tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89911767312995290362024-03-12T17:15:46.679-07:00Two Across the States in March/April 2007Two Toyota Landcruisers across the United States starting in California and going via Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York Maine, Vermont and finishing in Upper New York StateTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-80888925577984436242009-10-27T04:55:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:26:47.187-07:00Map of route across the States from California to Upper New York State<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcVS8i3usydeB6ZS1WgstRzpvwWJaFaOvf59ed-zkvR0AaFY8d7Mn_ygc6WEEztKdYU3lQ-jU29Tnh2yhzSfRj0wO3SHNdgv3A5VY7WsQgLMdo8E7hZcaE6Y0JXMo0QK6zhXF2-NIIbs/s1600-h/Map+two+across+the+States.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcVS8i3usydeB6ZS1WgstRzpvwWJaFaOvf59ed-zkvR0AaFY8d7Mn_ygc6WEEztKdYU3lQ-jU29Tnh2yhzSfRj0wO3SHNdgv3A5VY7WsQgLMdo8E7hZcaE6Y0JXMo0QK6zhXF2-NIIbs/s320/Map+two+across+the+States.jpg" /></a></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-11671875482356742072009-10-26T02:04:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:26:13.073-07:00Heading East!Following on from our recent trip through Central America, our car is now back in California. We shipped it back with Bob and Thelma Howells' <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Landcruiser</span> and both cars are now parked up in the garage just north of Los Angeles.<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5023908773534923810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZL3qbPGY8uDCT1lsw1qjOLwMruu2e77OXWYUW9sfJVmMPi3POufQ-pDq9R0-E6PZmn55jzg43ki0E8o7CMnXPkgt1w7z9HV5NoH6m3l5A_dth23MMsKZ0I9u4tGPIjTuPKXf_RIn4ec/s320/Malibu+-+Jan+2007.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /> <b>Two <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Landcruisers</span> ready for the next big trip</b></div>
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Over the next two months my car will be checked over and serviced ready for the drive we have planned across the States. We will head up into Eastern Canada and then back into the US, driving south through Maine and Vermont to our finish in Upper New York State. Our leaving date will be in the last week of March and the trip is planned to finish on the 27th April.<br />
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My next blog will give full details of the trip including the places and people we aim to see and visit.</div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-54872156548422397912009-10-25T08:19:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:24:55.532-07:00Latest newsWith just over three weeks to go before we head off on our great trek across the United States, my ace motor engineer, Chris Cooper, has flown out to California to check the car over and carry out any work that is necessary. He is combining a week in the sun with a bit of work!<br />
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He's taken with him the latest electronic wizardry to boost the power output of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Landcruiser</span></span>. With the added weight of the extra fuel tank, sump guards, security cage etc., the car struggles when we hit long inclines or need to overtake a truck on a hill. This electronic box of tricks boosts the brake horse power by about 10%. It can be switched on and off at will, so that fuel economy should not be too badly affected. It will be interesting to see how much the performance is enhanced.<br />
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We've more or less finalised our route which will take us across California, into Arizona for one night and then into Colorado for four nights. We will be staying in Vail as the guest of Jim and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Leejun</span></span> Taylor. There is a link to Jim's website on the right hand side of this page. The site has many great photos of the various rallies he has entered. From Vail we head south into New Mexico and Santa Fe. Then on into Texas where we will be staying with friends from the rallies, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Crouchers</span> and</span> the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Nelans</span></span> in El <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Paso</span>,</span> and Ahmad <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Fakhr</span></span> in San Antonio. I'll give more details of the route later on.<br />
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We leave London on the 19<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">th</span></span> March, which will give us over a week to do all the final preparations. Another adventure is about to begin!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-20457870423204269822009-10-24T01:31:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:24:22.907-07:00'T' Minus Nine and Counting!Just nine days to go till we head off from Malibu, California on our trip. We leave London this afternoon on the BA flight to Los Angeles, hoping that we have taken all the clothes we need for temperatures ranging from minus 15C in parts of the Rockies to over 30C in the Southern States! Still, any shortages we can make up for on the way. Unlike some of our trips we are not in a third world country this time and shopping won't be a problem as we head east.<br />
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As far as I know the car is now fully serviced and ready to go. All we need to do is repack everything - spares, tools, camping equipment for roadside meals and hopefully not overnight sleeping and our clothes.<br />
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Bob and Thelma join us in four days time for a few days in the Californian sun and then we leave on the 28th March.<br />
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I'll start posting photos as soon as we get going.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-14580261438520282009-10-23T16:47:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:23:17.920-07:00California and nearly ready to go.We arrived in California on the 19th March and have spent the last few days getting ourselves over the 7 hours of jet-lag, as well as checking the car over and making sure we have all the spares and equipment we need, not only for the trip across the States, but also for the tour of India in October.<br />
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Bob and Thelma arrive this evening from London and we will have three days here in California before we head for Arizona next Tuesday.<br />
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Yesterday I went to the local (Santa Monica) AAA offices (Triple A as the Americans call their auto club) to discuss the route and see what help they could give us for the trip. I came away with a detailed route itinerary as well as guide books for all the states we will be driving through. Three carrier bags in total!!<br />
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The weather here is simply glorious after a couple of cloudy days, and one rainy day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZeQxgDGGgjtfLsjB_ZHg8KxzLLQ5i7wCAshYcNkQOHhnit7t2tohI0nqMJ8OWjaG4LQCQDs58EdcMTsYgppkRiOGkXGC6Hm8ZMnxTHAtnckE6uiDzIbX0SV9vsJo6gxnVdF9-qPXLgGA/s1600-h/DSC00263.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5045311894996843570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZeQxgDGGgjtfLsjB_ZHg8KxzLLQ5i7wCAshYcNkQOHhnit7t2tohI0nqMJ8OWjaG4LQCQDs58EdcMTsYgppkRiOGkXGC6Hm8ZMnxTHAtnckE6uiDzIbX0SV9vsJo6gxnVdF9-qPXLgGA/s320/DSC00263.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
The evening sky just after the sun had set looking out over a calm Pacific Ocean at Malibu, CaliforniaTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-10751374033222265152009-10-22T17:17:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:22:44.034-07:00Tuesday 27th March - Off at last!After planning this trip for nearly six months, we left Malibu, California this morning at 6.15am. The early start due to a long drive of over 550 miles to <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Sedona</span>, Arizona and also an attempt to miss the Los Angeles morning rush hour.<br />
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After yesterday's cloudy and drizzly day, it was a relief to set off with clear skies and a beautiful sunrise over the Santa Monica mountains. We decided to avoid the centre of Los Angeles by driving north to the 101 freeway and then south to the junction with the 405 freeway and then to drive north-west to join the Interstate Highway I15 from Los Angeles to <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Las</span> Vegas.<br />
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After two hours we stopped at <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Victorville</span>, a town on the edge of the Mojave Desert for a typical American breakfast of eggs, bacon and hash browns. Great breakfast but not very good for the waistline!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfRLFMOdt0H5eKFxFUG6vT-pefk7K73VxefaVlautue_XxSXqnEkirrbTK_RWztQynbMe7_feSLEl7FpsJjqB8sBV1VHO4QZXWMJENxJ5sxssvnr5zjrZGf0sLlsDHlFR_oZYGf2Qgko/s1600-h/DSC00270.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5046776691350062530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfRLFMOdt0H5eKFxFUG6vT-pefk7K73VxefaVlautue_XxSXqnEkirrbTK_RWztQynbMe7_feSLEl7FpsJjqB8sBV1VHO4QZXWMJENxJ5sxssvnr5zjrZGf0sLlsDHlFR_oZYGf2Qgko/s320/DSC00270.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>Enjoying breakfast 'American Style'</div>
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Wendy then took over the driving for the two hundred miles across the desert to Needles, a town on the Colorado river near the Arizona state line. Glorious desert scenery with cacti, rugged mountains and wonderful wide open country. The Interstate Highway makes the driving very easy and even though there were plenty of 'big rigs', overtaking was never a problem.<br />
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Needles is situated on the Colorado River and we think must be named after the mountains nearby that look like giant needles. We then decided to take a 20 mile detour to visit Lake <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Havasu</span> City, famous because an American industrialist decided to buy London Bridge and rebuild it on the edge of Lake <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Havasu</span>. It's certainly very strange to see an icon of London in the middle of the Arizona desert!.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOnw93x5k_-7vd2VShjV3sO1QjCUysh5lLsLqsxfqY2zfh1fZkK4m6EukZ9ruX4S6u3O7mJhsvNoGo9MDpRr1-OMGCG3tuL3jMwbIwP_c7ZFwoqpuJpjhSIxl8ZrZrB14uCsUw53kbm8/s1600-h/DSC00279.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5046777717847246290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOnw93x5k_-7vd2VShjV3sO1QjCUysh5lLsLqsxfqY2zfh1fZkK4m6EukZ9ruX4S6u3O7mJhsvNoGo9MDpRr1-OMGCG3tuL3jMwbIwP_c7ZFwoqpuJpjhSIxl8ZrZrB14uCsUw53kbm8/s320/DSC00279.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
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London Bridge 6,000 miles from 'home'</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRu15y8r03YCLLB9a2ySRonvVr7avBIxFjgsSB0EJ0kpQ3Bv_4wR-rec6glPe71055-V55F4d3BieTivRbMDXSDiiC6yb0HbSA7OmpVITBkBT3uqnJv8OW8qjt7_mPP7PIo25chMnS6U/s1600-h/DSC05903.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5046813662428546530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRu15y8r03YCLLB9a2ySRonvVr7avBIxFjgsSB0EJ0kpQ3Bv_4wR-rec6glPe71055-V55F4d3BieTivRbMDXSDiiC6yb0HbSA7OmpVITBkBT3uqnJv8OW8qjt7_mPP7PIo25chMnS6U/s320/DSC05903.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>Myself, Bob and Thelma with London Bridge behind us.</div>
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A last shot of the bridge with the cars in the foreground and a London Double Decker bus adding to the surreal nature of the place!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8bsKqwjbRlxcIZVYyOlLDGtpMqqJZEG-6m6Sc4W4Dq8I7Ays9Jpe7MW5DNEJJze56UkRs6E5cJaMcfVMsb-pW06JpDdmsj0XFfMMjiIYA42txUZ0BFrOr8gaN5SDwUdWIuOV6kBNCKQ/s1600-h/DSC05907.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053660597579564658" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8bsKqwjbRlxcIZVYyOlLDGtpMqqJZEG-6m6Sc4W4Dq8I7Ays9Jpe7MW5DNEJJze56UkRs6E5cJaMcfVMsb-pW06JpDdmsj0XFfMMjiIYA42txUZ0BFrOr8gaN5SDwUdWIuOV6kBNCKQ/s320/DSC05907.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>Three more hours of heading east brought us to the outskirts of Flagstaff. The town is located some 80 miles south of the Grand Canyon and is famous for its astronomical observatories. These are located high in the mountains which have very clear air and make for very good observing. We then turned off I40 for the 30 mile drive south to <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Sedona</span>. A very beautiful drive down Oak Creek Canyon with towering cliffs of vivid red rocks on either side of the road.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ecNvQqjcXwszJSaB2wQQfvgvNfWRRXLTGmzfK-dk99Akc-QG7v9rTcKrVBlVB3hMja96Nhqg8w3MqTIFKIHuVGWTTQb9rRy8n72zyLzBhpBLkfXMBMPL8nxQ-ElzyXMiEaudWZIVJ4k/s1600-h/DSC05941.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5046815625228600834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ecNvQqjcXwszJSaB2wQQfvgvNfWRRXLTGmzfK-dk99Akc-QG7v9rTcKrVBlVB3hMja96Nhqg8w3MqTIFKIHuVGWTTQb9rRy8n72zyLzBhpBLkfXMBMPL8nxQ-ElzyXMiEaudWZIVJ4k/s320/DSC05941.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvczlpff3FWjogB64EUU5-8GO3Jqe8vl_7t71DMEL2pHSOPim3U25UV766C-VtUc42p7akAdsO-TAzFqu3oG66Oz45oZLQhcNQpyCHcnXeh8QERDumFcfYJzu50lC1CyWnkajZGTDA5Qs/s1600-h/DSC05942.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5046815449134941682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvczlpff3FWjogB64EUU5-8GO3Jqe8vl_7t71DMEL2pHSOPim3U25UV766C-VtUc42p7akAdsO-TAzFqu3oG66Oz45oZLQhcNQpyCHcnXeh8QERDumFcfYJzu50lC1CyWnkajZGTDA5Qs/s320/DSC05942.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>The stunning red rocks near <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Sedona</span>.</div>
