Deputy Richard Miller was kind, courteous and professional. After checking my ID we had a small laugh about ME perhaps being the granny-tripping, non-tipping terrorist, as if. However it did turn out that burly farmer was DUI, and promptly arrested, which made me feel bad because i was the reason he was out there.

Fearing for my safety, i recieved permission from none other than the Chief of Police Dean Koch to camp out by the lake round the corner in Blackburn. After thanking Deputy Miller i quickly set up my tent and prepared for a sleepless night, the cat-kicking, jay-walking terrorist was still out there...

For a newspaper report of my eventful evening click on the link Marshall Democratic News

Half an hour into this morning a big old black dirty dog appeared from know where and decided to tag along. # miles later i was starting to get worried. Chaz(that's what i named him) was more than happy to follow and ignored my efforts to pursuade him to go back, but he had a collar so someone must have been missing him. Shortly after i hit the village of Rhineland and popped into the local restaurant to see if anyone recognised Chaz. I was slightly annoyed at everyones apparent unwillingness to help or offer suggestions, so i got him some water and bought myself some breakfast to ponder on the situation. Maybe he'd get bored of waiting and go home. During breakfast i chatted to another guy who was passing through. He sneakily tried to pay for my breakfast before i finished, but to my astonishment the locals who had now left had already paid for it. Maybe they did remember who's dog it was and wanted to offer thanks, either way Chaz was gone when i left and i was very grateful for their generosity. The rest of the day was uneventful and 24 miles later i was at Mokane ready for an early night. I'd love some fish & chips right now.

Some good news. I finally have a safe, secure donations page for the American Legion Legacy scholarship Fund. So if you want to show your support for my walk and the good work the Legacy Fund does, please follow the link at the top of this site. I have also downloaded lots more photo's in all of the States I've been through so far, so take a gander at your leisure. I would be grateful if you could spread the word of my charity walk to everyone you know, the more people that are aware of it the more the charities benefit. And who knows, they might even enjoy reading this thing, there must be someone out there that does....

For once it was perfect walking weather with a chilly 80f breeze coming from the North, which was fine by me because i had 22 miles to go today before hitting Springfield. My breakfast barely touched the sides and it was a pretty unmotivated 11 mile walk to the nearest gas station so i could stuff my face. A giant sub & donuts, call to a friend back home and a call to an old school friend who happens to live in Ohio cheered me up and by late afternoon i was in Springfield.

My entertainment for the evening was Nancy, a fabulously kind, interesting and down to earth woman who also had a big soft rug of a dog named Apollo. She showed me the sights and took me for a drink and it was great to see the place from a locals perspective.

Nancy is a member of the Irish Club in Dayton, and without my knowing they put together a collection to help me on my journey. I was totally stumped and still am. Thank you doesn't seem enough, but thank you anyway Nancy and thank you all at the Irish Club.

I really hoped the big guy in the sky wouldn't give me another hard time for not going to church today as i had a date with Columbus. 12 miles out i hit the city limits, and was pleasantly surprised by the borough of Reynoldsburgh. the local council had cottoned on to the fact that a lot of American cities are ugly, so they've banned advertising boards, painted traffic lights and other ugly objects a smart brick red, and kept everything clean and tidy. There was even a sidewalk for people who couldn't afford cars to walk on.

Past the Interstate it was reality time. It was the sad realism of capitalism-money making skyscrapers on the horizon and here boarded up, deprived, pretty threatening neighbourhoods not a couple miles away from downtown. Downtown i spotted a load of West Ham supporters which was slightly surreal. something to do with a football(soccer) game. My evening was spent in the pleasant company of Jeff and his neighbours Christina and Mike. We had a good laugh over a tasty healthy meal and they were all round top guys for making me feel so welcome. Thanks for the couch Jeff!

Id decided to walk the 68 miles to Columbus in 3 days because I like to challenge myself and I'm a bit stupid. The sloping hills had turned into open flat farmland with the odd township every 3 or 4 miles which was perfect for escaping the sun. A colourful selection of barnets are starting to appear, ass one of my challenges is to grow my hair i figured maybe i should try and fit in with the locals and get the local chop, or is it the bush?

