You may have noticed the appearance of a couple of new pages on this site.

One, which I haven't got round to writing yet, is called How to Walk Across America, and is for the many people who've emailed asking for hints for real or imaginary journeys.

The other is entitled Picking up Pennies.

I'm earning a healthy little income from walking across America. It's rather less than the federal minimum wage, but it helps to fund the occasional splurge, like ordering a double espresso instead of a single, or giving my clothes an extra five minutes in the laundromat tumble drier.

Ever since those first tentative steps down Manhattan's Sixth Avenue, I've picked up every single coin I've walked past on the ground, unless it's been rendered unrecognisable by the wheels of a thousand trucks or permanently melted into the asphalt by the broiling Texas sun.

What's more, I've kept a record of the total, which is where you come in.

I'd like you to guess how much I'll have collected by the time I reach LA (or die in the attempt), and the person who comes closest gets all the money. It doesn't matter if you're a friend or relative; just visit the Picking up Pennies page, record your guess, and wait with bated breath until I finish. I don't get to see your entries, so it will be just as much of a surprise to me.

Judge's decision is final. Only one entry per person. No purchase necessary. No correspondence will be entered into. Your home may be at risk if you do not keep up with your payments. The price of investments can go down as well as up.