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<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Sedona</span> is a very popular tourist location and all the way into the town on either side of the road there were hotels and campsites.</div>
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We have two nights here in <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Sedona</span> so tomorrow we can explore some of this beautiful scenery before we head up into the Rockies.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-1837371478237817692009-10-21T18:42:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:22:14.045-07:00Wednesday March 28th - Sedona, ArizonaIt was a good idea to start the trip by having two nights in one place. This meant there was no need to pack things away for another long drive and so this morning we were able to have a late breakfast and then see what we could organise for our day here in <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Sedona</span>.<br />
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Looking at all the activities available we plumped for the obvious, a two hour off-road drive in a Hummer! The weather is really quite cold here at the moment and so as we headed off for the tracks leading into the mountains just south of <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Sedona</span> I felt decidedly chilly sitting in the back of the open Hummer. The drive took us through National Park areas with wonderful scenery. Our driver, Steve, took us along quite rugged tracks, though both Bob and I were disappointed that the terrain was not that difficult for the Hummer. Still, it was a fun drive and the pictures below show us with the marvellous Arizona countryside.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLWoifu64HphXxEx9GfOHcHxqn7PMAUYYg25u6rsgkz8YvDNZa9cqCf9xm7Mtpop-1lzGvK1DNPVO4LCF-LEXDiImxzmyqKBkEcvjdH_fShbdtYrzC7AKdCEboNsvzR7ZPvUjb3UI7Brs/s1600-h/DSC00301.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047158664266532370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLWoifu64HphXxEx9GfOHcHxqn7PMAUYYg25u6rsgkz8YvDNZa9cqCf9xm7Mtpop-1lzGvK1DNPVO4LCF-LEXDiImxzmyqKBkEcvjdH_fShbdtYrzC7AKdCEboNsvzR7ZPvUjb3UI7Brs/s320/DSC00301.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>The amazing US Army Hummer.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qiElVUnLJWK1BiMkGBckP1M_ANW0P21OyhoQ3ZlIEpZja5jV_HtPiMXPc8yZBtGe7M_QED2Oj-i-6yxHgXUHXQ_qo6xkp7HLE7ilVbpohkA80DTZLIQ-a7_RTFIJ-8iLeQ6rsWxveww/s1600-h/DSC00305.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047158831770256930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qiElVUnLJWK1BiMkGBckP1M_ANW0P21OyhoQ3ZlIEpZja5jV_HtPiMXPc8yZBtGe7M_QED2Oj-i-6yxHgXUHXQ_qo6xkp7HLE7ilVbpohkA80DTZLIQ-a7_RTFIJ-8iLeQ6rsWxveww/s320/DSC00305.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
We were dropped back in the centre of <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Sedona</span> and had a good Mexican lunch before driving to a small town outside of <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Sedona</span>, Oak Creek Village. Once again we drove past the stunning red mountains that ring <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Sedona</span>. They are very impressive and as the sun started to set the colours of the rock went from a sand colour to deep red. I hope the photos below do justice to these wonderful mountains.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib46DsM8ny2g0gPGQ73tQioCXxvEofXb9PZOwNmATvIv_wN96K6WQvuu8HLeDf0ltjcPP3B1KCT33GyPxnmyviHPJ6LCDmsuLTjknyMrUt3puCj_JYtc1p9eVNLOPi5e9rdvaiVnax_L4/s1600-h/DSC00309.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047160502512535090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib46DsM8ny2g0gPGQ73tQioCXxvEofXb9PZOwNmATvIv_wN96K6WQvuu8HLeDf0ltjcPP3B1KCT33GyPxnmyviHPJ6LCDmsuLTjknyMrUt3puCj_JYtc1p9eVNLOPi5e9rdvaiVnax_L4/s320/DSC00309.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6WP7tvPLcXzH_HJmYIESVl_bI4MyKyeJBqouUH2b3YST4r5U6f7O8_7nKQV0DNBzZo5VF79TsS91b8HC3rU6x0CDmH2cXWyRW2Zjfc_tegyP2ZOl72awF0_vUB17VYgeIlpXPHAxmwM/s1600-h/DSC00315.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047160661426325058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6WP7tvPLcXzH_HJmYIESVl_bI4MyKyeJBqouUH2b3YST4r5U6f7O8_7nKQV0DNBzZo5VF79TsS91b8HC3rU6x0CDmH2cXWyRW2Zjfc_tegyP2ZOl72awF0_vUB17VYgeIlpXPHAxmwM/s320/DSC00315.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6Q8Cezi_25FRBlSLIgyMG3eEMZqbrk9EuqgTgofM2ROu8jXSHnOhokEdf56yrVvScgoKpi7sbjUs3iz3EQbqb4hiNb8BAJaFnPLSxcqaAsYJ6EcPDYOes4AsJRCcF20ujTM1CSsDSvk/s1600-h/DSC00316.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047160816045147730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6Q8Cezi_25FRBlSLIgyMG3eEMZqbrk9EuqgTgofM2ROu8jXSHnOhokEdf56yrVvScgoKpi7sbjUs3iz3EQbqb4hiNb8BAJaFnPLSxcqaAsYJ6EcPDYOes4AsJRCcF20ujTM1CSsDSvk/s320/DSC00316.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
We finished off the afternoon by doing some shopping and then planning our drive for tomorrow. We aim to visit Meteor Crater which is about 30 miles east of Flagstaff and then head north through the Painted Desert (Navajo Indian territory) and on to Monument Valley. From there we drive through the south-eastern corner of Utah before reaching our overnight stop in <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Durango</span>, Colorado.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-62533954008061335022009-10-20T17:20:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:21:48.578-07:00March 29th - Sedona to Durango. ColoradoToday's drive is more or less due north from <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Sedona</span>, crossing into Utah and then to our final destination, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Durango</span>, Colorado.<br />
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We drove the 30 miles back up Oak Creek Canyon to meet the Interstate Highway I40 from Flagstaff to New Mexico. A further 40 miles east we turned off on Meteor Crater Road. The crater, created by a meteor some 50,000 years ago is an impressive sight and I hope the photo below does justice to one of nature's wonders. The Crater is about a mile across and over 2.5 miles in circumference. We visited the museum and saw an informative film on the meteors and impact craters in the solar system.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMzlbP19FfQgvezjN1JFKmoRPgMVtpfsFFQXb727iV6fYAHdhvT10R-pCjYG0ClGGXKT6IEDC5gF5S3JWYXHTcEPjGEWWhj82h6mvlVuaF39uisdC7pRvVSzg6WZhhM1TJFGgwi9elMg/s1600-h/DSC00327.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047880635384088162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMzlbP19FfQgvezjN1JFKmoRPgMVtpfsFFQXb727iV6fYAHdhvT10R-pCjYG0ClGGXKT6IEDC5gF5S3JWYXHTcEPjGEWWhj82h6mvlVuaF39uisdC7pRvVSzg6WZhhM1TJFGgwi9elMg/s320/DSC00327.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
Our drive then took us due north through the Hopi Indian reservation and then the Navajo reservation. After about 50 miles we joined our first 'off-road' section. This was a winding track that took us for about 50 miles through the reservations, passing a Navajo mission. Finally, we found our way to Monument Valley in Utah. Thick snow flurries and low cloud luckily cleared as we entered the National Park. Monument valley is a place everyone should see. The towering formations are quite incredible and stand out from the vast flat plain.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59sU4PQ2xaEAV9o7ULTCH2rqi4Drb4w8gFb8ffLZSOJMaLPhyphenhyphenyGjtBAxAnSFJbo-6hWsB_RSImWIL_kr14o5Z3lh_NNY2IODkodc4BfxbirQTm6Lt_YmM9GAu8Wv1qiqxRW1UvkVcWds/s1600-h/DSC00343.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047881099240556146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59sU4PQ2xaEAV9o7ULTCH2rqi4Drb4w8gFb8ffLZSOJMaLPhyphenhyphenyGjtBAxAnSFJbo-6hWsB_RSImWIL_kr14o5Z3lh_NNY2IODkodc4BfxbirQTm6Lt_YmM9GAu8Wv1qiqxRW1UvkVcWds/s320/DSC00343.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOk8NLx-2eVtKkHZyFlSh4v915HciyEflzELIAWsfK6axG2CymUkxeexTHDPG0w-eUT-m3Hlz2dYL981iAEuCAHCK2AVLvSVYTscT9GsNpD_F3_auJubcjoibCPTbZ5ESiUjZk0b91pqg/s1600-h/DSC00339.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047881460017809026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOk8NLx-2eVtKkHZyFlSh4v915HciyEflzELIAWsfK6axG2CymUkxeexTHDPG0w-eUT-m3Hlz2dYL981iAEuCAHCK2AVLvSVYTscT9GsNpD_F3_auJubcjoibCPTbZ5ESiUjZk0b91pqg/s320/DSC00339.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>Our drive then took us into Colorado and the weather became sunny, although still cold. Still more wonderful mountain formations came into view on our drive into Colorado and the rock spires in the photo below we called the 'Cathedral' because the formation on the right reminded us of the spires of a cathedral.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrjDJQSKDpuYDZ74y8JB97CHVc-b43WMo0ZkhN1MZ5rU-SxaIscfEOLLNIEbWBq5rRBYxGRs8CR3IDFyRH6R27BZUkStYy_SXGkLbGjjpxgzGWPQRHKd_CBMYabD2E1IvuSwzAVGbH14/s1600-h/DSC00352.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047881777845388946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrjDJQSKDpuYDZ74y8JB97CHVc-b43WMo0ZkhN1MZ5rU-SxaIscfEOLLNIEbWBq5rRBYxGRs8CR3IDFyRH6R27BZUkStYy_SXGkLbGjjpxgzGWPQRHKd_CBMYabD2E1IvuSwzAVGbH14/s320/DSC00352.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>During the the final 50 miles into <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Durango</span> we encountered more snow flurries and we arrived at the Rio <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Grande</span> Best Western Hotel after 438 miles of memorable driving. Best of all we were greeted by free cocktails!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-16908978591762937412009-10-19T17:48:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:21:17.619-07:00March 30th - Durango - Vail, ColoradoWe woke up to the unexpected sight of thick snow! The car was completely covered in a 3 inch layer of snow. Suddenly what we had expected to be an easy drive of about 300 miles to Vail had become a great deal more difficult.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2ImlqEHOf5LrtXpLL3vLuMHyRoS1gNvXBxt43thSWYlI4CNmgT6JhWS5-grvn-TkJSChJ-fkUygrtruosbhklUI2pAv_b-G0XS5na40-C49_abl_DZM_enwewcc3dHCdvzDa19COB5Y/s1600-h/DSC00354.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047888121512085154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2ImlqEHOf5LrtXpLL3vLuMHyRoS1gNvXBxt43thSWYlI4CNmgT6JhWS5-grvn-TkJSChJ-fkUygrtruosbhklUI2pAv_b-G0XS5na40-C49_abl_DZM_enwewcc3dHCdvzDa19COB5Y/s320/DSC00354.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
We gave up the idea of shopping in <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Durango</span> and leaving about 11am, which was a shame because <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Durango</span> is a very interesting and pretty town in the Rockies. High mountains ring the town, and covered in snow, the sight was one to be treasured. As we left the town, Bob wanted to see the steam railroad which takes passengers on five hour trips through the mountains. As luck would have it the train was just about to leave so we were able to <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">watch</span> it pull away from the station - a 19th century steam engine working is a great sight.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8Hlkuq62gllxRkvQ5kW1noXAmCJFTsggixtX_WU3OhQszHEq6WUPjNiJ45XRwnIFnNyUg5XWWCyxf8nzkANcs29NzDQdgUE9D9axrkAAZllx7blI1QLBt_I_EM0WwcOddU-sZpAfmrk/s1600-h/DSC00358.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047888589663520450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8Hlkuq62gllxRkvQ5kW1noXAmCJFTsggixtX_WU3OhQszHEq6WUPjNiJ45XRwnIFnNyUg5XWWCyxf8nzkANcs29NzDQdgUE9D9axrkAAZllx7blI1QLBt_I_EM0WwcOddU-sZpAfmrk/s320/DSC00358.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgekrabm4FXhgTEb11W3CgQvC5N1W3W7cYrmXebYDoTrfx4EiNF5ySWXV_NqcnVw34ZI-XFjY1v52TuBl3XuNSfHWcKdVKG_CyyEvMNlfzEIDjCYKxRmXI4b84ZBHgOxsAh8IqqU_-nVKw/s1600-h/DSC00356.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047888400684959410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgekrabm4FXhgTEb11W3CgQvC5N1W3W7cYrmXebYDoTrfx4EiNF5ySWXV_NqcnVw34ZI-XFjY1v52TuBl3XuNSfHWcKdVKG_CyyEvMNlfzEIDjCYKxRmXI4b84ZBHgOxsAh8IqqU_-nVKw/s320/DSC00356.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
