USA

Epilogue

2006-06-17T15:18:00.000+01:00

So looking back on our pick 'n' mix tour of America - what do I make of it all?

The thing that still impresses me is how beautiful parts of America are. I'll definitely visit places like Arizona, Joshua Tree, the Grand Canyon, ... again. I would also love to visit the Rockies, Yellow Stone NP, Yosemite, ...

I did love the vibrance and buzz of places like Chicago and Boston, but you can keep LA :)

I cannot think of a better way to see America other than heading out on the open road!

Homeward Bound

2005-08-10T21:02:00.000+01:00

We checked out of our hotel & set off in search of the sea! Why? Well it will mean that we have travelled from the Atlantic to the Pacific & it is the first time I have been in the Pacific.

Venice Beach is lovely. Wish we had found it earlier - it's my favourite part of LA.

We then drove to the airport & said our last goodbyes to our faithful companion throughout this journey - the Buick :(

Mileage = 25.3 miles

TOTAL MILEAGE = 4421.4 miles

So we just have 5 hours to kill in the airport......

Keep on dreaming...

2005-08-09T21:13:00.000+01:00

After seeing the shuttle land safely and consuming our all inclusive breakfast - we set off in search of the Hollywood Sign After a few dead ends and fruitless hikes we finally struck gold!

Happy - we hopped on the met and then a bus to find a bit of culture... The Museum of Tolerance is no ordinary museum - it challenged us to explore the meaing of tolerance and the consequences of intolerance by focusing on the history of the Holocaust and the LA riots.

Afterwards we had to dash across town for a TV show! We were offered tickets for a programme called "Out of Time" (the new Fraiser, starring the Fonz!), but when we arrived we quickly realised we were in the wrong place...

We were watching the filming of "Cuts" - the first episode of the second series. It starred Shannon Elizabeth and was directed by Carlton from the Fresh Prince! After 3 hours, they had only filmed 15 mins, so slightly bored we left early.

Mileage = 25.3 miles

Same size feet

2005-08-08T08:35:00.000+01:00

First stop on today's travels was Joshua Tree National Park. The trees were just so bizarre - straight out of a Dr Seuss Book!

After a quick tour & rescuing a tortoise (!?) we drove to Pioneertown. Built in 1946 as a Western movie set, people now live there - tres cool!

We made it to our hotel after picking our way through the maze of highways more commonly known as LA.

We are right by all the touristy stuff. Hollywood Blvd, the Walk of Fame,... I really don't understand the Stars - I mean, some really talented people have them, but so do many not-so-talented people, like Celine Dion! Can somebody explain it to me? Mann's Chinese Theatre was better - the handprint & footprint place - I have the same size feet as Bruce Willis!

Finally we decided to take in a movie (well, it is the movie capital of the World) so we watched the Dukes of Hazard - QUALITY!

Mileage = 209.0 miles

Leaving Las Vegas

2005-08-07T20:30:00.000+01:00

After the trauma of trying to find petrol, we left Las Vegas and Nevada behind.

En route to Joshua Tree we drove through the mother of all thunder storms - big lightning, big rain and big hailstones!

We stopped for lunch at Vidal Junction (because we're worth it!) which is in the middle of nowhere.

After breaking the 4000 mile barrier at Iron Mountain we hit a few snags...

Route 62 - CLOSED

Pinto Basin Road - CLOSED (Well actually it had been washed away!)

So we had to go around the houses (and hills) to reach our final destination of Twentynine Palms.

Unfortunately there was no room at the Historic Inn, so we stopped at another El Rancho!

Mileage = 378.3 miles

Vegas Baby!

2005-08-06T08:27:00.000+01:00

Another American City, another huge building - the Stratosphere. Here I went to the World's highest Starbucks, whilst Will went on 2 crazy roller coasters.

Next we went to the Elvis-a-rama via every air conditioned building along the Strip - it's just too dam hot!

More gawking at the wierd & wonderful offering of the Strip, including a show at Circus Circus. We followed this with an all-you-can-eat lunch at the Bellagio, then back to the hotel for a show.....

The Amazing Jonathan - The Madman of Comedy & Magic.

Madman? Yes. Comedy? Of the type my Dad would be proud! Magic? Of the foam variety ... so not really. Overall though, he made us laugh.

Then it was off to the card tables ... and to cut a long story short I trebled my money! 200% profit! In your face Vegas!!!

Off to the Sahara.....!?

2005-08-05T08:19:00.000+01:00

We started the day the proper way - with a Breakfast Burrito! After that the last bit (well for a while) of Route 66 beckoned....

