Day 130 - Bothell (Wa) to London, England

... and so just, as quickly as it all began, it's come to an end.

Despite appearances to the contrary, the concept of 'being ready' for any major flight is merely that, a concept! I was sure I had everything covered, but when it came to actually getting my last bag sorted, it wasn't going to be that easy! Don had an 'easy' day and was going to take me to the airport, but in the meantime, we had to go get another bag for the rest of my junk, and come up with a creative solution to getting my baseball bat home.

First stop, was the bag collection, which worked out pretty well. A nice cheap bag with lots of space was procured, then we crossed over to the mall for a brief wonder around. I managed to pick up a Mariners Pennant for the 'memory shelf' back home (that shelf is going to be overloaded!). After that, a quick visit to Best Buy (the ultimate Boys Toys shop - Dixons has so much to live up to now), then onwards to creative carrying mechanisms. How to get a 34inch baseball bat back to the UK unscathed? The solution we decided on was to go and get some drainpipe tubing from Home Depot (the US B&Q), with some ends, chop it down to size and slide the bat in. Obviously, the tube wasn't available in short lengths, so we ended up getting a 3m long piece. Don did chop it down to size though, to prevent total overkill!

We got back to the house and the mad rush packing proceeded until eveything was done. It was a little close for comfort, and the bags looked rather heavy, but after ingeniusly using the bathroom scales, they were just under!

All that was left was to grab some lunch and head out to the airport. Lunch, however, was a special treat. At the start of the trip, I had experienced a sauce known as 'the man' while catching a baseball game. It was the hottest sauce I'd ever had and almost blew my hat off. Don had managed to track down the barbecue joint that had it so we enjoyed a barbecue sandwich lunch (something I'll miss in the UK, they do great pulled barbecue chicken and pork sandwiches over here), and picked up a pot of the sauce, which I had to smuggle through customs!

A short ride along the freeway and before we knew it, it was time to bid farewell to Don. I really appreciated all the extra effort he and the family made to make me welcome, and only hope I can return the favour at some time in the future.

Checking in went very smoothly (considering I had a drainpip tube duck taped to one of my bags!), and after the toughest security check ever, strolled out to get on my short hop to Vancouver. Flight was non discript, and after a stop over in lovely Canada (thank god they took credit cards at Starbucks, I would have been pretty hungry otherwise), was sat on the plane heading back to home, almost 6 months to the day I had left. The flight was not too bad (not as good as Virgin), and Air Canada food is ok (well, apart from the morning breakfast). Sat next to a nice lady from Vancouver and we chatted a bit before trying to get some shuteye and hope that the jetlag didn't kill me.

... and then I landed in the UK and it was all over.

Day 129 - Bothell (Wa)

One day to go, and it's time to shop. Headed off this morning pretty early (Don had a phone call at 5.15 from the East Coast from a Brit who needs a car (who had no idea about the time difference, and although I managed to get back to sleep, I was a little disorientated and eventually got up.) with a plan to pick all the little bits and pieces I needed to get and some other stuff where I could take advantage of the great exchange rate. A few hours later I was sat in the food court, chomping through a Quizno's weighed down with pressies for Angelica, some more Books and some shoes for me (Gym trainers and some great, cheap walking boots). I then headed off to somewhere I'd wanted to go since the start of the tour 4 and a half months ago, a behind the scenes tour of Safeco field, home of the Seattle Mariners baseball team. I arrived and spent 90 minutes walking around with a real salt of the earth guy called Art. We chewed the cud about sports, baseball and the state of Seattle, and it was throughly enjoyable, ansd I even got to see the roof close. Even having seen all the stadiums in the US that I have, I still think Safeco field is the best one, it's stunning. On the tour I also decided that when I retire, to keep myself interested I'm going to move to the USA and be a part time tour guide at a sports stadium. You get to meet lots of great people, you get to talk about sports all the time, and you get discounts and free tickets - perfection!
After all this fun, I zoomed back to Don's and we trooped out to Dinner with the family to celebreate Lori's Birthday. We went to the same excellent Italian restaurant we went to at the start, and had a great time with excellent food, superb Tiramisu and great conversation (and the same English waiter). Lori and I spent most of the evening discussing marketing and sales tactics that would take Autotour to the next level, a conversation that continued when we got back to the house.
All in all, a great day to tie up the trip and prepare for the trip home. I even managed to fill up one of my bags with junk completely for the flight, leaving me with a bag to buy the next day.

Day 128 - Bothell (Wa)

OK, it's time for me to leave now. I've done everything I need to do, seen everything I wanted to see, but I'm still here in Seattle, biding my time, preparing for my release back into normal society. Today was pretty much a dead day, but I guess it's good for me to get back to normal after all the fun and games I've been having, aclimatising. Getting up is again hard, with no real aim for the day. I initially had plans to go into Seattle and look around, along with doing some shopping, but that disintegrated. Around lunchtime, I suggested to Don that going to the Sonics game in the evening might be a good night out for us, he liased with lori and we all agreed it would be excellent fun. This was all done on the back of an offer online for two tickets at a special rate. Alas, being a UK citizen and having a credit card registered in the UK, I can't buy anything on-line, so as I was heading into the centre of seattle anyways, I figured, I'd pop round to the Key Arena and get the tickets in person. Of course, this all fell apart as soon as I got there and was told it was Ticketmaster who was doing the deal and not the Sonics. I could still buy the tickets, but this would cost in total around $200. I don't mind shelling out a little for a game, but $200 was out of my league. The office suggested I give Ticketmaster a ring to see if they could do it over the phone. "Of Course" I said, why didn't I think of that earlier? So off I went, phoned up and low and behold the offer was only for online ticketsales. Bugger! So I called Don and agreed to meet back at the house to get the tickets online. Don arrived back at the house (I wasn't that keen on going shopping now, and besides didn't have enough time), and we jumped on line. Disaster.... the tickets were no longer available on line, as it was too close to the game. We shrugged (neither of us being huge basketball fans) and the rest of the day was lost to surfing the web, a little more organisation, and then a Teryaki Chicken meal infront of the TV. Not the best of days, but again, acclimatising me to the normal, regular life I'll be leading.

Day 127 - Bothell (Wa)

All those miles, all those hours, all those sights... it's all pretty much done now. Waking up in the bunk bed, knowing I didn't have to go anywhere was quite refreshing. A shower, no shave (still - it's getting itchy), and a couple of slices of toast served to wake me up, and I was ready for a nice relaxed day. First job was to get some of the junk I've collected on the trip sorted into stuff that can go home with me and stuff that hits the rubbish bin. As I sorted through the souvenir cups, the programmes, the tickets and guidebooks, it reminded me of many of the cool places I've been on this trip. I must make sure I complete a top 10 list of things/places/events.
The rest of the day was spent job hunting on the internet, looking at honeymoon options (Belize is looking real good at the mo), looking for night classes in or around Kingston (the Internet is still the best invention ever!), and relaxing. Dinner was with the family from across the street and 'for me' an early evening ensued.

Day 126 - Port Angeles (Wa) to Bothell (Wa)

'... and so our hero returns to where it all began.'
The morning routine was completed in the usual manner, but with a bittersweet feeling. This was my last night in a hotel for my trip. I've been lucky in that I can't think of any hotel/motel I've stayed in which was a complete dive. I've also been fortunate to stay in some very plush hotels as well, San Antonio and Dallas immediately spring to mind.
Today I was driving back to Seattle to see and stay with the Fernandez's before my flight home. It was cold and fresh, but much clearer than the night before as I jumped into the car for the last major trip. The roads were busy(ish) for a Sunday morning and I took my time getting round the peninsular, then over the Hood Canal bridge (long and flat). Just on the otherside of the Canal was a picture perfect village, Port Gamble, with the feeling of small town America, looking out over a tributary. It was possibly the best example of 'small town' america I've seen on the trip.
I pulled up in Kinston and awaited the Ferry across the Puget Sound to Edmonds and a short drive to Bothell. The Ferry was one of those 'roll-on roll-off jobbies', but I didn't spend much time on it, the journey across only being about 15 minutes. I entertained myself on the way with the radio tuned in to the NFL game between the Vikings and the Eagles. Poor Minnesota weren't hot at all.
We pulled up in Edmonds and before I knew it, I was knocking on the door to the Fernandez's, back where the trip really kicked off 4 months ago. Don was out with 3 guys from Denmark, sorting out a van for them, so I relaxed, watched the NFL (Peyton Manning getting stomped by New England), and took it easy. Don soon returned and we chewed the cud on a number of issues before we all chowed down on a fantastic seafood dinner (almost Paella-esque). The evening ended with me sleeping in Martin's lower bunk bed (the only spare bed in the house!). I can't remember the last night I spent in a bunk-bed!

Day 124 - Port Angeles (Wa)

Parents need to be more in control of their kids, thats all I can say (or my hotel has very thin walls). It's 8.30am and I'm huddled up in bed, having been woken up by some very inconsiderate kids, running around and screaming down the hotel corridor. As I peek out from under the covers, I can see that unlike yesterday which was pretty clear, the clouds have come in, ruining the great view I have (or at least had) of the Olympic Mountains. Oh well. Got up, and rolled into the car aiming to drive over to Riviera Beach and go for a walk. The drive across was real nice, wending its way through hills and valleys and along the shore of a lake. However, as I got closer to my desination, the clouds started to close in and pulling into the parking lot, the rain was falling pretty hard. I decided to sit in the car and read for a while and see if the weather passed. An hour later, I was still sat in the car, looking at the water rolling down my windscreen. At this point, I decided that since it's my last week, I might as well get wet, so I got thoroughly wrapped up, put my big boots on and stepped outside.
The parking lot was set back from the coast, and you had to climb up a small incline to see the beach. As I crested the incline, I was hit (not just by the wind and rain...) by a very nice vista. To my left was a huge island with vertical inclines on all 4 sides. It was pretty impressive. There were a few surfers out in the surge which was bouncing in, and the beach was littered with huge tree trunks, stripped to the bone. I walked down the beach, trying to keep my footing, as well as avoiding the tide. The rain wasn't too bad at this time and was effectively just a drizzle. It was quite refreshing to get out, even if it was pretty darn chilly. I walked as far as another rock outcropping, then turned round and sauntered back to the car. Halfway along the route, there was an interesting little river with a log to walk over it. I managed to avoid falling into the river twice, but just afterwards, the sea had the last laugh as it surged a little more than I thought drenching my feet. I got back to the car and it was just after 3 so I decided to roll back to the hotel.
Things had turned a little colder and the rain was getting wintery so it was a slow drive back to Port Angeles. I arrived back and opened the door, and suddenly realised that it was extremely cold. My car aerial was frozen, as was much of my bonnet. I ran into my room, and for the next few hours sat and watched the Jets lose it against the Steelers and then Michael Vick kill the Rams (that guy can play football!). After a quick sprint to get some food, I sat and relaxed, finishing a book and turning in for the night. All I had to worry about was the thin walls....

Day 123 - Portland (Or) to Port Angeles (Wa)

Another day, another few hundred miles...

Despite desires to the contrary, I got up a little later for my trip back to (close to) where it all started. Portland looked quite a picturesque city on my way out, but to be honest I didn't see enough of it to really get a good idea of what it was like. Again, the 'all I see is a hotel room' concept came into plan.

After getting stung for parking (a slight miscalculation in which garage I went in last night doubled my parking bill), I started on my way northwards and almost immediately I had crossed the border back into the state where it all began, Washington. The journey up to the base of the puget sound was pretty much without incident, I got to see Mount St. Helens and Mt. Ranier on the side of the road as I drove along, but bar that it was all very quiet.

The only thing of note was when I was listening to the radio and the main draft prospect for the NFL draft decided to stay in college for another year. In a world which is so money dominated, it's great to hear of a kid turning it down for a year (and an awful lot of money it is) to go back to college. It put a smile on my face.

I turned off towards Olympic National Park and after driving through some very picturesque countryside and then arrived at my hotel for the night. I did a quick trip to the visitor centre to work out where I was going to go tomorrow, then retired to my room, to send emails, check the net and relax. An early night was called for and for once was taken.

Day 122 - Grants Pass (Or) to Portland (Or)

A day which started much like any other... ended much like any other (sorry, I'd like to 'big up' the day, but there's not much to 'big up').

Leaving Grants Pass I stopped to fill my car with gas for the journey north. As I was getting out of the car a guy rushed across and said "don't worry sir, I've got this." I like to do these things myself so I said, "no, it's ok", to which he replied, "it's the law!" It turns out that Oregon has a law allowing only registered pump attendants to fill your car. Apparently, it's been around for a while, but due to the loss of jobs in the lumber industry, if they got rid of the law, there would be about 10,000 people made unemployed! Go figure. Especially as the gas prices were much lower than in places where it's self service!

Anyways, trundled along northwards through Oregon. The first part of my trip was cold (I keep forgetting I'm quite a way north now) and quite hilly and foggy, but soon enough the land flattened out and it was the usual farmlands and not much else. Days and terrain like this makes for a very dull drive. I planned to end up in Portland (and not because the US Figure Skating Championships were on - and I was hoping to catch an Ice Hockey Game!), but wanted to make a slight diversion to an Air Museum in a small town called McMinnville. I turned off the interstate and made my way across country before coming across a first - a ferry river crossing. No idea why there isn't a bridge there, but this little boat with enough space for about 9 cars goes patiently back and forth across the river. Very different.

I arrived at the Evergreen Aviation Museum and my reason for stopping there was pretty evident. A week or so ago, Angelica and I had seen the movie 'The Aviator' about Howard Hughes, and part of the story centred around Hughes efforts to make the largest waterplane ever, from mostly wooden parts. The huge plane was christened 'The Spruce Goose' by the press and was successfully completed (even if it only ever flew once). Somehow, it had ended up as the centrepiece of the museum and it pretty much dominated the entire hanger. It was pretty impressive, and I spent an interesting 90minutes walking around the various air exhibits on show. The Goose was indeed massive, and at it's time must have been the most impressive airplane around. It's bigger than a 747!

After that I wended my way up to Portland, via an oil change for the car, and an interesting drive in at night, when the town looked pretty impressive, situated on a river. Must try and get some decent views tomorrow.

I checked into my hotel and spent the evening between the TV and the computer sorting bits and pieces out for the end of my trip.

Day 121 - Eureka (Ca) to Grants Pass (Or)

I'm a restless sleeper - or so it seems. I woke up this morning with the bed cover over me and every other sheet/blanket kicked off the bed and on the floor. Last night was especially restless - anything making a noise kept me awake - and the worst thing was I couldn't call Angelica as Eureka was not in mobile phone coverage. So I got up this morning feeling a little tired and down. Fortunately, the day wasn't a hard core driving day - I was able to make a leisurely trundle up the coast, through some more redwood forests before arriving at Grants Pass in Oregon. After vacating the Red Lion hotel (and it's charming elevator - it had a bell which rang when you passed each floor, but then stopped ringing with a sound as if it was embarrassed to ring and tried to muffle it out - very old school), I zoomed up the coastal highway until I arrived at the Redwood Park Visitor Centre. There they advised a short loop hike through a classic Redwood forest. 15 minutes later I had arrived in the necessary car park and got my boots on for a stroll.

The forest was slightly different to that which I walked through yesterday and in actual fact is probably closer to that which was in Star Wars. This may be because this was where it was filmed (in this region anyways). There were fewer small trees, just lots of huge Redwoods disappearring off into the sky. It made for an entertaining (and much shorter) walk, but was good from an exercise/fresh air point of view. Halfway round I spied a nice bench in the sun and just lazed for a while, soaking up the silence and sun. It was nice.

After that, I rolled all the way up through some more cool areas, one being a very nice coastal path that gave stunning views out across the Pacific. I parked up and had my lunch, listening the waves crash at the base of the cliff below me. After that, it was a shortish (2 hour) drive up through some great countryside and then crossing the border into my 40th and final state - Oregon.

I arrived not too late at my hotel in Grants Pass and spent the evening watching TV, chatting to my good friend Joseph down in Miami (congrats on the new job) - where my story could make it back in the papers again!, and surfing the net.

Day 120 - Eureka (Ca) to Eureka (Ca)

Woke up to the dulcet tones of a vacuum cleaner outside my room and the incessant chatter of the housekeeping team at my 'deluxe' hotel. You may put a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the outside of the door, but that just means that they won't knock on the door, it guarantee's nothing else. In fact, I think they take it as a sign to make more noise. They have a routine in the morning and anytime a room has a sign on, they have to come back to it later. They may even get to knock off early if they get all the rooms done, so by making lots of noise, they ensure you are awake (and therefore more likely to get up and go) and not going to delay the potential for an early finish.
I was not in an active mood this morning, despite the weather outside being quite nice (in comparison to further south where the rain kept coming. Apparently LA has had 437% more rain so far in 2005 than they usually get on average!). I eventually dragged myself out of bed, had a shower, and considered shaving. I figured this is probably the last and only chance I get to try to grow a beard in my life without it affecting anyone else (or giving them a chance to rib me for it), so I'm gonna let it grow and see what it looks like. After struggling with contact lenses (on days like this laser eye surgery is definately an option), I was ready to move, so I jumped in the car and crossed the road in true american fashion to Subway (it's litterally across the road, but when in roam) and grabbed a sub for lunch.
My plan today was to head down to the Humbolt Redwood State Park and be at one with nature. I'd passed through it last night, but the weather was so poor and the night was setting in, that I never got a real look at it. After a 45 minute drive out of town on the Freeway (Eureka looked even worse in the daylight than at night - a relic to bad taste and the '80s), I pulled off and started driving along the 'Avenue of Giants'. This is a 32 mile scenic byway that runs close to the Freeway but winds its way through the Redwood Forest itself. Driving through the forest was cool as the road literlally cut between some of the biggest trees I'd ever seen - hence the 'Giant' name. I pulled over and went for a 10 minute walk off the side of the road and within 15 paces, couldn't see the car of the road. It was quite eerie, but extremely peaceful.
After that brief foray into the forest, I headed for the visitor centre and the ever helpful 'old man behind the desk'(every park has an old man behind the desk) advised I take a walk in the remotest part of the forest, well away from the freeway. I took his advice and was soon abandoning my car for what turned out to be an excellent 5 or so mile walk. Unlike other walks I've done on this trip, this was relatively flat, but it was just as much fun as they were. The closest place I can think of to give you an idea of what it was like is Star Wars (bear with me). The forest planet in Return of the Jedi (Endor) was apparently filmed in one of the Northern Californian forests (not sure which), and the huge tall trees, thick undergrowth and big trunks lying all around was so reminescent of the film. Every few minutes you'd stop and look up, as if you were in Manhattan and keep looking up at these tree's disappearing off into the distance, you're jaw dropping at their immense size. The walk followed a creek which also made it fun, as you'd listen to it running in the distance, quite peaceful and melodic in places. It was also the first walk I've done where I bumped into nobody, just reinforcing the remoteness.
I arrived back at the car tired but exhilerated and the ride back to Eureka was swift. I'd hoped to log on to the net on my return, but the computer system at the hotel was broken, so I decided to nip out to the cinema again. Unlike yesterday, the place had a few people as I settled down to watch 'The Incredibles'. It was pretty much just what a film is supposed to be - entertaining, witty, escapist, well made and above all, fun. Just what I needed. I'm totally in love with Angelica and everything about her, but Holly Hunter's voice does strange things to me!
I ended up in bed not too late, relaxed, without the banging headache I had yesterday and satisfied with my days work.

Day 119 - San Francisco (Ca) to Eureka (Ca)

Another one of those driving days was on the cards, so to get myself ready after getting all my bits and pieces together, I popped next door to Max's for some scrambled eggs and a coffee. It got me on the right track, and with a smile on my face (and in my tummy) I rolled out into a wet and foggy northern San Francisco. My route would take me along the coast for most of the trip before heading inland for a little. As I pulled off the freeway, heading for the coast, I saw first hand the flooding that everyone was talking about following the rain and high tides. Part of the road was cordoned off as the harbour had flooded. My eyes may have deceived me, but I was sure the waterline was above the road in some places and that one weakness would have sent it rushing into my path. I headed for the hills (where it got very foggy) and then down the otherside to the coast (where the fog disappeared). For the next few hours I drove along some of the best ocean views I've seen on the trip. The coast was rugged and was both tiring and challenging at some points to drive (lots of 15mph corners where you've no idea how long they go round. Every so often, you'd drop through a series of switchbacks into a little gulley where a small town was located around a river inlet, and then back up the otherside. I stopped a few times just to soak up the scenery. I was lucky too as I avoided any bad weather.
Eventually the road started to head inland and I entered the forest. Which was probably the most challenging part of the entire trip. I probably ascended and descended 4 or 5 hills in the space of 30 minutes. All of them thickly vegetated with the sky not visible, and all of them with masses of short switchbacks. By the time I got out the other end I was glad to have some open road to chug along. I eventually arrived in a little town called Leggett where I foolishly had tried to get a hotel room. As I drove through it was obvious why I had been unsuccessful - it was tiny. It did however have one redeeming feature - a tree so wide you could drive through it! Opportunities like this only come once in a lifetime, so I followed the signs on the road, eagerly paid the old man at the park entrance my $3 entrance fee and zoomed down the track with anticipation. 2 minutes later I was there. It was a tree... and it had a big hole cut through it. You could never accuse these folks of false advertising. I rolled up, and before I knew it I had driven through a tree. Wow. The memory will stay with me for a lifetime. I've driven through a tree. Hmmm... Is that it? I could buy some gaudy trinkets from the obligatory souvenir shop but would it do the momentous event justice? Where was the 'I've just driven through a tree' T shirt? OK, as you can tell the impact was slightly less awe inspiring then I thought it would be. (not sure what I expected actually!). However, memories are made of these things!
It was soon nightfall and after passing through an allegedly fantastic woodland (it was dark - again I miss out due to the sun setting), I eventually arrived at my destination - Eureka, California. If a town ever didn't live up to it's name, this was it. Definately no leaping up and inventingh some amazing new thing here. It reminded me of a typical small american town, stuck in the 80s which had just grown and grown. The hotel was similar in style, but was warm and welcoming. I dropped my things and decided a Cinema trip was in order to kill time. I headed out and was soon settled on my own (the first time I was totally alone in a cinema!), in a smallish, stale Cinema watching 'Blade Trinity'. OK, so it's not Citizen Kane, but it's not Angelica's type of movie and I wanted to have some mindless entertainment to kill a few hours. As cinematic events go, it was a film. Possibly the most formulaic and basic one I've seen in a while (you could explain the plot on a stamp, and even then it would have more holes than a piece of swiss cheese - which is probably a good parallel), but it had some fun action sequences, some excellent music (Blade films always have cool music) and Jessica Biel looked quite hot.
I eventually retired with a splitting headache (didn't drink alot today - dehydration was kicking in), and the need for sleep.

Day 118 - San Francisco (Ca)

Waking up without Angelica was not a good feeling and it stuck with me for most of the day. I decided since the weather was not that great to take it easy, do some planning for the rest of the trip, book some hotels and watch the wild card playoffs that were on today. That pretty much summed up the day. I spent lunch at the cafe next door where I had some great eggs for brunch and watched Indy whip Denver. After that I sat in my room, half dozing, half watching the Vkings beat the Pack, a bit of an upset, but good news for my Angelica and her team. Went for a little drive in the evening, but not particularly awe inspired so ended up getting an early night, and reading. Tomorrow has to be an active day, even if it's just because I'm moving to a new location, a town called Eureka.

Day 177 - San Francisco (Ca)

Despite the large margarita's that helped with the sleep last night, we both woke up feeling reasonably fresh and ready to go. This was reflected in the most effective morning packing and organisation we've had for a while. Before we knew it, we had packed and were sitting in the car, coffee in hand wondering what the day had in store for us. This was Angelica's last day in town before flying back from the airport in the afternoon. We decided to try out the bay trip we had booked, not knowing if the trip would still be on with all the bad weather that had been rolling through. As we drove along the Embarcadero, the main coaastal road from downtown to the wharf, it was evident just how much water had hit the city. The storm drains in San Fran lead directly out to the sea, so put together a high tide (which was at about 9.30am, just as we were driving along the coastal road) and lots of rain, and as we passed by, instead of taking water in, many of the drains and manhole covers had water coming out of them. Very strange.
We arrived at the marina just in time to park up (and make sure we didn't park somewhere which would sting us with painful parking rates (San Fran is an expensive city to Park in!), and jump on a boat out to the Harbour. It turns out our timing couldn't have been better as on this first harbour tour around, the weather was holding off pretty well. I was making the most of the trip with lots of pictures and burning up the Video Camera. The trip was about an hour long, but we got to go out under the Golden Gate Bridge (a little bumpy once you get close to the open water). Seeing the bridge from this unusual angle was very special, and you got a feeling for the true scope of the engineering task that was involved in building the bridge. After that the boat spun around to head back towards the bay bridge (the long one that broke in the earthquake in 1989), going past Alcatraz and then back to Harbour. Just as we started heading for the harbour, the weather made a turn for the worse and started chucking it down. Luckily the boat was a big one with loads of shelter.
We got back and went for a walk up Pier 39, the major commercial/tourist place on the waterfront. The rain actually got worse as we walked and we ended up hiding in a photographers shop which we had visited earlier. The pictures were fantastic of the wildlife and scenery of the USA, so we picked up a coffee table book to take back to the UK as a momento. After that another sprint to the car (rain was really pounding now) and we grabbed some lunch. Best Clam Chowder I've had so far on the trip, but Angelica took the mussels option, and felt a little dodgy for the rest of the day.
Time to get to the airport, but not before we took the road through the Presidio, checking out the Golden Gate from another angle (I know it's one of the most stunning places I've been to, but you can pretty much get every angle when viewing it, they really do plug the views! - I think Angelica was getting a bit bored of my photographs of it - how many pictures of the bridge can you take anyways?). We then headed down to the airport (passing Candlestick park - another off my Football stadiums list). Before we knew it, we were saying goodbye and Angelica was on her flight home. Even though I know I'm going to see her in 2 weeks time, it was still heart wrenching as we'd had 3 lovely weeks together. As I sat in the car at the airport after saying goodbye, I looked at the vacant passenger seat and didn't really know what to do. It would probably have been a better way to end the trip, hand in hand with Angelica, but I've got a few loose ends to tie up, and I'm sure I'll get a sense of completion when I arrive back in Seattle. It was still strange driving out of the airport on my own, Angelica had given me direction while she was here, and I'm more in love with her than I've ever been before.
I rolled back through San Fran, getting stuck in more rain and traffic, before getting back to the hotel I had arranged. The night ended with a sandwich and football and me missing Angelica.

Day 116 - San Francisco (Ca)

The rain that we had been warned about and started last night as we were going through the city continued overnight to the point where when we put on the TV local news it was all over it. High tides were causing floods all over the bay area, combined with the heavy rain gave the reporters something to talk about. However, we were tucked up in bed, enjoying the continental breakfast delivered to our room. Eventually we managed to get ourselves going and first stop was the Golden Gate Bridge. As you can imagine, cold drizzle does not a good photo make, and we had headed up to Fort Baker, where you can get some real nice views of the city and the Bridge in front of it. Alas, when we arrived, you could only just see the Bridge, let alone the city, so we trooped back down, crossed the bridge (it was very impressive, even if the weather was poor), and headed down to Fisherman's Wharf.
Our original plan was to do a Bay Tour, but with the bay looking a little rough for a purely boat based option, we decided to make a trip across to Alcatraz. The bay was a little 'bouncy' but we arrived at Alcatraz and spent an enthralling few hours walking around the Island and the Prison Block. We had ordered the Audio Tour and it gave a real good account of the life and times of Alcatraz. The whole experience was extremely well done, with the audio tour even having atmospheric sound effects as you walked around. It was however cold and windy so we decided to head back to shore and have some lunch, and get into our hotel for the night to warm up as soon as possible.
We alighted at the terminal and walked across the way to the Hard Rock Cafe to get some lunch. (It was closest and they'd validate my parking). After a nice lunch (they passed the burger base rating), but where they left the front door open so it was very cold, we hightailed it across to the hotel where we laid up for a few hours getting ourselves warm. I did some laundry (hopefully the last lot of my trip) and watched some TV before we got out to get some Fresh air. It was cool and crisp and after a brisk walk around ended up at the Tex Mex place we had been to on our first visit to San Fran. Although we didn't actually eat anything, we did enjoy some very large Margaritas, which helped knock us out when we got back.

Day 115 - Monterey (Ca) to San Francisco (Ca)

I've decided that Monterey is a nice town. It's not a massive place like LA or San Fran, it's extremely scenic and is also just round the corner from some of the most scenic country I've seen in the states, it's got a cool aquarium, some excellent diving (so I've heard) and has a real nice feel (Obviously, it's off season, I bet in the Summer the place is a nightmare!). Morning coffee was enjoyed in a local starbucks (they're everywhere - of you hadn't already guessed). It just helped with the whole 'small town feel', people bumping into each other, having not talked for a while, the friendliness of the whole place, it was very reassuring. Angelica had quickly added Monterey to her 'I'd live here' list.'
After the coffee had sunk in (washed down with a Blueberry muffin), we drove down to the front of Monterey bay and headed towards the Aquarium, Monterey's biggest attraction. The Aquarium is based on Cannery Row (immortalised in a John Steinbech novel - a local), which back in the early part of the 20th century was the home to a massive sardine industry. The whole road was filled with Sardine Canneries back in the day, but sometime in the late '40s the
Sardine stocks disappeared, and the whole place collapsed. Now the tourist industry has filled the hole, with many of the cannery buildings housing restaurants and souvenir shops (although I bet all the buildings aren't original, merely reproductions!). The aquarium itself is massive and very well done. There is a huge open space for people to wonder around (you can tell that it's made for massive crowds - today was definately off-season), and the two main tanks are very impressive. One is the 'inner bay' a big tank with lots of fish and kelp that are indiginous to the area, and it's pretty impressive being two stories tall. The one Angelica and I were transfixed with though was the huge 'outer bay' tank. Apart from the huge Tuna and Barracuda in the tank, there were 4 Hammerheads as well as a young Great White! Angelica is definately a shark person, and promptly sat of the floor and watched the sight in front of her. It was supremely impressive and I'm sure she would have stayed there all day given half the chance. (Check it out with the following link to the aquarium's web-cam - http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/efc_hp/hp_obw_cam.asp )
After such a superb few hours (in addition to the main tanks, the staff were knowledgeable and the other exhibits very well done), we decided to go next door to the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company Restaurant. Who would have thought that the movie Forrest Gump would have spawned a restaurant? It's a bit different to the usual sports or movie themed places, but the food was good (Angelica had some superb Shrimp), and the service prompt.
After lunch, we started the drive up to San Francisco. When we had got up in the morning, the local weather was apparently expecting a major storm to hit the area in Mid afternoon, so we wanted to stay ahead of it, but as we started the drive it was beautiful blue sky and quite warm. We followed route 1 up the coast and passed through Santa Cruz (and yes, the Thrills did get put on the Ipod so we could sing along to 'Santa Cruz, you're not that far'). North of Santa Cruz, the road hugged the coastline and the views were spectacular. We stopped along the coast and walked out through waist high gorse and shrubs. When we got to the edge of the cliff we soaked up the views which were worth the effort. As we struggled back, Angelica lightened the tone with a rendition of S Club 7! We then decided to actually go down to the beach and walk around. There was a huge rock jutting out into the sea and we walked up to the end of it. Again, it was nice to be somewhere real remote, with stunning views, just listening to the surf crash against the rocks below.
We jumped back in the car, and continued the drive up to San Fran. Finally, when we were driving through San Fran, the rain that was promised earlier finally arrived and made it a little interesting. We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge (with Video Camera on), but with it being wet and dark, you couldn't really see anything! After picking out hotel, we settled down and nipped to the restaurant next door for some food before we collapsed for the night.

Day 114 - Los Angeles (Ca) to Monterey (Ca)

Waking up in LA, (still sounds cool, even though yesterday wasn't the best day) I wasn't particularly active (Angelica put Jerry Maguire on TV and I decided to watch it all the way through - so it was a little late when I got to sleep), so as I prepared myself for the day ahead, Angelica was the star she is and popped out to get coffee and a nice muffin. That got me rolling in the right direction and the day begun with a ride out to Santa Monica beach. It was a beautiful sunny day, and there was the usual fun and games on the LA freeways. Not sure why they call it a freeway, it wasn't very free flowing today. Not sure about LA drivers as well - lane's seemed to be a mere guidance. However, since it was sunny, we could see the Hollywood sign (not as big, maybe we were too far away), and all the other bits and pieces.
We arrived at Santa Monica and parked up (free parking - and I thought there was nothing for free nowadays!). First job was to purchase my ticket home (Boo!), which was accomplished. I'll be flying out of Seattle on the 20th Jan, arriving via Vancouver into Heathrow. After that, we walked down towards the beach, and were given a slightly different complexion to the City of Angels. Santa Monica was real nice; the town was clean, the high street had a nice pedestrian area (although there were more than the fair share of 'down'n'outers'), and the feel was nice and chilled. We walked down the high street enjoying the sun (I didn't even have a coat, it was the 5th of Jan!!). We then turned down towards the beach and checked out the Pacific. It was real nice looking up to Malibu up the coast, and then down the coast towards Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach. The tide was out so the beach looked like it went on for miles. We crossed the Pacific Coast Highway and walked down to the beach front (some nice - if expensive beach front property for sale!), then along to the pier. It was a real classy old school pier - lots of wood, and a funfair with Rollercoaster and a Ferris Wheel. It was nice to just relax walk around without any urgency. The weather helped alot, but our view of LA was now slightly different compared to the 'fun' we had had in Hollywood yesterday.
After that, it was a driving day, albeit one with some fun scenery. We followed the Pacific Coast Highway all the way up the coast, through Malibu and up to Ventura. The road was right on the sea front for most of the first few hours and it was great scenery and fun driving (lots of swooping curves). We stopped off at Santa Barbera for some lunch (a humoungous Burrito!) and then continued up the Salinas Valley before finally arriving at Monterey. Having learnt our lesson and not booked in advance, we got a nice room rate at the local Clarion with a nice clean room. The evening involved a walk up to the local Mall, which had a nice new cinema where we sat and laughed away a few hours at 'Meet the Fockers'. Nice day all told. All we have to do is avoid the huge storm heading over here tomorrow!