Our drive then took us high into the Rockies. We peaked at over 11,000 feet in thick snow.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlIaRx0NxteLfxN2T_Otcz7dWQZomVE_MvQCfMvp1uixbbnUOdrrO3uABuiWSzZ-nSA2JBQhwzCD3CRjr7xViDmYL7CTlMgrqrpQd0MCmXociJ3ORRJx6-nOLRauKAR0che0aj8WHXOs/s1600-h/DSC00361.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047888855951492818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlIaRx0NxteLfxN2T_Otcz7dWQZomVE_MvQCfMvp1uixbbnUOdrrO3uABuiWSzZ-nSA2JBQhwzCD3CRjr7xViDmYL7CTlMgrqrpQd0MCmXociJ3ORRJx6-nOLRauKAR0che0aj8WHXOs/s320/DSC00361.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> The road was quite tricky at times and warnings of only driving with chains or snow tyres added to the sense of excitement. Once through the mountains we had a drive of about three hours along Interstate I70, heading towards Denver. The road follows the Colorado River and is a wonder of road engineering. Great lengths of elevated highway cling to the sides of the canyon and make for a great driving experience.<br />
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We arrive in Vail as the weather changed and thick snow fell, mirroring the start of our journey.<br />
We were welcomed by <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Leejun</span> to Jim and <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Leejun</span> Taylor's house, high in the mountains, which has spectacular views over the Rockies.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRPBKC4vKuXGu1Etc3tn2L99I52Y1ALRHNkQ-WvXnsAsjhyqd5v-urCA002Vf-9IRMxCRUO1QRNaf-gff1Ruj6bG2cTJULEiOoC7lE2QWweVZdlUNcBqQmyXJ-XcX48gM5sjYv1ivTcU/s1600-h/DSC00363.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047889109354563298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRPBKC4vKuXGu1Etc3tn2L99I52Y1ALRHNkQ-WvXnsAsjhyqd5v-urCA002Vf-9IRMxCRUO1QRNaf-gff1Ruj6bG2cTJULEiOoC7lE2QWweVZdlUNcBqQmyXJ-XcX48gM5sjYv1ivTcU/s320/DSC00363.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Leejun</span> then treated us to some great US hospitality. This included fine wines and good food. Three more days of this and we won't be able to move as we will have put on too much weight!!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-90911210532336758782009-10-18T18:12:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:20:47.642-07:00March 31st - Vail, ColoradoThis is the first of our two full days here in Vail, although to be accurate I should say Avon, a town about 9 miles west of Vail.<br />
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We woke up to falling snow and a layer of snow covering the ground.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mpJ1hTJQJak1b8gWn1wwVu1gPlaGUTADv1PxXfVZPNuQs82a4uqCE1n3agdVVPM9HaReo0Nt8h1tVXcgPXkkgu4E6da9_vLXzS4pxEWsSqqsVUHq_khSQlhGVpzzpQQubNe7eIjZ9b8/s1600-h/DSC00370.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048281046595159794" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mpJ1hTJQJak1b8gWn1wwVu1gPlaGUTADv1PxXfVZPNuQs82a4uqCE1n3agdVVPM9HaReo0Nt8h1tVXcgPXkkgu4E6da9_vLXzS4pxEWsSqqsVUHq_khSQlhGVpzzpQQubNe7eIjZ9b8/s320/DSC00370.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> Good weather for Bob who was taking to the Vail ski slopes with <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Leejun</span>. Myself, Wendy and Thelma were having a less strenuous day of looking at the sights of Vail and then taking the gondola up to the top of the mountain to join Bob and <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Leejun</span> for lunch at the exclusive Game Creek Club.<br />
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We drove the 13 miles into Vail, parked the car in a vast underground car park and then headed for the centre and the shops. Vail is a very pretty modern town that is right on top of the ski slopes. A walk of no more than a couple of hundred yards takes you from the car park to the ski lifts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Zvs3YbWUzEGjLcQR3WoQbfl0H9ReGNJgAfoiqkxbYFWzo_dWsx9CA8GMqtBgxM0AB_2bHEpUpPuCis3o77-I0-7o8CelG8-ToRzNf0hbZjehl2aG9x13diaYyzDlajsX7Zbz4DUkvgc/s1600-h/DSC00372.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048281364422739714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Zvs3YbWUzEGjLcQR3WoQbfl0H9ReGNJgAfoiqkxbYFWzo_dWsx9CA8GMqtBgxM0AB_2bHEpUpPuCis3o77-I0-7o8CelG8-ToRzNf0hbZjehl2aG9x13diaYyzDlajsX7Zbz4DUkvgc/s320/DSC00372.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> It is the largest ski area in the US having over 5,000 acres of ski runs. There are ski lifts to take you everywhere over the mountains and the Vail ski area is one of the most popular in the US.<br />
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The shops are typical of ski resorts - ski shops, designer clothing, jewellery, real estate and high class restaurants. After an hour of looking, and not much buying, we took the gondola up to the top of the mountain. From the gondola station at the top we took a snow cat for the final mile to the Game Creek Club.<br />
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Sited in the middle of many ski runs and beautiful snow covered mountains, the Club is a wonderful place to have lunch. Bob and <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Leejun</span> arrived after us, having had near perfect skiing conditions. <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Leejun</span> took the picture below of Bob on the slopes, waiting for Chair 4.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOjL6pPh18H4x4w8zl9HkPNNKuJ1SJgx8qcz272bLe_RG4KNoLAQnqY4DAfpSOUp8I2lKth9vkcXf36LyRHXnLgewgYUAYYeKlcaVBTrJUbu-dBgiYFlvYfodxfOfUY-14qGKgGzQlxIo/s1600-h/IMG_0086%5B1%5D"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048285272842979106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOjL6pPh18H4x4w8zl9HkPNNKuJ1SJgx8qcz272bLe_RG4KNoLAQnqY4DAfpSOUp8I2lKth9vkcXf36LyRHXnLgewgYUAYYeKlcaVBTrJUbu-dBgiYFlvYfodxfOfUY-14qGKgGzQlxIo/s320/IMG_0086%5B1%5D" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
A group photo taken in front of the Game Creek Club with Bob & <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Leejun</span> about to set off down the slopes and the rest of us to take the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Snowcat</span> back to the gondola and then down to Vail.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSRSKYvTN3WEEVj4pBTXZRInrwZs2_vejMlHwl7Dib87K25X5ecy9y2Io45i27z_onP-KjOO6AG_cUR2-exLAHf6HHRLpRjZFBnKaXJnmRjHeumWJJ2cFZthd_SWfjvZUmUzUG2mFl6g/s1600-h/DSC00378.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048281806804371218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSRSKYvTN3WEEVj4pBTXZRInrwZs2_vejMlHwl7Dib87K25X5ecy9y2Io45i27z_onP-KjOO6AG_cUR2-exLAHf6HHRLpRjZFBnKaXJnmRjHeumWJJ2cFZthd_SWfjvZUmUzUG2mFl6g/s320/DSC00378.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> Bob & <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Leejun</span> had a further hour's skiing before we all went shopping in the town.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCq8rqcOJoct19Q5FklY6LpC9OzKMhBfiBsehqZHR7DsJa2v0pb31k9kiPJT2SnicEa4g9pefAtl0QbE0pt6BHMAo_d_2sAKNwj2mC0nWfX9p5ph3MOI5xu8sgoVhcEs_QnO1CzbMM_vw/s1600-h/DSC06135.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048625966828767106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCq8rqcOJoct19Q5FklY6LpC9OzKMhBfiBsehqZHR7DsJa2v0pb31k9kiPJT2SnicEa4g9pefAtl0QbE0pt6BHMAo_d_2sAKNwj2mC0nWfX9p5ph3MOI5xu8sgoVhcEs_QnO1CzbMM_vw/s320/DSC06135.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> The day was rounded off with afternoon tea in the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Sonnealp</span> Resort Hotel.<br />
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Tomorrow we are being taken by <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Leejun</span> for a day trip to Aspen, a two hour drive away from Vail.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-68282142086256171192009-10-17T17:07:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:20:03.640-07:00April 1st - Vail/Aspen, ColoradoWell, today was the first day when Bob and I didn't drive. <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Leejun</span> kindly offered to take us all in her Chevy Suburban to Aspen which is about 100 miles to the east of Vail.<br />
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We left the house just after 10am and arrived in Aspen just before noon. On the way we passed Aspen airport which is an interesting sight because of all the executive jets parked there. Aspen is one of the number one spots for the super rich.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMgV7_wyYTIlFzqlE0bw_O1exypQu1ZmOB9iUdTi4TSfDzQRgRCGjqyKGsKLPdD88DnVjLQ8dRgU9BAaIAZEkrICGf_l46QnuHT6qcfODS3_vs6RBL9cEHRQXZstWreb6FJxyHEczc7k/s1600-h/DSC00386.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048620782803240754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMgV7_wyYTIlFzqlE0bw_O1exypQu1ZmOB9iUdTi4TSfDzQRgRCGjqyKGsKLPdD88DnVjLQ8dRgU9BAaIAZEkrICGf_l46QnuHT6qcfODS3_vs6RBL9cEHRQXZstWreb6FJxyHEczc7k/s320/DSC00386.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
The town itself is different from Vail in that it is laid out like most US towns, with wide roads running parallel to each other. Vail on the other hand is squeezed between I170 and the mountains and is much more like a European ski resort.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqnchc4-U5ANhdNLkG8fEDAVhEv0c5AHJa8vozPfvRSd66nhj27ChXTqvWSHCgfu2Nl_5ewsEs82dmSrfTU6YvaF5q-g5dBP0YeNEg0A85DFD1EivQe-8tx5lW-40YFQXhFKOgdndKsQ/s1600-h/DSC00385.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048621431343302466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqnchc4-U5ANhdNLkG8fEDAVhEv0c5AHJa8vozPfvRSd66nhj27ChXTqvWSHCgfu2Nl_5ewsEs82dmSrfTU6YvaF5q-g5dBP0YeNEg0A85DFD1EivQe-8tx5lW-40YFQXhFKOgdndKsQ/s320/DSC00385.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bFVpUZOkkmWcoo4R54MzZIeIMOj81giRjUDb4e60RAWS6FCzHG1GIoxYNQieK9WSo30O6D3_fCfo4aGlSoEVHZFT4pmRpKUx2SAtvRyZIkDfYCITRwxFI-_uTYu7pEftghXl3ptPRq4/s1600-h/DSC06153.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048622548034799442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bFVpUZOkkmWcoo4R54MzZIeIMOj81giRjUDb4e60RAWS6FCzHG1GIoxYNQieK9WSo30O6D3_fCfo4aGlSoEVHZFT4pmRpKUx2SAtvRyZIkDfYCITRwxFI-_uTYu7pEftghXl3ptPRq4/s320/DSC06153.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
Below is a photo of one of Aspen's multi-million dollar homes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjANOTuLV9dTGyDFBR-RMfpR69iivlIArrMNOTiXTSB8h3KeqBfFohNiyZwBIOcyZ07HQN4VwoOeJzLOFKH8z770SyeVaUpavAlSYCK-TvqIFO-Uajb5nukVRcVSyEyAdQ7eiFn6eoMbQ/s1600-h/DSC06157.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048623063430874978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjANOTuLV9dTGyDFBR-RMfpR69iivlIArrMNOTiXTSB8h3KeqBfFohNiyZwBIOcyZ07HQN4VwoOeJzLOFKH8z770SyeVaUpavAlSYCK-TvqIFO-Uajb5nukVRcVSyEyAdQ7eiFn6eoMbQ/s320/DSC06157.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
Aspen has many expensive shops selling jewellery, glassware, furs and even fossils and meteorites! I mention the last two because we found a shop selling these and I bought a meteorite that came from Argentina and Bob bought an <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Ammonite</span> that came from Russia! Hardly souvenirs of Colorado but memorable all the same.<br />
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A good snack lunch and a bit more shopping and then we drove the 100 miles back to to the house.<br />
Beautiful sunny weather in both directions and a chance when we arrived back to take some photos of the house and the surrounding mountains.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLa6zurkvVVelTXRoirx8RAMWLiFPIovwluts8toYNqPiyVE4pdB8jibyWEewQl6B17LQKTH9R3fUSrdKuT0WjmdDnj6z4jX-GsXRfB-PcI-aCAOty28qgOVDM6-RkyFnoY4AGx_BnreU/s1600-h/DSC00389.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048624330446227314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLa6zurkvVVelTXRoirx8RAMWLiFPIovwluts8toYNqPiyVE4pdB8jibyWEewQl6B17LQKTH9R3fUSrdKuT0WjmdDnj6z4jX-GsXRfB-PcI-aCAOty28qgOVDM6-RkyFnoY4AGx_BnreU/s320/DSC00389.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
This evening we are heading into Vail for a farewell dinner with <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Leejun</span> to thank her for a wonderful stay.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-15860073881638439292009-10-16T07:17:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:19:34.096-07:00April 2nd - Vail to Santa Fe, New MexicoYesterday's drive of just over 300 miles was through some stunningly beautiful mountain scenery. I should start with mentioning the great farewell meal we had in Vail the evening before. American restaurants have definitely improved and it seems you can always find a 'gourmet dining experience' in an American town. We certainly struck gold at the Sweet Basil in Vail. The wine list included a Mouton Rothschild at $3,250 a bottle. We spent a few minutes discussing if we should try it, but then decided on a slightly cheaper bottle of white wine at $42!<br />