We turned off Andy Devine Ave (You reading this Cavey!?!?) & headed towards Vegas. En route we took in the spectacular Hoover Dam.

Arriving in the popular playground of Las Vegas, we booked into one of the few remaining old style casinos - Elvis, Frank & the Beatles had all stayed there! The hotel had been updated since then, including the addition of a roller coaster, which naturally we had to go on.

After freshening up we headed out along the Strip, had some food & giraffe or two of Jackpot Ale. We spent the rest of the night gawking at the bizarre sights of Vegas.

Mileage = 253.1 miles

The Grand Canyon

2005-08-04T20:29:00.000+01:00

We got up really early this morning so that we can beat the thunder storms to the Grand Canyon.

The Grand Canyon is so impressive - photos or words will not do it justice - you have to go see it! We wandered along the South Rim Trail, taking in the views and watching the tourists :)

We then drove along Desert View Drive and looped back onto the I40 via Flagstaff. We finished the day in a tiny place called Williams.

Mileage = 228.4 miles

Flagstaff

2005-08-03T20:27:00.000+01:00

After a spot of blogging we were back on the road. The monotony of driving along the I40 was alleviated by a detour through the Petrified Forest National Park.

Tourism American style! You didn't have to leave your car :) It is a bizarre landscape - kinda like a Martian landscape.

We then headed for Flagstaff and another funky hotel - just in the nick of time as well! A huge thunderstorm erupted shortly after we arrived, so we holed up in the hotel bar with Fred Breedlove III (what a name!) and a colourful bunch of Americans.

Mileage = 221.6 miles

To the Sky City & beyond.......

2005-08-02T18:32:00.000+01:00

Travelling West along the I40 was becoming a little mundane, so we decided to take in more of the sights.

First stop was Acoma Pueblo - known as the Sky City because it is perched on top of a huge lump of rock! It was a quality place, but the tour took far too long & they charged us $10 just to take photos.

Next stop on our scenic loop was the Bandera Volcano & the Ice Cave - the volcano was disappointing, but the Ice Cave was cool! (No pun intended!?!) The temperature in the cave never gets above 31 degrees F, so it was a welcome change to the blistering heat of New Mexico.

We then drove into El Malpais National Park - meaning "bad lands" in Spanish, we are in proper cowboy country now!!

Whilst in the park, we visited the El Morro National Monument. It is a huge sandstone outcrop that travellers since the 1200's have carved inscriptions into.

Further along Highway 53 was Zuni Pueblo, but by the time we got there it was closed!

So off to our hotel......

And what a hotel!! It's where all the famous people stay when they are making cowboy films. The likes of Ronald Reagan, Katherine Hepburn, Kirk Douglas & more recently Kevin Costner have all stayed there. How swanky!?

Mileage = 225.2 miles

New Mexico

2005-08-01T18:23:00.000+01:00

After filling up on a Breakfast Burrito & doing a bit of cowboy shopping, we left Amarillo on the I40. Shortly after leaving the city we came across a bizarre sight - a Cadillac Ranch (the world's only!). Ten Cadillacs buried nose down in a field!?

After that we entered New Mexico & Mountain Time (which gained us an hour). But there's nothing here!!! The land stretches out & disappears into a haze - it does look like proper cowboy country tho :)

We drove along the I40, & where possible, we took the old Route 66 to our final destination of Albuquerque.

After settling into our motel, we walked around the Historic Old Town, had a mexican & a few beers.

Mileage = 332.5 miles

Is this the way to Amarillo?

2005-07-31T18:26:00.000+01:00

Before we leave the red soil of Oklahoma, we had to visit the Oklahoma City Bomb Memorial. It was really done well, although the museum sounded a little too grim for us, so we headed out to Texas...

But before we got to Texas we had a couple of pitstops. The first was Route 66 Museum in Clinton, which was a little cheesy, but it gave us a few more ideas of things to see and do on our trip.

The second was Cheyenne, the Wishita Battlefield where, in a nutshell, the Indians woz robbed by the white man!

Now this is the bit we'd been waiting for - we had Tony Christie cued up on the iPod and everything as we crossed the border into Texas.

After checking into our motel we went for some steak - neither of us went for the 'free' 72oz steak challenge, but I had a very tasty 16oz T-bone steak (and a couple of beers).

Mileage = 397.1 miles

Oklahoma!

2005-07-30T18:25:00.000+01:00

Today we got our toe down!

The mundaneness of the Interstate was relieved by a stop to see the Meramac Caverns (Jesse James' Hideout).

We got off the I44 after lunch and back onto the Historic Route 66...