Day 113 - Los Angeles (Ca)

Did I mention yesterday that the hotel is plush? Let me amend this slightly by saying that it is old and refined and very posh, but it has old windows which don't keep the noise out and as we are overlooking 4th (or 5th street), we got a nightful of sirens, engines, garbage trucks and drunk rants. Having said that, it was a much better night's sleep than the one in Monterey. After checking email (thanks for the notes Terry and Jason, nice to know someone is out there.), we rolled out for our morning coffee and a read of the newspaper. The coffee was not Starbucks (there is obviously something wrong with this town, there wasn't a starbucks on every corner!), but was actually much better than Starbucks (according to the inhouse coffee expert, miss Angelica). We sat and watched the world roll past the window and read the paper.
The little bit of LA that we were staying in was a contrast of old and new, but we rolled on down to Macy's to have a look before jumping on the Metro to Hollywood. Macy's was dead (it was before 11 on a weekday - as I know everything is dead downtown until lunchbreaks!), so Angelica dragged me in to Victoria's Secret. For those none USA based, Victoria's Secret is a lingerie store, but there everywhere. I'm not sure if there is anything as unappealing as walking through a lingerie store, when it's on sale (lots of dump bins with various items on discount), and the only people in there apart from yourselves and the shop assistants are not the underwear models on the wall. While Angelica perused, I noticed an uplift bra advertised in a unique way. The packaging showed the right breast unsupported, and the left one supported. Quite surreal.
Then got down onto the Metro. Not the best underground system I've been on (San Fran wins hands down), but it was ok and at $3 for a day pass not too expensive. As usual, all the assortment of human life appears on the underground (a great leveller) and the LA Metro, being in LA, lived up to the cities billing. As asides, it's interesting to know that in a culture dominated by advertising the LA Metro has no hoardings or ads anywhere, neither on the tube or at the station. Also, while on the train, the driver gives a nice little commentary, including a recommendation to read the evacuation plan every 5 minutes.
We arrived at Hollywood and Vine station (it's like that around here, all the famous streets you hear about on the TV are everywhere - Santa Monica Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard, Melrose, Hollywood, La Brea), and as we ascended the escalator, we closed our eyes and willed up images of the area. We then opened up our eyes and looked up to dark skies and rain. The image of Hollywood, like so many things, is nowhere near the reality. Hollywood Bvd is a poor example of an American Street. Yeah, it's got the hall of fame stars going up and down, but that's about it. The reality is very poor indeed. Admittedly the weather didn't help our demeanour, but it was just not very good at all. We spent most of the next few hours, walking around looking for inspiration. We found it shortly when the cloud cover opened up so we could see the Hollywood sign on the Hills above (tick that off the list), and again when we had some nice lunch at a nice Italian restaurant (I learnt my lesson and ordered some excellent vegetarian Ravioli - remember, it doesn't have to have meat in it to taste good). We even tried to get up to Universal, but it wasn't made for walkers (Car is king). Oh Well.
We retired for an evening of football (National Championship - USC blew out Oklahoma - not what anyone thought), drinks and House (I may have mentioned it's the best thing on TV).

Day 112 - Monterey (Ca) to Los Angeles (Ca)

Why is it that showers in 'lower class' hotels are made for midgits? Can't they afford the plumbing? I woke up after a poor night's sleep (not a very comfortable bed to be honest) and jumped into the shower and crouched for five minutes. It's a good job I don't have much hair to wash! Anyways, the plan was to take a nice leisurely drive down route 1 all the way along the Californian coast line and into LA where we had a nice room booked courtesy of Angelica (very posh and way out of my league!).
The first part of the day went according to plan with a morning coffee and muffin to put a smile on our faces and a nice drive down through Carmel (swiftly added to Angelica's 'I want to live here' list - perfect views out over the Pacific Ocean on a cliff edge - who wouldn't want to live there - even Clint Eastwood swears by it!). We then hit the coast and it was obvious why it had been recommended so highly. It was stunning. Try driving along any stunning coastline, on a road that hugs the cliff edge and has amazing views. It was great and with the sun in the sky made for a fantastic drive, through places I'd only read and heard about like Big Sur and Lucia.
Things then started to go slightly awry. We saw a sign just out of big sur saying route 1 was closed 20 miles further down the road. We decided to try it as I'd seen these before and they'd prooved to be a red herring. Alas this wasn't the case, and our nice relaxed drive had suddenly turned into a tough drive across California to the Interstate and down to LA. The first half of this wasn't too bad as we got to recover our ground on route 1 the other way, giving us even more picturesque views. The second half was a bit dull, but thanks to my little GPS system, we would still arrive in Los Angeles about 5.30ish.
Then things took another turn for the worse. As we drove along I-5, we were presentded with big signs saying 'I5 closed at Grapevine for Snow'. Hmmmm. It was a little cloudy where we were, but we wondered where the snow was? So we checked on the radio, and sure enough, the road was close about 50 miles north of LA. Now I5 is the main west coast artery, and so having it closed is a bit of an inconvenience. So we pulled over to grab some lunch (a nice sandwich always puts things in perspective) and replanned our route. This would take us across and back to the coast, through wine country and then down through Santa Barbera. Our initial arrival time of 3pm, had now pushed back past 5 to 8pm, a little later than expected and a full 11 hours or so in the car (including rest breaks) - a long day.
Again, we were fortunate in that the first half of the drive was actually quite nice. We drove through some nice countryside and also past some extensive wine groves. But as usual, just as we got to the coast, the sun set and it was back to the usual driving in pitch black, missing out on scenery to get where we're going. Fortunately, we'll be retracing our steps and we'll get to see it in the daylight.
We arrived at the Biltmore at just after 8 (little traffic in Santa Barbera holding us back) and strolled into the Lobby. Wow! The place is plush. It's probably the most historic hotel in LA, and you could definately tell by the decor. Stunning, but very old school, and could be classed as tired in some ways. We grabbed a bite in the sports bar (Angelica decided her Margarita was the 2nd best (after Grand Canyon) she has had so far on the trip (none of this premixed stuff, this was the real mccoy) and retired, drained from the drive.

Day 111 - San Francisco (Ca) to Monterey (Ca)

Woke up early in San Fran and it was raining. It seems to rain an awful lot this time of year in San Francisco. Having packed last night, it meant that we didn't have to rush too much, but we were up and ready to roll before 9am. First task was to get to the airport and get the car which had been abandoned 5 days earlier. Initially it was wet (did I mention it was raining?), just to get from the hotel to the BART. Once there we found a way to use American change ($10 in nickels and dimes paid for the train fare... which lightened the load a little), and settled down for the 45 minute journey out (on which I almost fell asleep).
Arrived at airport and got to car quite quickly so after picking up a coffee, we were sat at Bayfair BART station at 11am, in the car getting ready to go to Oaklands final home game of the year against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The game didn't start until 1.15pm and it was raining so we sat in the car and read about Hawaii. Why Hawaii? possible honeymoon potential, but after a read we decided great for a Holiday, but not so sure about the Honeymoon. Anyways, it hit about Noon and we jumped on the train down to the Coliseum. First impressions weren't great. It was cold and wet (never a good start) and the walkway across from the station to the Stadium was not the greatest advert for the area. After finding the will call office and picking up the tickets we headed into the stadium. At this point Angelica commented that this was the third football game I had taken her too, and each of them had poor weather. As she pondered aloud "Do you have a bad relationsip with god Robin?" I dunno, just bad luck I guess.
We got to our seats and realised very quickly that we weren't going to be staying very long. Firstly, the stadium was half full (being a virtual dead game). Secondly, the game was not very interesting (defensive battle, not much activity to keep you entertained on the field - Angelica predicted 6-6, not far off the final score of 13-6). Thirdly, we had no vested interest in the game (it didn't affect either of our teams which meant we weren't that bothered who won). Fourthly, Angelica's grumpiness was accelerated by not being able to find a toilet door that would lock without having to lift the entire door up. Finally, and most importantly, we were in the most exposed part of the stadium and it was torrential rain and wind, not a good recipe for keeping the spirits up. We managed to last to the end of the first quarter (one field goal, 3 punts, 2 drenched foreigners) and decided that was that. I felt bad leaving a game so early, but we were both in poor spirits and as we headed back to the station, it was reassuring we weren't the only ones who had quickly had enough (and these were 'hard core' raider fans - not sure I'd be up and out so quickly if it was in Cincy and the weather was that bad).
We got back to the car and started the treck down to Monterrey. About halfway down (it was only a 2 hour journey), and with the rain still pouring down we stopped off at an Italian for some nice food and to warm up. Hot soup helped to keep warm us up, and we even managed to avoid dessert (a first, we've been bad on the dessert front - but they all look and taste so nice!). Then it was back on the road to a very wet Monterey where we were holed up by 6pm, watching football highlights on TV, looking for a snack (Subway provided the solution), and hoping the rain would back off for the drive tomorrow along route 1. It's now about 10.30pm and still raining. Going back to Angelica's comment - have I done something wrong? Lets keep our fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Day 110 - San Francisco (Ca)

New Year's day is possibly the laziest day in the world. No one gets up early and most of the shops and facilities are shut. We decided to add to the world's laziness quotient and didn't get up til past 11. Once up though, we were keen to try and find food and a coffee as early as we could. Unfortunately, our hotel was in the financial district and trying to find an open starbucks was proving to be a difficult task. Eventually we found the San Francisco Mall where we had some food and drink to soothe our fevered souls. After a little shopping (shoes for Jelly, Football top for me - thanks mum and dad for our Xmas pressies), we grabbed tickets to see the Aviator. It was a little wait until it started so we killed time with some Ice Cream (gotta cut down on this sweet stuff!), before grabbing our seats early. It was sold out and we were quite glad to get there early. It continually amazes me how people walk into an obviously full cinema, and yet walk all the way up and down the aisle, several times in some cases hoping to see the elusive 4 seats together. Not happening people! The film itself was superb. It hadn't really been one of my top see films, but it surprised and entertained for a full 2 1/2 hours. Leonardo Di Caprio can't do romance for toffee, but he does the slightly-deranged-on-the-edge guy very well indeed. Knew nothing about Howard Hughes before, but was fascinated by the end. We walked back to the hotel to get some sleep, but before that, had a farewell drink at the Elephant and Castle (still can't abide London Pride chilled!) and something to eat (stay away from the desserts Robin, don't touch the desserts!!)

Day 109 - San Francisco (Ca)

As ever, trying to find something to do on new year's eve is not the easiest thing to do. Fortunately, it was one of the few things that I had planned in advance. Following a little research and checking up on things, we had got the evenings festivities booked at a nice local restaurant. However, we had to get there first and considering we weren't actually due to eat until 10pm, planning the day became a little challenging. Firstly we picked up the usual morning coffee. It was quite nice weather wise as we strolled up to the waterfront, and after checking out a few shops on pier 39 (OK - it was sports shops looking at NFL and college tops!), we picked up tickets for a bay cruise and a walk around alcatraz for the next time we are here, the day before Angelica flies back. Didn't realise the tour was so popular that you would have to book in advance. If you ever make it over here and want to do it, bear this in mind.
After that we walked back to the hotel. We had originally planned to walk around downtown, but neither of us was really in the mood, so we spent the afternoon, esconced in our room, chomping on Quizno's and watching the Louisville-Boise St. bowl game. It was a real snorter of a game (Louisville won 44-40) and kept us going until late afternoon. Again, we started looking for things to do to kill time. Eventually deciding on quick shop (umbrella and water for recovery) and then a beer or two in our local. This was aided with a little sustenance to keep us going until later.
WE then got suited and booted. It was strange to put a suit, shirt and tie on for the first time in 6 months, but didn't feel too uncomfortable (guess that means I can work again when I get home!). As we left, the hotel lobby was seething mass of people all there for a party of some kind. Not sure why cos it's not that type of hotel, but the place was heaving as we jumped in the cab to the restaurant.
Bacar (our restaurant), is located on the east side of San Fran and is a very hip and happening place. As we entered a Jazz band was playing away and we were able to settle down for a quick drink at the bar before we ate. Our table was at the top of the stairs, and because of this, I felt the vibrations through my chair of everyone bouncing up and down the stairs. This was initiialy a little disturbing, but it only really bothered me when a big bloke bounded up and down. The food was divine, if a little on the plain side, and was accompanied by several glasses of different wines as suggested by our very nice and relaxed waitress. It was probably the best wine selection I've had and as I hugged Angelica to see the new year in, was quite happy and merry.
However, as I was now closer to 35 than 30 (just hit 32.5 exactly), I was feeling slightly worse for wear, so we finished off our very rich dessert, had a small glass of Port (20 year old tawny - nice) and jumped a cab to be back in bed before 2am. Not a bad new year celebration all told. Quite refined for a chap like me!

Day 108 - San Francisco (Ca)

Rain, rain, rain. (pause for effect). More rain. Eventually after hiding in bed, I decided that I had to get up (Angelica wondering where the coffee was probably had an influence too!). By the time we were out and about, the rain had stopped and we had our fingers crossed for the rest of the day. After coffee (obviously), we walked down to the bay front and headed south. Although the rain may have abated slightly, it was still dull and overcast, but as we walked around, it was nice to look back at San Fran, which is quite a nice city all told, which although not as stunning a skyline as, say Chicago or New York, is still pretty cool, with all it's hills and stuff.
We got finally got round to SBC Park, where there was going to be a College Bowl Game, (Emerald Bowl), and picked up some cheap tickets from a scalper outside. We then walked up into the city and the rain started to pound again. Not the best decision ever made as we were drenched by the time we got there. A couple of pizza's helped warm us up and as we walked back down to kickoff, the rain stopped and, shock, horror, the sun came out!
Once we got in, we went for a walk around the stadium. Although it was holding football today, the stadium traditionally holds the San Francisco Giants baseball team and consequently is not made of football. It does however have the promenade deck which means you can walk all around the field without losing sight of it. The stadium is right on the waterfront and it's where you see (the controversial) Barry Bonds hammer home runs into the water over the right field wall. Before we took our seats, we had the fun time of watching the Navy Midshipment enter the stadium (the game was Navy vs New Mexico Lobos), all lined up and suited/booted. Angelica decided she liked men in uniform!!!
We took our seats, and after a flyby from the Naval Airforce (always fun!), the game ensued. Alas, it was cold and the rain started so it was difficult to get totally involved in it and by halftime, we had dropped from our nice seats down to the promenade and were trying to keep warm. We gave up at the end of the 3rd quarter, with the score 31-19. (We didn't miss much, the final score was 34-19).
Walked back up to the Cinema/Shopping Centre we had been to earlier for lunch and went to see 'The Aquatic Life with Steve Zissou', starring Bill Murray. Superb entertainment and excellently made , and both Angelica and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves (the ice cream didn't hurt either!).
The day ended with a very nice Thai meal at a restaurant we had eye-balled previously, with top food and some nice wine. All told, even though it rained all the way home, (and ultimately for most of the day), it was still a very cool day.

Day 107 - San Francisco (Ca)

The day started in a good way with Coffee, then we walked out to the sea front. It was nice to see the bay in the day light and after a nice walk around, ended up at the Bay Aquarium. It's not as good as some I've seen, but some of the exhibits were quite good, and they had some cool 7 gilled sharks. After that a nice walk up one of the piers, it ended with the Sea Lions making lots of noise (apparently, they have a regular hang out there - boy were they noisey!). We then walked out to the end of the pier and got to see Alcatraz (cool, but still an island - have to go to see it in person when I get a chance) and also the golden gate bridge. Further walks gave some nice views of the harbour and the bridge, then we ended up walking up some huge hills (the hills are really that steep!) and down the crookedest street in San Fran (apparently). We then walked Chinatown (lots of Chinese!) and did some shopping. The day ended with a curry (all curryhouses are the same no matter where you go!) and a beer or two.

Day 106 - Manteca (Ca) to San Francisco (Ca)

Another one of those nothing days that are just travel across the country. This was was not that long a drive, but seem to take a while. Left our home for the night, the delightful Holiday Inn Express in Manteca and rolled up the freeway with coffee in hand. Alas, after a slight mishap with hot coffee and Angelica's lap(!), we paused for a quick change. THen the road to San Fran was ahead of us. Interesting trip with lots of Wind power generators on the hills. First stop was Oakland Coliseum (quick stop on the way - that coffee goes through quite quickly!), but due to a lack of info and help from the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit if you are interested) we decided not to leave the car there (not sure if it would have been there at the end), so a quick diversion across a very long bridge led us to San Francisco airport to park up and get the train into the town. By the time we arrived at the hotel, it was raining and we were both tired. Thank god the hotel was quite nice (good call Club Quarters), and due to Angelica's contacts we had biscuits and stuff!
A mexican kept the hunger pangs at bay and after a nice walk around downtown at night where there were some nice pix of the bay bridge and the port authority . The evening ended with a beer or two at the Elephant and Castle (I go all this way and end up drinking London Pride in an english pub!!!

Day 105 - West Yosemite (Ca) to Manteca (Ca)

Having been seraneded to sleep (is that how you spell it?) the night before to the sounds of rain bashing against the roof, we awoke to the Christmas Scene Angelica had hoped for (and I'd dreaded). Snow. It may look pretty and picturesque, but I just knew it would be a pain to drive through, especially with the tricky roads we had to traverse to get somewhere. So after packing and loading the car up, we started the steady climb out of our valley retreat and back on the main road through Yosemite Park. This proved to be quite tricky, and after several near misses, we both decided to use the chains we had purchased before entering the park, figuring the 'minor' inconvenience of fitting the chains outweighed the major inconvenience of ending up sliding down a valleyside into oblivion. This was of course decided before we actually had fitted the chains! Consequently, the next 45 minutes were taken up with trying to fit the chains, driving a bit, and refitting one as it had fallen off. It may sound easy, but when it's a blizzard, the chains are incredibly fiddly, and it's wet and freezing, it wasn't that fun. I spent most of it crawling around on hands and knees, trying to get that last link to fit. Eventually, with a sensible suggestion from Angelica, we were off, slip-sliding away (but not too much!). After we had ascended a little, the snow became sleet and rain, which meant we had to stop and take the chains off (a much easier task). A well deserved Coffee was had at Oakhurst when we arrived there to warm us up. After that, the day was dull and boring. Rain slacked off, and after a Quizno's in a town somewhere between Yosemite and San Fran, we decided to camp down at a Holiday Inn Express in Manteca. Internet Access, Monday Night Football, and a double header of 'House' on Fox (Hugh Laurie with an American accent - go figure) helped ease the day (and the mound of laundry we got out of the way) into oblivion.

Day 104 - West Yosemite (Ca)

Days when you can just lie in are superb don't you think? No major reason to get up, just the knowledge that a warm and cosy bed is there for you when you need it. It also helps when you are completely and utterly dead from hiking for 7 miles the day before and need a good excuse to stay in bed. And so began my boxing day...
Initial plans were to take it easy and watch the NFL to kick the day off, then jump in the car drive over to the Valley, go for a nice walk around and then have a relaxing evening in. It almost followed. First half of the day worked. Coffee brewed, Bagels toasted and San Diego (superchargers) were at the Colts. A superb game of football ensued with various NFL records broken and a great finish, which rolled into Overtime (Indy won 34-31). Meanwhile, the Bengals were playing a strange game against the Giants in a snowbound PBS (hope the Voegele's weren't too cold!), which they managed to pull a victory out on too. By this time Angelica was getting a little impatient to go outside (little tell tale signs!), so we booted up and rolled down to the Park. The weather had definately taken a turn for the worse, and even though it wasn't that cold, the cloud cover was thick and it was spotting rain. After a mild walk around, we both decided that wew were both too tired and also feeling a little dodgy in the stomach department to make it a big walk, so we retired to a varied dinner (lots of leftovers, but they worked!), the Simpsons and Arrested Development. The day ended in pretty much the way it had begun with us falling asleep to Oceans 11. The film made so much more sense having been to Vegas!

Day 103 - West Yosemite (Ca)

'oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful'
Contrary to the song, the weather outside was not frightful! It was a beautiful day and Christmas was here. Yay!!! Today was going to be an active day, so we started early (the alarm went at 7am! so much for a lie in for Christmas). After a quick phone call to home to wish a happy christmas to the folks, it was jump in the car and drive out to the start of our hike. It was a bit chilly and although it was clear, the sun hadn't risen so we were wrapped up and trying to keep ourselves warm. Our objective was the Upper Yosemite Falls, but in our innocence (we were wearing all the right clothes and shoes, so at least we looked like we knew what we were doing!) we thought it would be a nice brisk walk with a little clambering here and there. In retrospect, this was very naive, especially when you look up at the upper falls. They are quite tall. In fact, Yosemite Falls from the top of the upper falls to the bottom of the lower are the biggest waterfall in the USA (and number 5 in the world!), over 2,500 feet! So without realising it, we had a big task on our hands.
The first part was pretty hard work and the rucksack with our lunch and refreshments was quite heavy (along with all the layers we had on - I was darn sure I wasn't going to freeze), made it even harder. I was puffing and panting badly. The next 3 hours were in phases, painful, tiring, invigorating (some great views), tiring, tiring and did I mention tiring? After a stop about 15 minutes from the top we managed to struggle up to the overlook and were happy with our efforts (it was only when we got back down at the end of the day did we truly understand what we had achieved). The views were amazing right across the valley, down the upper falls, and across to the half dome, a local hill/mountain. We sat and had lunch (salami and cheese sandwiches - top hiking food!) and I unveiled Angelica's final Christmas present (diamond earrings - nice move Robin!). They went down quite well (understatement of the year).
Anyways, after a nice 30 minute lunch break we decided it was time to head down (in theory it was easier going down, but try telling our knees, ankles and toes that). On the way down it was apparent that we had done the right thing in getting up early (even if it did mean carrying more clothes and stuff then we really needed on such a fantastic day - that sun did beat down hard) as we bumped into all sorts of people trying to get to the top. I'm constantly amazed by the lack of awareness of some people. It was a tough 3 hour hike to the top (a total round trip of about 7 miles - as well as ascending 2,500 feet), and we met people with no proper shoes, no water and in one case a japanese couple who looked like they'd just stepped out of a gap advert (flat cap too!)
Eventually we got back to the bottom and looked up at where we had been. We were pretty amazed at what we had done (I wanted a little badge to show to the world what I'd done on Christmas Day - it was very memorable), and after a quick visit to village store (open on Christmas - the National Park Service need more funding - they are undoubtedly the best organisation I have come across in this country) where we stocked up on water and other liquids (I managed to down a full liter in about 10 minutes in the car on the way back) were whizzing back to the 'Magic Mountain Condo'.
Now came the icing on the cake. As we rounded the final corner to the apartment, there were 4 deer crossing the roads, one of them even had horns on (Antlers as Angelica pointed out). If it didn't feel like Christmas before (and there was snow all around so it kinda did anyways) it did now. Pretty cool all told.
So we arrived back at the ranch, with sore feet and aching legs, what were we to do? Well, jump into the hot tub obviously (did I neglect to mention this earlier?) Talk about a perfect way to ease those aches and pains. Outdoor hot tubbing as the sun sets. This was the life!!!
Christmas dinner was another resounding success. Angelica pulled the cat out of the bag after we failed on getting the oven to work, and we had some fantastic vegetables, baked potatos and I had a great steak (nice marinade). That pretty much wrapped up one of the best Christmas' ever. Memorable, Tiring, Stunning Views, Great Food, Superb Company and to cap it all off... the Sound of Music on TV!!! Top Notch!!

Day 102 - West Yosemite (Ca)

Arose ready to take the world on (or at least the little part I was in). First task was to do the laundry. As I've said before it's not all fun and games on this trip, you've got to keep the ordinary life stuff ticking over. Kindalike keeping it real! Jelly checked in at home as Christmas Eve is the big one over in Sweden, and while the clothes were drying breakfast was had. It was nice to see kids runing around in the ice and snow when I finished the first load of laundry. Dropped back to pick up the dry clothes and then settled down for lunch, and to watch the Vikings play the Pack. However, despite Angelica's team chucking it around big style, the nerves got the better of her and we went down to Yosemite Valley to check it out and to pick up some info on the walks we could do. As usual, the surroundings were absolutely stunning, and much better than I expected. I have become used to being gobsmacked on this trip and it happened again. Yosemite Valley is superb. The rest of the day involved picking up some info, continuing closing the mouth as the jaw drops open from another amazing view. We arrived back at the pad and Angelica rustled up a fantastic pasta dinner. Shrimps done to perfection.
After such a great dinner, we opened our presents (like I said, Sweden is home of early celebrations!). Angelica got a Randy Moss jersey (even though the Vikings lost) and I got some great books and some aftershave. Good day!

Day 101 - Fresno (Ca) to West Yosemite (Ca)

Many times I have commented that I arrive in a place at night, having no idea what it looks like, and then when I wake up the place is absolutely stunning with mountains and the like in the background. Getting up in Fresno however, was not really different as waking up and pulling back the curtains had the same visibility as last night due to extremely heavy fog. It was a real pea-souper so driving around wasn't that much fun. First hit was Starbucks (kind of a tradition now, especially as my Coffee friendly Angelica is now fully into the USA trip thing), where a shopping list was generated for the rest of the day. Following a very brief walk around 'Manchester Mall' which was pretty much the worst example of a Mall I've encountered in the US, we decided to head down to the Discount Outlet Mall we had seen the previous night driving up. On the way it became apparent we were in Swedish country with various flags and signs. We almost stopped at the home of 'swedish pancakes' (and I thought it would be in Sweden!).
Arriving at the mall was another little anti-climax, but Angelica picked up some nice shoes at a nice price from Nine West, and it killed a few hours. Back in the car (with no improvement in the fog), we headed back up to Fresno and managed to find a bookstore and somewhere to eat lunch. I've decided that compared to the UK, the US is badly let down by it's lack of easily accessible book stores. Lunch was a fantastic Italian where we both ate far too much (excellent Bolognese sauce), and some superb fresh bread.
That was pretty much it. We jumped into the car, drove up to Yosemite which was a nice drive. Did a load of shopping at Oakhurst to stock up for Christmas and with Christmas tunes ringing in our ears drove into the park itself. As usual, I'd love to be able to tell you how fantastic the views were, but as usual I arrived at night (pitch black) and had someone following me for most of the trip. I hate driving in an unfamiliar and tricky environment when there is someone right up the backside of you, not letting you slow down. We arrived to pick up the keys for our fantastic Condo (4 poster bed, excellent heating and a hot tub!!) from our land-lady (amazing eye brows) and relaxed with soup, TV and an early night.

Day 100 - San Diego (Ca) to Fresno (Ca)

Today was mostly a driving day and while chugging up from San Diego to Fresno the following thoughts/discussions were had. Most of them came when we were listening to the Christmas Channel on the Satellite radio, trying to get into that Christmas feel!
- First stop on the trip was Qualcomm Stadium, home of the San Diego (super) Chargers. One of the old stadiums in the NFL. Looks antique compared to some of the new ones I've been to. But another one off my list. Also managed to see Angels stadium (Anaheim Angels) and Dodger Stadium (LA Dodgers) from the freeway to add to the list.
- Why were Gladys Knights' backing group known as the Pips? When you think about it, it's a real strange name!
- When you actually get down to it, there aren't many different Christmas songs, it's just that each of them is done by loads of different singers. We must have heard Let It Snow, by 3 different singers, and Winter Wonderland by 4. Best today was Ray Charles doing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer!
- There is something real strange about driving down a south California highway with the sun in the sky and Bing singing 'I'm dreaming of a white Christmas'
- Nice to see the pacific as we were rolling along. Last time I saw it was when I was up in Seattle a long time ago
- Kenny G. What did I ever hear in that man. I heard 3 tracks on the Christmas Radio from him and they all were REAL bad!!
- Wonder where the actual story of Rudolph the Red nose Reindeer actually comes from.
- Nice scenery until we got north of LA (which you could just about see from the freeway through the Smog!), which turned into very flat uninteresting drive.
- Had lunch at Chili's. Amazed that there was almost no vegetarian main course option. The only way it sneaked in was the blackbean burger.

Arrived in Fresno, checked into the hotel and decided to nip across the road to the Cinema. After getting a little lost in the car lot (one way systems in this country seemingly have no logic!), settled down to watch Oceans 12. Very Cool, just as good as the first one. If you liked the first, see this.

Day 99 - San Diego (Ca)

The benefits of no longer travelling alone were evident this morning, when while half asleep a willing Angelica was up and off to Starbucks for Coffee and a Bagel. Boy am I a lucky boy! That got the morning rolling in the right direction, and it continued with a short drive out to Sea World San Diego. WE arrived bright and early and got stung for parking (how they can justify $8 for parking on top of a rather expensive park admission is beyond me. It's verging on daylight robbery! Anyways, we arrived before 10am when the park opened (to a very dodgy rendition of the Star Spangled Banner over the Tannoy (reminded me of Butlins for a minute - Hi de Hi!!), but were soon off having fun in some very nice aquariums (huge groupers!), with a nice shark exhibit and a very cool Mannatee pool. Gotta love them Manatee's - they seem so placid and happy.
Lunchtime quickly beckoned and ended up with a very nice pasta lunch. Considering this was a theme park I was surprised at the quality. Even Angelica enjoyed her eggplant pasta. After that a quick roll through 'Wild Arctic' (sponsored by someone - everything was sponsored), to see a gigantic walrus (this guy was huge!), and some nice beluga whales. The polar bears were having a kip and so apart from a quick view through a window at a very nice white furry rug, we didn't get much action from them! The whole thing was packaged quite well with a motion ride at the beginning getting the blood moving. Penguins swiftly followed, before ending up at the Dolphin and Whale Show. Always a little skeptical of the balance between exploitation and ecology in these types of events, but it was fun enough with everyone getting thoroughly drenched in the first few rows. Fortunately, the sun was out and it had turned into a real nice day.
After that we walked over to the Killer Whale pool to check out Shamu. Alas the big show was off due to one of the whales being 'in labour'. It turned out a little baby Killer Whale had been born earlier that morning! We watched him/her (they don't know yet) swim around with Mum and the other Orca's having fun before jumping in the car and heading off to the Blick Aquarium up the road. This was a much smaller place, but was just as nice to wonder around (and a hell of a lot cheaper). The fish exhibits were both educational and interesting and the location, on the clifftops looking out over the Pacific was superb. We had quite some fun walking around and soaking up the last of the suns rays.
Homeward bound went via a Mall (the US just doesn't know how to do bookshops at the mall - very disappointing), and then back to the Gaslamp area where our hotel was. Evening was spent with some Sushi, then me watching House (if that show ever makes it to the UK, you've got to see it - absolutely superb) while Angelica dozed off.

Day 98 - Las Vegas (Nv) to San Diego (Ca)

Upon reflection, I wasn't a huge fan of Las Vegas (although there were parts I could appreciate, especially the great Italian in the Venetian), and Angelica liked it even less. So we were both quite happy to get on the road to San Diego. The journey itself was without incident, but the scenery was quite good and made the driving a little easier. Eventually (about 4/5 hours later) we arrived in San Diego.
First impressions were good. The road in was great, coming through one of the main parks, which helped the city avoid the 'big and impersonal' look that so many cities I have encountered have. The hotel we checked in to was real nice, in the 'gaslamp' district, which was all restaurants and bars. After dropping our bags, we were off and firstly walked down to the waterfront. Wow! I was really impressed with the way you could walk all the way along the waterfront from where we were, all the way down to the other side of town. The views were great and the sun was out. It was strange on reflection walking around with Sunglasses, on the 20th December, but I guess that's California! After enjoying the views and the ships on the seafront (including a huge aircraft carrier, the USS Midway which was open to the public), we walked back into town. By this time I was positively famished and beginning to feel a little faint. To rememdy this, we found the local mall (unique as it was open air, which gave the whole thing a real nice feel to it), and settled into an excellent restaurant. The food was great and the wine equally as good.
After that, even though it was only about 6, we were both dead tired, so we retired to the room to watch Monday night football (Miami beat New England in a thriller, MNF this season has been really good, can't really remember a bad game!), and get an early night.

Day 97 - Las Vegas (Nv)

After a nice little lie in (but with Angelica around, you never get a lie in, she likes to get up early!) we kitted up for a walk around Vegas. First stop was coffee at the Aladdin, then we sat in Paris for an hour so, sipping on coffee (or in Angelica's case gulping it!), and watching the Bengals get pounded by the Bills (Jon Kitna looked bad!!), and the Vikings battle against the Lions. At halftime, the stomach's starting rumbling so we rolled onto the Mirage and had a bit of lunch, still watching the games over our shoulders, not missing much (the Bengals really looked inept today). The day followed on to the Fashion Mall where the first Christmas present was bought (a Vikings shirt for Jelly). Then walked back, up to the Aladdin for a walk around that centre. I felt pretty knackered at this point and so we went for a lie down before we rolled for the evening festivities. First stop was the Luxor to pick up the tickets for our evening show. The outside looks impressive (a huge pyramid), but the inside was just as impressive. A very cool piece of architecture.
After that we walked through to the Mandalay Bay and went to the Shark Reef aquarium they have there. A little on the small side compared to some aquariums, but they had a huge shark pool with all sorts. Alas, the great hammerhead, which we both would have loved to see, had unfortunately died the previous week, so we missed out on one great sight. After that, a margarita and some chips and dip, we rolled into the Blue Men Group Theatre for our evening entertainment. The show was stunning, both in sound and vision. I'd recommend that anyone who gets a chance to see them goes. It's totally unique and the soundtrack was fantastic, something I hadn't expected. After lots of music, humour and fun, the evening ended with the audience draped in crepe paper. Unfortunately, Angelica and I got covered by someone's Strawberry Daquiri which left the evening on a very sour note. The manager of the theatre was very apologetic and we will get our dry cleaning paid, but it was sad that such a great evenings entertainment ended like that.

Day 96 - Grand Canyon (Az) to Las Vegas (Nv)

Up very early to see sunrise, Spectacular. Long Drive with big time 80's hit. Walked over Hoover. Stopped for a Starbucks and discussed wedding plans, got to Vegas and checked in. Hotel ok, nothing spectacular. Walked into town. Did some shop checking out, saw the Atlantis thing again. Went to Venetian for fantastic food. Saw Belagio and Volcano. Got extra bag. Took smarty to airport. NIce to see him. Retired early stuffed and knackered.

Day 95 - Grand Canyon (Az)

Having done what I usually do, arriving at somewhere very picturesque in the middle of the night, it was refreshing to wake up, pull the curtain back and be amazed by the spectacle of the Grand Canyon. It's size is staggering. I thought I'd seen a deep and wide canyon when I went to Dead Horse Point in Utah, but this was just mind boggling. Every way you looked at it, it was stunning. After a nicely made coffee from Angelica, the three of us jumped in the car to check out some of the viewing points. Every which way was outstanding. Check out the pictures. After driving around for a few hours, we abandoned the car and walked up to EL Tovar, a restaurant and the Canyon's main 'posh' hotel. Lunch was great (although people still can't make a decent burger with a solid base!). After that we walked. and walked. and walked. For a good 3 hours, following the Rim Trail east. Everytime you stopped it was hard to take you eyes off the canyon. Eventually we grew tired and jumped in the bus to get back to the car. After having a nice chat with the bus driver who Smarty christened Jim Carrey, we ended up back at the car and driving out to a good point to see the sunset. It was amazing. The air was so clear and the colours were fantastic. Seeing the vapour trails of airplanes, cutting the sky and the way the light reflected off them, looked like razor cuts in the sky, a very differnt effect. You could also feel it get colder and colder as the sun set.
After that we got back, got changed and crossed from our hotel to the Arizona room, where we had a fantastic dinner (Ribs to die for - the sauce was amazing), and a glass or two of wine (along with a Margarita!). Angelica was tired from the flight and so hit the beds early, but Smarty and I stayed up and chewed the cud in the local bar, discussing amongst other things, house breweries, the A team, patrick swayze in Road House (on the bar TV), Steven Seagal, Dukes of Hazzard, censorship in the USA and attractive doctors. The beer flowed and a good time was had by all.

