An unbelievable day

Day 26
Distance travelled: 110 miles
Time in saddle: 8hrs 33 mins
Overall distance travelled: 2371 miles

I woke up pretty early but didn't get out of bed straight away. Steve had been up late sorting out a new route form me so I was conscious of the fact that he would have been up pretty late. It was past twelve when I went to bed...I know it was a few hours after that he finally called it a night. Breakfast was cereals and a cup of tea, just what the doctor ordered. We went to the county fair last night and it seemed a buzzing place. I have never seen so many young guys with cowboy hats on...Apparantly there was bull tossing...don't ask, it had finished by the time we got there...thank god. They are massive, you have got to be a nutter just to go near one...never mind tos....never mind.
We then went to Wall Mart....tea, coffee, food, clothes...guns. I know I couldn't believe it. My local Co-op struggles to get bread.
In the morning I said my goodbyes to Steve and Cannon and he cycled with me to the edge of town...Steve not the dog.
The good thing about not cycling on the interstate is that you get to go through some beautiful countryside and past some really quaint towns. I passed through two major cities before I got more countryside. In Springfield I was taking a photograph of the state building when I was approached by Richard, a nice guy who chatted with me about my ride. He then took some photos and we parted. It's amazing when you travel how meeting can be so random, yet so interesting....brilliant.
I was having a break at a petrol station/shop in the middle of nowhere when I decided to phoned my Uncle Ken. After chatting to him a guy approached and said he recognised my accent. He was from Wourster and had lived in America with his American wife for five years. He asked me how it was going and gave me some advice about my trip...his name was Gary, the same as my twin brother.
The last five miles into Arthur was against the wind, which made it hard but it was well worth the effort. Steve had phoned ahead and booked a room for me in Martha's Vineyard, a bead a breakfast place in Arthur...a famous Hamish community. Apparantly he had tol Martha about my trip.
As I approached the house I was conscious of the fact that they may have dogs, especially after the doggy incident at that motel.
I was expected and Marsha came out to greet me. She was fantastic and seemed genuinely pleased to see me. She informed me that she would not be charging me for the room, which was unbelievably luxurious and she even gave me a donation for the charity ride....Martha is an extremely attractive woman and she even went out and bought me some beer.......there is a god. I was absolutely overwhelmed....I keep saying this but the world is full of amazing people and it is beyond my capability to describe in words how humbled I am by their generosity.....completely utterly amazing people. Martha introduced me to her husband, Geoff and her family, who were equally as nice. After a shower we all went to the county fair and I even had a ride on the big slide....first time in forty odd years. They even arranged for me to have a ride in a Hamish buggy...weird but exciting. The young lad allowed us to photograph him and his horse...unheard of in normal circumstances.. We went back to the house for a few drinks and now it's to bed. An unbelievable day....unbelievable people and an unbelievable experience..thank you so much to everyone who has been involved and I will never forget it.