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We left Vail at 10am having spoken with Jim Taylor, who had arrived in Shanghai on his classic rally going from <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Hong</span> Kong to Beijing. We were all able to thank him for his and <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Leejun's</span> wonderful hospitality. Hopefully we will be able to reciprocate when they are in Europe in June at the end of his next rally, the Peking to Paris event. Our drive took us south through the high Rockies. Wonderful mountain scenery with flowing rivers and towering mountains on either side of the winding road.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KKsLJTgz5_jVIUpUDuH7PCcjRaNQ4BhhYN7EATgbOhWfiNvTWKx3lCjL5i6Mkn1FzMIfoZC6N7-F6Rr66T1opjswGpty7B5-gvEaDx8-YyRESkGn5Xu8H9Ww9c9MBGE4KaltZEX_nyk/s1600-h/DSC06180.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049435056270604306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KKsLJTgz5_jVIUpUDuH7PCcjRaNQ4BhhYN7EATgbOhWfiNvTWKx3lCjL5i6Mkn1FzMIfoZC6N7-F6Rr66T1opjswGpty7B5-gvEaDx8-YyRESkGn5Xu8H9Ww9c9MBGE4KaltZEX_nyk/s320/DSC06180.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
The road peaked at over 10,000ft and the mountains reached over 14,000ft. Bright sunny weather and a temperature that never fell below 5C made the trip truly memorable. After an hour we reached the old mining town of <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Leadville</span> which gives a great impression of how the West must have been in the 19th century. Further on, at over 10,000ft, we came to another mining town, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Buena</span> Vista. Like <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Leadville</span>, old wooden building lined the main street. We saw the opera house and a saloon that could have come straight from a cowboy movie.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_j8AiUv8delpyZbF5vA4TGaGs3iU1kyZGecRaJ8NHKCsZyOIrN1bDDwf5WaXaVMLQX-zeSKgTPpPMC-LK75kDCuY9J2OBB8eSWGGATXF8295PApF3JaB8S7FXQvsOBuBjF7ky7_jUhsc/s1600-h/DSC06194.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049435717695567906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_j8AiUv8delpyZbF5vA4TGaGs3iU1kyZGecRaJ8NHKCsZyOIrN1bDDwf5WaXaVMLQX-zeSKgTPpPMC-LK75kDCuY9J2OBB8eSWGGATXF8295PApF3JaB8S7FXQvsOBuBjF7ky7_jUhsc/s320/DSC06194.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0KBFKS3vnA-2PpWtll-STeL-wI4IMPgfejfY9avMGlb4XwHK1vmB4TmE2na5LFfJMnUH7rQ7F6L3xI7YDnSRiocjbgstd46GkdxpG1LN_Ooi1Ad1dLs8yVYAUYKyPYPJeaDh1mTb5iE/s1600-h/DSC06192.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049436185847003186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0KBFKS3vnA-2PpWtll-STeL-wI4IMPgfejfY9avMGlb4XwHK1vmB4TmE2na5LFfJMnUH7rQ7F6L3xI7YDnSRiocjbgstd46GkdxpG1LN_Ooi1Ad1dLs8yVYAUYKyPYPJeaDh1mTb5iE/s320/DSC06192.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
Another hour's drive brought us to Highway 17. There can't be many roads in the world that are dead straight for 49 miles! We drove through the small town of <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Antonito</span> and came across the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Cumbres</span> and Toltec scenic railroad. There were wonderful old steam engines parked up in the sidings by the side of the highway.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVhuynlgxxbb_hdSjpFu7aPKUnuYIOdNdiioYyq_4miwzoyPC4XqRo70161w7y74mrmttzFgxcEF7HqTpRlo-Y4uD9LGQdnnaYlY7-Dc2vulnA72Ks1FzNCCQS4V7H4ujGmCQsmVl990/s1600-h/DSC06203.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049436718422947906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVhuynlgxxbb_hdSjpFu7aPKUnuYIOdNdiioYyq_4miwzoyPC4XqRo70161w7y74mrmttzFgxcEF7HqTpRlo-Y4uD9LGQdnnaYlY7-Dc2vulnA72Ks1FzNCCQS4V7H4ujGmCQsmVl990/s320/DSC06203.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> The railway doesn't start tourist rides until the end of May, I presume because of the snow in the mountains.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUySlu7VMAoFkqR0-5pvrEccy6VvrVdSwnZrnf5MdJofGIFm7e-fvTifaDS9obSmnHI4IcXO4RMwCpnIXTGMnaucZdw-8f9Vng4c7nSvmSTCOQ4eyx-66_J6qvSbq_DNi0xcaxWTpfD_8/s1600-h/DSC00392.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053662770833016450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUySlu7VMAoFkqR0-5pvrEccy6VvrVdSwnZrnf5MdJofGIFm7e-fvTifaDS9obSmnHI4IcXO4RMwCpnIXTGMnaucZdw-8f9Vng4c7nSvmSTCOQ4eyx-66_J6qvSbq_DNi0xcaxWTpfD_8/s320/DSC00392.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> Another fifteen miles and we came to the state border with New Mexico. A great drive along empty roads across the high plains of New Mexico for about 100 miles and we arrived at the state capital, Santa Fe. Our hotel, the La Fonda, was next to the cathedral and the central plaza.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDPfATvQRC7ie-6q-cFsbvzPc3juq-D2dIO1o7YcZH-b-vyFOc2w63TU5zysJX4XEcup9CKg6Y2614x6coADLnoeT2GqHzVZoCQ7YkRo3k14LNgj6Q7cSLUdU4hNFSskKe5hVDMj9Y0w/s1600-h/DSC06214.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049437250998892626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDPfATvQRC7ie-6q-cFsbvzPc3juq-D2dIO1o7YcZH-b-vyFOc2w63TU5zysJX4XEcup9CKg6Y2614x6coADLnoeT2GqHzVZoCQ7YkRo3k14LNgj6Q7cSLUdU4hNFSskKe5hVDMj9Y0w/s320/DSC06214.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
We found a restaurant within walking distance where the waiters sang songs from Broadway musicals. A fine way to end another great day of travelling across the US.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-53700802680383847612009-10-15T17:05:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:19:04.052-07:00April 3rd - Santa Fe to El Paso, TexasJust one night in beautiful Santa Fe; such a shame. Still we were able to spend an hour or so looking at the centre of the town before we headed south, and into Texas.<br />
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Around the corner from our hotel was the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Loretto</span> Chapel. The chapel, which is privately owned, is famous for its unique 'miracle spiral staircase. The chapel was built in 1873-8, and an unknown carpenter was asked to construct the double 360 degree spiral staircase. How he built the staircase is unknown.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqx0YjNi8u81dBLfyOQ7o1CZKErpptycN9NRFDzPHKmCmTVcH4K5aZtcan8mxZ-u0NSt23H5nkvgGeni5tqMpkI4A6g1blSQqY0rY7BaVLuNHRNkkHW_YPmAR98sgFe8k3mVS6wYE8XA/s1600-h/DSC00402.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049739036875946098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqx0YjNi8u81dBLfyOQ7o1CZKErpptycN9NRFDzPHKmCmTVcH4K5aZtcan8mxZ-u0NSt23H5nkvgGeni5tqMpkI4A6g1blSQqY0rY7BaVLuNHRNkkHW_YPmAR98sgFe8k3mVS6wYE8XA/s320/DSC00402.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbk5-OO8QlGRHUrLqt4c1R8vzXS0xOnDTHlg3znQ8bXS2y_y_sUpk9OrfvxjQdrdfoAbB_g255mk_vqeemrSWPZzZKlByKr3t_7WS2Or8v7Th_4RSf8sqVTwh76mS18_QucynZx81Icsk/s1600-h/DSC00401.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049738796357777506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbk5-OO8QlGRHUrLqt4c1R8vzXS0xOnDTHlg3znQ8bXS2y_y_sUpk9OrfvxjQdrdfoAbB_g255mk_vqeemrSWPZzZKlByKr3t_7WS2Or8v7Th_4RSf8sqVTwh76mS18_QucynZx81Icsk/s320/DSC00401.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> When he finished he simply disappeared without asking for payment. The staircase is unique because it has no central support, nor is it supported by the wall or the floor above. Adding to the mystery is that no one is sure what wood was used in its construction. Various studies have been made of the staircase but no satisfactory answers as to how it was built have ever been forth coming.<br />
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We then visited the cathedral which was built between 1869 and 1884. There is a marvellous marble font and very beautiful pictures depicting the stations of the cross.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbMQWRv35DRCZ5rzeLr4O7KxzYz_Da7J4TcS7XQ6RgCpmgMxiLCZ64XDzWIwj95q8suYMjFVDa6MyghTuu8bYjgWiwjnerYkma8JQ2ZibvJfmgiBfcqL3ZZyfhgamz0DREjdmTcI478E/s1600-h/DSC00405.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049739432012937346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbMQWRv35DRCZ5rzeLr4O7KxzYz_Da7J4TcS7XQ6RgCpmgMxiLCZ64XDzWIwj95q8suYMjFVDa6MyghTuu8bYjgWiwjnerYkma8JQ2ZibvJfmgiBfcqL3ZZyfhgamz0DREjdmTcI478E/s320/DSC00405.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZUmxulx6QVWbMp8tiJfigfEtcv0iRmFmq587V5EfOxkyaTPDGDAkIt4GsGuPLQ7M5JE-Z0AyvsZEefOxuZ4tA8Dd_GaafQXn4YbdI02QtOJHZjMJYx_xHW5DanpVOAjhFqV3kWb8Mbk/s1600-h/DSC00408.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049739698300909714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZUmxulx6QVWbMp8tiJfigfEtcv0iRmFmq587V5EfOxkyaTPDGDAkIt4GsGuPLQ7M5JE-Z0AyvsZEefOxuZ4tA8Dd_GaafQXn4YbdI02QtOJHZjMJYx_xHW5DanpVOAjhFqV3kWb8Mbk/s320/DSC00408.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
Over breakfast we had made the decision to drive slightly east of the direct route to El <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Paso</span> and go through the 'UFO capital of the United States', Roswell, New Mexico. The town is about 200 miles south of Santa Fe in the middle of wide open flat scrub lands. It became famous in 1947 after the 'Roswell Incident' occurred. A farmer found strange metallic debris on his land which he handed in to the local police. They called in the US Air Force who then sealed off the area and over the next few weeks rumours abounded that the Air Force had recovered three alien bodies. The facts have never been fully explained and as a result many people believe that there was a major cover-up by the US Government. Even to this day nobody is certain what happened. We visited the UFO Museum and Research Centre in Roswell<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHmqhpn4kIIgI4jGt4lFXxxY5HHTS27mnPsYgSgSuVYeup1wTf2S86f80J7yGcS8S281W0L5MsEkRTw7uDN9yQkMTzIAesRfYd5KxWPnTJWspYNb_T-B7LBFFmJlZsLw0VeOu7xjCSEs/s1600-h/DSC00413.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049740282416461986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHmqhpn4kIIgI4jGt4lFXxxY5HHTS27mnPsYgSgSuVYeup1wTf2S86f80J7yGcS8S281W0L5MsEkRTw7uDN9yQkMTzIAesRfYd5KxWPnTJWspYNb_T-B7LBFFmJlZsLw0VeOu7xjCSEs/s320/DSC00413.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> This gives a very comprehensive report of the Incident. It was, much to my surprise, well worth the visit.<br />
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The drive south from Roswell of over 200 miles to El <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Paso</span> took us through some very beautiful mountain scenery. We descended from the mountains towards the White Sands National Park, famous for its pure white gypsum. Nearby is the US Air Force missile testing station.<br />
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We then had a 60 mile drive, of virtually straight roads to the Texan border. We entered our sixth state in the early evening and drove into El <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Paso</span> via the western loop which took us high above the city and then down to the Rio <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Grande</span>, and our final destination.<br />
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We were all delighted to meet up with our friends from previous rallies, Kenny and <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">DeeAnne</span> <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Croucher</span>, who had kindly invited us to stay. Later in the evening we were joined by Ernie <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Nelan</span> (Fred's wife) for a lovely dinner by the hot tub and pool. Ernie told us she had heard from Fred that he and Jim Taylor seemed to have overcome most of their car problems on the rally from <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Hong</span> Kong to Beijing. (You can click on Jim Taylor's link, to the right of this posting, and read about their rally)<br />
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Tomorrow we have a rest day here in El <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Paso</span> and maybe we will be taken up in Kenny's light airplane for an aerial tour of El <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Paso</span>.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-56405032483068142852009-10-14T17:56:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:18:34.857-07:00April 4th - El Paso, TexasA rest day!<br />