Day 94 - Las Vegas (Nv) to Grand Canyon (Az)

'When I'm weak, I draw strength from you
and when I'm down you know how to change my mood'
Today was a day of activity and movement. I was up at 8 sorting out Christmas presents and the like on line, while Smarty was rousing himself from his monster snooze. (It was the kind of kip, the Captain of Kips would be proud of). After sorting bags and stuff we checked out, picked up the gleaming machine from the Valet and were off for more adventure. First stop today was to see if I could get some chains for the car, but after striking blank, and with Smarty's stomach making very loud moaning noises, we headed across to Caesars Palace for some Nosh. Their garage is mammoth, and was actually pretty busy, but a spot was found and after a brief walk around, we settled down at Planet Hollywood for some food. Smarty devoured his ribs much the way Piranha in the Amazon devour cows. Nothing left on the bone, clean as a whistle. Admittedly he hadn't eaten for nearly 48 hours, so we'll excuse him just this once. I had a mexican burger (when will restaurants realise the most important part of any burger is the base it's built on. Soggy bases, make for a collapsing hamburger and an unhappy customer), which collapsed, but otherwise wasn't too bad. By this time we were late for the most important event of the day so we hightailed it out to the lot (after a quick look at the aquarium I had seen yesterday and off to the airport. It was Jelly time!
Jelly had landed a little earlier and also at a different terminal to the one Smarty had come in on, so after a little round the houses movement, we arrived and I realised how good it was to see my beloved. Apparently the flight was fun filled with Lee from Steps and Brian May (a supergroup paring maybe?), but a tired Angelica just wanted to get going. First stop on the trip was petrol (and the ubiquitous Krispy Kreme Donuts), before heading off the Hoover Dam.
I'd read a lot about the Hoover Dam and also seen a few TV programs, but seeing it in the flesh was still awe inspiring, possibly the best man made building I've seen since I've been here. We did a 2 hour tour that gave us a background, a trip down to see the turbines, a good view over the Dam itself, then a view of the statues outside. All in all it was very cool, but the night was drawing in and we had to get to the Grand Canyon as soon as we could. The pedal went to the metal and we arrived at Williams at about 9pm Arizona Time (having lost an hour moving over the Dam). A little fish and steak dinner helped to keep us going before we steamed up to GC. By the time we arrived (which was still only 10pm Nevada time for Smarty and I), we were all pooped so to bed quickly.

Day 93 - Las Vegas (Nv)

It's a quarter to 12 on a Wednesday evening and here I am in my 24th floor room looking out over Las Vegas. Smarty is fast asleep, having returned from his adventure last night at some point after I went out (about noonish), so he must have had a good time. As I spent most of the day walking around some of the more upscale casino's, I did wonder if he was ok. With CSI Las Vegas being the countries top show, it gets you thinking. I eventually came to the, it's either really good, or really bad! Fortunately, it seems things all worked out for the best.

My day started about 10.30 when I roused myself for the day ahead. Having had a REAL late night, I wasn't in any urgency to move quickly, and with no Smarty to kick start me, I was happy to go back to my old routine of people watching. The usual morning coffee and a paper helped me on the way to respectability. This was followed by a walk down the strip with Camera in hand taking a few snapshots along the way. Eventually I arrived at the Belagio, which I'd had a whistle stop tour of on Saturday, but not really appreciated. It was a stunning inside. No expense had been spared. There was a small atrium at the back, and the smell of the flowers was overpowering as you walked back there. Even I, with my notorious bad sense of smell couldn't believe how fresh it was.

After that dose of nature (you have to grab it while you can around here!), I walked back through the lobby (fantastic glass chandelier type effect, lots of different coloured glass umberella's), and went onto the casino floor. You could tell this was a high roller's location, especially compared to the den we ended up in last night. I walked past a major poker tournament (in the need to provide more sports on TV, poker has become the latest to really take off!.. tournaments get aired regularly on ESPN (the US Skysports)). It was fascinating just watching one hand, checking the poker faces out and trying to get a handle of what was happening. Not sure I did, but I could feel the tension!

After that and a quick sprint through the Belagio's small but impressive boutique centre (the rationale being win big at the Casino's, spend it at the Casino shops - that way the Casino gets the cash, whatever happens), I walked over the pedestrian walkway and into Caesars Palace. Just like the Belagio before it, the place was immense, and they were in the process of completing a new high rise accomodation block for more punters! I walked into the casino and it was drop dead gorgeous. Really impressive in terms of the slickness and cleanliness of it all. This was a high rollers paradise (not sure how I ended up there!). From the Casino floor, I walked into the Forum shop area. Another slightly larger mall/shopping centre, where people could get fleeced even further. After walking aimlessly for a while I chanced upon an audio-animatronic depiction of the sinking of Atlantis. Hard to describe, but there were fountains and Steam and a few pyrotechnics - overall great fun for the tourists, and quite well done in a 'dramatic-disney' type of way.

After the 10 minute show, I walked around the back where they had a big glass aquarium. This wasn't the biggest tank I'd ever seen and there was only one, but I noticed someone jumping in to feed the fish and clean the tank, and so stayed to watch. I ended up chatting for about 20 minutes with one of the supervisors of the aquarium about scuba and stuff. Quite nice really.

With that and still not knowing the destiny of Mr Ward, I decided to stop and have a Burrito for lunch (must admit, the Burrito is probably my favourite foodstuff that I've truly taken to heart since I've been here. Good quantity and flavour, and as long as I can add a little salsa, top stuff). As I sat, another show, this time of some more Roman Gods took place before me, quite fun again.

With that I picked up my bits and scarpered home. Not much more to report about the day, as I look out over the little bit of Vegas I can see. Looking forward to tomorrow as Angelica arrives and starts her winter trip. It's gonna be fun. As for Vegas, my view of the town has mellowed somewhat...

It truly is a unique place. One of the USA's fastest growing cities, it tries every way possible in seperating you from your cash. Either through cards, dice, sports betting or the millions of slot machines (and there must be millions of them), or through the ways you can spend your winnings, it has got you by the horns. Some of the sights when you walk through Casino floor's in the morning and just see pensioners hitting the spin button again and again, with their 'loyalty' card in the machine, it's quite scary that somewhere can totally become part of the subconcious. But I guess that's why Vegas is here. It's a way for American's to experience different cultures (where else in the world (and I'm ignoring Epcot Centre, cos that's in the USA) can you visit Egypt, Italy, Paris, the Sahara and Medieval England in one go?) on their own doorstep (Ok, that was just me being cynical). I suppose it's a way for them to escape their hum-drum lives, if only for a week, see themselves as someone else, and live life to the max. Vegas is definately one for the excess in life!

For pictures of Las Vegas, click here:
http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeEMWrdi2at3QA&notag=1

Day 92 - Las Vegas (Nv)

"We don't need no education,
We don't need no thought control"
The day began with Smarty still getting up way to early!! I could have quite happily lazed away in bed for a few hours, but the day was ready for us and we couldn't disappoint it! Morning Coffee was purchased and first visit was to do a little more shopping. Smarty still needed to get a digital camera for the trip so we visited a few of the places we had encountered earlier and Smarty ended up with a real nice piece of kit. I checked out some SLR digital camera's but decided I wasn't quite ready for them yet, even though the exchange rate at the moment is so good. After that we walked a little further up the strip and ended up at the Mirage for lunch. This is the place with the Volcano outside (you'll have to see the pix), and the White Tigers that mauled one of Siegfried and Roy (that show has closed down suprisingly!!). After a nice pizza (definately, not Domino's), we walked on up the strip. Things were a little older at the end closer to Downtown, which meant that it felt a little more 'old-school'. The Hotels were much older, and the parking lots, instead of new multi-story lots, were just normal parking lots, not maximising space like the bottom of the strip. After dropping into Circus Circus, we walked all the way down, past the Sahara and into the Stratosphere. This is apparently the tallest freestanding building west of the Mississippi. It was dead impressive, even though the restaurant and bar were closed for preparation for a movie shoot (apparently Keira Kightley in Domino - have to check it out when it gets released). The views of the whole of Las Vegas were stunning, as was the Sunset, which was just amazing. We hung around for over an hour, watching the sun go down, and the lights of the strip take on a whole new dimension. Heaven knows what the electricity bill for Vegas must be!
After enjoying the views, we jumped into the elevator back to the floor and walked in to Sahara to see if we could get the Monorail back. Alas, it was not working (this time of the year is apparently when everything closes down for maintenance, we even missed out on the Pirates and Sirens at Treasure Island!), so we walked out the front and in the process of hailing a cab, ended up in a cheap stretch limo who was heading our way anyways and was happy for the extra fair. The driver was quite a character and we joked with him until we arrived.
It was about 7pm so we retired and had a relaxing few hours. Smarty decided to have a quick kip and I swear in 2 minutes was out like a light, snoring, but at peace with the world. Wish I could go to sleep that easily. Eventually, dozed off, and before we knew it, it was 11pm. We decided to go make a night of it, and headed in a cab for Downtown Las Vegas, where it all really started.
Downtown was not exactly the strip. It turns out after our limo ride that these are the two quietest weeks in Vegas, as eveything changes for Christmas. When we arrived downtown, it was like the BA advert... Where is Everybody? It was a slightly surreal moment. Downtown vegas has obviously tried to make up for it's lack of volcanoes or gondola's by, well, offering for a slightly less well off clientele. It felt like this was not where the high rollers went (so we fitted in perfectly!!). After a walk around talking a few pictures. The neon cowboy was an obvious one, we settled into the Fremont, and after changing up, spent most of the night with Dave, our dealer. Nice guy, who had previously worked on the strip in Security. His perriferral vision was amazing, I could see him checking out everyone regularly. We ended up spending about 2 hours on a blackjack table. Smarty was up quite nicely, while I made the losses . It's interesting to note that we were both using the same system and that the success of the night could depend on where you sat and what cards you were dealt. Oh well, at least I won on the football last night.
So after all that, we jumped into a cab and hightailed it for the MGM Grand and home. Having not had the best night in the world up to this stage, the cab driver tried to make up for it with his stirring renditions of the Beatles, Pink Floyd and Elton John. It was a very entertaining cab ride home and put a gloss on the evening I hadn't expected. The night ended for me with a JD and coke and a walk around the floors with Smarty, trying to work out just how many slot machines there were in the facilities. I decided I had had enough and left Smarty to his own deviced. One wonders what a City Boy can get up to in this place on his own!
Upon reflection, I can see why many people get into gambling, to the extent that it takes over their life. Looking around the casino, there were all types of people and miscreants. One thing I did notice though, was I wasn't expecting the rush I thought I would. Alright, I was losing, but still the way things went, I felt very much like a machine. I didn't feel that emotional at all, quite the opposite in fact. I guess my gambling days are over, at least certainly in a professional capacity, but if anyone wants to take me on when I get back for a night of blackjack around the table, I'd be up for it!!

Day 91 = Las Vegas (Nv)

Fortunately, unlike yesterday, we got a lie in this morning as we didn't really have any reason to get up early. As it is though, we didn't get a full lie in as Smarty was still a little on UK time, and consequently was up and attem before 9. First things first, coffee to fully wake up, and then it was a nice saunter down the strip towards the other end which we hadn't managed to get down to beforehand.
Initially though we stopped off at the Desert Pasage. An impressive indoor Mall with a wide variety of upper class shops was the order, and first plan was Smarty needed some sunglasses. After a diverting 20 minutes, we had them sorted (just so happened they are exactly the same as Angelica's!), and went for a further walk around. It was quite impressive, especially with the light on the ceiling. It looked like a skyline, but changed from daylight to nighttime regularly. It was dead impressive. Certainly a cut above the average mall. After that, we walked further down the road, and ended up going into the Venetian. Again, a fantastic building with an incredible inside mall, that was even higher brow, and even more impressive. It still had the lighting for the sky, but had an indoor waterway, mimicking a canal, with singing gondoliers!! After walking around and trying to absorb it all (This place is just strange!), we decided our stomach's were rumbling a little too much and decided to have a nice italian sea food dinner. Our restaurant had some fabulous views over the canal, and we settled down for some real nice food (and not massive quantities as well, just the right amount). Superb.
After that it was time to walk a little further down and go to the Fashion Walk Mall. This was heaven for Martin, with clothes galore and no real urgency! Alas, I've decided that Smarty shops like a girl! He likes to browse. With the exchange rate as good as it was, Smarty could shop till I droppped!!

Eventually, after I had found a comfortable seat waiting for Smarty to buy the entire shop I was able to relax a little! We then grabbed the bags, jumped into a Taxi, headed back for the hotel and to put our feet up for a few minutes before the Monday night game started. Earlier, we had put a bet on KC winning and the gmae scoring more than 52 points. The 52 points was pretty much in the bag by the half, but the game itself was in balance. An amazing second half saw KC grab the victory with less than a minute on the clock!! Which left Smarty and Me $50 up, which was nice!! After that we retired to put our feet up some more. We then whiled away the early hours, practicing our blackjack skills!!

Day 90 - Las Vegas (Nv)

'You don't have 2 be rich 2 rule my world
You don't have 2 be cool 2 be my girl'
My first full day in the throbbing 24 hour a day spectacle that is Las Vegas, started far too early for my liking, with a 7am alarm call and a half an hour walk away from the strip. Why, you may ask was this on the agenda? Smarty, although he's travelled half way around the world, still wanted to catch the Arsenal Chelsea game, and so at quarter past 8 on a Sunday morning, we were sat in a Pub (not too different to any other English pub), surrounded by Gooners and Chelsea kits, eating a full english, having a pint of Bass and watching the game. As you can see, life in Vegas is nothing if not surreal!!
After a 2-2 draw, we walked back to the hotel and settled down in front of the Sports book area, which had all the TV's tuned into the various NFL games around the country, and I slowly inducted Smarty into the concept of American Football. After a number of failed attempts, he could tell you how may points you got for a touchdown and field goal (which I felt was an achievement!). The first round of games came and went with the Bengals losing to the Patriots, but still giving a good account of themselves, and the Vikings losing a heartbreaker to the Seahawks (sorry Jelly!). With that out of the way (and a few more beers inside), we decided to enter the world of sports betting for the second set of games. Placing a wager or two on winners and total scoring. It added a different side to the game which I'd not appreciated before (if you can call it a side to appreciate!!), and certainly made it a bit more exciting for Smarty. By the end of the second set of games, we had come out even on the bets, had put a few pounds on (Krispy Kreme donuts rock, even Smarty says so!), were a little drunker (the extended family had adopted us, and every so often, the shorts would spin around - headache inducing), but having a fun time.
After that, we both decided to retire for a little to recharge the batteries, before hitting town. Smarty was out like a light for about 90 minutes, while I dozed a little as well as watching the Eagles - Skins game in the background (no betting, but I was right in the final score!!!). Eventually by about 9pm we were ready to roll and the destination was the Hard Rock Hotel. Quite a fun place, but much like any other hotel down here in Vegas, based on a specific theme, but ultimately all about the gambling. It was a bit quieter than Saturday night (as you can expect), but we still had a few beers over a real nice mexican dinner, and then sat around in the bar watching people waste their money away. As we had had a real early morning, we were both a bit pooped, so about midnight we jumped into a cab to get back to home for the week the MGM Grand (it's still massive - over 5000 rooms!!). Smarty had a few nickels to get rid of, and managed to win a $1.85 (woohoo, beers are on him), but then tired, it was time for bed, with a little message to Jelly before my head hit the pillow (She was just getting into work!!)

Day 89 - Flagstaff (Az) to Las Vegas (Nv)

"Because we are living in a material world, and I am a material girl"
The day started like any other, albeit a messy start. The laundry took so long to sort out last night, I just couldn't be bothered to pack and so I had some bag reorganisation to sort out before I got going. Had a little chat with Angelica and checked flights for the arrival of Smarty. His first flight looked like it was delayed, but it seemed he would have enough time for the connection, so not too much trouble. Jumped in the car and started the roll over from Flagstaff to Las Vegas. The first few miles were actually on Route 66, not that you would know. After that it just blended in with the Interstate, and I was on my way west. It was a bit different to see signs for LA, something I'd not seen before. Kinda reinforced the fact I was now in the West part of the US.
After stopping for lunch (not in any real rush, loads of time to meet Smarty), I rolled all the way to Vegas. The only interesting part of it all was going over the Hoover Dam. I didn't stop, even though I did have the time, for two reasons. Firstly, there were people everywhere. As it's only 30 miles away from Vegas, it's kind of a big tourist attraction for everyone from Vegas, and since it's saturday, the most popular day for Vegas, everyone was out. The other reason I didn't stop was I'll be seeing it next week when Angelica arrives. The little I did see was quite impressive (even if there were more roadworks everywhere!!)
Eventually rolled over the hill and looked down at Vegas. First impressions I have to say weren't that good. Firstly, there was a layer of smog over the valley clearly visible, which didn't help. Also, since I arrived during the day, and also came in from far away, I could see the Strip in the distance and it didn't really look that big or impressive. As I got closer, this was endorsed. I wondered what all the fuss was about???
Anyways, as I had an hour or so to kill, I popped over to Best Buy to pick up some blank DVD's for the video camera, and then went next door to Barnes and Noble for a coffee and a relaxing 30 minute read. Just what the doctor ordered. Then it was off to run a few more errands, make sure that the place where the Arsenal Chelsea game was on was actually showing it (kick off 8am!!!), then off to the airport to meet Smarty. Managed to check in at the airport, so no hassle when we did get to the hotel.
Smarty was on time (a first!), and after collecting his bag we rolled over to the MGM Grand, our base for the week ahead. Although the strip didn't look to impressive during the day, the night brought out the best and as we approached the Grand, it became obvious it was much bigger than I thought. Got to the room (23rd floor, but wrong side for a decent view), and after a quick change (and a toilet blockage!), we walked down the strip.
Las Vegas confirmed what I had always heard and thought about the place. Very strange, and quite surreal. Smarty managed to get digits within the first 30 minutes (he did look like a well dressed high roller though) and we chewed the cud over a dinner at the ESPN Sportzone. After that and some more walking, a night was called, not before a nice nightcap.
I don't want to go into Vegas too much as I'm here for 5 days, and my opinions might change over time, but at this stage, I will say that if Money makes the world go around, this place must be spinning like a children's top!

Day 88 - Blanding (Ut) to Flagstaff (Az)

"She packed by bag last night, preflight, zero hour, nine a.m., and I'm gonna be high as a kite by then"

Got up in another strange and different town, which I had only seen at night, and as usual, pulled back the curtains to see a beautiful mountain visage. Put a slight spring into my step just like that! After sorting out some final arrangements with Smarty (the Gooner arrives tomorrow), and also having a nice morning chat with Angelica, I was on my way again. Today's itinery was special for me as I was going to end up at Monument Valley, somewhere I'd always dreamed of going (along with Devils Tower, it was right up there). Initial plans though included Coffee, and a side trip to Natural Bridges National Monument.

Unlike arches which are formed when different types of rock fall away, natural bridges are formed by the erosion from a river flowing underneath. The park was small (hence it's a monument and not a park) and was easy to drive around. I did consider going for a short hike down to one of the bridges, but to be honest, I was still completely knackered from the hike yesterday, and besides, apart from the bridges themselves (which I must admit were quite impressive), the scenery was much as I'd seen before. So after a brief whistle round the one way road, I was off to see something slightly different.

I had been told that the route down to monument valley was a little 'interesting' at a particular point. What I didn't realise was that the challenging bit dropped from the Mesa where the road stopped, down a few hundred feet to the valley below! As I rounded the top corner, and the nice pathed road evolved into a dirt track (and remember, I don't have a big 4 wheel drive behemoth, just my trusty little sports sedan), I was presented with a stunning vista. I could see for miles, and the roads just stretched out into the distance from the bottom of the cliff face. I had to catch my breath it was that amazing and I stopped for a few minutes to take some pix and a video. It was superb.

After tackling the track down to the valley basin, I then rolled off into the distance. First stop in the very red and very dusty valley was Mexican Hat. This is a 'comical' little butte, with surprisingly enough, a rock on the top shaped like a Mexican Hat!! Quite unique really.

After that, I took the road out into Monument Valley. It was tops. You could see it in the distance and as you got closer, it just grew and grew. The layout is a little different to that which I expected, but the surprise of how many great Buttes and Mesa's there were was better than I ever hoped. After a few stops on the side of the road with camera in hand, I headed off into the park and got myself on a 2 hour back country tour. I was the only guy doing it, so I got up front in the cab with Tony, my guide for the day, and we rolled down into the valley itself. I was in awe of the size and majesty of the landscape. After a few stops on the usual tourist routes, we disappeared into the back country and I got to see some really cool arches, which were different in their formation to the arches and bridges I'd seen before.

The fun bit was when we walked down to Hogan Arch. I looked up and a perfect circle of light fell into the cavern below. As I was there, Tony mentioned this was where the TV show Airwold was shot and it all fell into place. If you can remember the natual cave where the helicopter was stored... this was it! The other arch/caves were equally cool, with some peryoglyphs (markings) on the walls. All in all it was a superb drive around in the 4x4 (wouldn't have made it in mine) and well worth the effort. The only downside was a slight miscalculation on my part in getting back into the cab once, which left me with a big bruise on my newly shorn head. Ouch!

As the time was getting on and I didn't want to arrive in Flagstaff too late, I looked in the rear view mirror, absorbed the stunning views one last time and then rolled on out of town. The journey down was initially quite taxing as I was driving directly into the sun, and after a while I had to stop for a few mins to give my eyes a rest. Once the sun went down though, everything was fine and with the Radio pumping out a variety of tunes from Morcheeba to Elton John, all was right with the world. I arrive in Flagstaff and was quite lucky in finding the hotel. But settled in, the thought I'd do some Laundry. Unlike other places where I've been able to leave the loads alone, the load kept unbalancing which is why it's 10.40pm, and I'm sat in this little laundry room typing away, waiting for the tumble dryer to finish.

Oh well, the Vegas experience kicks off tomorrow with my partner in crime, Mr Martin Ward, joining me for 5 days of fun in the sun before Angelica arrives. Let's hope I don't blow the family fortune. Not a good relationship move!!!!

For my Monument Valley Pictures, follow this link:
http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeEMWrdi2at3Nw

Day 87 - Moab (Ut) to Blanding (Ut)

Wow!

After a restless night's sleep (my room was above the swimming pool generator, so every so often it kicked in and chugged away in the night), I was up early to see what the day had in store. Compared the last few days, as I walked out of the hotel, bidding farewell to my delightful home for the last 3 days (Holiday Inn Express Rocks!! - detect the sarcasm!), the gods were smiling and the sun was out making it a glorious day!

The plan today was to roll down to the Needles, a more southerly part of the Canyonlands National Park, which is unlike yesterday which is more top looking down, this was looking up from the bottom! The journey was quite fun, the scenery was stunning and the snow added a different feel to it. Turning off the main road and onto the route to the national park, lead to some more 'dodgecow', before dropping into a canyon and seeing some scenery that was just amazing. It was classic western scenery with canyon's and ridge's and pinnacles and buttes. A journey which should have taken about 30 minutes, took an hour, as I kept stopping and taking pictures. It was really that good.

I arrived at the visitor centre bouyed with what I had seen already, fortunately, this was only the beginning. After a little chat with the park ranger on duty, he told me to catch up with a group of people who had left about 5minutes beforehand. So off I went, into some of the most fantastic countryside I'd seen so far. The road moved from being a nice paved road to a dirt track, which made the last few miles to the parking lot interesting! I arrived, just as the others were getting ready to go, and they didn't seem to mind my addition to the party. It's a small world after all, as one of the 3, Paul was a Brit, from Lutterworth Leicester. He was volunteering for 6 months working as a ranger for the National Park Service. The other two, were Karen and Tim, a couple working up in Islands in the Sky (where I was yesterday).

The day was superb. We hiked for about 12 miles (yes, 12 miles... not bad for an unfit lad like me!), and saw some of the prettiest countryside ever. It was tiring, but some of the pinnacles, and buttes were magnificent, just fantastic. By the end of the day I had had a whale of a time, and spending it with Karen, Tim and Paul, just made the day better. Thanks guys for putting up with the Tourist!

Driving back from the park was entertaining. Not only was I playing nocturnal dodgecow, but also the lesser known, but just as fun dodgedeer. Concentration was the name of the game.
And I safely arrived in Blanding at about 8 for a good nights sleep.

Check out the pictures from the day at: http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeEMWrdi2at3Jg

Day 86 - Moab (Ut)

Walking in a winter wonderland...

A good night's sleep lead to a good day, with some more stunning scenery. After my usual morning ritual (coffee, mcgriddle, OJ), got on the road to drive up to Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park. Not too long to get up there (only about 30 mins) and some classic buttes on the way. The sun was out at this point, and it was shaping into a nice day. The drive however, was a little snowbound, and when I arrived at the Dead Horse Visitor Centre, it was about an inch underfoot (still nice out mind). Making the whole feel for the day rather festive, even moreso compared to yesterday.

As I walked into the visitor centre, I bumped into Renee, who I had bumped into 3 or 4 times yesterday while walking around Arches National Park. We joked and got to talking about what we had planned, and it turned out we both had the same agenda for the day. Before I knew it, I had joined her and Scott, her husband for the day, which was fantastic (and you can be assured I did ask them several times that I didn't want to impose, but these were shoo'd away - another classic example of US hospitality). The real day began with a fantastic canyon view from Dead Horse Point. Stunning is all I can really say (the link to pictures is attached at the end). One thing I forgot to mention yesterday was how silent it was. It's rare nowadays to get time to just listen and hear nothing. This was great.

After spending a few hours wondering around and taking pictures (Scott is a very keen photographer), we jumped into the car and rolled up to Canyonlands National Park. We were visiting the Islands in the Sky Section, kind of like a big ridge above all the canyons. First stop after a brief lunch break was Mesa Arch, a great little Arch looking down in the valley. Great views, and it was nice to have someone take a pic or two of me, to prove I did actually go there (thanks Renee!). It was at this time Scott and I decided to spot great Tree's to take pictures of. The snow and bareness of the trees helped for some great visuals (well I liked them anyways!).

We then jumped in the car to go to Grand View Point. This was like the top of the triangle with the two rivers (Green and Colorado) meeting at some point down in the Valley. The viewpoint was good, but we decided to take the 1 mile walk out to the actual point of the triangle. The snow made it a bit slippy at times (nothing too hairy), and the wind whistled once or twice, but it was worth it. After a little scrambling, I got to highest and furthest point I could and was able to have a clear 360 degree view all around. It was breathtaking (if not a little precarious - when the wind gusted I had to crouch down not to lose my footing). After a few spin arounds with Camera and Video, scrambled down and started back. All this time, the weather was closing in, and as we walked back, snow began to fall and the outlook was a little bleak.

By the time we got back to the car, we were cold and a little wet, but we thought we'd better go for one more look and see if we were going to get a sunset. We drove over to the Green River outlook, and lo and be hold, the sun peeked through for a great picture, as well as giving some light to see the canyons below. It was great and as Scott and I turned to walk back to the car (Renee had abstained, wanting to keep warm), I casually glanced over my shoulder and saw a fantastic pink sunset, which was really lucky. I scarpered back for a few more pix and Scott grabbed a new battery for his camera and we clicked happily away for a few more minutes, just absorbing the view. Superb.

That left us in high spirits as we started back to Moab. We arranged to meet for Dinner and after a quick Spa, Shower and Gadget power up, I jumped back in the car and drove into Moab to a real nice Mexican place. After an excellent (and very filling) meal, along with some great conversation, we exchanged numbers and emails and went our seperate ways. Another fantastic day with stunning views and good company too boot.

See the pictures (a lot, I know, but it's not often you get views like I did today) by clicking the link:http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeEMWrdi2at3FQ

Day 85 - Moab (Ut)

Valdereee....Valderaaaa...Valdereee....Valdera ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
It's strange when you arrive somewhere in the dark and you've no idea what it looks like. When I arrived in Moab last night, it was pitch black (duh!), and I didn't even think about it until I got up this morning and looked out of my window... Wow!! Moab sits in a Canyon cut by the Colorado river (the one that runs through the Grand Canyon). Don't get too excited, it's nowhere near what I hope will be the crowning part of my trip, but it's still pretty good. After absorbing that, a shower and I was on my way. First stop was a McGriddle (don't knock 'em, quite nice actually!!) and a big cup of Coffee (I know some of you out there will question whether a French Vanilla Cappuccino is classed as coffee, but I like it). Then, the short drive to the entrance of Arches National Park. After parking up and chatting to Angelica (I had mobile reception surprisingly), I visited the Visitor Centre, and saw a short video about the area. A local ranger (top guys), gave me a rough idea of what I should do for the day and with that I ascended the road which lead into the park. The weather was ok, a bit overcast, but chilly and fresh.
At this stage, I'll just remind you of what I reckon is the best thing about the USA. The National Parks. Anytime I see something with the NPS logo on, I see it as a mark of quality. Needless to say Arches National Park met the high standards that had been set.
The views were amazing. No more need be said.
After absorbing many of the fantastic sights you can see by car. I got out and walked. Make that hiked. Make that scramble across snowcovered rocks. It was great fun and meant I got to see some really cool arches and more amazing views of the park. The first major walk I did was in an area called the 'Devils Garden'. It was pretty easy going to start with, but as I ascended, it got a little more 'interesting' (as we say in the diving profession). By the end I decided descrestion was the better part of valour and I turned around. As I said to a couple on the way back "I'm brave, but not stupid!"
All in all I walked for about 2.5 hours (about 4.5 miles), so I was a little tired. However, I still wanted to go to see the Delicate Arch. That was a tough walk, about 3 miles, and I asked another couple on their way back whether it was worth it (I was a little flushed at this point). They said yes, but I didn't believe them. That was before I actually got there. Stunning. Absolutely stunning. I stayed there for about 15 minutes just absorbing the view and feeling very happy I'd made the effort. The walk back was not too bad (as most of it was downhill).
After that I took a walk to get a different view of the arch. Glad I did the first walk as the distant views didn't really do it justice. Followed it with a few more short walks and views (the Windows and the incredibly silly Balanced Rock), before a drive back into Moab to wind down. Grabbed some food then got back to the hotel quite early (about 5.30pm). Decided to rest my aching feet in the Spa Pool in the hotel (boy did I need that), then up to my room to relax, plan for the next day, and upload all the pictures from the day. Follow this link to see the views and Arches I enjoyed so much.

http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeEMWrdi2at3BA&notag=1

Day 84 - Denver (Co) to Moab (Ut)

As I had moved into another time zone (Mountain Time) it was almost like getting up early, when in fact it was just the normal time, but it made me feel good and put a bounce in my step for the rest of the day. Sorted a few things out on the net and chatted with Angelica. After getting lost in the hotel on the way out (it was big... honest) jumped into the car and worked out what I wanted to do for the day. Again, things looked totally different in the daylight. For once, you could see the Mountains, which weren't there when I arrived the previous night. I knew I wanted to drive to Moab in Utah (about 5 hours), but wasn't sure what else I wanted to do.
Initially I went down into Denver, to see what the city looked like in the day light. It seemed quite nice, with an impressive Baseball stadium on the outskirts of downtown (Coors field). I then rolled over to Invesco Field, where the Bronco's play. The Stadium was pretty similar to the Bengals PBS, and it had a nice backdrop of the city. After that little flight of fancy, reality set in, and I got my car serviced, hair cut and tried to get some snow chains. Alas they didn't have my size, but should be able to get them when I get to Vegas. After a nice lunch, (Applebee's gets a christening), the trip starts to Moab.
I was lucky with the weather, as the road could have been real trecherous in bad snow. I did however, get some stunning views of the Rockies (outstanding), got the highest I've been in the car (11,500 ft - Eisenhower tunnel), and had a real nice drive across (Vail Pass and Glenwood Canyon the best). Not much to report on the drive. Utah was desolate, at least the bits I saw before it got dark. I think I missed most of the good views as I arrived late into Moab, checked into the Holiday Inn Express (reasonable standard and internet access!!!), grabbed some food and stuff then relaxed for Monday night football. Looking forward to tomorrow and the fun and games of Arches National Park.

