Along the way I’ve seen a little bit of wildlife, but not as much as I expected. I knew I wouldn’t be so lucky as to see a bear, or a Siberian tiger, but there hasn’t been much else either. There’s a little squirrel that looks a bit like a racoon, squirrel sized but racoon colours. Various dogs, semi-wild I suppose and the odd wild horse. Apart from the birds, that’s about it.

Recently I’ve seen wedge tailed eagles, but nothing like the numbers in Australia. Sparrows abound, one of the universal constants – and this morning I saw some sort of black woodpecker. There’s a particularly agile grey bird that looks a little like a nuthatch. They seem to be able to fly right through the bike, side to side as I’m riding along. One even flew under my arm!

Sadly one little fella didn’t make it and ended up on my front rim. Still, better than the radiator I suppose (or in my face!). We’ve stopped for a coffee to let a heavy downpour pass over. The bikes are looking almost clean at the moment, at the expense of my insect collection. Still, there’s plenty of time and miles for me to add to that one.