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Kenny and <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">DeeAnne</span> are treating us to true Texan hospitality - plenty of fine food and drink! The morning started with a walk along the bank of the Rio <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Grande</span>, which is just a couple of hundred yards from their house.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCwF3krqYeZXoSha0Mv9UtaoiPQnDTo0gQaM4iwNyg8VsiCYdfsZEzECoUlYRbH76ZnPko5OncuPF8pKMNDu1TyYaIETMgHowQ6b-dU9fPLU43TUDreG6J02aPV4o1znHiBDFztWEDDU/s1600-h/DSC00419.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049745818629306546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCwF3krqYeZXoSha0Mv9UtaoiPQnDTo0gQaM4iwNyg8VsiCYdfsZEzECoUlYRbH76ZnPko5OncuPF8pKMNDu1TyYaIETMgHowQ6b-dU9fPLU43TUDreG6J02aPV4o1znHiBDFztWEDDU/s320/DSC00419.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> They are within yards of the New Mexico state line and also very close to the Mexican border which is on the south side of the Rio <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Grande</span>. Following the walk we had a great cooked breakfast to set us up for the day.<br />
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Bob and I took our cars to the local car wash to wash the dirt off that we have accumulated during the past week during more than 2,000 miles of driving.<br />
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Kenny who is a very experienced pilot, and has flown all over the United States and the Caribbean, asked if we would like to take a short flight over El <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Paso</span>. Bob, Thelma and myself said yes, and off we drove to the local airport where Kenny keeps his Cessna single engine plane.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6jgv6o_ZCd5BHVvkwbH5FtlFd6-0ElSvOA9s7xWmmksdqQ6ndXZYbXt9DVP5W9P85GVjj6DtFB2elR8fqsRVX8yN18retbMSz03P53848WWPr1Bjh9R4zlh10RmLoFYwxYeTq6rggGI/s1600-h/DSC00423.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049746080622311618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6jgv6o_ZCd5BHVvkwbH5FtlFd6-0ElSvOA9s7xWmmksdqQ6ndXZYbXt9DVP5W9P85GVjj6DtFB2elR8fqsRVX8yN18retbMSz03P53848WWPr1Bjh9R4zlh10RmLoFYwxYeTq6rggGI/s320/DSC00423.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>Much to our surprise he asked if anyone would like to pilot the plane, under his guidance, and Bob took him up on his offer. The picture below is of Kenny and Bob at the controls of the Cessna.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3aMqSkYrkxWhKY9kIKpRMWddL-X_WXr1jhLsliHQP9F5PQgbfDy1Rw8YcQeUBeKTcepsiDxOA3c-7nBBkm0eWHgDLx4hWBs1HWZ3s_5ugkYs80Ph2A0jqJxJSWXIYXrTFzB1JFye2rk/s1600-h/DSC00424.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049746492939172050" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3aMqSkYrkxWhKY9kIKpRMWddL-X_WXr1jhLsliHQP9F5PQgbfDy1Rw8YcQeUBeKTcepsiDxOA3c-7nBBkm0eWHgDLx4hWBs1HWZ3s_5ugkYs80Ph2A0jqJxJSWXIYXrTFzB1JFye2rk/s320/DSC00424.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> We took off and flew for about an hour along the border with Mexico. The Rio <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Grande</span> is the border, dividing the towns of El <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Paso</span> and <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Ciudad</span> Juarez in Mexico. I took the photo below of Downtown El <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Paso</span> with the bridge crossing the Rio <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Grande</span> into Mexico in the centre and <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Ciudad</span> Juarez in the background.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwdQeIPZIuaQJo8ckNTjzkefo1X2tEP9HlzzjabsAqu6Oy4X6Hv06zPBdCwadLF6YdBppXeEpXJ6_KmhLiyQoaBs1ulaQD2yXwmalk-mEWaaIUiQMkKxafJNHyv65Z7VEpffXR0hbVkU/s1600-h/DSC00427.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049747158659102946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwdQeIPZIuaQJo8ckNTjzkefo1X2tEP9HlzzjabsAqu6Oy4X6Hv06zPBdCwadLF6YdBppXeEpXJ6_KmhLiyQoaBs1ulaQD2yXwmalk-mEWaaIUiQMkKxafJNHyv65Z7VEpffXR0hbVkU/s320/DSC00427.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>It was a great way to see the area and Bob handled the plane excellently, even bringing it into land.<br />
Following the flight we returned to the house and we all went shopping and sightseeing in El <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Paso</span>. El <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Paso</span> is renowned for its cowboy boots and we saw them being made at <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Rocketbusters</span>, a famous maker. They can cost thousands of dollars and seeing how much work went into making them I can see why.<br />
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A light lunch at a Mexican restaurant and then the short drive back. This evening Ernie is cooking us all a meal. Tomorrow is the longest drive of the tour, nearly 600 miles to San Antonio and the hospitality of another great rally friend, Ahmad <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Fakhr</span>.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-45592218829070438642009-10-13T21:21:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:18:04.426-07:00April 5th - El Paso to San Antonio, TexasWe were all very sad to have to say goodbye to Kenny, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">DeeAnne</span> and Ernie after such a short time with them, but our journey across the States is over a very great distance in a comparatively short period of time and, as a result, our stays in each place have to be limited. We managed to have a group photo taken by Maribel, Kenny and <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">DeeAnne's</span> housekeeper.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38_bNkjD3yX7ilWjcRbGskojmKwH6b62DNUnufxr9-wnaF5hyoq_Ij_XiLA9mvmbQ9_a9GjwKzdIE5PVmKFH7EswqvxrbhLiumpMBGIfT5sWUfd7WDgX-0jZ9j4n0WsOQb3iG0lq93iQ/s1600-h/Kenny+%282%29.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050452649987143954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38_bNkjD3yX7ilWjcRbGskojmKwH6b62DNUnufxr9-wnaF5hyoq_Ij_XiLA9mvmbQ9_a9GjwKzdIE5PVmKFH7EswqvxrbhLiumpMBGIfT5sWUfd7WDgX-0jZ9j4n0WsOQb3iG0lq93iQ/s320/Kenny+%282%29.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
Today we travelled just under 600 miles across western Texas to San Antonio. After driving 200 miles we reached the small town of Fort Stockton, and it was here that Bob and Thelma decided to take the smaller roads to San Antonio, going via the border town of Del Rio. We, on the other hand, decided to keep to the Interstate 10 and have our lunch at <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Ozona</span>, where there is a memorial to Davy Crockett.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OzKoCamTvRj20fy710JNdNXmaRqclqB6fR5CpTbjPP8J1Xtso97lKzp5n04eYWtzoO5BfGonASAIO8aGiAoX6Ez91xj957Wh9Xz9pGamjSkF6e4fkqbgdA2iRSvd3m8XWOQvjMlGxMw/s1600-h/DSC00429.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050440929021393138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OzKoCamTvRj20fy710JNdNXmaRqclqB6fR5CpTbjPP8J1Xtso97lKzp5n04eYWtzoO5BfGonASAIO8aGiAoX6Ez91xj957Wh9Xz9pGamjSkF6e4fkqbgdA2iRSvd3m8XWOQvjMlGxMw/s320/DSC00429.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> Crockett died at the Alamo in 1836 during the Texan war of independence against the Mexicans. The Alamo, which is in San Antonio, will be one of the places we will visit tomorrow.<br />
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Texas is in two time zones and for the second time on this trip we had to put our watches forward as we entered the Central Time Zone.<br />
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After lunch we continued the drive across the increasingly green Texan countryside and wild flowers carpeted the central reservation, and the verges, of the highway.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkSjJ3ojmKTxdHs6b-NqcvwL34PHKgKIwN80IXaxs6w2z-SxN5jL41SF4qXi7iopvUklSQHDwIm3RwV_4rQdhX52r0iug5otR0fCF1pfCl24H2Pratd6Tzfe-ubssjirDfEHfZ_TpkMI/s1600-h/DSC06365.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050448294890305794" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkSjJ3ojmKTxdHs6b-NqcvwL34PHKgKIwN80IXaxs6w2z-SxN5jL41SF4qXi7iopvUklSQHDwIm3RwV_4rQdhX52r0iug5otR0fCF1pfCl24H2Pratd6Tzfe-ubssjirDfEHfZ_TpkMI/s320/DSC06365.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> The last 100 miles into San Antonio was through forested areas, quite a contrast to the desert we had driven through in the morning.<br />
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We arrived at Ahmad's house at around 6pm. 560 miles in 9 hours. About half an hour later Bob and Thelma arrived. We were all then treated to some wonderful Iranian cuisine. Once again the hospitality of our rally friends is simply incredible.<br />
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We are looking forward to seeing a little of this historic town tomorrow.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-28633831350489629622009-10-12T16:19:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:17:35.743-07:00April 6th - San Antonio, TexasWe rose to a beautiful sunny morning and Ahmad cooked us all a great breakfast. He then took his superb pink 1960 Ford <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Thunderbird</span> out of his garage, so that we could admire this wonderful car. He took Bob & Thelma out in it for a short drive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PjoJBRs_SjiwtabbsDEUMdQiRYG9VPipIMLMyQ0Glh8NldFQSJT8jI9wtYLX94awSqzY7GN-HIqNLIi5UFTryZBVxBbqLkqRqLH86kRKmbED1YgzNyI7U5BVcIuFXI9buAaPJ97VMf8/s1600-h/IMG_0189%5B1%5D"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050462841944537378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PjoJBRs_SjiwtabbsDEUMdQiRYG9VPipIMLMyQ0Glh8NldFQSJT8jI9wtYLX94awSqzY7GN-HIqNLIi5UFTryZBVxBbqLkqRqLH86kRKmbED1YgzNyI7U5BVcIuFXI9buAaPJ97VMf8/s320/IMG_0189%5B1%5D" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_RAnYlVgGIbLdSV9jv42gxd-4qaSZ6uUS48WiQvecvCQ_FCp71nB707EwHfRRZVnBUcofxTmQDl_ZOnrqBpcVGrAcO1tcATyGVC63BvcE0ENzwqMTLv81w2ScXPzqemkqQ90Rj2CYoM/s1600-h/IMG_0191%5B1%5D"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050463662283290930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_RAnYlVgGIbLdSV9jv42gxd-4qaSZ6uUS48WiQvecvCQ_FCp71nB707EwHfRRZVnBUcofxTmQDl_ZOnrqBpcVGrAcO1tcATyGVC63BvcE0ENzwqMTLv81w2ScXPzqemkqQ90Rj2CYoM/s320/IMG_0191%5B1%5D" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
Ahmad then drove us all into town to do some shopping at a huge Western clothing store. We bought cowboy boots, shirts and jeans which we will wear when we are at Billy Bob's night club in Fort Worth. More about that when we arrive in Fort Worth tomorrow evening.<br />
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He then drove us to the centre of San Antonio to visit the two major attractions of San Antonio, the Alamo and the River Walk. The Alamo, which was a Spanish mission, is a small building and is one of America's most historic sites. It was here in 1836 that the famous battle took place against the Mexicans during which Davy Crockett, and all the Americans fighting for Texas independence from Mexican rule, died.<br />
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Being Good Friday the place was very busy and long lines snaked through the building to see Davy Crockett's rifle amongst other artifacts on display in the building.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7liWwA1oPgps8AUY3p3-oUv7mSHlv8bSD7w0r0falR2NrWFxxLUb56BFDu2fRb2A8Og6ZnZ1uSkZzOqjnr8gpnPQWGsVNfXdwMwZGJzV5GGsCzsasYCnB4dlR_sk2FoKnxKhobwGAXz4/s1600-h/DSC00441.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050464740320082242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7liWwA1oPgps8AUY3p3-oUv7mSHlv8bSD7w0r0falR2NrWFxxLUb56BFDu2fRb2A8Og6ZnZ1uSkZzOqjnr8gpnPQWGsVNfXdwMwZGJzV5GGsCzsasYCnB4dlR_sk2FoKnxKhobwGAXz4/s320/DSC00441.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> In the plaza in front of the Alamo is the very impressive statue erected in 1936 in memory of all those who died in the battle, with Davy Crockett prominent on the side frieze.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJftrdL2KsDNL3Q9VcMqFl25XGNVakliPJ8fLqCY3uop9ZK-tBJMV4j2YbYmgBgTvtSh4Ll3oJQ-LH_Zs4tV8gwFKI1-mecD6GZ5hPsDTAbRL6dDsguC_KygaIp7Ofg9B7voQhXhYefQU/s1600-h/DSC00442.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050465393155111250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJftrdL2KsDNL3Q9VcMqFl25XGNVakliPJ8fLqCY3uop9ZK-tBJMV4j2YbYmgBgTvtSh4Ll3oJQ-LH_Zs4tV8gwFKI1-mecD6GZ5hPsDTAbRL6dDsguC_KygaIp7Ofg9B7voQhXhYefQU/s320/DSC00442.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZP7rntm8UxLPFsEbWVQgCOBVD0meTLvIx171GGBS8NE6F7RM7UFRd97r4_R4FLpGRdU3yawrVDYH8SQ9C4nxWudo1FERZGI6I_4wo_o-9Td5dZz-BdITG9GafXDzVsZPnvhqwTj-DMY/s1600-h/DSC00445.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050465917141121378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZP7rntm8UxLPFsEbWVQgCOBVD0meTLvIx171GGBS8NE6F7RM7UFRd97r4_R4FLpGRdU3yawrVDYH8SQ9C4nxWudo1FERZGI6I_4wo_o-9Td5dZz-BdITG9GafXDzVsZPnvhqwTj-DMY/s320/DSC00445.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