Day 83 - Kansas City (Ms) to Denver (Co)

I'll let you into a little secret. You may remember a few weeks ago I was bemoaning the quality of US Radio, in that the quality of music was pretty poor, and that was when you were lucky enough to get a signal. Consequently, I invested a few weeks ago into something called Satellite radio. I'll have to sell it at the end of the trip, as it doesn't work in the UK, but it has made driving around the states so much more tolerable, and on days like today, where I spent far too much time sitting on my backside driving through a desolate country, it is an absolute godsend.
The day started with the usual pack and jump in the car, and then, you'll be interested to hear, an 8 hour drive through Kansas and East Colorado to Denver. Fun!!!! The first part was driving out of Kansas City. Not the most attractive part of the country, especially when it was raining pretty hard. I flicked the radio on and searched the sports channels. You'll never guess what I found... Charlton vs Crystal Palace with Steve 'Worzel' Claridge commentating! I looked out the window, with that on the radio and the rain pouring, and apart from being on the otherside of the road, it was just like driving through East Anglia (hmmm... nice comparison Robin). I quickly switched over and settled into the NFL on Sunday.
By the time I had gotten out of KC, the weather had improved, but the countryside hadn't. I was in the middle of nowhere. Have you ever been to the middle of nowhere? It's a small town on I-70 which has a gas station, a McDonalds, a Motel-6, and a road going down the middle. Nothing else. It was truly the middle of nowhere!!
To keep me entertained, I enjoyed a great game of Football on the Radio (it was Sunday - Football time). My beloved Bengals away at the Ravens, a big divisional bash and usually a really tough game for us. At the end of the third quarter we were down 20-3 and I almost switched over, but the strangest thing happened. The team got better, and scored, and scored, and by the end had a miraculous 27-26 victory! I was bouncing and shouting at the top of my voice and if anyone had been driving by, would have seen the car bounce up and down too!!!
The rest of the drive saw me listening to the San Diego-Denver game in tribute to me arriving in Denver. They lost, but the city seemed alright. Admittedly I arrived at around 8pm, which meant it was pitch black, but I got to see the sun set behind the Rockies as I approached and it gave a pretty cool sight. THe downside though was the temperature. It was real cold when I got out of the car and I slipped and slided to the hotel check in desk. Checked in and spent the night with a pizza, Sunday night football (great game between Jacksonville and Pittsburgh), and then booked a few rooms for the rest of the trip. Not much longer to go now :-(

Day 82 - Oklahoma City (Ok) to Kansas City (Ms)

The day started in a normal way, loading up the car and getting on the way to Kansas City. I would have liked to go have a look around downtown Oklahoma city, but alas didn't really have enough time, with a 4 hour drive up the interstate. The road was chocabloc with Oklahoma fans (it was like the whole of Norman was on the road up to KC), but that was about the only interesting thing on the way. Mostly, the countryside was pretty dull and boring. One or two sections were quite 'scenic' (I'm stretching it here!), but the rest was pretty normal (point of note, Oklahoma had only 4 pages in my USA Lonely Planet book - I guess there isn't much to see!)
Arrived in Kansas City, at least the outskirts anyways and checked into my Hotel. Quick shout out to the guys at Candlewood suites - Good clean rooms, with a nice Laz-y-boy chair, free internet (why do bigger hotels charge?) and just a nice atmosphere all round. Anyways, after sorting out accomodation for my Vegas visit (MGM grand anyone??), jumped in the car and rolled down to the park and ride to Arrowhead stadium. Boy, am I glad that I took the park and ride as the route to the stadium was jam packed (not sure why more people didn't use it)
So the bus pulled up outside Arrowhead Stadium for the Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship game. First impressions were that Arrowhead was an old stadium, but with a classic styling. As you walked around the outside, you could see the field about 15/20 metres below street level, which gave meant the overall height of the stadium wasn't as big on the outside. Once I got in, I walked around again. On the second level, where my seat was, I walked around, and it was evident this was a real old stadium. The refreshment booths were archaic and not very plentiful, and the walkways weren't very wide at all. More funny was the fact that Dr Pepper sponsored the game, yet you couldn't get Dr Pepper in the stadium!
It may have been an old stadium, but once you got inside the bowl it was fantastic. Possibly the most stylish and classic stadium I've been in. It had that old classic bowl feel, with 3 tiers, but not set back, so each tier was just above the one below, meaning you weren't too far away from the action. It also had the two big scoreboards at each end, which helped to reinforce the classic feel.
The stadium wasn't full, it was close but the top tier was a little empty, and it was about 90% Oklahoma! Apparently everyone from Norman had come up to the game! As for the game, it was good to see some of the Sooners (Adrian Petersen is a stud of a Running Back, Jason White, not so sure about, but Mark Clayton , the WR, is good and should do well in the NFL). Also funny to see the Sooner Schooner (a nutty covered wagon) come out on the field everytime they scored, and also see a Buffalo (the Colorado mascot), run around at the start of each half!! That was about the only interesting thing Colorado did, as they proved to be totally inept. I was sat next to a couple of KC fans who decided to come to the game, and we spent most of the time working out if Colorado actually had positive yardage. I think they managed to get a first down about half way through the 3rd quarter and we all cheered loudly.
I remembered I didn't like OU halfway through the game when some fans behind me complained that they hadn't kept Colorado from scoring. They were 35-0 up and it wasn't like Colorado were going to give them a game! They just came across as arrogant and unsporting. Individually, I'm sure they are all fine, just together, they did my head in!! It was little chilly, but I'm glad it didn't rain, especially when the final score was 42-3!! (That would have killed the atmosphere). The only other interesting things was a fan winning $60k at halftime (compared to the $100 gift vouchers I've seen elsewhere). It was a championship game, but still it was nice to see something that mattered a little more!

Day 81 - Dallas (Tx) to Oklahoma City (Ok)

I may have been able to get to the most exclusive and plushest hotel in downtown Dallas, but I still couldn't get the airconditioning to work the way I wanted it to, so I ended up hiding under the duvet wondering how long I could stay there until I had to make a run for the shower and freeze. Eventually I plucked up the courage and after staying in the shower far too long (warm!!!). Got bags packed and tried to get up Reunion tour (that's the sparkly ball tower thing that's next door to my hotel). Tried being the operative word as there was a 'private function' which meant I couldn't get up there. Oh well.
Jumped on to the interstate and started north. My final objective was Oklahoma City, but on the way I had to make a stop off at something I'm sure every one of you has seen on TV. Even those who don't know much about US sports or culture. (Cue Theme Tune.... Da Da.... Da Da.. Da Da .. Da Da Da Da... Da Da Da Da Da Da)... I remember when I was a kind watching the opening credits of 'Dallas' and seeing that helicopter shadow on the roof of Texas Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys. That's where I was heading!
10 minutes after leaving downtown Dallas, I was there. Hmmm... bit of an anticlimax. The stadium is similar to several stadiums I've been to, stuck out in the middle of a huge parking lot. Unfortunately, unlike some of them, Texas Stadium was looking a little worse for wear. The outside had definately seen better days and was possibly the least impressive stadium I'd seen so far. A pity.
Anyways, signed up for the stadium tour and our tour guide, T, took us inside the gates and into one of the private boxes. Fortunately, contrasting the outside, inside looked just like it should. The roof was the same as it was over 30 years ago when it was built, and the same as on the TV. It was quite impressive and unlike the outside wasn't showing it's age. After a little video informing us of the history (a little self congratulatory in my view, but when you've 5 superbowls, I'm guessing you can do that!!), we went into the main club dining suite (where all the fans are entertained prior to the game) which gave fantastic views of the field. After that, we jumped into the elevator, and dropped down to field level.
Muchos credit to the Cowboys organisation, as we were allowed into the Cowboys dressing room (only Atlanta has allowed me in before). It was cool, but what was even cooler was they had a load of kit set up and you could get your picture taken in front of Roy Williams locker, dressed up. Not for everyone, I'll admit, but still great fun. After that, and a walk down the ramp to the field, there we were running around the field turf! No-one has ever let me do this before. It was outstanding. Had my picture taken on the Dallas Star on the 50 yard line. Passed the ball up and down the field, and kicked a PAT!! That was fun, there's hope for me yet in the NFL!!! (even if it is as a kicker!). Fantastic.
Left the stadium with a huge grin on my face and some outstanding memories. The Cowboys get a big thumbs up for this, something that would really get fans going at many of the other stadiums I've been to! Next time I see them on TV, I can go, I've done that!!
Anyways, after all that hoopla, had a dull drive up to Oklahoma City. My motel was on the outside of town and so didn't get into the centre (hope to visit tomorrow), but it had a laundry (good... so I could let my laundry walk into the washer (it was getting that bad!!)), and even though it didn't have many major mod cons, worked out perfectly, so I could plan a few things.
A Good day with some memories I'm not going to forget (pity I couldn't connect on that 30 yard field goal!!)

Day 80 - Dallas (Tx)

Your ego's writing cheques, your body can't cash...
Dallas is a nice town. Got up and it was a lovely day clear, sunny with a certain crispness in the air. As I looked out of my plush hotel (possibly the best one I've stayed in since the trip began... it's amazing what you can get on Priceline if you try), I had a great view of downtown and spotted down on the left, a certain Texas Book Depository and a grassy knoll. This was my first visit of the day, the 6th floor museum where Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly shot President Kennedy. After a brisk walk over (unlike most Americans, I use my legs!), walked in and spent a very informative 90 minutes or so wandering around a really nice (if small) museum. I took the audio tour and it really helped to understand the whole JFK thing. It was also really cool for me as I had done a project on JFK for history at school, so I at least had a little background to help me appreciate things more (this was before the time of Internet, so I only had a few bare bones). After that, had a nice walk around downtown and ended up at one of the office block food courts for a Quizno's (a big hello goes out to all the Peterboro Quizno Officianado's!)
Pondering my plans for the rest of the day I perused the local Dallas Morning News and noticed that the local NBA team, the Dallas Mavericks were playing at home against the Houston Rockets, and I thought I might as well go there to keep me entertained in the evening (better than eating alone at a restaurant). Walked down to the Arena,and discovered that if I got a single ticket after 5pm, I could get it for $30 (face value c$100). Not a bad deal so to kill a bit of time, guess where I went? (hmmm.... Robin does Aquarium and Stadiums....)
The Dallas World Aquarium (did you guess right?) is a little hidden on a back street, but once you got in there was pretty good (certainly better than Houston's Lame effort, but still not as good as Baltimore). It had a little to much 'zoo' about it (Monkeys, birds, sloths (no jokes in the back), and even a jaguar!), but had one or two very cool aquarium exhibits and was informative about the types of fish it had. Best were an aquarium with some baby Manta Rays and what looked like baby hammerhead sharks. Need to look them up. The best exhibit though was a freshwater tank which as well as having turtles, fresh water spotted rays and some huge catfish had two manatees. I spent about 15 minutes just watching them swim around. They were beautiful and just relaxed me totally. 'As cool as the other side of the pillow' as a favourite sports commentator of mine says regularly.
Walked back to American Airlines Arena (yes, corporate sponsorship gets everywhere), picked up my ticket and walked back to the hotel to put my feet up for an hour or so. Nice to have a few minutes just to close your eyes and recover. On the way back to the hotel, I appreciated again, the views of the downtown area. Dallas gets my vote for the best skyline. It's just very cool with one or two eye popping buildings. My favourite was one that just did my head in. It was all angles and from some sides, it looked like it was wafer thin. Great optical illusions and just added to the overall downtown feel.
I then got tooled up with a few layers (Dallas may be in Texas, but winter is definately on the way down here), and walked over to the arena. Unlike football stadiums, which handle upwards of 60,000 people, the attendance at NBA games is usually in the 10/15,000 and so the arena's have to cope with less people and are much more 'appealing'. It was all very well kept and the Fan Shops were really quite good. Grabbed a Burrito and Soda, got to my seat and soaked up the atmosphere. Even got some thundersticks and a big blue pointy finger to wave when they scored. The arena was pretty much full being somewhat of a local derby (OK, so the teams aren't Spurs and Arsenal, being about 4 hours drive apart, but then again, this is a big country!), and had a really good atmosphere. Very similar to the Detroit NBA game I'd been to. We even had James Earl Jones reading the national anthem!!
Again, during this trip, I've seen some memorable sports games, A shutout at Safeco, Cincy winning on Monday night, the brawl in Clemson, The Memphis-Louisville shootout, my first Highschool game in Cincy, and this was to be another of those games. Dallas seemingly were always ahead, but Houston kept it close, and going into the last 2 minutes or so, Houston were down by about 6. However, a mad rush of points at the end took the game to a thrilling conclusion and with the clock clicking to zero, Houston had managed to tie the game, and take it to overtime! I was pleased to see Yao Ming play (7 foot 6, 310 pounds and just ....huge), but Marbry and Dirk Nowitzki (a German no less), were the stars of the game. By the end of Overtime, the German had 53 points a new franchise record (having picked up the first 10 in overtime!!) and Marbry 48. Again, I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.
After that, I walked back to the hotel with a spring in my step, a smile on my face, and another chance to marvel at that stunning skyline.

Day 79 - San Antonio (Tx) to Dallas (Tx)

Who killed JR????

Anyways, after a good nights sleep, got up bright and early and wanted to go and see the places I'd been to the previous night and see if it was still as good as I thought it was. So with Video and Camera in hand, went for a walk. It was a bit chilly (yet Sunny) as the Winter began to kick in (Oh boy, am I looking forward to Colorado....).

First visit was the Alamo (not the car rental place). I guess I was expecting something a little bigger, but thinking about it now, it was just right. They had a speaker talking through the events (I've leart so much about American History while I've been over here), and you could walk around the gardens. It was very nice and relaxed.

I then walked down to the Mall at the end of the riverwalk and looked around there. It was quiet and quiet nice, not much going on. I did spot a few ideas for Christmas presents (for me! - hint... NFL/NCAA retro jerseys rock), and then after a frappucino (not the best move on a cold day), walked down to the Riverside.

Fortunately, my initial impressions hadn't been incorrect and I really enjoyed strolling about in the fresh morning air and soaking up the atmosphere. People were walking around, just pottering away and the whole thing made me feel very comfortable. San Antonio gets a definate thumbs up. Not sure if I'd want to spend more than a couple of days there, but it's a pretty nice place.

Anyways, as ever, the car was beckoning for another 3 hours drive North, past Austin (cool looking downtown), Waco (coolish) and on to Dallas and the fun of the confusing roadways. Managed to get lost, but soon the GPS was pinging me back to where I needed to go. Wow. I'd seen this big shiny building when I was driving into Dallas, but never realised that was the Hotel I'd managed to blag my way into. The Regency Hyatt was a cool building (I promise pictures will be forthcoming... eventually). I parked up, and got my room. Again I had lucked out, I was on the 25th floor and had stunning views of downtown. I spent the next few hours doing some work on the 'puter (need to get a job when I get home), and just staring out the window, before a night's sleep took over.

Day 78 - Houston (Tx) to San Antonio (Tx)

Good things come to those who wait...

OK. So it's 5.30 in the afternoon and I've just woken up after an afternoon siesta. The day up to this point hasn't been anything to write home about. Houston was wet, and on reflection strange. Although Downtown is where most of the skyscrapers are, as I drove out of the city (and it really sprawls), I realised that there are about 5 areas where there are big skyscrapers, which is a bit different. Also, like pretty much every city I've been to, the place is full of roadworks. I don't think there has been a single day where I've been driving and not had roadworks to drive through.

Anyways, I was on the road for about 3 hours driving over to San Antonio, and unlike Florida, the land is very flat and has no tree's on the roadside. Rather dull driving. Arrived at my hotel and found out it was opposite the Alamo (which was nice!). Also discovered the hotel was rather plush and refined (just me I hear you all say!). So I checked in, checked email and after a nice chat with Angelica snoozed for abit.

So, as I began, it's 5.30, and I've got a choice, I could sit and relax in my room, order room service, watch some college hoops and have a nice relaxing night in, or I could go for a walk around downtown San Antonio, check out the Alamo and have some food. I chose option two and alas found out that I'd missed the chance to walk around the Alamo as it had closed for the day. What to do...

It's now 10.30pm, and I've probably had the best time I've had in the evening since I've been here. San Antonio has a river running through it, and in 1939, constructed a walk along the side of it. I'd read about this, but it wasn't until I stumbled upon it, going down some stairs that I truly appreciated what I'd found. It was superb. The weather was a little chilly, but the riverwalk was fantastic. It was covered in lights for christmas, it had barges going up and down, some of them with carol singers on. It had a chilled and relaxed feeling about it. I walked around with a stupid grin on my face. All of the walks had restaurants on them, but it didn't feel tacky at all. I loved it. After a walk around and over bridges etc, I discovered that you could go on a riverboat tour. So I jumped on and had a nice tour around the river learning all about San Antonio. It was good stuff. After that I bought a local paper, and sat down on the river front in a nice mexican restaurant, had a margarita and a beer some enchilida's and chilled. Had a nice chat with Mark in Cincy, catching up with his new arrival and the madness that is the Bengals. It was real nice. There was a nice guitarist playing a variety of tunes in the background that just made it a better evening all round. After that I walked around a bit more, grabbed a coffee and just walked. It was almost perfect. Just missed my someone special to share it with.

Day 77 - Houston (Tx)

Houston is a humid town. I had read in my Lonely Planet guidebook that this was the case, and that the only reason the city is now a massive urban sprawl (and about the 4th largest city in the country) was the invention of air conditioning! It's the type of thing you don't think about until you actually feel it. I spent most of the day walking around downtown Houston and at the end of the day was desperate for the coolness that an air conditioned cafe offered.
The day started with a fun journey on the Houston Metro. It's a tram. Admittedly it's a very nice modern tram, but still a tram, that went from outside my hotel to downtown. It currently gets my vote for best public transport system (not much competition and there is only one line! but I used it and it made my day much easier!) so far in the USA. I arrived in Downtown Houston in a speedy manor (not too happy to abandon the a/c), and walked across to Minute Maid Park (Oh No! I hear you say, it's another Robin goes on an empty football/baseball stadium tour. Well Yes, so if you want to scroll past this section, I don't blame you!). It ranks right up there with Safeco in terms of style/layout etc. I was really impressed with it, especially the rolling roof which is glazed making it pretty much self contained (a/c included!), whereas safeco is more of an open air stadium, even with the roof. The tour was fun and relaxed and one I'd recommend it.
After that I walked across downtown (hot, rainy, humid, clowdy). Stopping for a coffee (I had serious coffee buzz, having had one earlier and not much else prior), and a quick surf on the net (free wifi - geek alert).
I then went to the 'downtown aquarium'. (Robin's trip seems to be centred solely on Stadiums, Sports and Aquariums - don't worry I go to the Alamo tomorrow, see... it's not all sports and fish!!) The aquarium was quite nice, but pretty small. They had a good selection of fish (it's an aquarium, so thats a good start), but it was a little on the small side which let it down. However, at this point I was positively Hank (translation for Americans - Hank = Hank Marvin = Starving) so I got out, called Angelica (alway a good decision, just like Sam Adams), and grabbed a chilli cheese coney to keep the hunger pangs at bay. After that a walk to the Metro, a quick stop at the hotel and then I was off again to Reliant Stadium again to see the University of Rice, play against Louisiana Tech. It was real strange as the stadium had it's roof on (It was even more impressive this time, as it had a complete walkway all around at the lower level which I didn't see yesterday being up in the nosebleeders), yet was almost empty. There was maybe 2,000 there (and this place holds over 70,000), which gave a strange atmosphere. The game was also pretty strange as at the half, LT had 1 yard more than Rice, but were winning 38-3! To sum it up, Rice threw essentially a hail mary at the end of the half and it was intercepted by Tech and returned 90 yards for a Touchdown! Strange. Early in the 3rd quarter one of the Tech players went down with a nasty leg injury, probably a broken leg, but I'd guess he was happy it happened in Houston, as they've got probably the worlds best medical centre (that's where I'm staying). Bit surreal to get on the Metro to go to the game tonight and be surrounded with extra's from ER on there way home from the operating theatre. I didn't check for blood stains on the blue overalls!
As I was walking back from the game, I walked past the astrodome again and it suddenly struck me. Here I was in Houston, having just seen a (albeit one sided) college game, walking past a building I'd seen on TV over 15 years ago, but never thought I'd actually see. Every so often you start taking things for granted. I guess I've been over here a long time now, and at times am enjoying myself so much that I never get a chance to actually absorb what I am doing. Yesterday I saw probably the last live NFL game I'm going to see for a long time, and it was only afterwards this dawned on me. Admittedly I really enjoyed the game yesterday, but I'm really going to miss the whole football thing. I looked at the people who were sat around me, happy faces, and realised I would love to have this as a part of my life. I know it's not going to happen, but the idea of going down to the game every other week, spending the entire day there, relaxing, having a beer or two with good friends, a barbecue or two, and just having a great time, is something to be appreciated. I guess what I'm saying is take a chance to step back from life every so often and look at the stuff you are doing. Not the boring day to day stuff that every does, but the stuff that you look forward to, holidays, weekends away, even going to a football or soccer game. Step back and appreciate it.
The day ended with Monday Night Football (Green Bay (been there!) blowing away the Rams (seen them too!)) and the prayer that someone in the hotel had worked out how to switch the hot water on. This is a 3 star hotel for heavens sake!! I need a shave!

Day 76 - Houston (Tx)

After last night, I wasn't feeling 100% when I got up, but since I didn't know how long it would take me to walk to the stadium (despite assurances by the concierge that you couldn't walk it - what did he know!), I thought I'd better get rolling sooner rather than later. Finding the stadium wasn't that difficult and it was worth the walk (only about 20 mintues). The Astrodome was still there, and having seen and heard about it on TV it was nice to see it in reality, but Reliant stadium was something else. I've never seen the Millenium stadium in Cardiff, but I'd guess it was something like this, very impressive. The outside looked superb, and as I walked around the outside they were rolling back the roof (yes, the stadium had a removable roof, which rolled back on tracks, much like Safeco field in Seattle). It was superb. Once I got inside, it was even better. Definately the most impressive stadium I've been to on the trip. The view from everywhere was amazing and every seat gave a top view of the field. (pity they couldn't get the computers in the press box working, the clock kept screwing up which created a little mayhem).
The game itself was another top one, which had me jumping up and down. The Titans pulled out to a 21-3 lead, but the Texans roared back in the second half and had some excellent defensive plays, which lead to a 31-21 victory. As usual I was jumping around enjoying myself making lots of noise. Great fun. It also helped that the Bengals were involved in the 2nd highest scoring game in NFL history and when I checked were always just ahead of Cleveland (bet the guys had fun at that one!).
After that I took it easy. Back to the hotel. Room service, football on TV and an early night. Good day.

Day 75 - Mobile (Al) to Houston (Tx)

'I saw the sign, and it opened up my eyes I saw the sign...'
Wet start to the day, as Mobile was being drenched with a storm. I realised I was in a very strange hotel last night. I was on the 18th floor, but it was prett much the only building over 5 floors, and it stood out like a sore thumb. I had great views, of the shopping mall, interstate... Nice!
Even though the storm was pretty bad, I had got through it just north of Mobile and was on my way up to Hattiesburg, where I was seeing the Southern Miss Eagles against the UAB Blazers. I arrived nice and early and ended up parking next to a nice couple from Birmingham. It was nice to get there early and not have to worry about where I'm going to or parking. We chatted as we walked across to the stadium, which was a typical college stadium with two big stands but nothing at either endzone. I'm really going to miss college football. The atmosphere is so happy and generous and relaxed. There is no aggresiveness, just people out for a good time. Halfway through the game the mum next to me booed, and then stopped and turned and said 'that's bad sportsmanship'. Not the type of thing you'd see in most sporting events.
The game itself was real good fun. UAB got off to a fast start leading 14-3, but USM after a QB change in the 2nd half came back and as I left at the end of the 3rd quarter were up 23-14. I listened to the radio in the car and the final was 26-21 to USM.
I then had the daunting drive to Houston, which would take me about 6 hours. It wasn't fun, and wasn't helped by the guy who forgot my order when I was getting some food to keep me going. Not happy at all about that. Anyways, the journey took some concentration. It was quite entertaining when I was going past some industrial plants across the Louisiana Houston border. They were all lit up like christmas trees which made them appear very festive! I eventually arrived at about 11 in Houston, and after catching the college finals, was quickly asleep.

Day 74 - Tallahassee (Fl) to Mobile (Al)

Another day, another few hundred miles...

As I have probably mentioned before, some days are fun, where you don't have to worry about driving anywhere, the sun is out and the city you are in has lots of interesting stuff to see and do. And other days you are drained of energy have a few hundred miles to drive and limited desire to do anything but get there. Today definately fell in the later category.

After a restless night (the pool kept making dripping noises so I had to go to the earplugs!), got up, packed and jumped in the car for the drive to Mobile. Compared to some car journeys I have had so far on this trip, this one was quite entertaining. Firstly, you could tell that the hurricane had come through this district as a lot of the signs on sticks were falling down and numerous trees were slanted at a dodgy angle. I also went over some nice long bridges (if you can call them that, they never got above a few meters above the water). which was quite scenic, and helped the journey roll along.

I eventually arrived in Mobile and after checking into my hotel, popped across the road to the mall on the opposite side for a walk around and some fresh air. That proved to be a real bad idea, as it was the day after thanksgiving and everyone was out shopping. The place was packed, and I quickly got frustrated so jumped back to the hotel. The rest of the day was spent planning for the rest of the trip and specifically how much fun I can fit in between Kansas and Las Vegas. (and a bit of ESPN Classic)

Day 73 - Savannah (Ga) to Tallahassee (Fl)

'I'm just as far from Talahassee as you are honey...'
Woke up, eventually, and after sorting all my bits and pieces out, jumped in the car and rolled off to Starbucks for a morning coffee and a quick log on to check email and stuff. I was lucky enough to catch Angelica on line and managed to arrange a little bit of the trip of to California. While I was there a big family were obviously getting together before their thanksgiving lunch. They apologised for making too much noise. I pointed out, if the world was a library, it would be a real boring.
After that, I wanted to check out Savannah so I rolled into the centre of town, parked up and walked around. Thanksgiving meant that the town was pretty much empty and all of the shops were closed. This limited the appeal of the town, but as I walked around, it was real nice to not worry about crowds of tourists. The town itself was real old school, very relaxed and what I'd expected. Lots of real old buildings (old for America) and wide avenues with squares and leafy medians. It also had a real cool bridge (great Architecture).
After walking around for about 90 minutes I jumped back in the car and started the long drive to Tallahassee. It was a pretty dull drive, but again I was thankful for no-one being on the roads. I arrived around 8 and after a quick bite to eat (hard to actually find food!), relaxed watching TV.

Day 72 - Jacksonville (Fl) to Savannah (Ga)

Got up late (again! Getting back into the habit of staying up late... need to stop that) and packed bags for the short trip up to Savannah. After a nice chat to Angelica, stopped off at Dennys for some breakfast (haven't done that for a while), but then rolled on to the dull, boring, RV infested interstate. Fortunately, did all of my driving yesterday so only had about 90 minutes before I arrived. I could come up with some styling information of what I did and how fantastic it was, but the fact of the matter is I arrived at about 3pm and from then til about 8, I was on the computer, either answering/firing off emails, writing up my blogs, buying accomodation for the next few weeks or winding smarty up about the Arsenal getting 2 sent off. After all that messing around on the computer, I'd built up an appetite so went for a nice dinner at the Bennigans next door (good ribs) and settled down for the night. Alas I feel that tomorrow will be a wash out (started raining heavily at the end of the day), and I miss out on the fun and games of thanksgiving. No worries, I'll have fun whatever. If there's is one thing I've learned doing this lark, it's you control your own destiny. If I want to have fun... I'll have fun.

Day 71 - Jacksonville (Fl) to Jacksonville (Fl)

Hmmmm... how do I make a day where I spent 11 hours in the car, drove over 700 miles and still ended up at the same place I started at interesting? The background to this travesty of a roadtrip is that I needed to pick up my dive stuff which I abandoned when I flew up to Seattle. The plan was a pal I met in Fort Lauderdale would take the box with all my Diving Books (and there are loads of them I assure you), and my dive bag with him to just north of Tampa, where I was going to stay for Thanksgiving. Alas, Dave managed to get a job as a dive instructor in Puerto Rico (tough life for some eh?), which put a crimp on the Thanksgiving plan. Secondly, due to a bit of confusion down in the Fort, Dave only managed to pick up my Dive Bag, leaving my books at the Dive School.
So today I woke up at 7.30am and had to drive from Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale, then over to Ocala, then back to Jacksonville. Fun!! So instead of regaling you with the things that happened (pretty much nothing, but it was sunny), I'll give you various thoughts that came to me while driving for 11 hours on America's freeways, interstates and back roads.

- The ad on a stick phenomenon - pretty much standard in the USA is the concept of advertising on a large pole. Driving past some locations, every type of fast food joint, hotel, motel, and gas stop has it's logo on a post, making it look like a small forest. There may be a competition to see who can get the tallest!!

- Cruise Control - don't drive around the USA without it, my legs would be crippled if I wasn't able to press that button.

- Interstates are very dull in America - nuff said.

- The strange road sign (!) - Not the type of thing you see back in the UK, but I've seen ads on roadside boards (which are on sticks also!) for everything from impotence to breast enlargement. The best (or worst) I've seen was a huge board telling people in Fort Lauderdale to look out for 'Syphillis, the hidden menace!' Not sure you'd see that back home.

- The RV is a brick - how do people drive them? They've got the aerodynamics of an overweight person trying to sprint.

- Roadworks in Fort Lauderdale - and everywhere else, the curse of American driving

- Crappy roadside adverts - some adverts are old school, using old boards with the letters you apply seperately offering 'seniors discounts' or whatever. It's not appealing and yet even the 'poshest' establishments seem to use them???

- Road Side Porn industry - truck drivers in the USA must get REAL lonely considering the roadside adult offerings I've driven past!

- radio is crap - make sure if you are in the USA and driving you have alternative entertainment (CD's, Ipod, whatever)

- rearview mirrors - not sure if this is part of the US driving test, but I'm not sure if most people I've seen actually use them (if they do it's probably to check the hair or makeup - both women and men!)

Day 70 - Charleston (SC) to Jacksonville (Fl)

Woke up today and after a brief chat with Angelica, got up. It was a late one (couldn't get to sleep last night), so I ended up eventually checking out at Noon. I had decided to leave the car parked up and go for a saunter around downtown Charleston before driving down to Jacksonville.
Charleston is probably the closest example I have walked around of something akin to a typical European city. There are no high rises (in fact the only buildings taller than 3 floors were church spires), and the streets are narrow and in some places cobbled. I initially walked out to the waterfront, and having spent 2 months in Florida, pretty much living on the sea, it was nice to smell the salt and listen to the seagulls. It was so nice and relaxing I decided to sit and read my complimentary newspaper sat on a park bench on the sea front. It was sunny and relaxing, quiet and just what I needed. After pretty much covering the entire paper from cover to cover I started walking around. I ended up going down through the local housing district (the nice part anyways) which was pretty cool. Lots of nice houses. The unique thing about Charleston (so I am lead to believe) is that the houses have narrow street sides, as they used to be taxed based on how wide the houses were on the road. Consequently, most houses have a long veranda down the side. It's different from the usual houses you see on your travels.
I stopped at a small deli and had some salad (yes, a salad!) and a nice sanwich before walking over to waterfront park (a nice view over the waterway north) which again was just right. Nice fountains too. I ended up walking down the mainstreet. It was almost like walking down a mainstreet on any UK town. Strange!!
Finally got back to my hotel around 4-ish (I could lie and say it was all planned, but I almost got completely lost!!), and started the long treck down to Jacksonville. Arrived just before Monday night football (at 9pm) and am now watching the football and not looking forward to a day where I have to drive about 12 hours!! Due to a miscommunication I have to pick up my dive kit from just north of Tampa, and then drive down to Fort Lauderdale where my dive books are. Not ideal, but at least it will be sunny!

Day 69 - Charlotte (NC) to Charleston (SC)

Woke up and had a great conversation with Angelica, which put me in a good mood for the rest of the day. Got up got myself sorted (kitted up for the game with the Bengals top resplendent), then went down to the Stadium which was only a couple of blocks away. It was a really nice day (although it spotted with rain later), and so I walked around downtown Charlotte a little before going into the stadium. I really liked it, it was clean and nice and well laid out. The stadium itself is really impressive. It's the old style bowl style (which I prefer), and has some real nice sculptured black panthers on the outside. It reminded me that PBS in Cincy has nothing of note on the outside, which I think is one of the things that the Stadium is lacking. Got in and watched the Panthers take it to the Cards. They pretty much wiped them out, but it was still great to watch a live NFL game. It's one of the things that I'm really going to miss. I know everyone has their own preferences when it comes to sports, but since I've been here I've become more and more enamoured with pro-football. Whatever the last game I see while I'm here on this trip, I know it won't be the last game I see in America, the games has got me. As I was there, the scores from around the league filtered in, and I was disappointed to see the Bengals lost. Not good. It's strange following your team by scores that appear on a scrolling scoreboard in the corner. It showed the time left in the game and the previous score, but you've no idea what is actually happening in the game. Afterwards when I had picked up the details, it was totally different to what I thought was happening in the game from just seeing the scores.
Anyways, left about halfway through the fourth quarter as I had to get down to Charleston (and the game was pretty much dead by then). After a visit to the dodgiest gas station I've ever been to (not gonna repeat that), and a 3 hour drive, arrived in Charleston at about 8pm. Just sat and relaxed watching TV for the rest of the night (Texans vs GB, nice stadium, glad I'm going there next week. It looks outstanding.) Had a little trouble getting to sleep, but closed out about 1am. See what happens tomorrow as I walk around Charleston.

Day 68 - Columbia (SC) to Charlotte (NC)

A day of two halves.
Got up bright and early, and got ready to roll as I wanted to get up to Clemson for the game early. I switched on the TV to see the huge brawl at Detroit's Palance Arena the previous night. Strange I'd been there about 3 weeks ago, and chatted to the very same attendants that were in the thick of it. Hope they all got through it unscathed. Strange to see this mirrored later in the day. As I walked out of the door , I of course hadn't counted on one thing. After my late night soujourn to Kinko's to get online, I forgot to check my lights (whoops!) and as a consequence, my battery was as flat as a 10 day old can of coke. So I got on the phone to triple A and they arrived about an hour later. It transpires my whole battery was dodgy (at least that's what I was told and I'm not really in a position to argue) so I had to pay for a new one (on top of my expensive hotel as well). Anyways, ultimately I got on the road at about 9.30 with a new battery, but a lighter wallet (!) The downside of this was that I couldn't partake in the pregame fun that I had hoped and after a panicky drive, a traffic jam, and parking about 30 minutes walk away from the stadium, I eventually arrived at the end of the first quarter. I'd missed the Clemson team running down the hill at the start of the game, as well as the argy-bargy that followed when USC were challenging them. I also managed to miss 2 touchdowns and a fumble on the opening kick-off. Not exactly the way I wanted the day to go. That was the first half of the day.
The second half of the day commenced with me sitting in my seat and seeing one of the best plays I've seen for a long while (amazing scramble by USC QB, and a desperation chuck which the WR outmuscled to get the ball and a TD). I then saw an almost mirror of the brawl in Detroit as the USC and Clemson players went at it in the 4th quarter. It was very surreal, and not altogether reassuring. I guess that's what a huge in state rivalry does to players. They were very pumped, and I'm sure some will get suspended.
Anyways, as the game waned down, I started to chatting to the guys next to me and as seems to be usual (and I never ask for it), I was asked to go back to their tailgate. I did and the day just got better and better, a real nice bunch of guys and gals who made the day for me (especially after the frustration I had had earlier in the day). I had some chilli and franks, a beer and before I was able to start the long treck back to the car was loaded up with a plate full of brownies and cookies! Thanks guys, you made a potentially bad day, a great one.
I then had a long trawl back to the car (it took 40 minutes on the way back and when I got their, my car was all alone in the field I had left it!!). On the way back it was evident that tailgating is SERIOUS in this neck of the woods. There were cars with satellite dishes and TV's so they could watch the other games; someone had brought a kareoke machine and all comers were joining in, and I won't even get started on some of the barbecue's I saw, which would put to shame every barbecue I've seen in the UK. Immense!

