Distance today = 51.46 km; Total distance = 9315.25 km; Location = Highland Park (Chicago) – 42 09.215' N, 87 48.027' W; Start time = 0838 Finish time = 1729

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/199699601

It was a very hot and humid start to the day, although the conditions eased as the day wore on, with a cool breeze springing up.

After about an hour and a half I crossed the border into Illinois. Pretty much immediately the suburbs of Chicago commenced. There was a mix of residential and industrial suburbs, with the latter certainly less salubrious than the former. It will take me about two full days to cross Chicago from top to bottom.

Now, to diverge a little – I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate Tracey and Bill, and Gabbi and Andrew, who all became parents for the first time during the week. As background, the Comets are a touch football team I have played with over the years. The team has been around since the late 70s with essentially the same playing staff, making it one of the oldest “continuous” teams in the world. Once a Comet, always a Comet, even if, like me, you go into playing hibernation for a while (perhaps even permanently in some cases). All new additions to Comet families automatically become Comets. Both Bill and Andrew are Comets. So, it's great to see these two youngest Comets coming into the world to keep the tradition going.

Tomorrow we meet up with our daughter, Hannah, and stay with friends of hers in the south of Chicago. More on that in tomorrow's report.