We then walked the short distance to the River Walk. This is actually a canal, rather than a river, which snakes through the centre of the town. It is a very pretty and peaceful place away from the traffic. Water taxis take tourists up and down the waterway and restaurants line the banks. We stopped and had a snack at an Italian restaurant before driving back to Ahmad's house. Ahmad has two delightful small Chinese Sharpe (pronounced 'sharpay') dogs, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Rostam</span> and <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Sohrab</span>. <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Sohrab</span> has black claws and a black tongue! We will be sad to leave Ahmad & Lida's hospitality tomorrow, and for a bit of fun Lida showed the girls how to dress for Billy Bob's.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofIAsARI8qDKAGdPiSASirdR4IXF6h72_e9Qviu_TmtT0HUPYn2X7io7BlXilVQUJVPNB4WmCE_4zpQDd963AeSLrDfPVuEM6nfhaxay47SUW4Kq_mE3ff2-7PeJ-QvL4lLYK1qr_LPg/s1600-h/DSC06420.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050472677419645362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofIAsARI8qDKAGdPiSASirdR4IXF6h72_e9Qviu_TmtT0HUPYn2X7io7BlXilVQUJVPNB4WmCE_4zpQDd963AeSLrDfPVuEM6nfhaxay47SUW4Kq_mE3ff2-7PeJ-QvL4lLYK1qr_LPg/s320/DSC06420.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>Tomorrow we drive up to Fort Worth, which is about 300 miles to the north-east.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-40183434015825254212009-10-11T16:57:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:17:04.295-07:00April 7th - San Antonio to Fort Worth, TexasWe woke to rain and a drop in temperature of about 30 degrees Fahrenheit! What a contrast to yesterday's sun and warm weather. Still, with a comparatively short drive of less than 300 miles to Fort Worth the poor weather wasn't too much of a problem.<br />
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We thanked Ahmad and Lida for a marvellous couple of days at their house. Invitations were extended to them to stay with us/Bob and Thelma when they are next in the UK. Before we left we took the photo below of Ahmad, Lida and their two dogs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlBnjlnTDCkU_ZbtoJNlDqbwqgQmh2XmasIJklTR3z0Nr62dMTqVYNnCG93E0OaBB5BPq2_BkoG3zwKiu-A7riiqiALvc2de2KK-d2Q21yGChjgeiP0H_JYpyA5cTby1JfX7aDwrjXws/s1600-h/DSC06435.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050850183570127298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlBnjlnTDCkU_ZbtoJNlDqbwqgQmh2XmasIJklTR3z0Nr62dMTqVYNnCG93E0OaBB5BPq2_BkoG3zwKiu-A7riiqiALvc2de2KK-d2Q21yGChjgeiP0H_JYpyA5cTby1JfX7aDwrjXws/s320/DSC06435.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>Our drive took us more or less due north along Highway 281. It wasn't long before snow started falling and there were times when visibility was severely restricted as the photo below shows.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKHFpKiap3vTMUEDnQ_wE33oZX16-ZJMuSjPs9OoQNl2ioX7HlYVMyryiInMPc90XBDXx0HCzbIyDviy6HsO_7PmCI53dIsJhF73Xg2ns6mV8MAopm3lLOswTXKaqKPNXphf1l-TW_Hw/s1600-h/DSC06458.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051040493571013074" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKHFpKiap3vTMUEDnQ_wE33oZX16-ZJMuSjPs9OoQNl2ioX7HlYVMyryiInMPc90XBDXx0HCzbIyDviy6HsO_7PmCI53dIsJhF73Xg2ns6mV8MAopm3lLOswTXKaqKPNXphf1l-TW_Hw/s320/DSC06458.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> The snow didn't settle on the road and we were able to make reasonable progress as we passed through a small town called Johnson, where President 'LBJ' Johnson lived. Further on we passed a museum to Billy the Kid in <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Hico</span>, about 100 miles south of Fort Worth.<br />
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As we drove into Fort Worth the snow stopped but the temperature remained around freezing. Our hotel, The Stockyard, is located in the Fort Worth Stockyards area, where cattle used to be transported to and from Fort Worth. The stockyards are now a big tourist attraction, not least for the country and western music performed in the bars and saloons. Tonight we are going to one of the largest entertainment saloons, Billy Bob's.<br />
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We arrived just in time to see the daily cattle drive through the roads of the stockyards. Texan longhorn cattle were led through the streets by about half a dozen cowboys. The cattle are magnificent creatures with their huge horns.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqA3zdRlXK9H1dX8-ZQfOsC-owxnSLNnIIhrZi4wsPehG-AIoncGYByPy2NHWmld5d7RXNyOZ3bD1mwNMeffRoJc1MUD2TxZTDTM3C8DQRJWx0cEPXnoNkrOUShKzpzLsmitaZSepPrQ/s1600-h/DSC06481.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051042576630151650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqA3zdRlXK9H1dX8-ZQfOsC-owxnSLNnIIhrZi4wsPehG-AIoncGYByPy2NHWmld5d7RXNyOZ3bD1mwNMeffRoJc1MUD2TxZTDTM3C8DQRJWx0cEPXnoNkrOUShKzpzLsmitaZSepPrQ/s320/DSC06481.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>We went to Billy Bob's in the evening and watched the country and western live bands playing before seeing our first bull riding competition! Six cowboys attempted to ride a bull for eight seconds without falling off or touching the bull with their free hand. They hold on with one hand to a rope that is tied around the bull's belly and hang on for dear life as the bull is released from the pen. Only two managed the eight seconds and one was disqualified for touching the bull. Later on we watched a country and western singer who we had never heard of, John <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Conlee</span>. Included in his repertoire was a song dedicated to the troops fighting in Iraq. We then had a dance before we headed back to the hotel around midnight.<br />
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Tomorrow we are going to a small town called <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Lufkin</span>, about 100 miles south of Dallas. On the way we will visit the site in Dallas where JFK was assassinated. Let's hope the weather is warmer.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-13795779002583261082009-10-10T15:34:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:16:37.429-07:00April 8th - Fort Worth to Lufkin, Texas, via DallasAt least the weather is a bit warmer this morning and we were able to have a short walk around the hotel, looking at the various saloons and shops of the Stockyards area. However, as it was Easter Sunday most of the shops were closed and no shopping took place. We then drove into Downtown Fort Worth which is a mixture of new skyscrapers and older brick buildings from the 1920's. We saw the art deco Bass Concert Hall which had two gigantic angel statues with trumpets.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvkYHp71wXk7PU_uQ-4WbNk5woqa2Mdt6WsTQfMghgnv-e0FUdqFZoOSsY2KwqG2rPobhsJ5lQ7p6t5ZD48BM6CCdtFE3PZJMbG1TaqucpuOBf0fIxJuacLWzq3R4BTHOthI7tWIUciLk/s1600-h/DSC00472.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051201030858602994" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvkYHp71wXk7PU_uQ-4WbNk5woqa2Mdt6WsTQfMghgnv-e0FUdqFZoOSsY2KwqG2rPobhsJ5lQ7p6t5ZD48BM6CCdtFE3PZJMbG1TaqucpuOBf0fIxJuacLWzq3R4BTHOthI7tWIUciLk/s320/DSC00472.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>Then a short drive took us to the Fort Worth Water Garden. This lived up to its billing as being one of the sights to see in the town. The gardens have only just re-opened and are a wonderful place to see how water can be used to both entertain and relax you. Three large displays are within the gardens. The first is a marvellous waterfall where you can walk down to the base of the falls with water cascading down from three sides.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMVcIk66CPDNag0LqFsqIPVqUz-tTraiR-SfPI7Q_Vz05C95VHN5Ze4oD6HxTAaOOakbJqfA2gNS2taMVqYsF5Bigtj1GmkRhXL402yZC4biJHnvEPfdvufMIp8yL4wDnviunu0A4VcPM/s1600-h/DSC00474.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051201378750953986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMVcIk66CPDNag0LqFsqIPVqUz-tTraiR-SfPI7Q_Vz05C95VHN5Ze4oD6HxTAaOOakbJqfA2gNS2taMVqYsF5Bigtj1GmkRhXL402yZC4biJHnvEPfdvufMIp8yL4wDnviunu0A4VcPM/s320/DSC00474.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> The second is a large pool with multiple fountains, called the Aerated Water Pool. The third is a large blue wading pool completely surrounded by a high wall which has water flowing down it. Hopefully the photos give some idea of how special this place is.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWnCuovvMXgrobFnzpiR_p2xKSv08qbtWzmtSbcNOFyZsUqO_jae67VXjZTV7Am0iMVNZbCqzdH2RLmLIRlPquxnuROCkZSfIfirqvsdwhgxDkiGAPafglWnkEMIpTtCFvdElNb_xGYHQ/s1600-h/DSC00479.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051201937096702482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWnCuovvMXgrobFnzpiR_p2xKSv08qbtWzmtSbcNOFyZsUqO_jae67VXjZTV7Am0iMVNZbCqzdH2RLmLIRlPquxnuROCkZSfIfirqvsdwhgxDkiGAPafglWnkEMIpTtCFvdElNb_xGYHQ/s320/DSC00479.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> <br />
Our drive then took us to Dallas, 45 minutes from Fort Worth, and to <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Dealey</span> Plaza, the place where JFK was assassinated. We went first to the museum in the Texas Book Depository, which overlooks the Plaza, and was the building from where Lee Harvey Oswald shot the president. The photo below shows the depository and the window from where Oswald shot is on the right, one floor down from the top.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh50w9Lx6PL_RMXGPw5n9A-Yp0zdLhheIGG0YKjWMa4gwo3R8SydX5qZk1JThHG6zPWxRX8Bc9Aere_8OfxhaK8lwkA-L3s2oyRKMTOPdrrSGHVdcUidQAZtIG3gX1KarQyLVegEBWvm4/s1600-h/DSC00483.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051202388068268578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh50w9Lx6PL_RMXGPw5n9A-Yp0zdLhheIGG0YKjWMa4gwo3R8SydX5qZk1JThHG6zPWxRX8Bc9Aere_8OfxhaK8lwkA-L3s2oyRKMTOPdrrSGHVdcUidQAZtIG3gX1KarQyLVegEBWvm4/s320/DSC00483.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>Seeing the exhibits and the video/audio displays vividly brought back the dreadful events of 43 years ago. We then went outside and standing on the 'grassy knoll' and looking at the exact spot in Elm Street where Kennedy was shot, was very moving. This photo is taken from the grassy knoll, and the spot where Kennedy was shot is marked by a cross in the centre of the street.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcc_-8glmpeKcx5LSIAlkSIjLDZyCaWfZI8fupD60FD1330viBEuEQAu0i2s0aQLr640ckRBv7SmZIvAytNtNsVrBs0zcECaLMhFFZEibpZQzErcjMWlYDlcJOazkkTPMrKc_FlF9-VaU/s1600-h/DSC00492.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051203122507676210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcc_-8glmpeKcx5LSIAlkSIjLDZyCaWfZI8fupD60FD1330viBEuEQAu0i2s0aQLr640ckRBv7SmZIvAytNtNsVrBs0zcECaLMhFFZEibpZQzErcjMWlYDlcJOazkkTPMrKc_FlF9-VaU/s320/DSC00492.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> A short walk took us as to the memorial to JFK that the people of Dallas built in memory of Kennedy. The whole visit was well worthwhile and one we will all remember.<br />
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We then headed south-east to <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Lufkin</span>, our destination for the night and just under halfway to New Orleans. The road was quite empty and we made good progress to arrive at our hotel, after a 200 mile drive, by 5pm. The countryside in this part of Texas is very reminiscent of the English countryside, with green fields and many deciduous trees. This is such a change from the dryness of western Texas.<br />
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Tomorrow we move on into Louisiana and New Orleans in the 'deep south' of the US.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-56274674765835056712009-10-09T20:58:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:16:07.448-07:00April 9th - Lufkin, Texas to New Orleans, LouisianaA drive of over 350 miles took us out of Texas and into Louisiana. We were sorry to leave Texas after six days travelling across from west to east. Wonderful wide open spaces and great scenery are how I will remember the state. We left <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Lufkin</span> at 9am and drove on minor roads to the state border about 70 miles away. Once into Louisiana we headed more or less due east towards Baton Rouge and then New Orleans. We arrived at about 3.30pm.<br />
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We saw little damage remaining from the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, apart from large trees uprooted by the side of the Interstate 10, coming into New Orleans. The city is still not fully recovered from the storm and many areas are still uninhabitable.<br />