After that I just rolled North to get to Charlotte before it was too late. Arrived about 8pm (not too late) and had a nice evening surfing the net and watching football.
On a bynote, I am now published!! I haven't managed to get the article in the press, but it's on the net. Follow the link here :http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/local/10230648.htm

Day 67 - Atlanta (Ga) to Columbia (SC)

Got up this morning feeling much better than when I had gone to bed the previous night. However, I was so drained I didn't actually get out of the hotel until about 11.30am. I was very tempted to just roll over and blow a raspberry to the world. Once I did get up though, the sun was out and the sky blue, so I decided to make the most of the day. My intial plan was to go to Helen then roll onto Columbia to see Gil a pal I made in Florida.
The trip up to Helen was quite interesting and didn't take too long. The town itself was totally strange. It was like entering a totally different universe. Alpine buildings everywhere. Even the motels and fast food outlets were dressed up in the style. The centre of the town was totally set up for tourism and because of that lost some of it's sparkle.
After that I rolled down to Colunbia to see Gil. The journey was pretty easy, and got to see Gil when I arrived. We had a nice chat, but due to family circumstances he had to scoot and also can't join me at the game tomorrow. We'll see what happens.

Day 66 - Huntsville (Al) to Atlanta (Ga)

Got up feeling a little rough and unfortunately, this was to be the case for the rest of the day. I intended to make a run to the Huntsville Space and Rocket Centre, then roll onto Atlanta, via a strange town called Helen, that I had read about. About late lunchtime that plan had changed to get me to a hotel so I can switch off. Initially I went to the space centre (the place where the USA has it's spacecamp, where kids can go for a few days and play at being an astronaut). I didn't know that Huntsville was the centre of most of the initial research and development in the rocket industry, but I quickly learnt a lot about the background to the centre. Unfortunately, it all felt a little small time. I've seen it done better elsewhere (especially seeing the Smithsonian in Washington), and also in a more polished manner. It was a diverting few hours, but nothing spectactular, even seeing a space shuttle on the back of it's launching pods didn't really make it for me.
Anyways, after that and a quick visit to Kinko's to get emails and stuff, I started on my way across Northern Alabama. It's quite nice and picturesque with lots of hills, valleys and lakes. However, I got to the point where intial plans went to the backboard (it was going to be real late if I stuck to my original plan), and I thought just to get to Atlanta was the plan. Eventually I arrived and although I was not too late (about 7.30ish), I felt drained. Plus the hotel room had the loudest fan in the toilet I've ever heard!!!

Day 65 - Memphis (Tn) to Huntsville (Al)

'Saw the ghost of Elvis, on union avenue. Followed him up to the gates of Graceland and I watched him walk right through'

I was sure I set my alarm for 8am, but when I woke up, it ready 8.24am. Oh well, got rolling and popped into the local Borders book and coffee shop to check email and sort a few bits and pieces out. Once that was done, I was off to Graceland. Now, I'm no huge Elvis fan, but when you have the opportunity to go, it's something you've just gotta do! So I rolled up Elvis Boulevard and parked (why people insist on charging 2 bucks for parking I still have no idea). Got my ticket and then jumped onto a little minibus that takes you across the road and 'through the gates of Graceland'. First impressions were I thought it would have been bigger, but then again, once you got in and behind the door it was bigger. It was all maintained in the way it was when Elvis died, (lots of Kitch 7o's stuff). It then went into a lot of memorabilia. You were guided around with an audio tour which was really interesting as well, and for a self confessed Elvis agnostic. I leant an awful lot about the guy. The tranquility garden where Elvis was buried was also well done.

On the bus back across met a Somerset girl travelling around the states too, had a chat about Americans and travel before I jumped in the car and rolled down to 'Bama. The journey was quite relaxing, with a nice chat to Angelica on the way. Arrived in Birmingham and Joe and Sarah took me out for some dinner (Soul food!), then we went to a pre Iron Bowl (Alabama Auburn College Football) event where past stars took part in some strange games and signed autograph and memorabilia. The Iron Bowl is a big deal in this neck of the woods as College Football is the be all and end all in Alabama. A lot of the activities were 'nickel and dime' stuff, but the crowd appreciated it all to see former heroes. It seems strange I see so much Nickel and Dime stuff at major sporting events, but it's so easy to forget that this country although huge, is made up of lots of small communities, who don't see it as that. It's just homely and small town feeling...the way it's always been. Many thanks to Sarah and Joe for a great night out, if a little different!!

After that jumped in the car to Huntsville, and arrived easily (I like cruise control at night... it's so easy)

Day 64 - St. Louis (Mi) to Memphis (Tn)

Everybody cut, Everybody cut...... Everybody cut Footloose!!

Another day, another 4 hour car journey. For those of you foolish enough to try and do what I'm doing, bear in mind that it's not all football games and fun. You need to become accustomed to sitting on your backside and looking out at lots of very flat fields for hours on end (No wonder some Americans have taken it upon themselves to provide amusing roadside attractions, some parts will kill you to death with dullness!!)

Anyways, decided to break the day up and so before hitting the highways for Memphis, I bid farewell to Sally and Phyllis (again, many thanks to them for putting me up and letting me watch monday night football. Hotels are good most of the time, but to sit and relax in a sofa and a nicely decorated and made up room is tops. And when I grow up and buy my house, I want one just like yours!!!), and popped into Borders around the corner to sort out a few details on the net. Spoke to my good friend Smarty who is pretty much sorted for coming over to Vegas the week before Angelica gets here (kill or cure I guess!), then after a little to much coffee jumped in the black bomber (aka my '96 infiniti) and zoomed down to Memphis to the accompaniment of Keane (if you haven't got their album, where have you been... it's superb), and then some old school tunes (I won't embarass myself with details), before finishing up with a stirring rendition of Footloose as I crossed the Mississippi and arrived in Memphis. Driving all day on your own can be dull (as explained previously), but you can't half sing loudly to keep yourself entertained. :-)

Anyways, my second time in Memphis (last time was a flying stop for the best game of football I've ever seen) and I decided to do the touristy stuff. Parked up and walked up to the city centre. I have to be honest and say my first impressions were that Memphis wasn't that big a city. Like most american cities, it's got a downtown and then a sprawling network of malls and stuff, but it's downtown is surprisingly small. After walking around, I ended up at the Peabody hotel (www.peabodymemphis.com). This hotel has ducks living in it's fountain in the reception area and every morning at 9am they get a lift down from the ceiling 'apartment' they reside in and then every afternoon get the lift back up?!?! It's strange as the hotel is really sumptious and very classy, but the ducks are apparently the major attraction. Anyways, I arrived just as they were starting their run back up and watched as 5 ducks strolled along a red carpet as if they were celebrities with flashing lightbulbs galore. Strange, but then I've become acclimitised to it will I've been here!!

Anyways, after that I walked over to Rendesvous, a rib place in Memphis that had been recommended to me by several people. I have to say the ribs were excellent. There is something very satisfying about seeing lost of different people of different ages and different classes chowing down big on ribs. No knives, just lots of fingers and ripping of flesh (vegetarians can enjoy the coleslaw which I can recommend also!!!). After that and with a full stomach I walked over to Beale street the centre of Memphis' blues sound. Unfortunately, it was not as good as I thought it was going to be. OK, so I was there very early, but in comparison to the Music 'strips' I have seen in Nashville and New Orleans, this wasn't half as impressive. Maybe it's just me!!!

Anyways, after that I'd had enough for the day and went to find my hotel. Ended up watching 'House', a new medical drama starring Hugh Laurie (Brit reference ahoy). It was pretty good in actual fact, watch out for it when it gets across the pond.

A quick trip to Borders for a coffee and some internet and the day is done. Just need to get Kenny Loggins out of my head now..... been working... so hard........

Day 63 - St Louis (Mi)

After a rough night (I won't go into details, but some stuff needed to be sorted, which meant I was making phone calls at 4am!), I slept in until about 11am and managed to pull myself into gear and get rolling. Today was a city day, which was good, as I haven't had a city day for a while. Arrived in the centre of St. Louis without any fanfare (OK, so I'm not an international celebrity, but the city was dead!!!), and parked straight away in the lot next to the Arch. From there I walked over to the Arch and just gazed up in amazement at one of the best structures I've seen since I came to this country. It is truly amazing and considering it's nearly 40 years old, it looks as modern today as it did when it was constructed in 1965. After walking around, and just soaking it all up. I decided to go in and have a look around. Underneath the arch is a centre where there's a museum along with a story of how the arch was made. I took the option of going up to the top of the arch and then seeing a movie about how it was constructed. The journey to the top was strange, as the arch is fully curved, it's not like an elevator, but not like a train either. The best example I can think of comparing it to is like a group of 'balls' which you clamber into (like little space capsules), and you then get dragged up to the top, as the balls rotate to keep you level all the way up. Look at the picture (when I get it uploaded) and you'll see what I mean.
Once you got up to the top, the views are stunning. Eastern St. Louis isn't much cop, as you look over the Mississippi (lots of industry and not much else), but the view of St. Louis itself was really great. Busch stadium, downtown and all the way out, it was a unique view of a major american city. Jumped back into my ball and rolled down to the bottom and then saw the movie about how the arch was constructed. Again, an amazing story, and really helped me appreciate the monument much more.
Getting out of the arch, I was really getting to like St. Louis. It looked like a real nice city. I then walked into downtown and thought 'where is everybody?' The place was deserted??? I couldn't work it out. I've been in downtown's previously at the weekends, and there are usually people around, even though the office's aren't open. Today in St. Louis was even quieter than that!! Another example of how the US is moving completely out of downtown locations. I walked around and popped into a Mall in the centre. It reinforced my view, with half of the shops either vacant or closing down. Not good, and it really changed my view of the town.
After a walk around I went to the restaurant district and had some food (when will people realise when they make a sandwich it shouldn't fall apart when you pick it up). Had a nice conversation with Angelica and thought, time to make a move before Rush Hour (I figured since everyone was tied to their desks - why else would it be so quiet, they'd be desperate to get out at 5pm), so jumped into the car and found a local Borders coffee shop where I could check emails and stuff. Did that, then rolled back to Sally's to watch Monday night football and do some laundry. Tomorrow is a run to Memphis. See if I can tempt myself into a walk around Graceland!

Day 62 - St. Louis (Mi)

Got up and rolled into meet a few of the guys who Sally had set me up with the night before. After a run around the houses trying to find somewhere to park, had a few beers and rolled into the game. The Rams rolled quickly and had pretty much scored 14 points before we'd got comfortable in our seats. Seattle tried to make a game of it, but after a few beers and a few fumbles (one nightmare one when Seattle looked like they could score), the game settled into a win for the Rams, 23-12. After the game we ended up at a Texas Roadhouse for a drink or too and to catch the second round of games. Finally managed to persuade the bar guy to put CBS on which was showing the Bengals, at which point a 17-0 score went to a 17-10 nailbiter. However, the Bengals managed to pull off their second marvellous game in 2 weeks. Bring on the Steelers! From then we rolled onto another bar, had a few drinks, sobered up a little as well, while watching the Patroits beat up the Bills. It was nice to discuss diving with Sally and Scott. Everything that I've done over the last 2 months has not been related to diving which is strange considering that is all I did and talked about for the first 2 months. Not sure how things will work on the diving front, but it's always nice to have the passion re-energised. If there's one thing I've learned about myself on this trip is not to miss the opportunity to do something, and not just sit on my backside. When I get back to the UK, I will keep diving and get into the UK diving scene.
I'm not sure why but I just feel uncomfortable at the moment, like something is missing or something isn't right. I've no idea where this feeling comes from and why I'm feeling it, but it's there. I guess it's at this time that I miss having Angelica around.

Day 61 - Madison (Wi) to St. Louis (Mi)

As I've probably said before, the best days are the ones when you don't expect much and things actually work out. Although today doesn't strictly fit into that category, it was pretty good all things considered. I got up feeling slightly better, but still coughing abit, so dosed up on non-drowsy cough medecine, I started the long journey down from Madison to St Louis. I didn't really have any plans but to make the journey, and since it was a 5 hour one, and I'd set the day aside for it, there was no particular rush. I stopped about 3 for some lunch and ended up spending over an hour just reading and sipping on my root beer. I've acquired a taste for root beer since I've been here, so much so that it's usually the first thing I order. I know many of you think it tastes like cough medecine, but I like it and it'll be one of the things that I miss when I get back to the UK. Anyways, lunch was perfect, just what I needed to break up the day, which consisted of another 3 hours on the road. This was broken up by a little music, but mostly american college football commentary. Again, something I'll miss is college football when I get back to the UK. There are so many games and so many stories, it's probably more entertaining than the NFL. Anyways, I always find commentaries help long journeys go quicker, and before I knew it, I was crossing the river and entering St Louis. The Arch was there as expected, and on first impressions was as big and impressive as I had thought it would be. After that, a quick 15 minutes into Western St Louis and I had met up with Sally and her mum, who were putting me up for a few days. Sally had to work, so I sat watching college football and working on the website (I promise you it will eventually get uploaded). When Sally got back we sat and had a nice relaxed chat. She even managed to fix me up with a friend who was going to the game tomorrow, so I knew where I was going (always a nice thing in a strange town). Cough seems to be under control so tomorrow should be a good day. Retired to a homely bed and more cough medecine. Staying in a real home with real people is so much nicer than hotels. Hotels have their place, but you can't beat good conversation and that homely feel.

Day 60 - Oshkosh (Wi) to Madison (Wi)

The day started with me waking from a heavy dosage of Nyquil (Nightnurse for the Brits), and generally feeling sluggish. The cold was hitting hard, but I put a happy face on and jumped in the car to drive from the middle of nowhere to the end of nowhere. The weather outside was cold but fresh and sunny and quite nice to drive. As I zoomed along back country roads, I saw some geese migrating south for the Winter. It was quite an impressive sight as this was a big flock.

Stopped for a coffee and donuts to keep me going and continued across Wisconsin towards my destination, a place called the house on the rock (http://www.thehouseontherock.com/). I'd read about this place in a number of books as a classic example of an American Eccentric. It was truly in the middle of nowhere, but apparently is one of Wisconsin's top attractions.

The attraction is the culmination of a guy called Alex Jordan who built a house on a pile of rock and then started to exhibit stuff that he has collected. The collection is massive and when walking around the place, it's like stepping into an alternative universe. Very very surreal.

The house itself is quite cool, a myriad of pathways leading to a number different shaped rooms. The house has set itself up for Christmas, so there were mini Santa's everywhere. After that, you walk into a number of other exhibits which are huge, varying from collections of model ships to music organs to model aeroplanes. It's just plain wierd. The ultimate wierdness is the final part, which has the worlds largest carousel, which has 20,000 lights on it, but no horses. Go figure. It's awe inspiring, but not in the traditional sense.

After that, the rest of the day was quite relaxing. Rolled back to Madison and settled into the hotel for the night. Had a nice relaxing dinner (indulged in a chocolate brownie), and the cold seems to be on the back burner (or maybe it's just that I'm dosed up!)

Day 59 - Chicago (Il) to Oshkosh (Wi)

Still feeling worse for weather, but managed to get myself rolling pretty early today for my plgrimmage to Green Bay. There's not really much else in Green Bay apart from Lambeau field, where the unique Green Bay Packers played. The journey was staccato, and as soon as I got onto the interstate leaving Chicago, there were queues. Did everyone want to get out of Chicago? Is it that bad? A mile further on, the explanation was apparent, another of Chicago's stupid toll boths creating havoc. After that it was a fairly dull journey through Milwaukee... a typical industrial US city, and then on to the 'Frozen Tundra' of Green Bay. Wisconsin is dairy farming capital of the states, so there was lots of fields and not much else!...the journey enlivened by a heavy dose of Prefab Sprout (I didn't need anything heavy on the music front today).
Arrived in Green Bay and you could see the field from a few miles away (it was the only strucure big enough!). Walked in, and after looking around a very impressive pro shop, went into their stadium tour. Pretty well done, but they wouldn't let us in the packer locker room. The stadium was really good, the classic bowl all the way around, with room for over 70,000 fans. It also had a good feeling of history, like a classic stadium should. Behind the stadium is a state of the art facility.
The hall of fame was excellent. Even better than the pro-hall of fame in Canton. Lots of stuff to see, interact with and listen too, and loads of exhibits. All done very well with style and not looking tarnished or staid at all.
After that it was a slow chug to Oshkosh (I know...I've no idea about it too) to settle in for the night.

Day 58 - Chicago (Il)

I'd love to come up with a really nice blog today of strolling through the windy city, checking out the cultural hotspots, and ascending the sears tower to get stunning views of the lake and surrounding areas. Unfortunately, I can't.

Some days work really well, and yet other days don't and today was one of those days. I've been suffering a bit with a cold today, and it lead to a bit of a sleepless night, and consequently, no desire to get up this morning. I did managed to get going and then jumped into the car, all ready to get into Chicago. This is where things went all awry. I much prefer to take public transport into major towns, so I don't worry about driving around a strange downtown and also don't get stuck in traffic. I had earmarked 2 local stations, but it turns out by the time I got to both of them the parking lots were full. OK, I said to myself, you can still get into town and drive. So I started.

Half an hour later, I had moved about half a mile and was stuck in the middle of Chicago traffic. I weighed up my options, and feeling worse for wear anyways, didn't feel like pushing things, so I pulled off, found a local mall where I had some lunch (and the worst diet coke I've ever tasted), and then drove back to my hotel. I knew how drained and out of it I felt when even a visit into Best Buy (gadget and computer/music shop) didn't get me enthused!

So I returned home to hotel, (another tip, in big cities, get into downtown or within walking distance of the metro stations, it makes life so much easier), and slept for about 3 hours. After that, a bit of dinner, a bit of college football, and a bit of internet surfing ended a rather unsatisfactory day. Hope I feel better tomorrow and that the day works.

Day 57 - Indianapolis (IN) to Chicago (IL)

BLACK.....RED....BLACK....RED.....

The last day in my mini football marathon saw me heading North from Indiana to Illinois and the Windy city. After the lateness that is Monday Night Football (I got back in at about 1am! I bet bosses all around America are fearing the curse of the Tuesday snooze as all the football fans in the office sleepwalk through the day), I had a nice lie in and got on the way without any major need to rush. It's nice to not feel the need to be in a place at a time and be able to stop somewhere, have some lunch, read the paper and relax. So I did!

Arrived in the mess that is the Chicago road system. I know the need to collect tolls and so on, but why do they need toll plaza's every 5 miles. All the traffic slows up to the toll plaza and then there is a mad rush on the otherside as 9 toll lanes condense to a 2 lane highway. Crazy!! Managed to find my hotel and check in, then pull myself together for my final football game this week, Northern Illinois Huskies against the Toledo Rockets.

Northern Illinois is situated in a town called Dekalb about an hours drive out of Chicago (so more of those lovely tolls!), so trundled along. As I approached the town on the Interstate, it was quite cool to see floodlights lighting up the night sky. Parking was much more organised (certainly compared to the madness at Memphis), and strolled into an old school stadium with 2 open ends. It was a bit chilly, but the stadium was filled up with about 25,000 fans, making it warmer than it would have been.

The game wasn't as good as some of the games I've seen over the last few weeks, but I saw a touchdown pass when the DB bobbled a certain interception and the received said thankyou very much. I also saw a strange passage of play at the end of the half, when with a 4th and 2 Toledo lined up for a field goal, then audibled to a pass, and the Huskies called a timeout. This then repeated itself a second time, with another timeout. Then, the Rockets came out to pass, tried to draw the Huskies offside, failed and called another timeout. Finally, they lined up for a field goal and audibled again to a pass. The Huskies didn't call a timeout and finally Toledo ran the play, trying a QB sneak up the middle, which then failed!!

The first half was quite competitive, but then in the second half, the Rockets rolled all over the Huskies to a 31-17 victory. Walked back to the car with 6 minutes left on the clock, just to get warm!! Arrived back in Chicago and rolled into bed. A nice day walking 'round Chicago is pending.

Day 56 - Cincinnati (OH) to Indianapolis (IN)

Whoooaahhhh.... One...Two...Three..... First Down!

Got up and packed then wondered down to the La Tea Room Cafe, where I'd been the last time in Cincinnati. The guys remembered me and I collected my thoughts with a nice Coffee and Breakfast bagel. Did a little surfing on the net, before jumping in the car and making a bee-line for the Bengals pro-shop for the last time before heading off to Indy. Got my last Bengals fix and made a very relaxed journey up I-75. Arrived at around 2pm and did some work on the website (expect updates on the home page soon), before going downtown to pick up my tickets for Monday Night Football and have some food. After a relaxing read (put Jonathon Ross on the Radio - via Internet), spoke to a few people and then got myself together and went to the game.

My seats were high up on about the 40 yard line, so I got an excellent view of the game. The guys around me were amped up (Monday night football gets its passionate fans due to the longer time available to consume alcohol!!), and we spent the game shouting and hi-fiving. The game was a nail-biter with Indy controlling it, but never getting separation from the colts. Minnesota pulled level at 14 with a superb punt return, and the teams traded touchdowns until the Colts drove down and kicked a field-goal as time expired to win 31-28. Payton Manning is just an immense quarterback, scrambling and throwing impressively all game. Another great game that I've seen and more memories to keep.

Day 55 - Cincinnati (OH)

WHO DEY... WHO DEY... WHO DEY THINK GONNA BEAT THEM BENGALS!

It was another sunny day in Cincinnati (the weather on this trip has been really good to me, lets hope it holds up when I head north this week.), and my last Bengal's game for a few years. Got up, showered and dressed in my Bengal colors and cracked open my Union Jack for luck. Apparently all the Bengal's were staying in my hotel last night, as autograph hunters were milling around the front door (and I thought that Where's Robin had gained a fan club, no such luck!). I was staying in room 711, which was subsequently christened the 'Chad Johnson suite' (like 7-11, he's always open!). Rolled into town to Rock Bottom and met up with Mark, Rick and Rick. Apparently, 'Where's Robin' has spread and I was introduced to a couple of Rick Jr's workmates who had seen the sight! A few pints of Red, some Chicken toothpicks (fried tortilla's), and it was time to make my last official visit to Paul Brown Stadium. There were still those same fans queuing up trying to get into the stadium parking lot a few minutes before kick off. We did our ceremonial tap of the height restriction warning barrier, and arrived in the throng of people trying to get into the stadium. Bid my farewell before the game to the guys and made my way up to my seat.
The game was a tight one, with the defense holding the upper hand, causing 3 turnovers, but we couldn't move the game ball and ended up leading at the half 9 - 3. Went and said hi to the others and as usual the Bengals were not making us believers. Returned to my seat and continued to worry about the fact we weren't scoring touchdowns. Didn't stop me from jumping around like a nutter every time we had a turnover (we got another 2), and trying to get everyone around me to make some noise ('It's 3rd down, and what do we do on 3rd down, we get up and make some noise!!!'). The game did finally break open, when a long Bengal pass went for a touchdown (it's not often you see a tight end out run the defensive backs!). Woohoo!!! The game was finally iced when Carson did a perfect naked bootleg and strolled into the end zone untouched. The Bengals won 26-3. I can't remember the last time the Bengals held someone to 0 touchdowns!! Did my usual and walked over to Mark, Rick and Rick, to spend the last few minutes of the game. Bid my farewells to PBS and walked back to the cars. On the way out, saw my favorite T-shirt of the day 'our Johnson's go deeper than yours'.
After that I took the Voegeles out for dinner. I can't thank these guys enough for the hospitality they have showed me since I arrived in this town, so it was the least I could do. Went to a bar called the Holy Grail and spent the rest of the afternoon chewing the cud and watching the second set of games in the NFL. Mark was focused on the fantasy implications of the games, and so we spent most of the time pulling his leg about the Giants conceding 28 points! Bid my farewells and made a ceremonial visit with Mark to UDF (United Dairy Farmers) for a Vanilla Malt Shake. It was goooood!! Said cheerio to Mark and wished him the best with Paula and the impending arrival of Brooke, and retired to work on the website (it needs refreshing I've decided) and watch Sunday night football.
As a parting comment, I'll say goodbye to Cincinnati. When you are a football fan in a different country, you've no idea about the city your team plays in. When I arrived here in Cincy, I wasn't sure what to expect, considering I had read about the town but never been here. Looking back, the most memorable times I have had on this trip have been here in Cincinnati. My first high school game. Having dinner with Mark and Paula, having only met Mark a few hours earlier. Monday night madness. Sightseeing around Cincinnati. Having dinner with the guys today. It's been fantastic and I vow, this won't be the last time I'm in this city, the home of the Bengals.

DAY 54 - Lexington (KY) to Cincinnati (OH)

C...A...T...S... CATS! CATS! CATS! CATS!!

After a rough night's sleep (Boring personal minutiae which I won't bore you with the details) housekeeping woke me up with a bang on the door at 9am. I knew this would happen as the room didn't have a 'do not disturb' sign to hang outside the door. One of those handy hints I picked up very quickly in my trip of the hotels and motels of America is that one of the best devices in the world is the 'do not disturb' sign, especially if you are looking for a lie-in the next morning.
Anyways, got up and got myself together, and worked out the plan of action today. Following my 3 games in 3 days, I was pushing the bracket today, with firstly a college game (University of Kentucky (UK) Wildcats vs. Georgia Bulldogs) and then a high school game in Cincinnati (Moeller vs. Lakota West).
Initially I thought the hotel I was in was close to the UK Commonwealth field, but upon further review, it turns out the field was about a 30 minute walk. So I got myself together and started strolling to the stadium. It was a real nice day and I had quickly worked up a nice sweat. Had a nice chat with Angelica on the way, and then arrived in the midst of tailgating central! Having gone to the games in Memphis and Birmingham, I arrived with either a very small fan base (UAB) or too late to check out the tailgating (Memphis). This was the first real tailgating activity I had seen college-wise. I was impressed. These guys out tailgate the pro's. I walked through an area reserved for RV's and there was all types of vans. I couldn't believe the money that was floating around. There were buses that Aerosmith would be happy touring around in!
Everyone else was out and about on such a sunny day trying to enjoy the pregame atmosphere. Possibly because UK are not having a very good season, and Georgia were in the top 25 college teams in the country. Once I got in (and avoided a slight ticket issue - a little panicky as they didn't have my ticket at will-call, but at least they had my info on the office PC), picked up my souvenir cup and nacho's and took my seat. The stadium is quite impressive, not as good as some of the new stadiums I have been in owned by professional teams, but still large and open, offering decent views all around. Settled in and sat next to some guys from Michigan who were going to a wedding after the game and in front of a nice couple from Georgia who had been following the bulldogs for over 40 years!!
I won't go into the game too much, but it wasn't the best example of football I've seen. Penalties and Turnovers dominated the first half, along with Georgia slowly exerting themselves on the game. At the half, they lead 20-3 and I relaxed in the sun, soaking up the rays. Beautiful! The second half deteriorated, UK looked like they might make a game of it, closing to 34-17 on a nice screen pass, but Georgia turned up the gas and I left about mid-way through the fourth quarter with Georgia leading 48-17. Once I had got back to the car, and turned on the radio, it had finished at 62-17, making it the 3rd game in 3 days which I had seen someone score over 50 points!
The drive to Cincinnati was relaxed, and for once was not too long (only 55 minutes), and after sprinting into the hotel to check in and grab the ticket that had been left for me for the high school game, I was off again. 15 minutes later I had parked up and was having fun tailgating with Dave and his sons, the guys I had met at the last big Cincinnati high school game I had been to. I still find it amazing that this is a high school, but the guys are out tailgating and having fun as if it was a college or pro game. The vans were out and the fans as committed and passionate as they could be. I can't think of of any parallel in the UK. 4 Coney's later (a Coney is a hot dog, with chili and cheese on top! - it was my dinner), we were walking into the game. The stadium, although not as impressive as St. Xavier's, which I had been to the last time, was still pretty good (holding about 8,000 and pretty much sold out), and they even had a video screen on the scoreboard!! The high schools here have amazing facilities!
The game started and Moeller were struggling to convert. A fumble and ineffective red zone production led to a 9-7 half time lead. Considering Moeller were supposed to be a strong favorite, the game was a lot closer than they thought it would be. Halftime obviously helped with the coach giving his team a good shellacking. They then came out and drove all the way for a touchdown. The game then opened up with Moeller hitting hard (one hit on the Lakota QB by two players at the same time - ouch!!). A fumbled punt, and one of the best passes I've ever seen thrown (by the back-up QB no less), meant the game was over with Moeller winning 38-7 and heading into a battle with their arch river St. Xavier.
Bid farewell to Dave, and made sure he would call me next week with the score from the game, and rolled back to the hotel. Having been spoilt with internet access the last week or so in all the hotels I've stayed in, I was frustrated to find out I didn't have it here in Cincy. Oh well, mustn't grumble.

Day 53 - Memphis (TN) to Lexington (KY)

I wonder how long it will be until I get feeling back into my toes...

The day started much like any other day. Packing of the bag, chatting to my beloved on the phone and then a jump into the car, and a drive off to pastures new. Today was a driving day as I was checked in to a hotel in Lexington, Kentucky, which is about 7 hours drive from Memphis. Tennessee was not too bad in terms of geography, some nice scenery and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Stopped for petrol and some food and then proceeded on into Kentucky. Kentucky isn't as fun as Tennessee so I had to get a Red Bull to keep me awake. The Manic's booming out of the stereo also helped!!

Arrived in Lexington without much ado at around 5pm, and after a quick run to the room and perusal of the local paper, picked a high school game to go to. After the chilly weather in Memphis yesterday (still amazed at that game... pretty unique), learnt my lesson (or so I thought) and packed gloves and a woolly hat too.

Arrived at a pretty deserted high school field to watch Tates Creek play against South Laurel. It was the first round of the playoffs and the game was in the paper as being a pretty evenly matched game.

As I sat alone in the stands, I got a good feeling. The weather was going to be cold, but the teams were out on the pitch warming up, cheerleaders were practicing their moves, and parents were crowded around the refreshments centre, with steaming cups of coffee and hot chocolate. It may have been real cold, but I felt this was why I came on this trip. To see the real america, not the one pre-packaged and sold to tourists.

I was joined by an elderly couple, Patty and Doc, along with a young girl, Ashley, and over the next few hours got to know them. They, like everyone who was there (and this was totally different to the Moeller game which was packed out, this was alot smaller), had a vested interest with the players on the field. Ashley was going out with Josh, who along with his brother were the grandsons of Patty and Doc. It was nice to not just cheer for a team, but players as well. Their mother, De'Shaun introduced herself and (and I know this sounds corny), I felt warm inside, even though it was bitterly cold. I even got to share Doc and Patty's blanket!

The game was close with the teams exchanging touchdowns up until the end of the first half, with Tates Creek holding South Laurel and leading 28-21. With about 13 seconds left on the clock, Laurel punted and a fair catch was called at the Creek 40 yard line. Creek had established themselves as a running team (2 passes in the first half!), and were quite successful at it, so I figured another run. In fact, the team chucked a long ball down to field. Amazingly, considering the little practice the receivers had, it was caught, but as the receiver came down, he was tackled almost immediately. He was however aware enough to note the other receiver was close enough, and tried to lateral back. The lateral was awful, and rolled along the floor, before the other receiver grabbed in one swift move and strolled into the endzone untouched! A pretty heads up play by both players and the score was 35-21.

Creek then proceeded in the second half to pound the opposition, who had obviously been crestfallen at the touchdown, and ended up with a 56-41 victory. The highlight was an 80 yard TD run down the lefthandside.

After the game, I was invited down on the field, by my new friends to meet the boys and before I knew it, I had two big burly teenagers wondering what the heck this strange englishman was doing being introduced to them!! They had been brought up right though, and posed for a picture (not my idea...that was Doc's!) without any complaint. Like most things, at distance, they all looked a lot smaller than up close. I suddenly respected their efforts a hell of a lot more.

Anyways, got back to the hotel, and now, about 2 hours later, am still hoping my feet warm up soon! Off to a big saturday college game tomorrow so it should be fun!

Day 52 - Birmingham (AL) to Memphis (TN)

After a late night, I knew I had lots to do today, so it was up before 9am and a trip to the hotel laundry room. Unfortunately, the dryer took forever, so I had to wait for my clothes to finish their cycle before I hit the road. Met up with Joe and he brought me brunch as we chatted about this and that. Had my second taste of grits, unfortunately, the first was so long ago, I'd forgotten what it tasted like. It was ok, but not on my preferred eating list.

Eventually got on the road at around 1ish, and realised I wasn't going to have a lot of spare time in Memphis. This actually got less, when I hit some roadworks and ended up sitting still for 25 minutes. If there is one thing I've seen alot of since I got here, it's roadworks!! They are everywhere.

Finally arrived in Memphis at about 5.40pm, knowing that the game I was going to see started at at 6.30pm, so did a very quick turnaround and was back in the car to get moving.

Realised that unlike the pro games, parking an organisation is not as strong a point, which meant total chaos in terms of parking, and traffic jams galore. Managed to find a spot, and after picking up my ticket, arrived missing the first drive and a field goal.

The stadium itself is the liberty bowl and is a true 'bowl'. There isn't any cover at all, so I was quite glad that there was no rain (unlike yesterday's drenching), but it was rather chilly. I really liked the way the stadium was laid out, pretty 'seemless' all the way around, and the atmosphere was much closer to what I had expected a college game to be, with around 52,000 fans screaming their heads off. And boy did they have a reason to scream.

I can't remember seeing a game like it, where it was pretty much total offense. Memphis scored, then Louisville scored, then Memphis, then Louisville, and so on. Long passes and runs, drives from one end to the other, and a couple of interceptions and fumbles to make things interesting!! I was swept into it just as much as everyone else, and soon enough I was screaming at the defence and calling the umpire names!

Half time came and went as if it no-one noticed, and by the end of the game, over 1200 yards of offense, 66 first downs and more than 100 points had been scored. The game was decided right at the end, and it was a bit of a disappointment for the Tigers to lose 56 - 49. I still had a whale of a time and added a second game to Robin's 8 games in 7 days run!! Also, due to where I ended parking I didn't have too much trouble getting back to the hotel.

Off to Lexington tomorrow to catch a high school game (if I can find one to let me in)

Day 51 - Atlanta (GA) to Birmingham (AL)

Another strange day in US-ville!

Buried my head under the pillow this morning as the alarm clock went off, and despite the possibility of lunging for the remote and plugging in CNN to get my election fix, I managed to avoid all this Bush-y until I opened the door and it was plastered all over my complementary copy of USA Today. 4 more years of Bush. I was intrigued to see how things would have been with Kerry at the helm, but at least we know where we (the UK) stand with Bush (insert you're own political joke here).

Anyways, as I was not due in Birmingham Alabama until later today for a football game, I decided to make the most of my time in Atlanta and check out some of the sporting facilities (not like I've been there before!). First on my visit list was Turner field, home of the Atlanta Braves. The place was pretty much deserted and once I had my ticket and was walking around the museum, I realised I was the tour!! The Braves museum is really quite nice (considering it's not that big) and well laid out. I was then given an hour long personal guided tour around the field. It was probably the most professional tour I've had and the stadium was really very impressive. I may have mentioned yesterday that it used to be the Olympic Stadium, which means it's bigger and better in many aspects. You could even see how the stadium was transformed and where the old stadium lines were. I got to see all the usual stuff, but it was done with a real nice aplomb. The stadium itself is one of these new, yet old ball parks, and I really liked it.

