The miles clock up as the Boyne hit Minneapolis, Springfield and Cleveland

We've covered some serious miles over the last few weeks, and consequently the travel scrabble scores are soaring. From Wisconsin we moved on to the stunning Minneapolis, home of the famous Mall of America - the largest mall in... America.

The Mall of America was the cause of much excitement in the company (particularly amongst the girls), whose suitcases are now considerably heavier as a result. That place really is huge - we could've spent the entire week there! Luckily though we did manage to find our way out (yes, I did get lost, somewhere around the fourth H&M I think), allowing ourselves to enjoy the rest of the funky city, from the gorgeous beaches and parks (oh yes, more sunbathing. It's a hard life...) to the swanky bars and restaurants. We also found time to stroll along the banks of the Mississippi, educating ourselves in the history of the area, humming "Old Man River" as we went.

Patrick Mangan, who joined us for a few weeks as fiddler, and sax player Carolyn found the time to take in the Science Museum of Minnesota, where they explored the famous "Bodyworlds" exhibition - "The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies". In a separate section, Pat also enjoyed having a go at being a newsreader. Any excuse to get his face on the telly...

After Minneapolis we trekked on towards the hot and dusty Springfield, Illinois. I was very disappointed that the Simpson family did not put in an appearance at the show. I did though take a tour bus - yes, again - this time to visit Lincoln's Tomb, the resting place of President Abraham Lincoln and his family, in the beautiful grounds of Oak Ridge Cemetery. Tempted as I was, however, I did not have time to take in the Museum of Funeral Customs.

From Springfield it was back on the bus to Cleveland, Ohio, where another birthday (we've had quite a few recently!) prompted another night out, and a smashing time had by all. Sadly there was very little time to see any more of Cleveland's delights - five shows over three days sort of got in the way! We were however honoured to be joined for a few days by the show's composer, Bill Whelan, who brought some friends to see the show. We hope you all enjoyed it!

Only two more weeks to go now until the end of the tour. That means only one more diary entry... see you then!