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Our hotel, the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Omni</span> Royal, is in the heart of the French Quarter. It is ideally located within a few minutes walk of both Bourbon Street, famous for its jazz and blues bars, and the banks of the Mississippi River. Large cargo ships were coming up the river from the Gulf as well as tourist paddle steamers docking at the River Walk quay.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwEK2jFVnB1yyci15MGzuKO7qjL0RaM7VEysJQXQ-A2HrJKjtaESe36tGQhyphenhyphenKvT4ESfKzTqfkfkOehEg0eWqIeiIZutdpaAwzNVk2NozLPRmy1YahVOuCbsQKaqQldrPdIKr9tHWnkZ8/s1600-h/DSC00499.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051947262110745794" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwEK2jFVnB1yyci15MGzuKO7qjL0RaM7VEysJQXQ-A2HrJKjtaESe36tGQhyphenhyphenKvT4ESfKzTqfkfkOehEg0eWqIeiIZutdpaAwzNVk2NozLPRmy1YahVOuCbsQKaqQldrPdIKr9tHWnkZ8/s320/DSC00499.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7htCK9uPOXKOuxBhcdx7jHYGSmEVKSF59csMopS9M6VPgplHDOAOn1jKNqMGLqlT1Cv472wupsDp6W8yhbwkky_giZ0qdEzqoDHwzIALh4LTSX24JvigxC_TbcZeBPpwH3evfBB56aGo/s1600-h/DSC00504.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051947571348391122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7htCK9uPOXKOuxBhcdx7jHYGSmEVKSF59csMopS9M6VPgplHDOAOn1jKNqMGLqlT1Cv472wupsDp6W8yhbwkky_giZ0qdEzqoDHwzIALh4LTSX24JvigxC_TbcZeBPpwH3evfBB56aGo/s320/DSC00504.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
In the evening we went to a local restaurant and then walked along Bourbon Street to see the live bands playing in the many bars.<br />
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The end of another very enjoyable day.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-3520575707470098432009-10-08T16:37:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:15:38.982-07:00April 10th - New Orleans, LouisianaToday was the first day we have had of real rain. Heavy rain during the morning meant we spent most of the time walking around the French Market. I bought a book about Hurricane Katrina which has recently won the Pulitzer Prize for news journalism. I wanted to learn more about how the city was devastated in August 2005 and how it is re-building itself.<br />
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We then took one of the river cruises aboard the steamboat, Natchez, A two hour ride down and then back up the Mississippi. The trip was really worthwhile. Along the way we passed St. Louis Cathedral in the heart of New Orleans, the oldest in the United States.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7DYkUafvnwVsvRLfCZUmXr4w8XFwzUAer2c0028ih-R1bca4aaJ9Q_zGxyH0xLj0pyHr6tqeUYn6VnrC38_pu1z6Fa-PnrdIGBFjxrqiVpa6Kp_-OS-_rE65IhihJueIBl8koXJLNwf0/s1600-h/DSC00511.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051950955782620402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7DYkUafvnwVsvRLfCZUmXr4w8XFwzUAer2c0028ih-R1bca4aaJ9Q_zGxyH0xLj0pyHr6tqeUYn6VnrC38_pu1z6Fa-PnrdIGBFjxrqiVpa6Kp_-OS-_rE65IhihJueIBl8koXJLNwf0/s320/DSC00511.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> We then saw some of the damage done by Katrina. Wharves that were totally burnt out by exploding chemical containers that were turned over in the storm.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZPnvAuaT9lSqdRglVdTxYcrPQCQrxNJsCYsvnmF4naz53KXUCLV23B-5Ih310xYK_miS9TthueZUkepznW0IObF2YnH4m5jzWJEYO2Z1itw_lrizawk3UI54zwOqcIu4oELWAAW5eek/s1600-h/DSC06667.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053632319514887714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZPnvAuaT9lSqdRglVdTxYcrPQCQrxNJsCYsvnmF4naz53KXUCLV23B-5Ih310xYK_miS9TthueZUkepznW0IObF2YnH4m5jzWJEYO2Z1itw_lrizawk3UI54zwOqcIu4oELWAAW5eek/s320/DSC06667.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> We also saw the historical site of the Battle of New Orleans as well as many industrial complexes along this mighty river.<br />
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As we approached the end of the trip we had a wonderful view of the New Orleans skyline.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjssDjJs8v4_uw5zj1FQHnh1pfxn1_X2bOZ4a-l8nslgYS_-LT9GKm41Q2qgswRKXGD4IO3UuFHHdjz-aSZJ18qQ9W73cE9tVXNA8imfsgldtT2chXKBn7F_Iok56omHY4wVlNtq_CF1lo/s1600-h/DSC00518.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051952029524444434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjssDjJs8v4_uw5zj1FQHnh1pfxn1_X2bOZ4a-l8nslgYS_-LT9GKm41Q2qgswRKXGD4IO3UuFHHdjz-aSZJ18qQ9W73cE9tVXNA8imfsgldtT2chXKBn7F_Iok56omHY4wVlNtq_CF1lo/s320/DSC00518.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>We arrived back at the dock in time to go to the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Imax</span> theatre and see a movie made about Katrina. Seeing the storm damage on a 50ft screen was quite unbelievable. One shot in particular left a lasting impression. A house had landed on top of an upside down pick-up truck! All you could see of the truck was the bonnet and headlights.<br />
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This evening we will sample some more of New Orleans Cajun cooking as well as the very special night-life. Tomorrow we head north for Mississippi and the historical town of Vicksburg, famous for the civil war battles fought there.<br />
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I can't end this post without a mention of my football team - Chelsea <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">FC</span>. A fantastic win against Valencia in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, after being a goal down. I managed to follow the match on my mobile phone whilst cruising the Mississippi!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-73585689708176638772009-10-07T16:11:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:15:05.291-07:00April 11th - New Orleans to Vicksburg, MississippiJust two nights in New Orleans is simply not enough time to be able to enjoy the city. Still, we have seen the French Quarter and been on the Mississippi River during our short stay. The weather has improved, and as we drove away from the hotel the sun came out. Our drive took us east and then north going through some of the worst hurricane affected areas of the city. For several miles on both side of the road we saw derelict houses with roofs torn off and uprooted trees. It was very depressing, especially to think that more then eighteen months have elapsed since the hurricane struck.<br />
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Today's drive is one of the shortest of the tour, just over 200 miles. We crossed from Louisiana into Mississippi and then took some beautiful back roads through the state. Everything is so wonderfully green and, with the lack of other traffic on the roads, we had a marvellous drive. The photo below was typical of the drive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpN93jWPiTyYGiZNT1PP-zYot5dPJJmGBZU2B5BiYLVTvnAsaR-dy6pBvh9q_wbvR3wYGUb0q4MaRNbWMlOgP17IC9V1ThBNKEfsdt0xnUhXLr-uQWKXvhodQM7xA214t-eSN2yPj5y2M/s1600-h/DSC00526.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053098949001233698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpN93jWPiTyYGiZNT1PP-zYot5dPJJmGBZU2B5BiYLVTvnAsaR-dy6pBvh9q_wbvR3wYGUb0q4MaRNbWMlOgP17IC9V1ThBNKEfsdt0xnUhXLr-uQWKXvhodQM7xA214t-eSN2yPj5y2M/s320/DSC00526.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> We were heading for Vicksburg, one of the most important Civil War towns. It was at Vicksburg that the Confederate Army was defeated by the Unionists in 1863. Vicksburg became known as 'Gibraltar, as it controlled the mighty Mississippi River and after the southern states ceded from the Union they effectively stopped all river trade at Vicksburg. General Grant was sent south to take the town and after a siege lasting over 40 days the Confederates surrendered. Vicksburg has a very interesting Military Park which is sited where the battle took place. Some 17,000 graves, 14,000 with no name, are in the park.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibe8p8DYtckcvucqNY_gJ47FD0WZbgGxvzWDadoX8AglvwmY9eU24Ta_hZDad3GGscEZr6VlJiTSNuJZ8zW_Ew9WO8GbA6eIKss9VSn0wy2ApSQP0MYMBtVY8G7J6CwbxjpO2TjtIb-mg/s1600-h/DSC06794.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053108170296018290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibe8p8DYtckcvucqNY_gJ47FD0WZbgGxvzWDadoX8AglvwmY9eU24Ta_hZDad3GGscEZr6VlJiTSNuJZ8zW_Ew9WO8GbA6eIKss9VSn0wy2ApSQP0MYMBtVY8G7J6CwbxjpO2TjtIb-mg/s320/DSC06794.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> Also, there is a very interesting museum dedicated to the armour plated steamboat Cairo, and used by the Unionists in the war. The Confederates sunk it by using a remotely controlled torpedo device. It was raised from the river in 1964.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbosI-zFi3w3H1aU5vSzQqNt8KdUiDgrKe-D8UR03lqOZSiOGMyzwUlUeQom2ArHo6zNMKirFqHL0UN1mm12PkK2HfgSZAVia_4AbqjrIcPnNiK9TLk34liFAkFO2XQGC6istJYvU3RGU/s1600-h/DSC00531.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053102187406574914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbosI-zFi3w3H1aU5vSzQqNt8KdUiDgrKe-D8UR03lqOZSiOGMyzwUlUeQom2ArHo6zNMKirFqHL0UN1mm12PkK2HfgSZAVia_4AbqjrIcPnNiK9TLk34liFAkFO2XQGC6istJYvU3RGU/s320/DSC00531.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>Our hotel in Vicksburg, The Cedar Grove, is an old mansion house and has been restored to its former glory. It was good to be able to stay in an old house, rather than another modern American hotel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijRbkQCj48dZKCOSRErbrhDIqLyvppTmaPzvNd5tiRmT7aQy9p_gJ9uMobsaYQh8sUqZFEOehsgmtZTs9FPLzlAwx9oKZyLZkdREhhTJYnsDzDi0snRUhNBoo830HV_XzybMzeZvrg8p8/s1600-h/DSC06855.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053104545343620434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijRbkQCj48dZKCOSRErbrhDIqLyvppTmaPzvNd5tiRmT7aQy9p_gJ9uMobsaYQh8sUqZFEOehsgmtZTs9FPLzlAwx9oKZyLZkdREhhTJYnsDzDi0snRUhNBoo830HV_XzybMzeZvrg8p8/s320/DSC06855.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>We had one last drive to do before the end of the day and that was across the Mississippi River into Louisiana and to the small town called Tallulah. One of our granddaughters is called Tallulah and we wanted to take some photos for her! There were many different signs with Tallulah on them, but this one caught our eye.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrXDP86juMYfoyXZhsTndqOt0vkfHjvTLqZdKp8ezzk25u9iZmJrWnMTNAMrEau-Yu6gV_g5jJtDtoRIF3NXyaToRQOo0gyskNqPrYpjyfgeI3gLRpFmMSIsK1aXr0NyBHj5IuM9kB1o/s1600-h/DSC06818.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053105777999234402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrXDP86juMYfoyXZhsTndqOt0vkfHjvTLqZdKp8ezzk25u9iZmJrWnMTNAMrEau-Yu6gV_g5jJtDtoRIF3NXyaToRQOo0gyskNqPrYpjyfgeI3gLRpFmMSIsK1aXr0NyBHj5IuM9kB1o/s320/DSC06818.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-15663984730505116552009-10-06T16:31:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:14:37.546-07:00April 12th - Vicksburg to Memphis, TennesseeBefore we left Vicksburg we had a tour of the hotel. Our guide told us all about the house and how the original owner, a Mr.Klein, fell in love with a thirteen year old girl and built the house for her. He married her several years later and they moved into the house in 1840. A great hotel and well worth visiting.<br />
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We left the hotel at about 11am and drove down to the banks of the Mississippi to see a series of murals, painted by local artists, on the walls of the flood protection barriers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLa9iJTh3Bc_gu6cif4eO_md6R-KiqBN_SNJdGacug5yCRa5HoDSoNBNPSo-JYkzoA4Y3oAIlM8NpawHCc67diSa6FUPWXqmA0Cky-N3deydSaHacntCbkZ-S6IzrL4dX72kYLyFRFcjY/s1600-h/DSC00542.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053112680011679106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLa9iJTh3Bc_gu6cif4eO_md6R-KiqBN_SNJdGacug5yCRa5HoDSoNBNPSo-JYkzoA4Y3oAIlM8NpawHCc67diSa6FUPWXqmA0Cky-N3deydSaHacntCbkZ-S6IzrL4dX72kYLyFRFcjY/s320/DSC00542.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> One of the murals was about President Teddy Roosevelt who came to the area to bear hunt. The story goes that when they finally trapped a bear he refused to shoot it. A political cartoonist drew a picture of the President with a baby bear tied to a tree and, as a result, toy manufacturers started making baby bears, which became known as 'teddy bears'.<br />
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Our route then took us north through the green Mississippian countryside. It was really very beautiful, but with some very poor agricultural towns. We stopped at a state park, River Road, which was on the banks of the Mississippi River. We watched giant barges being pushed upstream by enormous 'tugs'.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif13TBsDV5jfYjYkgiybKchqWtIiS5u37eHw_KsgGTv7uTIlCd4NjR2P-7NSaVLGns1Hhcf-u6PdoOrx-Osq1O92UClhZq6Ktwgoq8bfWAlBPBZnaMmio5uSjYa8J5X_8SgBHXQiznEJw/s1600-h/DSC00549.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053113461695726994" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif13TBsDV5jfYjYkgiybKchqWtIiS5u37eHw_KsgGTv7uTIlCd4NjR2P-7NSaVLGns1Hhcf-u6PdoOrx-Osq1O92UClhZq6Ktwgoq8bfWAlBPBZnaMmio5uSjYa8J5X_8SgBHXQiznEJw/s320/DSC00549.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> There was a 75 ft viewing tower from which we could look over the park and the river. The only other people we met in the park were an English couple from <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Lancashire</span> who were driving south visiting the various blues towns, on their way to a wedding in Austin, Texas<br />