After that, I decided to try and do the Georgia Dome tour. I'd tried yesterday, but it was closed to the public, so I thought I'd chance my arm today. I was in luck, and once I had managed to navigate around a lunchbreak for the tour guide, got to walk around another very impressive stadium. It reminded me a lot about the RCA Dome in Atlanta, but was just that little bit newer. Coolest thing was I got my picture taken in Michael Vick's locker. It was great that unlike other tours, they let us in the home team's locker room.

After that, a roll down to Birmingham was in order (strangest sight on the way was a mileage sign saying, "Leeds 2, Birmingham 18"). Arrived well in time, and then after a quick change, jumped into the car and got to Legion Field for my first taste of college football.

Legion field is an old school stadium, built in the '20's (or close to that decade), it had definately seen better days, but it had that 'lived in' feel, as if it had seen lots of football (which it had). After a dull first quarter, things livened up, but not on the field as the rain started coming down in sheets. It was fun moving further under the upper deck, then dodging the leaks as it started overflowing the drainage above. I felt like getting the pots and pans out to collect the water, it was coming through that fast.

Unfortunately, the weather, combined with a not very family friendly stadium, and the fact it was on a Wednesday night and on TV, led to a very poor 9,200 attendance. In such a cavernous field, this lead to a very dismal atmosphere, which was a pity as the high school and college bands put their heart and soul into it, but to no effect. When the rain came, it was like someone saying coming out was not a good idea. Everyone hid under cover, which gave ESPN who were covering the game, a lot of empty stands to focus on. Not the best advert for UAB.

The game was quite close until the end of the 3rd quarter, when in quick succession, the University of South Florida scored 3 touchdowns in a very short time, and the game was done and dusted. Poor old UAB (University of Alabama Birmingham) were shell shocked, and when the drizzle continued to dampen the spirits, the team looked totally disheartened. The only thing bouncing was the continually optimistic UAB Band, who played dispite the result and the weather!

While all this was going on, I ended up chatting to Joe, a local who had just graduated in journalism from UAB. From initial conversations, we ended up chatting about loads of different stuff, and suddenly it seemed, my trip was newsworthy!! No idea where it will go, but after an 'interview' (if you want to be official and call it that, I felt it was just a nice chat), when we had gotten back from the Football, Joe was convinced he could make me a story. Not sure myself, but it would be nice to have a newspaper cutting for my trip scrapbook!!

Bed time now, (late and I'm still cold from the Rain), and the daunting task of Laundry tomorrow. See... it's not all fun and games!

Day 50 - Atlanta (GA)

... and still America awaits for their new president.

It's 11.50pm, and CNN are still not able to give a decent guess about who'll be the next president! All you guys back in the UK will be reassured to know that the election coverage is pretty much the same, but without Peter Snow's swing-ometer and brown shoes! You replace that with Larry King's striped shirts and braces!

Anyways, I'm sure you're all on tenterhooks about what I've been up to today. Walked into Atlanta after realising the hotel I'm staying in was right on the edge of the Olympic main stadium area, when the Olympics were in Atlanta. It turns out that the Turner field baseball stadium (where the Atlanta Braves play) was the main stadium for the Olympics, but was changed to allow for Baseball! The whole area did look a little jaded. Hard to believe it was 8 years ago that the biggest sporting event in the world was here.

Anyways, walked into the town centre and first stop was the Wonderful world of Coca Cola! This was a museum outlining the history of Coke and was pretty much a glorified isn't Coke great exhibit! I came out brainwashed, chanting "I'd like to buy the world a coke..." I also wanted to throttle one of the plagues of America today. Many times I've been in nice surroundings, but have been disturbed by the 'walkie-talkie's that are pervading society. It's not like talking on the phone, as everyone in a 20m radius can hear what the other person is saying. Quite disturbing, especially when you're in a nice quiet area. Some people are so unaware of their surroundings.

Anyways, after that and walking through the Altanta Underground (another glorified Mall), I ended up at the CNN centre and took the CNN studio tour, which was quite educational to see how everything fits together. Another person decided I had an Australian accent??? In fact, I reckon I've had more people guess I'm from Australia than England!! Go figure.

After that, just a walk around downtown (quite nice, they've managed to keep the office area away from the rest of downtown), and then a walk back to the hotel. My feet were killing me so, I sat down, started doing some route planning and watching the election results. Outside, the weather (which had been overcast yet humid most of the day) took a turn for the worse and storms knocked out TV reception for awhile (which would be entertaining if they'd stayed off, especially in the middle of the election!!!).

Well, it's now 12.23 and I reckon it'll all come down to Ohio (Florida has just gone to Bush)

Day 49 - Nashville (TN) to Atlanta (GA)

Got up and got going (fueled by Donuts and Coffee), for the long (4 hour) trip down to Atlanta. Halloween had passed without incident (I'll be glad to drive around and not look at all the pumpkins). The journey was pretty dull and I decided since I was being bombarded by signs on the roadside to visit 'Rock City' to actually go there. It was just off my route, in Chattanooga. Pulled off and drove up the side of a hill, until I arrived. Best and worst in American Tourism, outstanding natural beauty and tackyness. Went to Electronic Map!! Not very electronic but good to see about the Civil War in the area. Drove onwards, major accident on the road where an artic had come through the central reservation and plowed into the trees on my side of the road. When I passed there was debris all over the carriageway and the truck was in flames. Not good. Arrived in Atlanta, had tea and watched MOnday night football. Still getting caught out with time zones (please note this is an abreviated version...am tired, but will polish it up tomorrow)

Day 48 - Nashville (TN)

and I got so excited after Monday night....

Well I'm back in Borders again (the wifi reception at Kinko's sucked big time), but alas not as bouncy as this time yesterday. (Maybe I need some more Black Grape?)

What with the clocks going back and the time difference, I got an extra 2 hours in bed! Unfortunately Angelica forgot, and I got a nice wake up call to start the day. It wasn't bad and I was able to get another couple of hours shut eye before rousing myself for the game. Walked into the city centre bedecked in Bengals gear and it was nice to see the Orange and Black. One thing I've noticed is the "knowing nod" that you get from other Bengal fans when on the road. Unlike in the UK at games, where all the away fans are bundled together, it's pretty much a home affair over here, and you're lucky if you get tickets. A quite nod of the head and a mumled 'Who Dey' lets them know you're in their club. It's quite cool and means you always feel like you belong.

Got to the game with my foot long hotdog(!) and beer and settled down to watch events unfold. Typically, as soon as I settled the guy sitting next to me arrived. Unbelievably, the guy was from the UK (Cambridge to be exact) and so I had the strange experience of watching a game in Nashville with an English accent next to me! Also, had a top group of Titan fans in front of me, who were quite happy to josh with me when good or bad things happened.

As it was, another typical Bengal game. Another heart breaking loss (27-20), compounded by the fact that we could have taken it to overtime. The team is learning and in the past the mental mistakes that killed us early (more penalty flags then a morris dancing convention (hmm... Brits won't understand the flags, Yanks won't understand the morris dancing, might have to work on a different analogy there!)) would have killed us, but we kept in the game. I'm feeling more and more optimistic about next season as the team is so young.

Anyways, the accent and flag (and the sympathy vote possibly), got me invited back to a Titan tailgating bus. These guys matched the Browns boys in their professional approach to tailgating. I left with a full stomach, a smile on my face, and a plate with chocolate cake to keep me going on the way home. I was tempted to eat the cake on the way back, but the combination of a long chat with Angelica (love you baby) and the distance waned my appetite and I offered it to some homeless guys. I rationalised, they needed it more than me, and they can't go and spend chocolate cake on drugs or whatever!

Anways, back to the hotel feeling a little tired out and dispondent at another Bengal loss (thank heavens I saw them win on Monday night as I feel I might need to hold onto that memory for a while!). Recharged batteries, came out and here I am again.

Tomorrow will be a 4 hour drive to Atlanta (boo!) followed by a city centre hotel (yay!) with free wifi access (yay! x2)

We'll see what the ipod music man will bring to make the journey more bearable.

p.s. I've managed to do some picture cataloging so expect a full picture update soon!

Day 47 - Knoxville (TN) to Nashville (TN)

A Borders Caramel Latte and a Lemon and White Chocolate Cookie rock (as does 808 state and Black Grape...but thats another decade!)

After a few days of tiring driving, it all caught up with me, and despite an insistent alarm clock and an even more insistent lawnmower outside of my window, I managed to stay asleep until just after 10am. After a brief chat with Angelica on the computer (gotta love that wifi, even if it did remind me how much I miss her), got on my way across to Nashville. Pretty relaxed journey and it was so nice not to have to drive for hours (it only took 2 and a half). Kicked back into an early '90's music fest and almost broke the car stereo when 808 state came on. Followed that with some Shaun Ryder (lyrical genius he is.....my fave lyric "Jesus was a black man, no Jesus was Batman, no, that was Bruce Wayne!). Arrived just after 2 (or was it 1, these time zones still confuse the hell out of me), and decided to walk down into the town and grab some food.

Nashville seems to be quite a nice city. The downtown has still managed to keep some of its charm and hasn't been overtaken by skyscrapers. Even the skyscrapers have some character and one in particular, the Southern Bell one (see pix....eventually when I get round to publishing them) goes into my skyscraper hall of fame. Anyways, back to downtown. As you can imagine from a city called the Music City, there is a lot of bars and music floating around giving it a nice flavour. After a walk around (and it took me 15 minutes to work out how to actually get into town as the road I thought would take me in was closed, and therefore there is only 1 road over the railroad), I settled down in Hooters (they had college football on, and I know the food ain't that bad). For those of you not aware of what Hooters is, it's the type of bar Martin Ward loves...lots of Women, in halter tops and shorts. Nuff said!

Anyways, as soon as I sat down at the bar and ordered a beer, I started chatting to this guy next to me. One of the strangest conversations I've ever had! He was a big muso, and was telling me all about the record label 4AD, and how Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance are the best thing ever. The conversation then rolled to San Francisco, Jail (he'd just got out after a year), Tate Modern, back to music (he told me John Peel had died... I was in shock), then all the artists he liked. It was a very surreal but cool conversation. After he had disappeared off (I think he said he was going to a strip joint!), I just watched and ate for a little before walking back to my hotel. I got a little lost, but arrived without too much ado.

After all that excitement, drove over to Borders to sort some stuff out, download, write my blog and have a Caramel Latte with a Lemon and White Chocolate Cookie.

All I have to do now is work out what time it is tomorrow when the clocks go back. I'm gonna be real confused!!!

Day 46 - Salem (VA) to Knoxville (TN)

I had real trouble sleeping last night. Obviously my hotel room walls weren't as thick as I thought, which meant the snoring eminating from the next room made for an uncomfortable night. After getting up and collecting my thoughts, it was time to make a move. Today was a car day, with the chance to drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway.

It was real strange weatherwise, as the weather went through, sun, showers, torrential rain and the thickest fog I've ever driven in. It was cool though when I got above the weather, (it was a high road) cos the fog banks laid low, which meant it looked like a carpet with some hills rising above the fog. Unique and quite fun. Also, the trees were just at the end of the autumn stunning colours. All the autumnal colours were resplendent and consequently was very rewarding. However, after a while it got a little tiring in the fog (drove past an accident where someone had obviously not paid attention) so I got on the road to Knoxville.

Arrived with a plan to go to a local high school football game, but decided an early night in was the best medecine to recharge the batteries.

Day 45 - Charleston (WV) to Salem (VA)

Normally, when I don't get up early, it's because I'm being lazy. Today, I just couldn't get up. My legs ached, my arms were drained, and I just couldn't move. I slept all the way through til 11am, which is unlike me. Maybe a delayed reaction from all the jumping around in did on Monday!

Anyways, I dragged myself out and about and was in the car and moving by 11.30. Today, was supposed to be a nice relaxing day, but I had underestimated the distances between Charleston and the Blue Ridge Parkway and ended up not getting across for about 3 hours. Unfortunately, I had forgotten the key factor relating to nice drives with stunning views, nice weather! It was dank and misty and when I did get onto the parkway, you couldn't see all that much. The trees were really impressive colour wise (don't believe the New England hype, the autumn is good anywhere with a decent national park).

Eventually, I had to get off the parkway as it was getting dark, I was running low on petrol, and the weather was closing in. Arrived in Salem, which I didn't see much of as it was late. Checked in and mercifully my hotel had wireless internet (am I turning into a real geek?), so I was able to book some hotels, download emails, etc.

We'll see how things work out tomorrow and whether the weather will make the parkway a bit more hospitable.

Day 44 - Cincinnati (OH) to Charleston (WV)

Woohoo! The Red Sox win the world series!!! As regular listeners might have gathered, I've been quite sucked into the Baseball since I've been over here and specifically the Red Sox's run to the world series, so I'm quite chuffed that they've won!
Anyways, today was a nice relaxing day, got up checked out and rolled over the Ohio River into Covington and spent a diverting few hours walking around the Newport Aquarium. Considering it's not on the coast, it's really well done (The only down side was that they were letting all kids in free if they wore fancy dress, so there were loads of kids running around, trying to find Nemo!). There was a cool shark tank, they had some excellent Lion Fish, and interestingly a little aviary full of curious parrots, to the point where as soon as I walked in, one appeared on my shoulder! Very enjoyable overall, and I might have to go back and spend some more time there in a few weeks time.
Unfortunately, I had to move on as I had to be in Charleston by 5.30 for dinner with Mike and Carol. The drive over was okay, but a bit dull. There was nothing on the road, and I was driving through some back roads which made it even harder to concentrate. I got there safely, and was picked up and we went out for a really nice Italian meal. After that I was taken back to Mike's parents and had a lovely conversation with them, covering pretty much every subject under the sun! It's great when someone shows a genuine interest in what you are doing.
After a lift back, Baseball took over and many people in Boston can relax now that their team has won and put the Boston curse to rest.
Tomorrow should be a nice relaxing driving down the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Day 43 - Cincinnati (OH)

Another day in Cincinnati, but a good one (especially since the town seemed to be bouncing around happy after the previous days results). Got up lateish and met up with Mark for a day just moseying around the town. Mark, being the local knew all the haunts and we had a really nice day, no rushing around, just seeing some of the places I'd not been to or didn't know existed. A nice lunch followed by a superb Ice Cream (Graeters - tops!), and then a drive to some cool places. Nice views of downtown and the Ohio river, then down on to the river bank on the Kentucky side. We popped into a German brewery there and had a litre of beer (nice Dunkel). Then walked around a bit, checking out the (supposedly) Purple People Bridge, an old bridge which can't carry cars anymore but has been kept open as a walkway. The fact it's Lavender and not purple undermined the experience!After a walk around Barnes & Noble bookstore, Mark dropped me off. Mark, cheers buddy, it was a real nice relaxing day, just what I (and probably you) needed. After that just as I was relaxing, the hotel fire alarm went off, so I took the opportunity to get my laptop and drive out to a mall where there was a Borders Book and Coffee shop, where I could log on to my email. On the way, I listened to a local talk show on the radio and got extremely frustrated with a very undiplomatic high school football coach. I won't go into the details, but it got me mad! I then calmed down and organised a bit more of my trip then home for a restless nights sleep.

Day 42 - Cincinnati (OH)

How cool was that? It's 2.30 in the morning, and I'm having real trouble getting to sleep having just been to a very exciting and outstandingly fun football game. But I'll come to that in a minute, as I'm sure your riveted to find out what I did before the game (indulge me!).
Unlike previous days, where I've had a lie in because I was just being lazy (not a good excuse I know), today I had a long lie in because I knew it was going to be a late night. I had a ticket to Monday Night Football in Cincinnati. For those not in the know, Cincinnati has been traditionally one of the worst teams over the last 10/15 years, and when it comes to Monday Night Football, which is a huge deal over here and is Nationally televised (most games are just shown regionally), they've not been on for a home game for 15 years. So this game was a very big deal.
I eventually got up, and decided to walk into town. Not the best idea I've ever had as the hotel I'm in is about 45 minutes walk from Downtown. And it ain't a flat 45 minutes, with one or two brutal hills. While I was in town, I downloaded and uploaded email and blogs (and I know I've not updated the picture section for a while, I'm hoping to get to it soon, but since I've taken so many pictures, cataloging them takes forever!), and had some lunch. Now, on the drive down from Indy yesterday I had decided I wanted to have some banner at the game, announcing my Britishness. By the time I had arrived in Cincinnati, it was more a pipe dream, but as I walked through town, I spotted 'Churchills Tea Bar' and they had a Union Jack in the window. Call it a flash of inspiration, but I picked it up, picked up a thick sharpie (marker) and when I got back to the hotel, suddenly was no longer anonymous football fan, but was now the 'UK BENGAL ON TOUR'!!
Took the hotel shuttle into the centre of town (don't ask my why I didn't take it earlier, I've no idea!), and with my flag draped on my shoulders went into the bar I had arranged to meet Mark, Rick and Rick, my buddies who I met at the game last time. They arrived, and we had a few beers and some Pizza before heading off to the game. The atmosphere was electric and the Stadium packed to capacity (highest attendance ever). Left them and went to my seat to watch the action unfold.
My seat was in the top tier, but on the front row, and so when I looked around I could see the entire top tier. Anyways, I decided then and there, I was gonna make as much noise as I could. I rationalised it's not often you get a Monday Night Football game in Cincinnati so might as well make the most of it. The first half was quite tense, but we went in 13-7 up. The second half was insane, and I took it upon myself to be the cheerleader for my section, which didn't go down as badly as I thought it would! Anyways, after some outstanding offensive and defensive plays, I jumping around like a maniac screaming at the top of my voice. I had been christened 'fish and chips'!, and was seranaded on the way down the ramp at the end of the game with a chorus of it! I've never hi-fived so many people in my entire life. The guy next to me allegedly broke his finger in one of the celebration bounces a group of us were having, but he seemed happy enough!
Walking back to the car a few Brits who were in the crowd spotted my Union Jack cape and came over and said hi, and the City of Cincinnati resounded to chants of 'Who-Dey' echoing through the night! It was very very cool. I was so worried I would come all the way over here and my beloved Bengals wouldn't manage to get a win. I need worry no more.
After a drive back through some 'interesting' neighbourhoods and Mark's consistent cries for a decent Milk Shake (it was 1.15am, and all the decent shake places had shut), I was dropped off and walked back up to my room. I realised it was 6.30am in the UK, so I called and had an excellent chat with Angelica :-) After watching the highlights of the game on Sportscenter, here I am trying to wind down. Somehow, I think tomorrow is going to be a very lazy day!

Day 41 - Indianapolis (IN) to Cincinnati (OH)

As I hadn't been able to park in the parking lot of the hotel the night before, I didn't have to worry about the car until after the game. So had a slow morning, checked out and rolled out to put my bags in the car. By that time, downtown Indianapolis was heaving with Colts fans and after getting my tickets, I decided to walk around the city centre and familiarise myself. The time change had completely messed my timing (was I an hour behind or an hour ahead!), so just to be on the safe side I got some lunch (my current fave - Subway Italian BMT, nice) in the local mall and walked back along the skywalk (it seems most cities have a skywalk now) and into the RCA Dome. After having been in Detroit's indoor stadium, it was a complete contrast, even though it was an indoor stadium as well. To start with you went through revolving doors (an airlock apparently), and once you actually got into the stadium, it's a true dome (as opposed to Ford Field, which is more a real stadium with a roof on). It's quite strange actually, but the one thing you noticed about the place pretty quickly is how loud it gets.I'd always heard that the place gets noisy and I could see the noise meters when I watched the games back home, but actually be there, it's very impressive. There were a few key times in the game, when the crowd were making a huge noise trying to disrupte the opposition offense, and it was LOUD!! The enclosed arena obviously makes an impact, and the colts fans use it to their advantage. The stadium has been around for ages (if memory serves me right, the team has been playing in it since they arrived in Indy in 1984), but unlike Giants stadium is not looking too old. It's just a totally different football experience (which is what this trip is all about). The fans were certainly friendlier than in Giants stadium too, but Baltimore and Cleveland are still ahead of the Colts in their hospitality. I had a nice chat with one of the vendors when I picked up a Coke. It still cracks people up when I tell them where I am from and what I'm doing.
A few other observations from gameday in Indy. The Colts are the first team which has a 'pet of the game', sponsored by a local pet pampering company. These are the Indianapolis Colts. With a huge stadium. and part of the NFL!!! Yet, they have a 'pet of the game'! (They even had a picture of Topi in his Indy Kit!) Part of me is amazed at the 'small time concept' I believe this is, yet another part of me is warmed that despite the mega millions running round the field, they still have small time promotions! Another thing I noticed is that the little games they play on the big screen to keep the fans entertained (variants on the 'pea under which cup'), are a lot easier than they were in Jets or Browns game. Not sure if this is an indication of the intelligence of Colts fans (far be it from me to comment on that!), or maybe I'm just getting better at them! Finally, the colts had more 'in-game' promotions than I've seen before (maybe the indoor stadium made it easier), but they had fans throwing footballs in TV timeouts, choosing winners, and generally making fools of themselves far more than in other games I've been too. I supposed it keep things ticking over for the crowd and keep them interested when the game wasn't on.
And what a game it was. It was another one of those down to the line, last minute go either way games. The Colts were a bit slow to start, but Peyton Manning, the best technical QB, doing his usual thing of changing plays all the time at the line of scrimmage, worked some magic against a tough Jags defence, and the colts went in 14-10 up at the half. The second half was crazy, with the Jags fumbling on the Indy 1 yard line on 4th down (try and convince me the noise in the stadium didn't have anything to do with the exchange between QB and Centre, it was insanely loud). The Colts throwing a 50 yard TD, and then the Jags driving all the way for a winning 53 yard field goal with 30 seconds on the clock. And even then the Colts had a chance to pull it out of the bag. I enjoy myself immensely (as you can tell by the length of this blog!)
After getting stuck in the traffic on the way out of Indy (and getting a cool view of the RCA Dome from the outside), I was on my way to Cincy with a smile on my face listening to sports radio. I decided to try something else new for the day and phoned up a local radio station, who was doing a phone in on the big Monday night game in Cincinnati tomorrow. My first ever appearance on commercial radio was almost a complete success as I fielded questions on why the Bengals (I had to use the 'I was young and they had the coolest helmet), how big is US football in the UK, and, after trying to sound knowledgeable by asking about the Cincy Offensive Line, whether UK or US beer is better (I played the diplomat, saying it depends on the mood). The only problem was they called me Ruben???? Does no one understand my accent????
Following that I arrived at my hotel, the Vernon Manor Hotel. It's quite a historic hotel apparently (which means it's old), but driving up to it, I was reminded of the hotel in Stephen King's 'The Shining'. I walked into the bar, and the image continued (very old school). It got even more eerie, when I walked to my room and the corridor was long and very wide, the door on the room was very strange, and the room itself huge. Hope I don't have any nightmares.
After that I relaxed with the Red Sox (gonna win again, I hope) and looked forward to my second monday night football game, and my 6th game since arriving here.

Day 40 - Detroit (MI) to Indianapolis (IN)

Another great day in Detroit (I never thought I'd say that!!)
Sauntered into town (I decided that I hadn't sauntered for a while) with Kelly and first had a little tour around uptown, then parked up in downtown and walked for a few hours just checking things out. Detroit isn't that bad actually. Like most cities, it lacks investment in certain areas, but some areas are really nice. Also, Detroit has the superbowl in 2006, so there is masses amounts of roadworks, trying to get things sorted (Avoiding an Athens situation).They also have a really nice waterfront, looking out towards Windsor in Canada. After that we walked over to Greektown and had some lunch. Nice Pizza's at Pizzapapalis (extremely filling).
Detoit has spent some money on their new sporting arena's. Comerica Park, where the Tigers baseball team play is very impressive indeed. They've pulled out the stops with huge sculptured Tigers crawling all over, it creates a great impression, without losing the charm of an old style ball park. After that we walked over to Ford Field, the new indoor stadium (and it's a stadium, not an Arena!). As we milled around outside taking a few pictures, there were loads of people going in. We asked what was going on, and there was a high school football tournament! Needless to say, 7 bucks later and we were in! It's a very impressive inside, and we spent around half an hour walking around, watching the football (How cool is it for the kids to play on the field in the stadium of their heros) and just soaking up the atmosphere. The place was about 90% empty, but was impressive none-the-less. After that and a quick ride on the people mover (kind of like an elevatated tram which travels around downtown), and then into the car to drive up to Grosse Point (for a fan of Grosse Point Blank - that was pretty cool). Then back to pack and leave. Many thanks again to my lovely Hosts, Kelly and Jen. Kelly went out of the way to make sure I saw all of Detroit and it was really nice to spend time with some good people.
After that I just had the painful thought of a 5 hour drive to Indianapolis. (Left at 5.30pm, arrived at 10.30pm - that was tiring). But arrived safely, and watched the end of the first game of the world series (go sox!)

Day 39 - Columbus (OH) to Detroit (MI)

Today started with a nice chat with Angelica and some minor planning. Got on the road to Detroit at around 11-ish, so I didn't really get a chance to see anything of Columbus, which was a pity as it looked like a decent enough city. The road to Detroit was long and flat, and the first half wasn't on the Interstate, so were stopping every few miles at intersections. Had a "stake'n'shake" for lunch. It seems that without realising it, I'm actually losing weight on this trip. Although I spend most of every day sat on my ass in the car, my actual calorie intake has dropped dramatically as well. All I need to do now is work out how to 'tone'!!
Anyways, arrived in Detroit at around 3ish. Detroit, as you drive in, is a very industrial city (living up to it's routes in the car trade), but it was reassuring to know that whereever you drive in the US, you can be assured roadworks and potholes! Got to Kelly's house and had a nice afternoon chatting away. (for those of you not in the loop, I met Kelly in Fort Lauderdale and she offered to show me around Detroit if I ever got this far North. I, never looking a gift horse in the mouth, took her up on the offer).
Over the phone, Kelly had suggested we go and see the Detroit Pistons Basketball Team play tonite. They had a preseason game and therefore would be easy to get tickets. As a self confessed American sports nut, how could I refuse? A quick drive out to the arena, via a bite for dinner (nice baby back ribs!), and we were in. The Pistons play in a place called 'The Palace' which is a big out of town arena that holds about 12,000. Fortunately, in a former life, Kelly worked there, so when we arrived, instead of sitting up in the 'nosebleed' seats, in the second tier (206), we were behind one of the baskets (thanks to the guiding hand of Eileen), providing an excellent view of the court. I've never been one for Basketball, but there was lots going on, and seeing it live was totally different to seeing it on the TV, like most sports, you pick up so much more than you thought possible, and the athleticism (and sheer size) of some of the players was a sight to behold. It got even better in the second half (after a walk around the concourse - they were selling Pistons jewelry! what every basketball addicted husband get sweeten the wife with!). Kelly's contacts got us on row 2 courtside behind one of the baskets and it was even more impressive there. The game also improved as the Pistons were tied at the half with the Washington Wizards, but dominated in the 2nd half, with some excellent dunks and moves to watch. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. On the way back, Kelly even took me to the Pontiac Silverdome, an indoor stadium where the Lions used to play football. They've now moved to a city centre stadium, but it was nice to see a stadium that I had read about alot in my early US Football days.
After that it was a roll back and a night downloading pictures (you get that close to the court, you're gonna use the camera alot!). Kelly has a full day planned of seeing as much of Detroit as we can, so it should be lots of fun.

Day 38 - Pittsburgh (PA) to Columbus (OH)

Nothing day. Drove out from Pittsburgh, didn't see much of it. Stayed on interstate bar a stop for lunch. Arrived in Columbus and worked on accomodation for next few weeks. Oh, and Boston won the night before.

Day 37 - Cleveland (OH) to Pittsburgh (PA)

Got up early and eager to take on the world. It was another lateish nite watching the improbably Red Sox, come back to tie the series 3-3 with one game left. I'm getting sucked into baseball big time. Anyways, had some breakfast, checked out and started driving across to Canton, where the Pro Football Hall of Fame is. It was a mildly diverting drive south out of Cleveland. Driving on the Interstates is not that taxing, as long as you keep an eye out for the tailgaters who decide you're not going fast enough and sit behind you. The road's are much worse in terms of maintenance over here though. Potholes are everywhere.
Arrived at the Hall of Fame at about 11-ish. I've wanted to go there for the last 15 years, reading about it since I got into American Football. It's got a very distinctive design and I recognised it immediately as soon as I arrived. As I walked up to the entrance, got a bit of a buzz. Fortunately, it was exactly as I hoped. Now I'm not saying it's perfect, and I'm sure that any number of you may visit and not enjoy it as much as I did. I walked around for about 3 hours just reading stuff about the history of the game, looking at all the momentos that are there and checking out the interactive exhibits. It was really cool as well to learn more about the history of the NFl and in particular, the merger with the AFL, a period I have read about on numerous occasions. Good fun. Now if only the Bengals can start playing the game the way it's supposed to be played!!!
Unfortunately the rest of the day didn't live up to the heights reached in the morning. Decided I had some time, so I went for a drive around Canton, Ohio, which was... well... it was. That's as good as I can say. The mall I visited was almost a joke, half of the units being vacant and the others half empty. It even had a luminous indoor crazy golf course?!?!
As I was driving back to the interstate, I spotted a barber and got my hair cut. I've decided men fall into 2 categories; those who accept there hair is receding and embrace it, and those who don't. Guess which category I fit in!
Anyways, got back on the road to Pittsburgh. Not sure why I decided to go to Pittsburgh, as all I'll see is at the night and an hour or so tomorrow morning, but most of the drive was through back country, which made it interesting. I always like travelling on some of the back roads as it gives me a different sense of the country I'm visiting.
Anyways, checked in at my hotel, nice view from the room, and kicked back to see if the Red Sox can win the decider. It's looking good, but I'm not gonna jinx it!

Day 36 - Cleveland (OH)

I had originally planned to go to the cedar point theme park (UK trans: Alton Towers), but fortunately just checked on line yesterday and realised it was closed during the week in the winter months. I'm sure I would have been very frustrated if I had driven all that way and not been able to do anything. So today was an organisation and laundry day. Got up early and went down to get the laundry sorted out for the next few weeks (I can't think of anything fun and humerous to say about this, no odd socks, no-one else in the room... any suggestions are gratefully received)
Got back and walked into Cleveland city centre to the local mall I discovered yesterday. The opinion I voiced about Cleveland yesterday appeared slightly harsh when I walked in today. The place looked much better (when out of the rain). It's a very spacious city, with big open roads between the blocks, which means unlike some American cities, you can see the sky and there is a lot of light. I guess this comes from some careful town planning.
Got to the mall, and spent a few hours online (free wifi there), sorting out where I'm going for the next few weeks. Also managed to sort out accomodation in a nice little place for Angelica and I for Christmas in Yosemite Park. Sounds really nice, and the internet had some excellent reviews.
After that had some lunch, and went to the cinema to see Team America World Police. Its superb fun (don't take the kids, and take some of the humour with a pinch of salt), and for a foreigner in the USA it had some very wry jokes. It's done by the same people as South Park, so you can gauge the level. If you liked that, you'll love this (crumbs, I sound like a film critic... it has been a REAL slow day!)
After that, walked home, did some packing, had some dinner, and watched Baseball again (It's quite addictive. If you are interested, Boston have come back from 3 games to 0 and have a good chance of taking it to the decided in a best of 7 game). Tomorrow is gonna be fun as I'm going to the American Football Hall of Fame, which I've wanted to go to for about 15 years!!

Day 35 - Cleveland (OH)

Got up late today and eventually started rolling. Wasn't feeling particularly motivated as after the previous log yesterday, I stayed up to watch the end of the baseball between the Yankees and the Red Sox. It was one of those games that just didn't finish. That's a major difference between US sports and other sports around the world. They play until there is a winner. I know major soccer tournaments have penalty shootouts (being an England fan, it's a harsh reality of life), but that is an artificial way to end the game. In US sports, they just keep playing until someone wins. The game started at around 8pm, and finished, amazingly at about 1.30am! The history of the rivalry between the Red Sox and the Yankees is amazing, especially as the Yankees have won the World Series many times since 1918, when they sold their best player to the Yankees (Babe Ruth), and which was the last time that the Red Sox won it. For those UK followers of Where's Robin, think of it as if Liverpool had sold Steven Gerrard to Manchester United and then United had won the league many times over the next 80 years, Liverpool never won it, and Gerrard turned into the best player in the world. It's the closest parallel I can think of.
The game finished on a home run by the red sox who were almost down and out, and since I'm not a Yankee fan (bit like Man U in the UK, you are either a fan of them or don't like them at all), I was happy with the result.
So I had a lie in and decided to walk into Cleveland City Centre and see what it was like. The weather was a bit dull, and unfortunately this reflected the city, which although seemed quite pleasant, I couldn't help feeling the place had a 'run down' feel about it. I didn't see the bustle I'd seen in other cities (admittedly, it was cold and wet). I walked up to Jacobs Field, home of the Cleveland Indians Baseball team, and it seemed a real good stadium. Again, I'm amazed by the quality and size of some of the stadiums I've seen in each city in the states. Impressive. Managed to find a mall in downtown (a rarity in the states), and had a bite of lunch and planned my attack on the rest of the day.
I ended up walking to the Rock'n'Roll Music Hall of Fame, which is just next to Cleveland Browns Stadium, and spent an engaging 3 hours walking around many exhibits and interactive demos. I wouldn't go out of your way to get to the place, but if you are ever passing through Cleveland it's worth a visit. Walked back and got drenched (the weather had made a turn for the worse), grabbed some food and settled in for a nice relaxing night in. Unfortunately, there was another baseball game between the Sox and Yankees, and would you believe it went on longer than last night!! It lasted almost 6 hours (fortunately, it started at 5pm, and so wasn't as bad, but again, the Red Sox won at the end. Baseball can be extremely absorbing once you get involved.
Retired with a plan for laundry, cinema and trip planning tomorrow, before I head to the pro football hall of fame, which is one of the places I have wanted to visit for about 15 years!!

Day 34 - Cleveland (OH)

What a strange day. Good, but strange!

After meeting up with Frank last night, I was up bright and early (and filled with optimism, being a Bengals fan does this to you!), to meet with them in the breakfast area at 8.15am.

They took me to a local bar where I met up with Lisa and Nancy, a couple of 'mad' girls who support the Browns. After a beer or two we headed to the parking lot and I got my first real taste of tailgating, US style. Chicken wings, Ribs, beer, apple pie (aka moonshine), it was superb and even though I was supporting the opposition, the friendliness and open-ness that they offered was amazing. It was also bitterly cold (and I mean cold. Cleveland is on the coast of Lake Erie and the wind was whistling in!), and I forgot to bring my gloves.