It was local raceday and i spent half an hour watching monster cars drag-race each other. Feeling all grrr and manly i walked to Kirkersville for lunch at the village tavern. The quiet lunch was interrupted by about 30 bikers stopping for a drink. Now bikers, especially some of the female ones, look as if they'd eat your kids just for looking at them. However if you've ever spoken to a biker you'll find they're actually really good guys and gals just up for a laugh. There's a lot of people so far on this trip i could have misjudged because of appearances or preconceptions, fortunately being an intuitive and fearless kinda guy I've pretty much spoken to everyone I've come across, and not a mugging in sight.

I caused my first car accident today of sorts. Some drivers, wokay most drivers rubberneck at me like I've invented something they've never seen before. Remeber this is the country where you can drive-thru anything except the toilet(although I'm sure someones working on it). The guy in question was turning right at a junction and failed to see the bright orange 4 foot high traffic cones because i was fa more enticing to look at. He was obviously embarassed because he sped off leaving the cone in the middle of the oncoming lane, so freaky jiker boy feeling partly to blame, dragged it back. Lucky it wasn't a car he hit, because i would have felt very guilty laughing at him so much, numpty. I finally parked up in a quiet town called Etna. new Condo estates surrounded the historic village, and i could almost smell Columbus on the horizon. Oh no sorry that's me.

I've decided to go for a different plan of attack today so that I'm not stuck in the afternoon humidity or heat. A month ago if you had told me to get up at 5am in the middle of the night then walk 12 miles before breakfast, i would be wondering who the strange person is in my bed asking the impossible. Now there are few things better than getting up and walking through the dead quiet morning morning fog whilst watching the sun rise. Unless you're married to a model and live in a mansion overlooking a beach. I don't, i live in a tent and I'm stinky.

So it was a morning walk to Zanesville with a long breakfast at Denny's on the way. Zanesville was an unusual place. It was the usual ghost-town norm for a large US town bar the main street traffic, but it had kept that old-style look-there were no shiny new buildings and you could almost imagine how it was in the old days. I happened to stumble upon Mark & Cole, 2 of the nicest attorney's I've ever met(okay they're the only 2 I've ever met but were still very entertaining). They kindly bought me coffee and we had a good chat over lunch. Even their mate the local Judge bought me a cookie. Apparently Zanesville is famous for its pottery, so i went straight down to see the famous Y-bridge. By now it was nearly 4pm and the humidity was taking its toll. I'm either becoming a real wuss or its getting hotter.

In the last couple of days I've had 5 offers of a lift from friendly Ohians. Saying 'no thanks' was like saying no to a date with the person you've fancied for like ever. It's sole destroying seeing people drive off into the distance but i will not go to the darkside, i will resist. Today was the end of rowt 22 and a visit to Cambrisge was on the cards. I was looking forward to boat rides down the river, hanging with the clever people and generally taking in ye olde vibe. Oh yea that's the other Cambridge. I don't like to put towns down, so i will just say that the locals were their usual friendly self and in its hayday it was a thriving railroad town. There was an ols scenic railway which i wanted to see, but yet again without a car it was impossible to get to.

Late afternoon i started on historic route 40, there must be something good to see down there. I have to say the S-bridges were pretty cool. I planned to camp juast before the town of New Concord but yet again i was hungry, so into town i went. Here i learnt my second lesson-don't eat food near the smell of roadkill.

I'm still undecided as to whether i should trek the 68 miles to Columbus in 3 or 4 days, i really really need a shower and a day off, and I'm worried that "it gun rain".

I've walked 453 miles in 29 days which has hit my target of just over 15 miles a day (the girls at work will be laughing at me for working that one out). My main aim for the next couple months is to exceed that whilst i have the most sunlight, as i won't be dragging myself out of my warm sleeping bag in the 6am dark come christmas.

It was not the happiest of days today(violin sounds) The landscape turned back into wooded hills as i entered the Ohio Hills funnily enough. It was also hot, 92f(33c)by midday. Id already drank my 4 litres of water by 3pm which i was a bit worried about until i came across an old store. It looked like it was right out of the 1920's, as did the owner. I felt bad that she had to walk the 4 metres to the cash register as my milk was starting to curdle by the time she got there bless her. All she managed to say was "it gun rain". Who needs weather satellites?

