Tony 'Caveman' Konstanty (left) and Susan with Marilyn and Anna Konstanty, voted by her to be Kentucky's most eco-friendly family.
Silence is a rare commodity in Illinois. The land is alive with sounds. The pneumatic rumblings of my bike as it ploughs up hills on rough roads; the whisper of water displaced by geese taking an early morning swim on the misty glass of Grassy Lake; and the deafening conversations of bugs as soon as the sun goes down. I tried to record these exchanges on my phone last night because I've never been party to such a racket. What I captured was a loud clunk - the sound of a racoon wrestling with my bike tools.

I don't know what you think of when you think of Illinois - perhaps Chicago. I certainly didn't expect to see such sunsets. Layers of forest as far as the eye can see, touching stripes of sherbet sky. Is that the feeling of a body spent by physical exertion or did I just find 15 minutes of a peace you cannot fight against?

My entry into Illinois was delayed somewhat by one of those chance meetings which you can either run from or run with. In the spirit of discovery I ran with and thank God I did.

People, I would like to introduce you to the Konstanys, Kentucky's most eco-friendly family. Armed with nothing more of a conversation opener than, "Hello, I'm British," I rocked up at their converted Methodist church dwelling, complete with a vintage Mercedes which runs on cooking oil, and spent a precious evening getting an insight into their lives. Tony, aka Caveman, an artist originally from Birmingham has a spirituality which is infectious. His passion for native American history, myth and art infuses his household and the log cabins he builds beyond the family's vegetable patch. Marilyn has an encyclopaedic knowledge of every herbal and organic medicine and treatment. Do I have your attention yet? Well, try this. Within two hours of meeting them I was tucking into the best beef brisquit and spaghetti squash I've ever eaten - with Burt Lancaster. Yeah, I thought that would do it. No, not THAT Burt Lancaster but Burt Lancaster, ex-Vietnam veteran, artist and a spectacular character who, together with his wife Gladys, welcomed me into their home like they'd known me forever. If I can take with me even a fraction of this group's commitment to nature and humanity I'll have succeeded in this journey.

Halfway to Murphysboro and the end of stage three I met an American couple coming the other way. They asked me where I had spent the night. I hesitated as usual as it's so easy to lose track of where you've been. Then I answered: "With some friends in Cave in Rock." Now that is what this trip is all about.

p.s. check out Sufjan Stevens ...