Eat your heart out Steve McQueen

*hushed whisper* I think I've made it; the tunnel stayed concealed and no warning sirens sounded. Thus I believe it is possible to conclude that I have arrived safe and sound in the lovely suburb of Shorewood, Milwuakee without detection.

And what a difference 800 miles and 1 time zone makes. Ok, so weather wise, it's like being back in the UK - it's bloomin' cold and it rains frequently but, during my first day in Milwuakee, I've seen 8 buses, 1 train station and 6 taxi's.

But before I regale you with tales about my new found freedom, I will share with you my great escape.

Location: Trexlertown.
Date: 12th June 2011
Time: 10am
Destination: Cleveland, Ohio.

With the car packed and copious amounts of beverages and snacks to hand, myself and my partner in crime, Mandy, made tracks, across the state of Pennsylvania. I don't really have much to say about the first 3 hours of the drive, mainly because Mandy drives FAST, so for most part I had my eyes closed. However, I soon found out that I should have embraced this time for, keys in hand, I was in the drivers seat.

I have never driven in a foreign country. Never. I have struggled, on a bike, for the last three weeks to come to terms with the fact that I don't end up on the other side of the road when I turn right, so to give me the keys to a car and expect me to drive the next 300 miles, was a brave move for Mandy.

I have also never driven an automatic before. It's easy once you stop trying to change gears. But you really shouldn't try to change gears in one - trust me it's not good.

So after successfully making it onto the highway in one piece the sat-nav proclaimed - 'drive 232 miles on I-94 West'. Tell me about it. However, this time was used to come up with a number of conclusions about America and their driving culture:

1) People do crazy things - far crazier than in the UK. I spotted a guy reading his newspaper. A woman curling her hair and numerous people working on laptops.

2) Trucks are BIG. And are not limited. Nor do they indicate. Nor do they stay in the inside lane. Enough said.

3) You can over take in any lane. Undertaking = perfectly acceptable.

4) The police hide. Whereas in the UK you can see a police car from miles around, here in the US they can hide anywhere and they can give you a ticket for being 1mph over the limit. It's a good thing I drove like a granny.

5) Road kill is harder to avoid. Deer simply don't fit under the car like a fox or a rabbit.

To say I was thankful to have arrived in Cleveland in one piece would be an understatement. But, I still had another 400 miles to Milwuakee to go.....