After racing a train (!?) we decided to stop for the night in Chandler, Oklahoma - allegedly the nicest town on Route 66. It's right in the heart of the Bible Belt, so no beers tonight then :(

But that's OK (no pun intended!) after our meal we were told about the annual rodeo that was taking place, so we went!

There were lots of events and my favourite had to be... Nope, not the main event - although it was well funny when the joker guy got flipped in the air by a bull! No, my favourite event was the calf chase - basically they tie a ribbon onto the tail of a calf and then hundreds of kids (under the age of 12) chase the calf - the first to get the ribbon wins! Mad, but bloody funny!!

Mileage = 512.9 miles

Route 66

2005-07-29T18:24:00.000+01:00

Today we head out on the Mother Road with no specific destination.

En-route we visited Lincoln's Tomb in Springfield, Illinois; the Cozy Dog Drive In - the birthplace of the Corn Dog; the oldest gas station on Route 66 and Cahokia.

Cahokia is the remenants of North America's largest prehistoric city. Highlights were Monk's Mound and the Woodhenge sun calendar.

Back on the road and driving through Collinsville, the trees parted to reveal the World's Largest Catsup (Ketchup) Bottle!?

We then holed up for the night in a scuzzy motel on Hwy 157 with a pizza and Sharon Stone!

Mileage = 344.5 miles

Let's play ball!

2005-07-28T22:18:00.000+01:00

After another Rock 'n' Roll breakfast, we set off to finish our walking tour. First sop the cloud gate in the Millenium Park - basically a big shiny metal coffee bean!

Next the Chicago Cultural Centre - an old building with a swanky interior.

After all that walking we hopped on a train to Wrigley Field to watch the Chicage Cubs play the Arizona Diamondbacks. The game itself was a little boring (Cubs lost 6-0), although the hotdogs were fantastic! When the game was REALLY boring Big Momma and the 40-Gras girls entertained us... You don't wanna know.

The Windy City

2005-07-27T18:18:00.000+01:00

After a Rock 'n' Roll Breakfast in McDonalds we headed into the city.

My neck hurts!!

We're walking around this city constantly looking up. Everything is soooooooooooooooooooo tall. This morning we have already been up the second tallest building in the US - the John Hancock Tower. We went to the 94th Floor Observatory - that was 1000 feet in the air! I wasn't a happy bunny. The views were stunning, if a little scary!

We then continued with our walking tour of Chicago, past all the reall impressive buildings - we even found a beach!

Early afternoon we were feeling hungry, so we headed to the birthplace of the deep pan pizza - Pizzeria Uno. I am ashamed to write that I am yet to clear my plate when eating at a restaurant - what is wrong with me???? We were so stuffed that we had to go back to the motel for a nap!

In the evening we headed to the Green Mill - it's a jazz bar that Al Capone used to hide his alcohol under during prohibition. The performers were Alfonso Ponticelli & Swing Gitan. It was a really cool place & the band were excellent, they didn't take themselves too seriously - they played The Simpsons Theme & ended the show with The Looney Toons "That's All Folks"!!

C2C

2005-07-26T18:22:00.000+01:00

Another day - another early start!

On the way to Chicago we visited the birthplace of Thomas Edison. We then headed for Cedar Point - home of the World's tallest and fastest roller coaster. Unfortunately by the time we found the place, time was running out, so we decided not to bother - next time!

3 hours later we arrived in Chicago.

Mileage = 408.8 miles

First we sat out a storm in our motel room, then we headed into the city...

Food was followed by a trip to Buddy Guy's Legends - a blues club. It was a quality night!

Round Lake Erie

2005-07-25T18:11:00.000+01:00

No time for brekky this morning - we had a boat to catch!!

We caught the Maid of the Mist to the base of Niagra Falls. The American Falls aren't that spectacular, but the Horseshoe Falls (in Canada) are magnificent! The boat took us right to the base of the falls - I wasn't wearing that stoopid rain mac they give you & so got soaked. To give me time to dry off, we had a bit of a wander & then got back on the road.....

Our route stuck to the edge of Lake Erie till we hit Cleveland. Our final destination was this quirky out-of-the-way Youth Hostel. It is an old converted wooden farm house in the middle of a national park. It was like going back in time! The only downside was that we had to share our food with the millions of flies that lived there!

Mileage = 288.7 miles

Sounds painful!?

2005-07-24T18:20:00.000+01:00

Bleary eyed, I entered the breakfast room. One thing on my mind - a toasted bagel. Out of the corner of my eye I spied two friends from Kendal (Johny and Leila). How bizarre!? It was really nice to see some familiar faces and exchange our stories.

