RunAcrossTheUSA.com

[Matt]

When we posted yesterday, we hadn't yet arrived at the home of our host Eric Fryer. Now I can give you more details about our unique accommodations.

Last night we stayed in the "Sweetness Express," which is a 35-foot 1962 coach bus. The bus is named after the late great football legend Walter Payton. The owner of the bus is Eric Fryer, a former Marine who is the world's biggest Chicago Bears fan. The bus sports custom-made paint from Sherwin Williams. All but four of the Super Bowl XX players have been in the bus. The inside of the bus is basically a shrine of memorabilia--curtains made from Chicago Bear towels; signed, framed photos cover the walls; and it seems that everywhere has some incredible piece of the Bears' history.

This morning Eric dropped us off at 9:30 at the WalMart SuperCenter. Due to a need to resupply and refuel and an unexpected interview by the Pekin Times in the WalMart McDonalds, we didn't get started until after noon.

We want to mention that we now have the RunAcrossTheUSA.com sign affixed to our stroller as we travel. The sign is attached to the stroller with rubber bands and paper clips. The sign looks great and was given to us by Mark Klatt of Great Lakes Sports in Menominee, Michigan. Thanks, Mark, for this great sign.

As I mentioned, we got off to a slow start, but at Mile 20 Eric drove by and offered to get the Sweetness Express for us to stay in one more night. Of course, we readily agreed. Spurred on by this awesome offer, we ran a lot after the sun went down and managed to get in a total of 30 miles. We also knew as we ran that the Farmington McDonalds and their $1 hot fudge sundaes were awaiting us. By the way, I highly recommend those sundaes.

We are really grateful to Eric who was so willing to go out of his way for us. It was great to see him and the Sweetness Express again.

And now for the temperature report: The "Strollometer" reached a new record today--117 degrees.

Our host tonight is Eric's step-brother. The Sweetness Express is parked in the driveway of his home in Farmington. He is another generous person who has made us pizza for supper and let us use his cell phone to call home.

So now I must retire to the bed and air-conditioning that await me inside the bus. We will enjoy one more night on the Sweetness Express, which is probably the coolest place we have ever stayed. Good night from Farmington, Illinois.