Day 289, 19 April 2013 - Evening. We made it! 2,206 miles (3,550 km) - Seven states, 46 scheduled hours and we ran a whole 35 minutes late. Legend! Spring has been sighted in Chicago - just not today - we collected our baggage, found the taxi stand on Canal Street and found out how cold it was the hard way... Bitter, stinging hail and incredibly cold after 2 days in a cosy train. A few minutes later we were ensconced on the 24th floor in our Chicago friend's condo - down on the shores of Lake Michigan. First port of call was the 56th floor - we can not believe they have an open air swimming pool there (thankfully shut right now - but the jacuzzi will definitely be getting a visit). The lake goes on for ever - it looks just like an ocean. It is in fact one of the five great lakes of North America and the only one entirely within the USA. The lights of Navy Pier came on as darkness fell and it really did feel a little strange - the first big city since London, no snow covered mountains to be seen, skyscrapers everywhere. Off exploring tomorrow. (Pictured is the view from the living room - had to wait a day to get this shot!)