I finally dragged myself to Salt Fork State Park to find they only catered for RV's. I won't tell you my reaction. I could however have a cottage for the night for the cheapo price of $175. Forget ethnic minorities, its people who actually use their legs for-it may come as a shock-walking, who are discriminated against. It looks like I'll have to go to plan B, once I've worked it out.

I was hungry, and it was actually quite cold at 6am for the first time. I stomped 8 miles in 2 hours to the town of Cadiz for breakfast before the heat started. Tomorrow will probably be my first day of not seeing any people, shops or gas stations, so i spent most of the day chillaxing, eating and washing clothes. I've managed to reorganise my pack so i can fit extra food and 4 litres of water into it. It's gone from 'small child' weight to 'you should stop stuffing your face and get down that there gym' weight.

It was today the turn of the Ohio state Police to stop me and check i hadn't escaped a mental asylum. They were also very friendly, gave me ideas of the safest places to camp and promised to keep an eye out for me. Route 22 was good today, it slowly went from a 4 lane highway with middle island and hard shoulders to what was eventually a small 2 laned road through sloping farmland, with stereotypical red dutch barns and noisy dawgs. The scenery is finally changing, it's taken 29 days but it's starting to sink in now that Im actually walking across merica. There's never a bar when you need one.

Just my luck. 2 miles from the Pennsylvania state Line the police decide to tell me it's against the law to walk on the highway in PA. So it was a 2 mile ride in the back of a police car to West Virginia State Line, all the while trying to convince the Officer that i was not an escaped convict, on parole or Australian. After checking my(out of date) Georgia driver license even the woman on the radio came back with "yea, I think he's clean?" Very paranoid they were, but also very polite.

After being dropped off in WV i decided to take a back road to the Ohio river so i wouldnt get into trouble with the fuzz again. It also added a few miles to cover my blatant cheating. I dont want to be remembered as "the guy that walked across America, except when he cheated and got a ride in a cop car". More trouble as i reached the only walkway over the Ohio river. 'Sidewalk Closed'. God was obviously upset that i didnt go to Sunday service in any of the many churches i had passed this morning. There was however no sign saying 'no walking in middle of bridge dodging cars', so that's what i did.

With PA and WV behind me in one morning i aimed for Route 22 again, Steubenville was not worth the visit from what i saw of it. I popped into the local police station on the way, no not to hand myself in, but to double check i could actually walk on Route 22. The answer was no, not for the first 14 miles. Out came my 2 mapreading skills again and another 4/5 miles were added to my original route, with a few extra hills for good measure. Luckily today i was on form, I'm not sure how far i walked yet but it's my best day so far, it's just a shame i cant feel my legs anymore.

Today has been really weird. I've spent the last 20-odd days with one goal-Pittsburgh. Now I'm not sure what to do with myself, i have one road all the way to Colombus, not much navigating to do and no hills to consider. The skies one big black cloud but it's really bright. Either my pack has grown or I've shrunk. It's the weekend and i should be in Lowes buying picture frames or taking the kids to the park, except i have no home and no kids. I have no job to go to on Monday. It's all a little freaky.

I went past a town called Hankie, and also spotted Nappies Food Service. Their slogan was 'You'll be happy with nappie'. I prefer 'It's the s*@t'. I really should have gone into advertising. Finally i was pooed on by a bird whilst setting up camp, like i said today has been really weird.

I met a guy at brekfast who was from the same town i was born in Michigan, small world hey. The chef who made my pancakes must have also been from the same diner i ate at last week, if you cant even make pancakes right then you should get another job, perhaps in McDonalds or one of those burger vans that sits outside nightclubs at 3am.

Leaving Pittsburgh was not only sad but also a nightmare. The only routes West were Interstates, so i had to use all 2 of my mapreading skills to navigate my way out. I finally made it to route(or rowt)22 by late afternoon. I treated myself to grub at crackerbarrel, the only place you can buy a meal and an armchair. I'm going to write ''no, I'm not Australian', 'i wish i was 25 but I'm not' and 'YES, I'm really walking!' on my pack. I was thinking about writing 'if you can read this I'm roadkill' but i thought that would just be tempting fate.

A quick thank you to Paul Cukanna who i met in Crackerbarrel. We only spoke briefly but he kindly donated some money towards my next meal. promise i will make it a good one Paul!