9:22am - the roadtrip starts!

We start by heading west on the I-90. The first pitstop was the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden - Will burnt his ass - I'll let him explain! We then took a slight detour to drive through a little town called "Lee". It has the tallest wooden spire in America!

Will then took the wheel... We had lunch at Roy Roger's - Will's fries came in a cardboard gun holster!!

We arrived in Niagara Falls, dumped our bags and went to catch a free bus to the Falls. We missed it and decided to walk. It was the wrong decision - it took us hours!

I was less than impressed when we first arrived, so we went for some food at a local quirky diner. After which there was a firework display over the Falls - they looked more impressive when they were lit up.

Finally we made sure we caught the free bus home!

Mileage = 487.3 miles

Salem

2005-07-23T01:54:00.001+01:00

All the tourist attractions in Salem are a bit hokey, except for the graves. They were really interesting - the most bizarre belonged to Giles Corey. He refused to admit or deny he was a witch, so the town folk placed a big stone on his chest and it squished him!

After that we drove along the coast...

We found the oldest lighthouse in America, a lot of snobby rich Americans and the Atlantic Ocean. The next time we will see the sea, it'll be the Pacific, so we had an illegal paddle!

This evening we joing the YH bar crawl for a few pints. I got chatting to this girl who gave me some wierd advice - always keep your mouth open. (!?)

Time for a quick exit...

Mileage = 65.8 miles

What would you do if.....

2005-07-23T01:54:00.000+01:00

is one of those questions that you shouldn't jokingly use. Allow me to explain.....

Whilst walking to the car I (jokingly) asked Will "what would you do if the car wasn't there?" He replied "it will be". Satisfied with that response we mooched along until we reached the spot where we parked the car last night - only (as you have probably guessed) it wasn't there, was it!?

After a bit of detective work we discovered it had been towed. The owner of a local restaurant had proudly (& somewhat smuggly) told us that he had phoned the police because we were parked too close to a fire hydrant.

So rather than heading to Salem & the beach we had to find our car!!

More detective work, 110 dollars & 3 and a half hours later we were back in possesion of the Buick. God Bless America indeed!? So we headed off to Salem & the witches...

Boston

2005-07-22T20:19:00.000+01:00

We were up early (6:30am!!) to shift the car to a cheaper (and nearer) car park. We then truly got into the American spirit by having a huge chocolate doughnut for breakfast - I could feel my lifespan shortening with every bite :)

First stop on our tour of Boston was Fenway Park - home of the Boston Redsocks. Unfortunately there was no game this weekend - we'll have to try Chicago instead.

Next up was the Prudential Skywalk for some impressive views and even more impressive air conditioning!

The heat was really getting to us, so we decided to go on the Boston Duck Tours - it was well cheesy, but entertaining. Our driver - Captain Covert - was quackers!! (Sorry.)

Afterwards we headed to a place where everone knows your name... which is a complete lie. Nobody I asked had a clue what I was called! Still the beer was good.

Finished the day with a curry.

Mileage = 0.2 miles

Manchester to Boston - the Long Way Round

2005-07-21T02:23:00.000+01:00

We may have arrived safely, but it certainly was not without incident..........

We flew to the States via Dublin & an unexpected stop over in Shannon to go through US Customs & Border Protection!!

The flight was long - the food & film were crap. On the flight we had a conversatiobn with a woman who was petrified of flying - at some point in the conversation Will started talking about dying!? He said it was black humour ... reverse psychology & that I wouldn't understand - he was right!

We landed earlier than expected & managed to find our trusty steed - a BIG White Buick Rendezvous. After roughly 30 mins of trying to open the "trunk", put it in gear & take off the park brake - we were ready to find the Youth Hostel ........

Will, Highway 90 or 93? ... 90 or 93? ... "Errrrm, 93 ... Shit! I mean 90!" Too Late! And so a 10 mile quick drive to the Youth Hostel took 1 hour 45 mins - not that I blame Will - the map was awful & the signs were so confusing.

I can't help feeling that this doesn't bode well for the rest of our trip!

So exhausted & slightly grumpy we abandoned the car in some random multi-storey & made our way to our oven of a bedroom.

Mileage = 30.1 miles

Not more travelling!?

2005-07-20T22:01:00.000+01:00

I started a new job this year which involves lots of travelling around Germany, Cyprus and England & how do I choose to spend my holiday..... Lazing on a beach? Catching up on my sleep?? ......

No, we plan to travel across the US of A in less than 3 weeks - I don't think I thought this one through properly!

Still it's gonna be an adventure.....