Frank rang home a few days ago and advised he had crossed the stateline and was now in Indiana in a town called Aurora. The latest news on the 4th May has him in a smaller town called Brownstown in Jackson County around the middle of Indiana. In contrast to his native Norfolk where daytime temperatures are currently near 55F (12C) it has been very hot and dry up to 87F (30C) and Frank has had half a day off here. This town has a long high street about one and a half miles long and a small town centre with about half a dozen shops and a courthouse. Population guessed by Frank to be around 1000. Further out from town are fast food restaurants and autopart shops. He has stayed away from fast food and recently ate a delicious meal of catfish with beaver beans and mashed potatoes, reminiscent of Mark Twain. This was accompanied with lots of ice cold water and a salad. He remarks that in this part of America the people are very friendly and genuine and a substantial meal with salad is only around $4.50. Though the landscape is gently undulating the exceptionally high temperatures are making the going just a bit tougher as he has to carry more water and stock up whenever he passes through anywhere he can refill. As it is cooler walking in forests he is going to head out towards the state forests which he says are very common here. He believes these are not planted they are the original woods which would have covered the landscape before civilization arrived.

A few weeks ago he was fascinated to find a shop selling "genuine english cucumbers" and is curious to know where in the UK they were grown as it seems to be a commodity that would happily grow in the US and must be a marketing feat! If anyone knows contact me or Steve at the radio station. Frank is making very quick progress and hopes to be well into Illinois by the end of next week. Keep watching this space for the latest news..