Picked up my ticket, but then Steve, one of the guys who I met, offered for me to sit with him, his seat being much closer to the action in comparison to my seat (up in the gods). The seats were good and I got introduced (and made fun of), to all the Browns fans around me. It was all good natured though!

(For those of you out there who aren't Football fans, just skip the next paragraph). The Bengals suck! I sat through a game where the only reason my team was still in the game was that the opposition QB turned the ball over. I saw the opposition through a 99 yard TD pass, another pass where I got up before the receiver had even got to the end zone to go to the loo. It was bad. I even phoned up one of my pals in Cincinnati (Hey Mark!) and he agreed that it wasn't just me in the stadium that thought we were bad, it was as bad on the TV screen! And we have a huge game on Monday Night Football next week... oh dear!

Left the stadium and met up with the guys who were tailgating and did a bit more beer and wings action. It was still cold, but the alcohol was beginning to warm me up! Took the van to the bar I went to earlier and had a beer or two more. Even got hit on (I think... the english accent apparently was working, but I'm an engaged man (love you baby!)).

Walked back to the hotel and managed to get lost (how can you get lost in an American city with a basic block plan?? I managed it!). Got in eventually and after a phone call or two and a slice of pizza and I'm now settling in for a night of football and baseball. Tomorrow should be interesting, going to the rock'n'roll hall of fame, then meeting up with Steve for dinner and Monday Night football.

Day 33 - Rochester (NY) to Cleveland (OH)

Another day when expectations were well and truly surpassed.

Got up earlish (in comparison to other days... I'm getting better), and then went online and sorted out some accomodation for further on in the trip. The joys of free internet wifi in a hotel room make another appearance. Checked out and started trip across to Niagara Falls.

Now I know Niagara Falls is supposed to be one of the Natural wonders of the world, but if you read some of the independent guidebooks, you'll end up believing it's just a dodgy place with lots of tat and junk and not worth the visit. Maybe because I was looking for a reason not to go, and the weather was crappy, but I considered turning left to Cleveland instead of turning right. I decided to make a go of Niagra, rationalising that I could turn around pretty easily if I didn't like it.

Niagra is split into Canadian and American sides. The Canadian affords the best view, but as I didn't want to screw up my hard earned visa, so I was left with the American side. Fortunately, I realised pretty quickly that the good guys at the National Park Service were in charge of Niagara Falls Park, and that meant it was going to be a good experience (they didn't screw up any of the other national parks, so I guessed they know what they are doing).

I arrived and was impressed with the American Falls and then rolled on to the horseshoe falls. The mist was massive, but you still got a BIG impression of how majestic and simply awe inspiring it is. It was stunning.

I decided to go to the wind cave tour and was given some funky footwear (flip flops! and the obligatory plastic mac) then went down 18 floors in a lift to the platforms they've got at the bottom of the American Falls. On the way got chatting to Michelle and Dave from New York State, and we grinned as the water pounded down around us. I took a trip up to the "Hurricane' Deck, which I christened the 'stupid' deck and got completely drenched even though I had the pac a mac. It was fun!

Decided to go change my headwear (my cap was drenched, it was time to christen the Bengals wolly hat), then go on the 'Maid of the Mist' the boat that goes up to the base of the horseshoe falls (about 90% of the water drops over the horseshoe). Got on with some Californian realtors, and we had fun standing at the bow and getting drenched (again!) You couldn't get a true impression of the falls from the American side, but you got up to the bottom on the boat and it was incredible, truly a wonder of the world.

After that I got back into the car and changed clothes and started on the long (3hrs 30 mins) drive to Cleveland. Got into a major storm on the way back (which strangely stopped as soon as I left New York state and got into Pennsylvania - go figure), and arrived at my hotel at around 9ish. Went to the bar for some dinner and got chatting to some Browns fans there who invited me to their tailgate party tomorrow. We'll see what happens!

Day 32 - Boston (MA) to Rochester (NY

It's amazing how a simple phone call can put the icing on the cake for the day. It was about 5pm when I got a phone call from Angelica having fun being out with the girls. It topped off the day.

Got up early (see... I can get up when I need to), and started a driving day. Plan was to visit Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, on the way to Rochester. Left Boston at 7.45, but the traffic was horrendous, so took a circuitous route to get where I needed to go. It seemed to work as I missed the traffic and yet didn't go to far out of the way. The weather was overcast, but I was still able to appreciate the beautiful colours that the trees were showing. It was dazzling and a pity the sun wasn't out to really show them off. It was also '80's day on the ipod with Howard Jones and Duran Duran blazing out the stereo. Scoff all you want, but it whiled away the hours with some tunes I've not heard for ages (Pearl in the Shell anyone? - and even after all these years, I still have no idea what he's singing about!).

Anyways, finally arrived at Cooperstown at about 1ish, and was really impressed with the place. It was a real nice little town in the middle of nowhere and looked like many of the old time villages in New England (even if it was a bit west). The town had also not succumbed to mad tourism and was subdued in the way it's shop fronts are done. The actual hall of fame was in the process of refurbishment (as are all museums at this time of year), but was open in the majority and I really enjoyed a few hours walking around and learning about America's game.

Got on the road again and finally arrived in Rochester (to the dulcet tones of ELO - Jeff Lynne - genius), checked in, had some dinner and some beer in the bar and went for an early night.

Day 31 - Boston (MA)

Darn. I'm sat in my hotel room and hoping that the Miami Hurricanes College football team (the equivalent to Man Utd in the college scene), lose, but they've just broken into the lead for the first time. Just a glimpse into the life of Robin!
Got up late (again, this is turning into a bad habit), and rolled into the garage I had checked out yesterday (and again when I returned after the day it was open so free parking ... woohoo). Unfortunately, the mad station attendant wasn't on, so I had to pay for a token to get on the train. Fortified by a croissant and donut I decided on a plan of attack. Just as an aside, but you pick things up when you visit different parts of the country, local brands and different food outlets. Up here, it's Doughnuts. Not sure why, but I'm sure I've seen more Dunkin' Donuts and Krusty Kreme Outlets than anywhere else in the country. It may be they are based up here, but still, even taking that into account, it's more than I ever expected.
Anyways, once I got into the City, I decided to go to visit Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox and one of the most celebrated Stadiums in American Sports History. Typical. I got there about 10 minutes after the last tour of the day, only because they are in the middle playoffs and they had to get the stadium ready for the game tomorrow. Pity. So I decided to walk to my second destination of the day, the Prudential Shopping Mall, where I was going to get onto a 'Duck Tour'. Duck tours operate in about 6 american cities, and instead of using trolleys or buses to take the punters around, they use world war II amphibious vehicles, which can travel on either land or water, also, it's not the usual staid tour guide, with the driver of the vehicle being there to entertain. It was really cool and gave a completely different view of the city.
Had some dinner and found a local wifi cafe so I could check emails and send a few too. Then rolled back to the car, went to the cinema (saw a film called Taxi, which was fun enough, but don't worry about missing it!).
It looks like Miami have pulled it out at the end, and it's bedtime for me. Nice long drive tomorrow.

Day 30 - Boston (MA)

You know those days where you just want to hide under the duvet? Where the world is a cold and nasty place and the best way to avoid it is to get the pillows and build a fort in your bed? Where the best things in the world are a 'do not disturb' sign and a switched off phone? Today started off as one of those days. I just didn't want to get up. I'd had a phone call at about 6am from Angelica letting me know she had gotten home safely (it was real nice to hear from her, even if I was half asleep), but couldn't get up. Eventually, I dragged myself out with the promise I was going to do something before Noon (don't be too critical, I drove for 5 hours last night, getting to the hotel at some time after ten). Unfortunately, unlike many of the previous hotels I've been this one isn't in the centre of Boston, so I decided against driving all the way in and went to the local subway station for the ride in (still had to drive and park there though). Grumpy Ticket Office Woman was obviously having a bad day (you could tell from the expression on her face), but it made a customers life good as she was letting us all through for free (for those not in the know, most subways in the US charge a set fee to get through the gate (up here in Boston it's $1.25), and you can change as much as you like to your destination on that one ticket. We can dream that the London Underground can adopt the same concept!)
Arrived in the centre of Boston and initial impressions of the city were quite good. It had a real contrast of old and new buildings, with some nice skyscrapers, yet still managing to keep some of it's old world charm. I decided to follow what's called the 'freedom trail', a 3 mile walk around the city visiting numerous historical locations. It was really well done (for a lazy tourist like me), where the path was marked out by a line of red bricks all around town. I took in some of the oldest parts of Boston, saw lots of graves (they seem to be the thing that last longest!) and learnt all about Boston's history and their 'fun and games' with more forefathers from the UK.
Best bits were probably the Obelisk on Bunker Hill and the USS Constitution (a very old full rigger). On the way back towards the town I stopped off at a cafe which had wifi access and I was able to go through all my emails and check a few things out. Eventually got back into town and took the tube back to my car. Had the pleasant sight of the gate at the parking lot I had used being up, so I drove on out and avoided another parking fee.
Instead of heading back to the Hotel, I went to the Cinema I'd seen on the way up the night before. I wanted to see 'Friday Night Lights', a film based on a book I had read last summer. The book was outstanding and the film had received good reviews. It was fantastic, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although it's about American Football (and you probably do need a little understanding of what's going on), I'd recommend any of you out there to go and see it, as it really gives a view of small town America and the importance of the local high school sports program.
Got out about 9.30ish and here I am in bed writing the day up. Considering the start I had (and I was disappointed to see the cleaners had dismantled my pillow fort on my return to the room), it turned into a pretty good day all around.

Day 29 - New York (NY) to Boston (MA)

and so our hero returns to his travelling activities, having nourished his soul in the big apple.

Not the best day I've ever had, but I'm through it. Got up and packed our bags, and went to our local deli for breakfast. They don't have deli's like the ones in New York in the UK and I'm not sure why, as they offer a wide variety of yummy stuff and the convenience of eat in or to go. It's much better than a McDonalds Mcmuffin. After that we went back to the hotel, initially just to check out and then go for a walk, but ended up working out where we were going to spend Christmas. Initial plans were somewhere in LA or San Fransisco, but on doing some net research, going to Yosemite National Park moved well ahead in the standings and we're going to seriously see if we can get there for a few days over Christmas. If we can it would be superb as it is the one part of the country I have had recommended to me that I thought I might miss.
Anyways, checked out and went for a stroll around town. It's difficult as neither of us wanted to really discuss stuff or spend loads of money because of the situation I had put us in with this trip. At times like that I feel really guilty about it and have trouble justifying the trip, and trying to find the words to put a smile on Angelica's face is a challenge. Eventually we got back to the hotel and were picked up by a shuttle bus to take us to JFK airport.
Wow. It was probably the most entertaining drive I've been on in many a year. Apparently there is only one rule when you drive around Manhattan, and that is obey traffic lights. Apart from that it's open season. We were thrown back and forth, left and right, taking turns when we were 2 lanes away from the turning lane, it was truly an experience! Of course, it was all the more enjoyable as Bob Marley and the Wailers were pounding out of the Stereo, making it all cool man!
Got to the airport, Angelica got checked in, then we sat and tried to kill an hour or so before Angelica had to go through the gates. Since 911 the airports have no entertainment this side of the security check, which meant we couldn't even grab a coffee. We did however do some planning on the laptop for the california trip. It made things easier working together to make the most of the next time we see each other, which will be a totally different experience to this time. It got close to time to go and I escorted Angelica to the gate and said our goodbye's.
I had the joys of a 5 hour drive up to Boston, which was dull, tiring (I had to stop on the way for a 20 minute kip), but eventually I got to my hotel in North Boston and collapsed to watch the Baseball. It was at this point I realised how much I was going to miss Angelica.
Many of you don't know Angelica, but she gives me so much in terms of direction and support, that when she isn't there, it suddenly becomes much harder to do stuff. We work amazingly well as a team and the time we have spent apart has strengthened both our love for each other, but has helped us be much more grown up and mature about our relationship. Saying goodbye at the airport today was difficult, but the knowledge that we had got through the hard part and that we both felt stronger about the bond between us made it easier... until I got to Boston and realised how much I had enjoyed being with Angelica, how fantastically beautiful she is (and I'm sure she got better looking while I was away), how lucky I was to have her in my life, and how much I was going to miss her over the next 2 months.
We'll see what Boston has to offer tomorrow, and I'll be positive, but I know I'll be looking forward to Las Vegas in Mid-December when I see Angelica again.

Day 28 - New York (NY)

Here I am sitting in bed, Angelica fast asleep next to me, watching the end of Monday night football with the Packers getting hammered by the Titans. Another day trolling around the big apple, and another day when my feet are really happy I've decided to put them up for the night. Was supposed to be going to Moma (Museum of Modern Art) after breakfast - but it was closed for refurbishment, so we went to Metropolitan Museum of Art and strolled around for an hour or so. When we came out the Columbus day parade was rolling down 5th Avenue. I always thought Columbus was a bit vague as to where he was from (Spain, Italy, Portugal), but it seems the Italians here in NY are quite certain about it and it was just as much a celebration of New York Italians as it was for Columbus. After a brief sit down we went to a Times Square Cinema and saw Sharks Tale. We spent about 15 minutes walking around the square, but had no idea where the cinema was (there was a fair bit of neon, which kinda made it hard!). After that we decided to go to the Thai restaurant we had been to on Saturday and had a nice meal again.

Day 27 - New York (NY)

A lazy start to the day, but eventually roused ourselves and walked over to Times Square to find somewhere to have some brunch. Had some nice omlettes and discussed a few bits and pieces before walking up Broadway and down 7th. Eventually went to Macy's to kill some time before we got the bus across to Giants stadium to see the Jets Bills game. The weather started to turn slightly, but we never thought it would get really cold. Once we arrived at the stadium though, it became obvious how exposed it was and the wind was whistling in. Showed Angelica the concept of tailgating, which was something she'd never seen before and because of the location of Giants stadium (in the middle of nowhere!), there were loads of people doing it. Eventually went into the stadium, which was a little older than many of the stadiums I've been to recently. Also, the Jets fans didn't seem to be as into it as the Baltimore fans. Unfortunately, the wind continued to pick up, and the sun went down (the game started at 4 and so was finishing in the dark). The game was also pretty dull so we left halfway through the 4th quarter cos it was so cold and the game was dullsville (of course as soon as we left it got more interesting). Managed to quickly get onto a coach, but it just happened to have a load of drunk Germans singing soccer songs (I come all this way....).

Eventually got back into Manhattan, quite relieved that we didn't stay later, as it would have meant a very slow journey through the Lincoln tunnel (the traffic on a Sunday evening was horrendous and would only have gotten worse). Grabbed some Chinese from a local deli and retired to watch Sunday night football (Angelica was asleep before the first quarter was over!)

Day 26 - New York (NY)

Another day in the big apple, another day working on shoe leather. Strolled Uptown and had a little breakfast bagel to keep the hunger pangs at bay. We then walked through Central Park, which I really liked. It was impressive considering how close it is to major buildings and yet how peaceful and tranquil it is. The contrast of lots of green and tall buildings really works. Went to the Guggenheim, but they were in the middle of rebuilding so didn't really get to see much. Not that I'm a major culture vulture, but some of the paintings were quite impressive.

Walked back into the park and just sat and relaxed for half an hour, soaking up the atmosphere. Walked a bit back towards midtown, trying to work out the vagaries of the new york subway system (one way when we tried to get on it). Eventually went down to Greenwich Village to grab a sandwich. Walked around and although it was quite different considering it is wedged between two of the major sky scrapers districts, wasn't overly impressed. Angelica's back was giving her some problems so we went back to the hotel and relaxed before hitting the theatre district to get some Thai dinner.

Day 25 - New York (NY)

Wow, I'm tired. Those streets of New York go on and on and on.

The whole 'getting up late' backfired on me this morning, as due to the time difference Angelica was bright eyed and bushy tailed well before I was even concious, which meant by the time I got on the go, I was still half asleep. Managed to get a coffee and a breakfast muffin at a coffee shop just around the corner to get kick started. (Just as an aside, do you know how many starbucks coffee shops there are within a 1 mile radius of our hotel - I just worked it out - over 60, and that's just starbucks!)

Walked down 5th avenue and decided to kick things off with a visit to the Empire State Building. Unfortunately, after the 9/11 tragedy, this is now the tallest building in the city, and gets all the trade, and I think it's struggling. The lobby looked tired and I think it's not been updated (probably because up until 2001, it didn't need to invest) for a while. The top was just as busy and unfortunately, the morning mist hadn't completely cleared, which meant you couldn't see as much as you'd like. The views were pretty impressive though, and the Chrysler building still looked as good as it always does. It also emphasised the big gap between midtown skyscrapers and the ones downtown. Town planners must have made sure this was the case.
Anyways, took a subway to ground zero and paused for a moment, before walking for miles around the financial district and then battery park. Enjoyed a nice creole empanada for lunch.
Took a tube to Time Square and then walked for miles looking at clothes for Angelica. Was quite nice to see the city buzzing around, if a little tiring. Eventually got back after doing both Macys and Bloomingdales (cheap clothes - the exchange rate is nice, pity I'm on a budget), grabbed a quick slice or two of pizza at a local pizzeria, then an early night.
A tiring day, but ultimately good fun, and excellent to spend time with Angelica.

Day 24 - Addendum - Going Back

you often hear the phrase, 'don't go back, it'll never be as good as you remember it', when looking at returning to somewhere you visited as a child. Summer holidays, which at the time, were the best thing ever, going to Cornwall and playing in the rock pools, and yet you go back and look at the hotel, which has seen better days, and the local ice cream stall, which seems tawdry, and the rock pools which were the coolest thing ever, are now only dirty puddles, with none of the crabs or starfish you remember.
When I was young, I had a few summer holidays, and certainly after I was 8 years old the family went away regularly. Until that age, I was regularly transported across the Atlantic to New York, where my grandparents had settled. My grandad was part of a big shipping company based in Manhattan,and when they moved across from the UK (having previously worked in Italy for a few years), they had the opportunity to move into a nice house in a quiet neighbourhood about an hour outside of Manhattan called Plandome. It was a leafy suburb, which afforded them the chance of living on the outskirts of one of the busiest metropolises in the world, and yet still be able to go home to peace and tranqulity.
Traditionally I would visit for summer holidays and Christmas and maybe easter too. Some of my earliest memories involved 59 Parkwood, and even though they moved back to the UK when I was seven to retire and so they could help my parents when my sister was born, I still hold onto those memories dearly, and so it was with great trepidation that I returned to Long Island to look upon my old haunts, fearing that these important memories I had, important to the extent they are probably the reason I am travelling around the USA, may never live up to the modern day reality.
Old phrases aren't always true though, and as my GPS system pinged its way around streets I had no hope of remembering, guiding me like an invisible hand to the heart of the memories, I was overjoyed to find a village and community exactly the way I remembered it. The streets were quiet and wide, nary a car passing by. The front lawns were wide and welcoming, lush and green. A neighbour was out mowing his lawn and he gave me a cheery wave and smile as I passed. It was the community were bringing up children in a harsh and nasty world (at times), is so much easier. Children playing on the front porch, and with the neighbours across the street. Lazy summer evenings just messing around. Mums on school runs, taking their children to soccer practice or music lessons. It was middle class heaven. I realised how fortunate I was to have been brought up by parents and grandparents who lived in such a world and how when I came to the USA, didn't seem to have a care in the world (admittedly, I can't think of many 5 year olds who do have a care in the world, but that kinda defeats the object of this, so run with me!)
I pulled into the street that my grandparents lived in and had trouble remembering the house. It is true that things you remember when you are a kid are much larger and impressive then when you grow up and see them. I found the house and soaked in the memories, which were flowing quite strongly.I remeber pulling up to the house in my grandad's big lincoln, sat on the little arm rest in the middle of the back seat. I remember a hornet's nest in the front lawn and ignoring everyone's advice and stirring it up with my big toe (I was 5 at the time, I had no idea what I was doing), and then getting stung and my grandad saving me, taking me into the basement and patiently removing all the stings with tweezers, even though I was screaming at the time, and he had been stung several times as well. Standing in front of the house brought it back.
My grandparents neighbor, Audrey, still lived in the same house, and I knocked on the door. She wasn't in unfortunately, so I wrote a little note, and put it on the porch, hoping she would read it and smile. I wanted to walk the block, as I remember doing at Christmas once, when snow was on the ground and the hill at the end of the road was fun to slide down, but first I thought the least I could do, having travelled this far was knock on the door and see if anyone was in at my old haunt. I pressed the buzzer and after a few seconds an elderly couple opened the door. I felt slightly foolish explaining to them who I was and why I was here, but they grinned and said they had bought the house from Tom & Sylvia and remembered them fondly. They laughed when I mentioned about the hornets nest, saying the problem was still there and they had just had the exterminators in to try and get rid of them! Surprisingly, they passed on their condolences, at which point I raised my eyebrows. I explained that both of my grandparents were still very much in the land of the living, and in fact had spoken to them not an hour earlier to check where I was going. They were very pleased to hear this and asked to be remembered, and to pass on thanks as the house had been perfect for them. I had apparently woken them from an afternoon siesta judging by their atire and so made my excuses and left for the walk around the block. I'd be lieing if I said I could remember anything specificallly, I was of course only 5 years old at the time, but the feeling I got was the feeling I remembered. of being safe and secure, of not having a care in the world, of playing with neighbours kids across the way, but most of all of peacefulness and happiness - that warm fuzzy feeling with crickets chirruping, an occasional dog bark, and an SUV returning from the school run (OK, so an SUV is not the most environmentally freiendly option, but it's the modern day equivalent of the big stationwagons you still see on the roads, which were mum's staple transport in years gone by).
And so here I am, sat on the lawn of my grandparents old next door neighbour, tapping away on a keyboard, about memories from over 25 years ago. Whoever "they" are, who say 'don't go back' haven't been where I've been and haven't got the memories I have. If I'd listened to them I could have ended up missing out on one of the best experiences of my trip so far. Never be scared to go back.

Day 24 - Philadelphia (PA) to New York (NY)

Got up late (this is becoming a bad habit) and got on-line to bid for tickets to see the Jets - Bills game in New Jersey on Sunday. Thought this would be good fun for Angelica to experience an NFL game (honestly, I had no other agenda... truely... ;-)). Managed to get them at the eleventh hour (consider me a convert to Ebay), so it looks like I'll be seeing an NFL game every weekend for about 10 weeks! Had planned the day down to perfection, but it went slightly pear shaped when I pulled up at the New Jersey State Aquarium, which was across the Delawere river from Philly, and it was closed. So much for that plan. I figured at least it meant I wasn't going to be late to pick up Angelica from the airport.

I decided to roll up to New York anyways, but stopped a few times on the New Jersey turnpike (gets my newest vote for most boring road in the USA - at least it splits into two 3 lane roads, one for cars and the other for trucks) for a coffee and a bite to eat. Eventually got up to New York and decided to go the scenic route across the bridges. The Verrazano bridge across the port was outstanding and as good as I remember it when I was in the US on business 6 or so years ago. (Add that to my fave things in America list - football stadiums, aquariums, bridges)

Saw New York in the distance and realised that it was the first time I'd seen Manhattan in person since 9/11. It felt slightly bare without the twin towers, and I realised how much of an important symbol they were and how much them not being there affected the whole view. To be there on a day to day basis must make it even more painful, not seeing something you'd seen every day and it reminding you of what happened.

Took the road up to Manhasset in Northern Long Island where my grandparents used to live (please see the seperate note on this following).

Eventually arrived at JFK after an eventful drive through the streets of the Bronx at night, with diversions and grumpy, aggresive New York drivers, and parked up the car. Took the airtrain to the terminal Angelica was landing at, and was pleased to see her flight was landing about 25 minutes earlier (only hoped she wasn't held up at immigration for some strange ban on Swede's entering the US - stranger things have happened!).

As I was sitting there, I was worried I wasn't getting all excited and stuff, considering this was the first time I'd seen Angelica for 10 weeks. I realised as soon as I saw her come through the doors of the terminal, it was because I had saved it up for when I saw her. It was the best feeling I'd had since I arrived. It felt good.

We shared a cab into the 'Big Apple' and arrived late and tired at our hotel. Checked in, unpacked and sorted storage out (I'm getting better, I'd usually just live out the bag, but I was there putting clothes and the like into cupboards for neatness!), then collapsed into bed. Angelica was out like a light (time difference and all), and I watched the end of the baseball before switchling the light off, and falling asleep next to my beautiful fiance for the first time in what seemed like forever.

Day 23 - Lancaster (PA) to Philadelphia (PA)

Slow start to the day, but eventually a coffee from Rich got me awake and ready to take on the world (kinda). Resorted my bags with my fresh laundry, so I could travel light into NYC when I meet Angelica at JFK (how cool - she's here in 2 days). After messing around at Rich's workplace on the internet (almost as good as free room is free internet!! - actually that makes me sound really sad! - what have I become?) had a brief lunch, then bid Rich and Hosanna farewell and rolled on to Philly.
Considering the UK has only just got it's first toll road, I'm sure they'll catch on if it's anything like over here. Tolls seem to be the standard over here, and if you're not careful can add up (especially if you are on the same road every day). I payed something like $5 for a 25 mile trip on the Pennsylvania turnpike.
Anyways, enough of my moaning, Philly was a really attractive city to drive into, the skyline was really impressive and even more so when you consider it's probably the most "historic" city in the states (and I won't make any gags about american history being an oxymoron - oh I just did!). Found my hotel and checked in (priceline wins again - Wyndham City Centre Philly, 3*, but quite posh for only 30 quid), then as usual got myself organised and strolled into the city centre to find out what Philly was like. I didn't actually get into town until about 4.30pm (the perils of a lie-in), so I hit the end of the business day, which added a reassuring hustle to the activities. Philly turned out to be a perfectly agreeable city. The contrast of old and new buildings gave it some uniqueness, and the city hall against the backdrop of state of the art skyscrapers was really cool. I walked from one end of downtown to the other (does that make it uptown? or was I walking from uptown?... the vagries of American city planning are lost on me), and saw lots of shops and even a mall (unusual in my recent experience of US city centres). I eventually got to the 'historic' district where the liberty bell is housed, but I have to say it didn't really do much for me. The bell was housed in one of these National Park Centres and I due to the late hour I wasn't sure I wanted to curtail my visit because of closing time. I merely walked around the historic district, looked at the liberty bell (even though it was inside, you could see it behind the window - another example of reputation exceeding size - I was expecting one of those big bells you see in Westerns when the villagers need to call the hero's cos their village is under attack by bandits - but it was just a normal bell that you'd find in a church, albeit one which is bit rusty/green with age). I then sat down for a bit, and watched the world go by. I like people watching, seeing people whizz by on the sidewalk, wondering where they are going and what they are doing.
On the way back, I popped into the mall's food court for a little teryaki chicken, then went back to the hotel to relax, sort out the necessary bits and pieces I needed for when I'd meet Angelica and then retired to the dulcet tones of the air conditioner rattling away in the corner.

Day 22 - Baltimore (MD) to Lancaster (PA)

Having had a late night, there was no rush for me to get up the next day, so did a little morning reading and lazing before getting on the road. Collected another hotel room key card to add to my collection (by the end of the trip I should have enough key cards to open every hotel room door in the world), and headed off to see Rich in Pennsylvania. Decided to take the scenic route across Chesapeake Bay, via Anapolis. Anapolis seemed a nice little town (for those of you not in the know, Anapolis is the many Naval Academy), and before long I was rolling over the Key Bridge and heading towards Delawere. Arrived in the self proclaimed 'first state', and thought not so much Delawere as Dela-why. It's not that big and there isn't even an interstate through it. But is has got the Division II NCAA reigning national football champions (I noticed the banners when I went through Delawere Uni town. After that took a very pleasant back route through rolling countryside, lovely farms and a small township every so often. Very relaxing driving and so much better than being stuck on the interstate. Arrived at Rich's at around 4 and we chewed the cud on numerous subjects. Also got introduced to Rich's lovely dog, Hosanna, who is suffering badly from arthiritis and old age, but she's gorgeous (and I'm highly allergic to her alas, was sniffling all the time).
Rich gave me a number of options for dinner and we plumped for his golf club (which mean I had to get a shirt on, sorry mum, no iron, so it was a little wrinkled), which turned out to be an excellent idea (it certainly beats the fast food options which I am desperatly trying to avoid). Got introduced to two of Rich's friends, Will & Cricket and ended up sat having dinner with them. As I have said before in these pages, it's great to have nice intelligent conversation with good people, (in comparison to a TV dinner) and tonight was the perfect example. We discussed the phenomena of 'professional americans' and decided to expand it to 'professional nationals', as it was unfair just to say the US were the only producer. Ever nation has it's tourists who give their country a bad name. We stretched through american sports in comparison to UK sports all the way to the marketing strategies of major hotels and the usage of priceline.com - which considering I've tried to avoid marketing for the last few months was both challenging and fun.
Relaxed back at Rich's on the Laz-y-boy (why don't we have more of these in the UK), watched the Twins beat the Yankees (baseball fans around the world unite in a cheer), sipping beer and putting the world to rights.
Another lovely day, made by the people in it. Rich as ever has been a top host (even let me do laundry so I smell clean and fresh for Angelica), and Will & Cricket were both funny, intelligent and charming. Made the day.

Day 21 - Washington (DC) to Baltimore (MD)

Another day in the big 'ole USA, which again started off slowly getting myself sorted for leaving Washington DC. Late check out times are a benefit or a curse depending on your point of view. They're great, but they don't give you the urgency to get up and do stuff, so I took my time and I was eventually on the way to Baltimore. Getting out of Washington was challenging, but I eventually got on the interstate and aside from the usual stop at the rest area (It's become a tradition of mine, not sure why, but it breaks up the journey), arrived in Baltimore early afternoon. Checked into my hotel and walked down to the waterfront, which reputedly was the best place to while away an afternoon. I was impressed. Baltimore is a nice new city and since I was arriving during the working week, it was bustling, which makes such a change for the visiting tourist. I strolled down to the harbour area and was really impressed with what I saw. The harbor was really well developed, and was possibly the most impressive location I'd seen in a US town since Seattle. I walked around for a bit, then decided to visit the National Aquarium they have here. Again, I was really impressed, they had a fantastic tank full of rays (my favourite underwater creature - so peaceful and graceful), and the rest of the aquarium was really well put together. They had a huge coral reef section, along with a big shark pool. As an educational experience, it was well laid out and I really enjoyed some of the exhibits (even if I longed to see them in their natural habitat).
After walking around the aquarium, I went across a walkway to the aquarium's dolphin show. I'm not a huge fan of this type of 'set piece' extravaganza, but this was well done and responsible, and I enjoyed it. After that, it was such a fantastic day I just sat outside a bar, had some food and a top vanilla milkshake and watched the world go by. Superb.
It got to about 6-ish and I walked back to the hotel to relax for a bit, before I worked out what I wanted to do in the evening. Sometime on Sunday, I realised Monday Night Football was in Baltimore, with the Ravens playing host to the Chiefs. I figured I could either sit in my room watching it on TV, or go and see if I could get a ticket for the game. The old Robin would have sat in my room and taken the easy option, but I decided in my new found bravado to take a risk and see what happened. Boy was that the right decision. I bought a ticket for just above face value and got in the stadium. I was really impressed with it, and the atmosphere was electric. Now I'm a Bengals fan, so seeing the Ravens play is like an Arsenal Fan going to a West Ham game (not Spurs, but close by), but I really enjoyed the evening. The game was a nailbiter, the fans around me entertaining and chatty (even after I told them I was a Cincinnati man), and the whole evening great fun. I was evening cheering the Ravens at the end, but the game ended with a KC win, so it worked out perfectly for me!!
Got back to my hotel late (no idea why they timtable the game at 9pm kick off, I know LA gets to watch it at 6pm, but still, 9pm seems a little late!), and am just about to doze off with a happy expression on my face, a great day, a nice town, a fantastic harbour, a superb aquarium, a good football game. And the best bit is Angelica gets here on Thursday! Good stuff.

Day 20 - Washington (DC)

Today, was one of those days when I just couldn't get started. The type of day when Angelica comes into her own and gives me the 'push' in the right direction. Got out a little earlier then yesterday, but my legs were still tired from all the walking yesterday, so didn't manage that long. Went up to Dupont circle, where there was a farmers market on, and quite a bit of bustle, which considering it was a city on a Sunday was quite nice to see. Ambled back into DC and stopped for lunch and watched the first half of the Redskins game. On the way back to the hotel, walked through the park in front of the white house (looking at more police and barriers than ever), and in a lovely Sunday afternoon saw lots of teams playing flag football. It put a smile on my face.
Which was swiftly wiped off, when the Bengals managed to lose again to the Steelers. Oh well, they can't lose next week (it's a bye!).

That was the day. Not much really.

Day 19 - Washington (DC)

Got a phone call from Angelica early-ish to say hi. Promptly went back to bed (I think the driving took it out of me). Eventually dragged myself out of bed and went for a loooong walk around the city. It's quite european at times, but like most cities in the US, it shuts down at the weekend. Lots of tourists around, but not much else. Did the usual sights then visited the Smithsonian. Wasn't in a culture mood, so just visited the National Air & Space Museum, which was pretty amazing in it's own right. The airplane's they've got on display turned me into a little kid again (not hard I hear you say!). After that walked around the capitol area, then into union station, which was beautiful (try saying that about New Street, Birmingham!). Had some dinner (curry, nothing like being at home), then walked all the way back to the hotel to wind down in the evening. My feet ached like anything, but it was a good day.

Day 18 - Charleston (WV) to Washington (DC)

Not really much to say today. Overslept, but not too badly, and got on the road to Washington. Very tiring driving for some unknown reason, and when I eventually arrived in DC, it was the rush hour, when the entire US capital disappears for the weekend. Now to start off, this was a little humerous as I was speeding into DC, with standstill traffic going the other way (you've seen the scene in countless movies), but as soon as I hit the DC ring road, it was like the M25 all over, but on the wrong side of the road, with more exits than you can shake a stick at (think the North Circular rather than the M25 actually). Challenging, especially for someone knackered having driven for the last 5 hours. Eventually arrived at my hotel all reserved (thanks to priceline.com), and it was rather a posh hotel (nice price - but I'm going to get stung on parking charges). Decided to go for a walk into DC, but it was full of lots of office staff getting ready for the weekend (maybe I should have joined that party of Virgin Stewardesses who arrived just as I was going out, that might have been fun!). Got back and fell asleep watching the TV. Not exactly the height of entertainment, but, hey, you get some days like this, where you just have to get to the end of it.

