Hi Leif
Good to know you are accomplishing what you set out to do some seven months ago... While Nature has its own beauty everywhere on Planet Earth, I think the last place I would voluntarily visitor travel through is the social-political monstrosity that is the USA.
Of course, the UK is not any better and here is where I a sitting, writing this... I feel captured by the decision o my parents to come to the UK and now I can't leave my mother and wander where I please.
But I am planning to leave and be somewhere where people are more warm-hearted and honest!