Last night, as thunder threatened to the west, we struggled to find anywhere to eat. These edge of town hotels are fine – but they are surrounded by nothing but crappy fast food outlets. The first we went into was actually a casino, with pizza attached. We left. The second was Taco Treats. Possibly the worst meal I have ever tried to eat. I gave up and steered us to the supermarket for picnic items to take back to the room.

Today’s cycling seemed harder than yesterday, despite the shorter distance. We were following a larger road, with a bumpy, gravel strewn shoulder. And most of the day seemed to be uphill into a headwind. Or perhaps that was just the state of my legs after yesterday. The road was also incredibly straight, many miles stretching away further than you could see.  

 
After about 25 miles Lake Missouri appeared down to our left. At the end of the lake we crossed the not-so-wide, infant Missouri, not once but twice. 

  
Then there was a long section of roadworks, after which we had to scrape the tarred on stones from our tyres. We were in a vast, open grassland, high up, and with distant mountains all around. This is ranching country, but they are so far off the road we just saw the entrances.

  
Late in the day we found a quiet back road. So quiet that there were wooden bridges over 3 rivers that unite to become the Missouri at this very spot. And a section of gravel road.

   
   
We stopped for coca cola and ice cream in Manhattan. No, not that one – we are not going that fast! The Manhattan Garden Cafe was a little oasis of coolness, and the Swiss owner regaled us endlessly with tales of all the long distance cyclists that had passed through. Now we are in another edge of town hotel – but we are assured that the pasta place next door is good (actually ‘the best in Belgrade’ was what she said, which isn’t quite the same thing. We’ll see.)