Day 1 7- Cave City (KY) - Charleston (WV)

I stopped in a rest area (good things rest areas) in Northern Kentucky and as I was getting back in the car a woman looked across at me said "you've come a long way, haven't you". I replied "you have no idea," and the fact is, no-one does, not even me. 15 months ago, I was probably sat at my desk, wondering what was going to happen in the following week when I went to Wentworth. I had no idea I would be quitting my job, travelling around the states, getting engaged, and be a fully qualified scuba instructor. The last 15 months have been quite a change. It's only now, when I take stock of the situation, I realise how far I've come, but also how far I still need to go. I'm 32 years old and still don't know what I want to do with my life. I thought I did, having spent all of my adult life working towards a goal, and yet now, I'm not so sure it's a goal I want. Don't get me wrong here, I'm a realist and would be churlish to throw away much of what I have put in to my life so far, but my eyes have been opened to numerous other doors which I never knew existed. I still have over 3 months here and as well as expanding my horizons and seeing more of an impressive and beautiful country, I need to understand where I want to go next, in life.
This was all brought into sharper focus, as I driving from Cave City to Charleston to meet Carol, one of my colleagues from the Wentworth course I took, and which ultimately, spurred me into this adventure. I'll never say that Wentworth changed me and will have the same effect on you, but it certainly opened my eyes to some of the attitudes and approaches I had up to that point, and realised that there more options than I previously thought. It didn't work the way my Boss hoped it would (would you want one of your team to go on a course and hand in their notice because of it!), and in speaking to other colleagues they got differing things from the course. For me, it opened my eyes.
Up to this point, the day had been quite a dull, but once I hit West Virginia, I got pulled over by the State police for not yielding when I should have (I think the concept of doing the paperwork on a UK driving licence on a Washington Plate helped me get off with a warning). I then arrived in Charleston, and found my hotel, then went up to see Carol and go with her to her kids soccer practice. We then went into Charleston centre (with a whistle stop tour of what turned out to be a nice town centre), and had a lovely dinner with Carol and Mike. As I kept saying it was lovely just to have a nice conversation and be with people. It can get tiring when you are on your own every evening. We discussed everything from politics, to harleys, to travel. I really enjoyed myself.
So onwards to DC. With my eyes open and determined to try something new and get out of that comfort zone (does being pulled by a state trooper count as a first for me?)

Day 16 - Louisville (KY) to Cave City (KY)

Currently going through the "not having to get up early so not getting up early" stage. Had a little lie in (usually end up late watching the last week of baseball before the playoffs), then packed and got on the road. Was heading to Mammoth Cave National Park. 2 hours later I arrived, amid the usual plethora of gimmicks and trash that surround any tourist attraction in the states. Again, once within the peace and quiet of the national park it was serenity. Arrived perfectly timed to go on a couple of cave tours. I didn't think I had arrived perfectly due to the stupid time zones. I had travelled a few miles and sudddenly the clock went back one hour. Oh well, shouldn't grumble. Mammoth Cave is the largest cave system in the world (apparently), with over 365 miles of explored caves and probably double that still to be discovered. It is free to get in, but the tours guided by national park rangers can be taken at a fee.
The first tour was a short one, where we didn't go to deep into a cave. It was one of those limestone caves with lots of stalactites and stalagmites, so it was very beautiful. Got chatting to a couple from Dallas as I was walking through and they were fascinated by my trip. By the time I had gotten back to the visitor centre and was getting ready for the 2nd tour, they had already offered to put me up when I pass through Dallas. Again, another amazing example of hospitality from Americans. The second tour was quite unique, it was a 3 mile walking tour (for 3 hours) underground, only light by laterns. Once we got down there they shut off all the lights, and the laterns made the perfect effect. The place is massive and some of the caves were huge. It was awe inspiring walking through them. There is lots of history as well in the caves, (someone thought TB could be solved by breathing air underground so there was a hospital) and the rangers did their best to explain it all. It was a very enjoyable experience and walking for 3 miles was also really good (well it beat's sitting in a car seat. The life of a traveller is quite sedimentary at times!)
Just an aside, but on the tour the other type of American was also evident. As you can imagine, it was quite murky and the ground wasn't an easy path, so we were advised not to take any photographs (the caves were too huge anyways that the flash wouldn't work, and if you decided to expose the film for longer, you really needed a steady hand!) so as we could concentrate on keeping our footing. Despite this there were a couple who keep fiddling with the camera, even after they were reminded not to. This is the bad type of American - the arrogant. However, I've met loads more of the good generous americans, so shouldn't complain.
Got into Cave City (just for reference English people out there, just because it says it's a city it don't have to be one!), and checked into my motel. Grabbed some dinner and toured the town (typical smalltown America) then relaxed in front of a college football game on the TV.

Day 15 - Cincinnati (OH) - Louisville (KY)

Another quiet day, but very useful from the planning point of view. Got up and did some packing as this was my last day in Cincinnati for a few weeks. Dumped everything in the car and then popped round to the Cafe I found yesterday with free wifi internet access. Sat in there for about 3 hours sorting out hotels and wotnot for the next 3 weeks. The joys of priceline.co.uk and hotwire.com saved me a bundle for decent hotels in the town centres. It takes a bit of learning to know how to get the best of them, but I managed to get some decent deals, which is nice. The cafe also makes a top breakfast bagel :-)

Stayed until around 1.30pm then got on the road to Louisville Kentucky. Didn't really have much interest in going into the town centre (thought I might bump into some GE spods), so found my hotel easily and settled in for the afternoon/evening. Laundry called and the hotel had some facilities, so got that taken care (look mum - I'm all domesticated and stuff!!), and then started going through the reams of photographs I've not uploaded onto the website.

Digital cameras really are a boon as they make amateurs look good (I reckon one in every eight I shoot is ok, so having a digital camera with large memory card means I have a better chance of getting more good images). The downside though is cataloging them afterwards. It took me the best part of 2 hours to go through them all, rename them and then work out which ones to put on the website.

Anyways, did that and sat and watched the great shark fishing contest on espn. Not sure if you'd call it a sport, but it was entertaining enough and reminded me how much I love diving (even surrounded by Sharks would be cool).

Anyways, must go a fold laundry. Not much really happened today (see everyone, it's not all fun and games, I still have normal things to do like planning and laundry etc!)

Tomorrow I'm hoping will be good fun as I'm off to the Mammoth Cave National Park. Updates & Pix when I can get on line!!

Day 14 - Cincinnati (OH)

Today was a quiet day. Pretty relaced with no particular place to go. Sorted out some financial bits and pieces back in the UK and then started planning the next few weeks of the trip. Now, I bet you all think that this trip is easy, I just get in the car and go somewhere. It's not that easy, cos this place is huge and every so often I need to spend a day working out where I'm going to be and how long I'm going to be there. I also need to look at hotel options, as there are cheaper ways to purchase hotels than just turning up at the door. I've recently discovered the joys of priceline.com, where I can 'bid' for hotel rooms. It should reduce the cost of my trip over the next few weeks. Other things also impact the trip, such as conferences. For example, I was planning to go to Chicago for the next few days, but upon research it turns out that Chicago has a huge 'motivation' conference, and so the hotel rooms are all either booked up, or too expensive. I've had to change this to a visit to Louisville (those of you who know my background will be relieved to know I will not be visiting GE HQ).
Anyways, not much happened today while I was doing the planning, found a local cafe with decent wifi connection (so I don't have to pay insane charges at the Hotel). I've no idea why a major business hotel doesn't have wifi access installed (it can't cost that much). Sat and watched Monday night football. So it's off to Louisville tomorrow.

Day 13 - Cincinnati (OH)

Game Day.
Got up and got dressed (replica kit and all) and decided to go into the centre of town and see what was happening. On the way in, got a phone call from my good buddy Gil down in Florida. Contrary to my original view, the Hurricane hadn't hit there and Gil passed his instructor exam (Way to go buddy!).
As I was walking around town, I relised that I wasn't the only one wearing Bengals kit, which considering no-one in the UK probably knows who the Bengals are, was a totally new situation for me to be in. It was like I had moved from being the odd one out to being the one who was suddently with the in crowd. I felt like I belonged! Anyways, decided to head into the bar I visited on Friday to try and get some breakfast (there was a healthy stream of Bengal fna going in so I figured it might be a good place to go). Got chatting to someone in the queue and due to my story (impoverished British Bengal Fan out on my own), they took pity on me and I joined them for a pregame Beer or two. Nice guys, who I'll probably meet up with the next time I am here.
Left for the game at around 12 (kick off at 1), and the way to the game was packed with fans. Got into the stadium and went up to my seats. Turned out I had a really good view and settled down to the game. I won't bore you with the details, you can probably get them on espn.com, but needless to say the Bengals lost. The atmosphere for the most part was electric and even though the result wasn't what I wanted, it was still a great experience.
Just before the end of the game, I got a phone call from one of the guys I met at the bar before the game, Mark, who was checking to see what I thought of it all. He was in seating a few blocks from me so I went over to have a chat before the end of the game. Mark then kindly offered for me to go back to his place for dinner and to meet his wife. Again, I am blown away by the generosity of the people I meet in this country. We stopped at a milkshake shop and I had a superb malt shake (locals know all the best spots) and then we got back to his home, a real lovely place in a nice little suburb. Met his lovely wife Paula, who is 7 months pregnant and had a great evening. Had a top dinner of buffalo burgers (perfectly done) with Mash and Beans, and watched football with some real nice people in a nice homely environment. They knew I had an empty hotel room to go back to so their kindness was really appreciated. Mark gave me a lift back to my hotel and went to bed.
I'm continually blown away by the generosity of the people I meet in this country. They are warm and generous and I've been very lucky to meet them, as they have made this adventure so much better than it could have been. To all of you, thanks.

Day 13 - Cincinnati (OH)

After several days of heavy driving, early mornings and no chance to really switch off, I decided to essentially take today off. Had a huge lie in, and then got up and walked around Cincinnati city centre for a while. The place was pretty much dead and I quickly established that I was in a working town and during the weekend the city centre shut down. It was like a ghost town with almost no traffic. I grabbed a newspaper and decided to have lunch at Skyline Chilli, a local speciality apparently. Now as you all know I like my Chilli so I figured this was a good thing. Unfortunately I wasn't that impressed. I'm not saying it was bad, just that I didn't like it. If you ever get to Cincinnati I suggest you try it out and find out if you like it yourself.
Anyways, the rest of the day was very low key. Watched some college football on TV, went for another walk (the place was still empty), then went down to the hotel sports bar had a beer and some food. Retired to an early night.

Day 12 - Lafeyette (IN) to Cincinnati (OH)

Oh, the joy of a lie in! Decided that since I was only about 2 hours away from the ultimate destination for this part of the trip, Cincinnati, I'd have a few extra minutes in bed, which was really nice. I also had a shave. When you are out on the road, certain, how shall we say, lazinesses creep in, and for me, shaving is one of them. So having an extra few minutes in the morning meant a nice relaxed shave. Got on the road about 9am and followed it all the way into Ohio. Crossing the stateline was the first time a state has announced via a sign that you are in a new state, which was nice, but I probably could have guessed it from the 10 police cars that sat at various points of the road within a few miles of the state line. Glad I wasn't speeding then! Came in from the North, so didn't really get a chance to fully absorb the skyline (think of approaching London from the North, as opposed to crossing one of the bridges from the south bank - you get a totally different impression.), but rounded a corner and there was Paul Brown Stadium, the home of the Bengals. It may sound corny, but when you've been supporting a team for 17 years and you've never been to the stadium, let alone see a live game, it's quite an experience. I definately got goosebumps. Parked up and went to pick up my tickets (whoo-hoo) and visited the Bengal Shop. I was in heaven! Managed to drag myself away and wondered into the town centre where I picked up a few local newspapers to see what was going on in town over the weekend and decided to catch a high school football game. I've always wanted to get to one of these having read numerous books about them.
I picked a game between St Xavier and Moeller High Schools, and after checking in, set off to find the school it was being held at. Little did I know what I was in for. I got there real early and managed to blag my way into the main car park with a "I'm all the way from England, have pity on me" kinda story (hey, don't knock it, it worked!) and then walked around like a little lost soul, wondering what to do. There were lots of people and the football stadium looked quite big, but I figured it can't be sold out. Walked over to the ticket window and saw the "Sold Out" sign, so much for my plan! Just as I was about to start asking people for tickets, a kindly soul said he had one extra and would I like it. I nearly bit the man's hand off and was soon enough throuth the gates. I settled on the back row of the away teams side (Moeller) and started a conversation with Dave, who was sat next to me. Little did I know, but I had managed to get my hands on a very hot ticket and the game was an 8,000 sell out. The two teams were two of the best high school teams in the state and that the game was going to be tight as both teams were very evenly matched. I suddenly felt extremely lucky.
Anyways, the game started and I suddenly was in the middle of it. I loved every minute of it. Unlike professional sports, the fans at this game had a big involvement in the teams, someone's son or grandson was playing, they are at the school now or they had been to the school. The atmosphere was electric and I now not only felt lucky but very privelidged to be involved. I've been racking my brains all evening to try and find a comparison in the UK, but I can't. It's unique. I would have treasured the experience, no matter the score, but it just so happened I was watching one of the best games of football I'd ever seen. Even at half time I was shouting and hollering along with everyone else around me. The atmosphere and the game just sucked you in. At the half, Moeller were losing 14 - 9, but early in the second half Xavier scored twice to make it 28 - 9. Moeller almost scored, but didn't make it on a fourth down and some of their fans started leaving, but then the comeback started. Xavier fumbled and Moeller scored on the next play. Then Xavier couldn't move the ball and punted to Moeller. The Quarterback of Moeller, a kid called Chris Reisert, started throwing up on the field before each play the, nerves were jangling that much, but on the next play he threw a perfect pass (despite getting levelled afterwards) and suddenly the impossible comeback had happened, Moeller were in front 31 - 28. Unfortunately, there was enough time for Xavier to come back and they managed to drive down the field and along with some dodgy hometown officiating, managed to snatch a win with the last play of the game. I was gutted (along with everyone on my side of the pitch), but the game and atmosphere was something I will probably never forget. I've already got a couple of phone number for when I get back into Cincinnati, so I can watch Moeller again.
What a day.

Day 11 - Mitchell (SD) to Lafeyette (IN)

Not much to say for a day which consisted of around 14 hours in the car driving. In between getting a puncture and managing to spot a tire company 2 minutes after the puncture, and driving through some of the heaviest rain I've ever encountered, it's been pretty dull. I'd love to tell you interesting things about Minnesota and Wisconsin, but to be honest, all I saw were fields. Tomorrow hopes to be a good day, when I finally get to Cincinnati, my home for the weekend... more news and hopefully some interesting activity to tell you all about...

Day 10 - Cody (WY) to Mitchell (SD)

Didn't really get much of a chance to see the home of Buffalo Bill in Cody, as I was up at the crack of dawn to get on the road. Lots of miles to cover. Had two options for the route towards Devil's Tower and took the wrong one, which was a little longer (not what you need when you have lots of driving to do), but in fact was probably the better route anyways, as it took me through Bighorn national forest, which afforded some of the best views I have ever seen. It also allowed me to play dodgecow. This is a old sport carried forward from the wildwest, but has been updated to use cars instead of horse and carriage. The aim of the game is to be driving along at a decent speed and then dodge the cattle that casually wonder into the road. I did rather well, missing all the animals which I could have taken. Later on I played dodgedeer which didn't have the same 'big' impact as the dodgecow. Also on this leg of the trip the ipod came out. Pet Shop Boys were chosen and varying from 'Always on My Mind' (I miss Angelica), to their cover of 'Where the Streets have no name" just as I hit a beautiful vista, it was a good choice. At one point the view was so good that I forgot I was in the states and started down the road on the wrong side. Lets just say a truck driver coming the other way may have dropped his donut! The journey also opened my eyes to the unusual process of passing cars. On numerous occasions, cars would pull over to let me pass, just as I was moving slightly quicker than them! Why is it that tractors in the UK never do that!
Onwards towards Devils Tower, which you may remember from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. On the approach I took, they teased you with brief glimpses before you dropped into a valley, so when you finally saw it in all its glory, you couldn't help but be impressed. It is a geological masterpiece, and the way the US national park don't tart it up in anyways and there is no major tat markets at the entrance made the whole thing enchanting. I sat down and savoured the atmosphere for a while.
The only way to beat it was to call Angelica, so I did :-)
Then onwards to Mount Rushmore. Now having been underawed (in a good way) with the way that Yellowstone and Devils Tower avoided the 'quick buck' mentality, I was very disappointed with the way Mount Rushmore was set up. Devils Tower is set well away from a main road and so gets little passing trade, but Mount Rushmore is a few miles south of Rapid City and the route from Rapid City was filled with cheap amusements and stuff. When you actually got to the town of Keystone which is the closest town to the mounument itself, you were overawed by waxworks museums and 'executive decision' diners. Unfortunately this soured me on the whole thing and when I finally saw the 4 faces, I have to be honest and say I was a bit underwhelmed. The place was swarming with what I call 'Professional Americans' (55+, driving huge RV's and wearing caps with the stars and stripes on them, who when you speak to them, ask you where you come from, and then always have a relative living in the UK), which didn't help (at least at Yellowstone the place is big enough to hide from them). Once you sit and consider the sculpture, you have to be impressed (even if I thought they'd be bigger!), but the whole Rushmore experience left me a little sour.
After that it was time to head off and see how far I could get to Cincinnati. Managed to get to Mitchell, but no further due to a combination of horrendous weather (cats and dogs) and tiredness (along with the lateness of the hour). Tomorrow is gonna be dull so I better get some decent tunes rolling.

Day 9 - West Yellowstone (WY) to Cody (WY)

Welcome to wildlife today with your host 'Rarin' Robin Adams.
"Hello everybody and welcome to wildlife today. I'm Robin Adams and we're going to be looking at the diverse animals and scenery within Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. These parks are situated in Wyoming USA and combine several different topographical features along with a variety of different animal life. On our journey today you will see geothermal springs, including a boiling lake as well as numerous geysers. Along the way keep an eye out for Buffalo and Deer, they'll just walk into the middle of the road if you're lucky.
After that we'll move onwards across the continental divide and down into Grand Teton park. This was recommended to me by an old couple from South Carolina, and buy did they know their stuff. Once we've navigated around the roadworks which lengthen the journey somewhat, just check out the views. Possibly the best view you'll ever see. Stunning. And then if you look closely, you'll see some Elk in the foreground. Also don't forget to check out Jackson Lodge. Now that is how the other half live! Back on the road and heading back towards Yellowstone, but keep an eye out and you'll spot an elusive brown bear. Pity you didn't have the camera ready, you've got to be quick! Then back into Yellowstone (more roadworks), but now heading towards Yellowstone Canyon. On the way look out for the wolves, more deer and buffalo. Very picturesque.
Eventually we'll arrive at the Yellowstone Canyon, so get those walking boots as the best views are to be had with a little effort. I think you'll agree it's worth the effort. Then over to the otherside of the canyon and those 342 steps on old Tom's trail. Another perfect picture, but pretty tiring. Heading off east now and bidding a fond farewell to the park. On the way spot another Bear again (and all the tourists crowding around it), then head out down the oft closed east entrance. Bit tricky with all the roadworks (again), but some perfect views before hitting the night road to Cody, and in bed before last orders.
I hope you enjoyed your days in Yellowstone and Grand Teton as much as I did. It was 'almost' perfect. See you again when we do some more nature tracking on Wildlife today. I've been your host, Rarin' Robin Adams and remember kids ' 'keep em peeled'"
Special Thanks to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks in the making of this programme. Without their assistance, stunning views, outstanding wildlife and strange geothermal activity, none of this top day could have been possible.

Day 8 - Butte to West Yellowstone

Cold. Brrrr. Freezing. All words I was not expecting to use for a while, but are rather appropriate about today. Got up and left Butte at around 8am pacific time (which works out at 9am mountain time, the time zones confuse the hell out of me at the mo as I bounce between them), and it was snowing. Went through some nice mountain passes (which I knew got cold as they had chaining and de-chaining areas), then it settled back into the flat land. Had my route planned out, but after prompting from a sign, decided to follow a different route. That's the joy of being the master of your own destiny. Went through some outstanding countryside (even if the weather was still exceedingly crappy) and ended up in West Yellowstone, just outside the park. West Yellowstone exists purely for the tourist industry, with tat on sale everywhere, and more motels than you can shake a stick at. I parked up and pondered how to plan the next few days to ensure I got to Cincinnati on Friday morning and once I'd worked this out, went to start the car. Nothing. Ummm. I tried again. Nothing. Now any of you who know me know that I'm not very mechanically minded. So at this point I was a little worried. Before I had left Seattle Don had warned me that the battery would need replacing at some point, but after 2 days?! Anyways, after checking oil, transmission and radiator, I was still clueless and so started walking off to hunt down a mechanic or car parts dealer. Luckily I found one and after playing the innocent tourist, he figured it was the battery and gave me a lift back to the car to fix it. Battery reconnected and engine starts. One Happy Robin, I can tell you. After profuse thanks I headed off to the ranger station for some tips on Yellowstone, but he was at lunch, so took the bull by the horns and went off into the park.
Wow. That place is beautiful. And you'd never guess it was in America with the total lack of commericalism. The National Park Service have really worked hard and eveything is so well done. Drove around for a bit, but then stopped when I got the geothermal area. It's quite a sight seeing steam rise from the ground from a few miles away and up close is really impressive (see the pix when they come). After visiting a few of these up close, decided to head for the big boy, old faithful. My impeccable timing as ever saw me walk up to it, just as it was about to blow. And blow it did.
After that went for a walk, which ended up a hard walk up a steep hill to the observation point. Always keeping an eye out for bears. The view was very impressive and I ended up staying for about an hour, just soaking it up, waiting for the next old faithful eruption and pondering life in the peace and tranquility. I recommend it to you all. Anyways, just as expected, old faithful spouted, then started the tromp down the hill. Decided to go and see some of the hot springs and geysers round the corner from the big one, and again was quite impressed, even if it did start snowing quite hard. Got back to the car which was covered, and held breath as I started the engine. First time! Rolled home with a brief stop to see a huge deer with full antler action up close. Which pretty much topped the day off perfectly. Had dinner in a local brewery and watched Monday Night Football, before retiring early so I could roll the next day.

Day Seven - Seattle to Butte

And we're off... Where's Robin? is no longer an easy guess (he's in Seattle!). I'm no mobile having fun driving around the states. Well that was the theory. In actual fact, it's not as much fun as it sounds. I did over 500 miles today and spent about 8 hours behind the wheel.
Got out of Seattle at 8am, bidding a fond farewell to Don, Lori and Martin. Can't say enough positive things about those guys.

The drive split into 4 parts. Washington was beautiful, the mountains surrounding Seattle were really something and it was great driving through them. However, you then get to the otherside of them and it's a bit boring. Grabbed lunch in Spokane (not on my top ten US cities), then continued to roll into the panhandle of Idaho, which was quite pleasant. A few more hills, valleys etc.

Then got to Missoula, it started raining and had a chat with Angelica who was suffering from a nasty cold, and things started getting less fun. Struggled through to Butte and grabbed a hotel room. Got out of the car and it was snowing!! This place is not warm!!

Anyways, settled down to watch the Bengals on Sunday night football. Bit disappointing as I was supposed to be at the game, but the Bengals pulled out a win on the last play, so I was happy with this!

Time to go, hopefully weather will be better when I hit yellowstone tomorrow.

Day Six - ... Seattle (again)

Somedays start of badly, fall away and the less said about the end the
better. When I got up this morning I had that very same feeling. Things
however turned out rather differently.
Don got a message from Neville (our Mechanic, who comes from Worcester!),
that the car would be pretty much ready at 11am, so we had some breakfast
and then rolled over to see how things were going. Unfortunately, Neville
had underestimated things slightly, so we had to wait a few hours for things
to be sorted. In the meantime we sorted out some wheel nuts (we'll you
didn't think this log would be all sex, drugs and rock'n'roll - it is Robin
remember!) & power steering fluid. A brief lunch was had (I think I like
Barbecue chicken sandwiches) and we reconvened at Neville's at around 1pm to
see where things were. At this point Neville was swearing quite loudly in a
broad west country accent (not the usual thing you hear in the Pacific North
West), trying to work out why the front door wouldn't lock. You'd have
thought that this would be the least of the problems having just changed the
entire engine, but on small issues like this do things rest! Anyways, after
a suggestion that the broken piece might be found in the other door led to a
further 30 minutes of teeth grinding and eventually led to Neville
superglueing something to his finger so it didn't fall out as he tried to
fit it, we still had a door that didn't work, but theoretically a car that
did. Throughout all of this Don was glancing skywards along with burning
the phone lines to see if he could locate the missing part ($1.29 to get it,
but could we find one locally???). Anyways at around 3pm we finally got the
car on the road, yet despite all the time and effort that had gone into it,
things alas were not smooth. The automatic gear box just wouldn't kick in
(and the stereo wouldn't work... which for me was even worse!!!), and we
were left with a semi automatic which we had to downshift into to get it
rolling from first. We tried to find Nev, but he had disappeared off to
another job, so we were left high, (not so) dry and my trip looking dodgier
by the minute. We drove back to Don's, me in the semi-auto Lexus following
Don and I felt pretty low. Here I was in Seattle, about 5 days longer than
planned, with no car to show at the end of it. Don't get me wrong, Seattle
is a real nice place, and Don & Lori had done everything to make me welcome,
but I just couldn't see the end. Once we got back though, Don showed me why
the references he had given me were so glowing.
Don offered me Lori's car, a '96 Infinity (top end Nissan), at lower than
book value. I knew the car was in good nick as I knew Don wouldn't let Lori
into a car that he wouldn't trust himself, and would meet all my
requirements. This offer of generosity completed turned the day around and
as if by magic, Don had turned a trip on it's last legs into a viable road
trip. Don & Lori couldn't have been more accomodating if they had tried.
Lori and Martin were cleaning th car out even before we had gotten back.
These guys are the tops.
To say thanks for all their help, generosity (not to mention use of laundry
facilities), I took them out to Dinner to a local Italian restaurant they
like to go. It was the least I could do. Typically, another Brit surved us
(this one from Croydon - they get everywhere!), and we had a delightful meal
of mussels, beef with gorgonzola and the best Tiramisu I've ever tasted,
accompanied with a bottle of wine. The only thing missing was Angelica by
my side and I promised that she would join the 3 of us at the earliest
opportunity. I know how much Angelica loves Tiramisu, so the chance to
taste this one is something I won't let her miss out on. We had a lovely
evening, chatting away about things wide and far and then rolled back to
Bothell.

I cannot praise and thank Don and Lori (& Martin!) highly enough. Six days
ago, I was a stranger being picked up from a plane at 10.30pm at night by
someone I'd never met. Now I have a lovely car which I am confident will
not cause me troubles, a group of friends who should I ever be in bother,
will advise and help me as much as they can, and a base in Seattle should I
ever want to come back. Not that the 'Where's Robin' brand is in the habit
of endorsing people/things, but the family Fernandez get the Golden Star for
making my trip happen. If any of you reading this want to tour the states,
I have no hesitation in recommending them as a point to start.

Anyways, must get a good night's kip so I can start the long trawl across
the north of the country. Much love and I miss you A.

Day Five - Seattle... (still)

Not much happening today. Despite numerous visits to the car to see what
was happening with it, it's still not finished. We have a confirmed time of
10am tomorrow, so I should be on the road by lunchtime tomorrow, which will
be nice. Saw some more of the back country around Seattle, quite nice.
Sorted out my insurance as well for the car, so I'm road legal when I roll.
Had a lovely pot roast cooked by Don with the family this evening. I'm
going to miss the homely atmosphere that Don, Lori and Martin generate. It
will be a culture shock to be back on the road, but then again, that's why
I'm here.

More news tomorrow I hope when I venture out into the big wide world.

Day Four - Seattle

OK guys, having just had a superb meal with Don, Lori and 2 of their neighbours (and had a relaxed glass of wine), I can reflect on a cool day wearing down shoe leather. Seattle is a really nice city. Got dropped off by Lori underneath the space needle and went straight up to the top. Outstanding views of Seattle and the surrounding waterways (see the pictures). Could even see Mount Rainier in the distance. Had a coffee (well, it's Seattle, it would be kinda against the law if I didn't) and planned my day. After phoning my parents and trying to impress them with where I was (which didn't work as they didn't actually know about the space needle! - so much for trying to show off!), I had my plan for the day. My first stop after the space needle (and obligatory souvenir shop), was the Pacific Science Museum. Saw a real cool Imax movie about Coral Reef Ecology (made me miss diving, but then again if you missed it earlier, I am now a fully qualified diving instructor!), but the rest of the park left a little to be desired. Nothing like the science museum back home, which is a pity as it had all the right constituents. It just needed a bit more imagination. It was sad to see that they close every Monday to save funds. Institutions like that need to be kept going, if only to give school kids the chance to realise that science can actually be really fun. Anywas, I then decided to take a stadium tour of Qwest stadium, the home of the Seattle Seahawks American Football team (some of you may consider it quite sad, but then again, for me it's the equivalent of doing a stadium tour of Wembley). Although not as good as Safeco field, the baseball stadium I visited yesterday, it was still quite impressive. 67,000 all seater with all the mod-cons. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't all about the money as part of the design abandoned seats for paying customers so that you could get a cool view of downtown Seattle. After taunting James W over the phone (James is a Seahawks fan) about where I was, and running around the field pretending to score touchdowns, I headed back down the waterfront for some lunch and to hit the aquarium. Lunch consisted of fish and chips (you can take the boy out of Grimsby, but you can't take Grimsby out of the boy), and you'll be reassured that at this point the rain started falling. I'd been in Seattle for nearly 3 days and was beginning to wonder if the rumours about the rain were true. Anyways, wondered into the Aquarium which although not the most impressive aquarium I've ever been in had some cool fish as well as details on 6 gilled sharks which are unique to this neck of the woods. Also had a chat with one or two of the attendants who dived locally to get the inside track.
The day ended with a loop around Pike Street market, including the first ever Starbucks coffee shop (Not sure whether it's a good or bad thing that this has become a tourist spot or not. Do people search out the first ever Millets store? I think not). Pike Street market was kinda cool, but not my kinda thing. Evening meal as commented earlier was very nice with neighbours across the street. American's are so generous at times. Had several real nice conversations, and even managed to get a contact in San Diego for when we visit there!

Overall a really nice day (even if my feet are aching). I'm hoping to head off tomorrow depending on car progress, so here's to the countryside.

Still missing Angelica (after a phone call this morning she decided to support the Red Sox baseball team, after a close call when she thought she might support the Yankees - not a wise move), but a day closer to seeing her.

Day Three - Seattle

Bad News, my car will not be ready for another few days. Good news, I get to stay in Seattle for another few days. After yesterday's lazy day setting things up on the website and typically just having a day off, today was slightly more active. Don, my genial host, let me ride around with him as he sorted a few things out. Firstly, we went for breakfast and had a number of interesting discussions about America and the way it has developed (over a nice breakfast of coffee, hashbrowns, poached eggs and sausages (We agreed to disagree on whether American sausages were better than English ones (even though it's a well known fact that English ones are the best!)). I then went with him to the engineer who was sorting my car. It's a very old school Lexus, (there'll be a picture of it later I'm sure), but alas the engine was shot so Don had to organise a replacement. Don took this on the chin as a we'd already agreed a price on the car, which I thought was ultra generous of him. It turns out he does over 50 of these sales to foreigners each year, and considering the welcoming attitude and can do approach, I can see why he has so many satisfied customers. (Ad plug - if you want to have some time travelling around the states, visit Don at www.autotourusa.com and he will definately take care of you). Anyways, following this little setback, Don felt it only fair to offer me the chance to see a Baseball game. I positively salivated at the possibility (American sports being one of the reasons for the trip). So we drove into downtown Seattle to pick up some tix. On the way I got a real appreciation for Seattle. It's not your typical American city, built on waterways, hills and with a very european style. After we picked up some top tickets from a scalper we drove back through some of the old neighbourhoods and the houseboats stood out. Hard to believe 15 years ago they were 'as cheap as chips' and yet now would set you back over a $1,000,000. After a quick change we headed out to the ball park. For those of you who have never had the chance to take in a ball game when you have visited you should really take the time to do so. Safeco field, which is where the Seattle Mariners play is a true piece of architectural art. It's designed from the outside as if it's an old school stadium, and even when you get in, it feels traditional, but it's truly state of the art, with a sliding roof (closed tonite) and all mod cons. You can even sit and watch from a bar stool at ground level! Anyways, before the first pitch we sat and had a barbecue sandwich, which I foolishly added a little bit of hot sauce (contrary to my hosts, recommendation). I thought nothing of it, thinking I've eaten currys and mexican food and this can't be too bad. I mean you applied it to the sandwich with a toothpick, surely it can't be that bad. 3 soda's later and a nasty incident where I rubbed my eye (that's gotta hurt - glad I didn't need the bathroom!!), I realised Don wasn't kidding with the hot stuff. When someone of vast experience tells you something is Extremely hot - take the advice. Anyways, the game was a pitchers duel and went right down to the wire. You watch the game on TV, but seeing live makes all the difference and it turns into a totally different experience. The Mariners won at the depth (making Don quite happy) and we rolled back out, past Qwest field, home of the Seattle Seahawks American Football team (be Jealous Mr James Wallace, very Jealous!!), and back to the car. Again got a night time view of Seattle which again just re-emphasized that it was a real nice town and then rolled back along a floating bridge before arriving back at Don's house.
Considering I thought I'd be out of Seattle without a chance to even say Hi, I'm quite pleased I've had a few days to soak up the atmosphere. Tomorrow I'm planning to hit the town and wonder around. Should be quite good fun. I think Angelica would like Seattle, and I've promised Don that at some point in the future we'd come and visit, and Angelica can see the Baseball and Football fields as well as the home of Starbucks (Hey, if it's the home of a Coffee house, Angelica's happy!).
Still missing Angelica loads. Can't wait to see her in New York in a few weeks time - thats gonna be fun.

Day Two - Sleepless in Seattle

Well, as opposed to kicking off with a bang, my road trip has started with a little whimper. The car that has been sorted for me has developed a little bit of an engine issue and before I can disappear and go and have fun, I've got to wait for it to be sorted out. Which leaves me stuck in Seattle, still a bit out of sorts due to the time difference, wondering when I'll get to move on. In addition, due to the hurrican'e chasing me around over the last few weeks, I'm now in a position where I'm missing the first american football game as I can't make it across the country to Cincinnati in time. This however, does mean I can spend a bit more time travelling to some cool places like Glacier and Yellowstone national park, as well as Mount Rushmore, instead of spending 12 hours on the road for 3 days straight. More updates when I know what's happening.