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We continued our drive to Memphis, where we were booked in to Heartbreak Hotel, opposite Graceland, Elvis Presley's home. In the evening we took the shuttle bus into downtown Memphis and sampled some of the great blues music being played live in Beale Street at B B King's night club. A great way to end another wonderful day's driving.<br />
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For those who might be interested we have now driven more than 4,000 miles in just over two weeks, through 9 states. Tomorrow we head into Kentucky and Indiana before we reach Chicago on Saturday.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-41470518635808037502009-10-05T20:14:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:13:56.803-07:00April 13th - Memphis, Tennessee to Evansville, IndianaWe were up early so that we could have one of the day's first tours round Graceland. The house was on the opposite side of Elvis Presley Boulevard to our hotel, A shuttle bus took us the 200 <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">yds</span> across the road and up the winding driveway to the house.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGF6v7K-KwWXfhg3Z0aLnwAkDfENWaBoaNSr0NKGZvUnE7ODTjgY_QN4T1pzWsOhAG2owFfWVX430vl2tPiTOcb2a41Nm-KNgCDq-D9er5Dacf9t9pMYXK_wHCtcW5VSuDr1gTHZHESdQ/s1600-h/DSC00557.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053125311510496722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGF6v7K-KwWXfhg3Z0aLnwAkDfENWaBoaNSr0NKGZvUnE7ODTjgY_QN4T1pzWsOhAG2owFfWVX430vl2tPiTOcb2a41Nm-KNgCDq-D9er5Dacf9t9pMYXK_wHCtcW5VSuDr1gTHZHESdQ/s320/DSC00557.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>There is a large Presley industry in Memphis and when you see how many people are employed at the house, the hotel and the various Presley enterprises in Memphis, it shows how important this is to the local economy. Literally tens of thousand of people come from all over the world to visit Graceland.<br />
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The house is much smaller than I was expecting although when you are inside it there are more rooms than are visible from outside. The whole visit took about 40 minutes and was quite interesting though, as I'm not an Elvis fan, my interest was somewhat lukewarm. The visit of the house ends at Presley's grave where an 'eternal' flame burns.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmj9aYHR7gWCmEt4F6pBSxhJ__siNXdleG04LiKp5ic10pDFp2UY863OlMUA1z2-T2pncszOWR4zT4cnc9eGGfy9TnzKSKuq8WP9oQxIgfvursqE8Er7zRp09M7AzKccMThwE52dQ-wg/s1600-h/DSC06918.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053645535129257570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmj9aYHR7gWCmEt4F6pBSxhJ__siNXdleG04LiKp5ic10pDFp2UY863OlMUA1z2-T2pncszOWR4zT4cnc9eGGfy9TnzKSKuq8WP9oQxIgfvursqE8Er7zRp09M7AzKccMThwE52dQ-wg/s320/DSC06918.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>We then went back across the road and looked at his car collection as well as his two jets. The picture below is of his favourite car, his pink Cadillac.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMsHM06czYG5l2fbAO0cqBqMAe4f3ftzpQX5aY_fnYkA4fDTsEQOYoymJY5NEwtXTA70Cw45VggSfmk6JlPvTbsS2C0o9Zszexv1hOx1rXR2cASuiTdYoIxjc-WesagGARfpKBjulUik/s1600-h/DSC00561.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053124521236514242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMsHM06czYG5l2fbAO0cqBqMAe4f3ftzpQX5aY_fnYkA4fDTsEQOYoymJY5NEwtXTA70Cw45VggSfmk6JlPvTbsS2C0o9Zszexv1hOx1rXR2cASuiTdYoIxjc-WesagGARfpKBjulUik/s320/DSC00561.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>We left Memphis and drove due north into Kentucky. The state is famous for its blue grass and thoroughbred horses. We had now left the 'deep' south and it was noticeable how much better off Kentucky is compared to Louisiana and Mississippi. The weather had now become decidedly colder and light rain fell. The drive though was through rolling countryside which made up for the indifferent weather.<br />
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We took the back roads and went through a national recreational area known as the Land between the Lakes. This is a strip of land about 40 miles long that is bounded by the two lakes created by dams on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. In the middle of the area is a state park that has recreated some of the original prairie, which they are stocking with bison and elk.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSOk98XTXwzS3km5KkH2qPTiA1m0qsqqhZB0rFkefwhJLVSstCt-M03fpNhHzpxfB-ivxvtD8-_DCOxqNzYGF0Fu2kBPEJ98N0_uC-6dVKqecVjIxAA3xL7qrp2w8K9Jl9n0NdLNErcc/s1600-h/DSC00568.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053125951460623842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSOk98XTXwzS3km5KkH2qPTiA1m0qsqqhZB0rFkefwhJLVSstCt-M03fpNhHzpxfB-ivxvtD8-_DCOxqNzYGF0Fu2kBPEJ98N0_uC-6dVKqecVjIxAA3xL7qrp2w8K9Jl9n0NdLNErcc/s320/DSC00568.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>We carried on for another three hours and drove into Indiana across the Ohio River. Evansville, our destination, is just inside Indiana. Tomorrow another 300 miles of driving and we will arrive in Chicago for our three night stay.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-18284752374222159152009-10-04T14:38:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:13:31.548-07:00April 14th - Evansville, Indiana to Chicago IllinoisFirstly, some readers of this blog may have noticed I have updated the header at the top of the home page to show the states we have driven through and those that we will be visiting in the remaining two weeks of our trip. We have made the decision not to go into Canada, principally because of the customs requirements for taking a non-US registered car out of the States and then bringing it back in four days time. The cars are currently in the US under a Custom's Bond. This has to be surrendered when you leave and then re-applied for when you re-enter the States. This is simply too much red tape for a few days in Canada. Secondly, I have started to post more photos to the blog. So, if anyone wants to look back over the past two weeks of postings you will see new photos. I hope these improve the site.<br />
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Returning to our trip. Today we drove over 300 miles from Evansville to Chicago. The weather was poor virtually the whole way and at one point there was quite heavy snow, which luckily did not settle on the road and delay us. Bob & Thelma decided to visit an old World War II troop landing ship that is docked on the Ohio River in Evansville. We, on the other hand, took a short drive around downtown Evansville. Evansville is not the prettiest of towns but interesting all the same, with one or two fine early 20th century homes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCf9UlrYyS7Yj4BFQMVysS8QKYFSteOfgtqAIJ7hiiFjiGLr_GcbofAff54lJ8vxf6HhNfI_DmUv65N6SU4uEzjG5cUZT5-6vogOQEIuSy4i_pF9YmpQB9hUAExeLyJft6XiXRqsG4S-M/s1600-h/DSC00572.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053490838997190130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCf9UlrYyS7Yj4BFQMVysS8QKYFSteOfgtqAIJ7hiiFjiGLr_GcbofAff54lJ8vxf6HhNfI_DmUv65N6SU4uEzjG5cUZT5-6vogOQEIuSy4i_pF9YmpQB9hUAExeLyJft6XiXRqsG4S-M/s320/DSC00572.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> Like other mid-western states Indiana allows gambling; here it is on the Ohio River with replica steamboats used as casinos.<br />
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Once we had toured the centre we headed due north on Highway 41, all the way to Chicago. A great drive through flat agricultural countryside, but with plenty to see on the way, including a massive Toyota car plant just north of Evansville. Bob and Thelma were taking minor roads running just to the west of Highway 41, in the state of Illinois.<br />
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One aspect of the US, which is so different from the UK, is the American patriotism. In the US it is 'up there in lights'! Everywhere you go there are giant Stars and Stripes and banners proclaiming 'God Bless America'. We drove past this car showroom on the road into Chicago; another good example of how far people go to demonstrate their patriotic feelings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOFgam2KCC-cWMgZB7VWF6IUxT4epVkhVoC1P_NxIGH6lkTW3Tj29tJCat9KpeZTDO6lPxrKPA4DUdubCNqeIyRK9Ew1_MuOfmVD0k1exxGCXxgxNIx21LieVjQqFuwzzg88f-vopw3I/s1600-h/DSC06974.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053634170645792306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOFgam2KCC-cWMgZB7VWF6IUxT4epVkhVoC1P_NxIGH6lkTW3Tj29tJCat9KpeZTDO6lPxrKPA4DUdubCNqeIyRK9Ew1_MuOfmVD0k1exxGCXxgxNIx21LieVjQqFuwzzg88f-vopw3I/s320/DSC06974.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>We arrived in Chicago at about 4pm. We managed to take a few photos of the Chicago skyline from the car as we drove the last few miles into the city and the one below shows one of Chicago's famous elevated trains in the foreground.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxAvbSMB1NFxN7cAIve2C2pow1NCnvuplYkV8W_QujbhqFqYZWyQ1Ra5JaYs_REC2mesPnPvxf3qyCDxUkrcSxjYVRAUpADzoy-mnumP-lHTkFavazGyXfNVkWu4gLSCSuX_1aWjAXdmU/s1600-h/DSC06982.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053491689400714754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxAvbSMB1NFxN7cAIve2C2pow1NCnvuplYkV8W_QujbhqFqYZWyQ1Ra5JaYs_REC2mesPnPvxf3qyCDxUkrcSxjYVRAUpADzoy-mnumP-lHTkFavazGyXfNVkWu4gLSCSuX_1aWjAXdmU/s320/DSC06982.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>The weather here is a great improvement with bright skies and a temperature of 9 Celsius. We are staying at the Hilton Chicago, built in 1927 and overlooking Lake Michigan. Our room on the 17th floor has a wonderful views of the lake with Navy Pier and Grant Park to the north.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3xM8y7abeVCiy1scDb4bJIhgeVBPssRCTSJ89nFs212dmbamVHpgjraOnEJz4BJyrV06ehBebT4_qEb6DV_VclCHVW5EDe1zZkOTNvhY9MKym0PQHKy8tbJ2wsl28_-QipcTGRspang/s1600-h/DSC00577.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053643580919137858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3xM8y7abeVCiy1scDb4bJIhgeVBPssRCTSJ89nFs212dmbamVHpgjraOnEJz4BJyrV06ehBebT4_qEb6DV_VclCHVW5EDe1zZkOTNvhY9MKym0PQHKy8tbJ2wsl28_-QipcTGRspang/s320/DSC00577.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>To the south is the Field Museum, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Shedd</span> Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium at the end of the promontory.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8iVUgso-SPSH-_WaszNrLkMhW_a5IuUmS-cuFvGVUgxOzakzLltLDYjg0RNAvcsqFDka0E0dCOuO8eC-V30uOhkSRZet8llQgGDyZsUAKxBQ3nXjFfoVw4mRmsag4wCSQY7io8EEC0o/s1600-h/DSC00578.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053644190804493906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8iVUgso-SPSH-_WaszNrLkMhW_a5IuUmS-cuFvGVUgxOzakzLltLDYjg0RNAvcsqFDka0E0dCOuO8eC-V30uOhkSRZet8llQgGDyZsUAKxBQ3nXjFfoVw4mRmsag4wCSQY7io8EEC0o/s320/DSC00578.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991176731299529036.post-60847017243316530042009-10-03T15:27:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:12:56.165-07:00April 15th - Chicago, IllinoisThe first of our two days here in Chicago and we woke to a gloriously sunny day. Such a change from the weather on our drive north yesterday.<br />
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We decided to see some of the sights within walking distance of the hotel. About two blocks south of the hotel is the Millennium Park which has the most amazing modern sculptures. The first we came to was the Crown Fountain. Two immense rectangular structures, built of glass bricks that face each other about 50 yards apart.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-WtnOZd5q2VREmt_7U1QTpsfXLLBgY1wfbvHF0_RBmwYOBKi1QfAoIS-ek0nWAMCeWbomCbQo4eYUnUSpdzywqipnhpzmzFEDTlyirewHesgmvNB75YIPuQiO2CA-kAmh2DPEeMkng4/s1600-h/DSC00585.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053794849667303058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-WtnOZd5q2VREmt_7U1QTpsfXLLBgY1wfbvHF0_RBmwYOBKi1QfAoIS-ek0nWAMCeWbomCbQo4eYUnUSpdzywqipnhpzmzFEDTlyirewHesgmvNB75YIPuQiO2CA-kAmh2DPEeMkng4/s320/DSC00585.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> As we got closer we could see that on the side of each building there is a projected face that blinks and smiles at you.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisie2_QLeAb15W-vgI0xOaMENGce6yRyPZISU9vmdZviMwie6qvpUKEI7DoNUMs9PnsS-tDwwfeXNM8bvl3uen_izqUFcGexN4RoRtrdhmoM1xBfe3C8GaNYLrvWVKsip6Hnk7sv3WvbU/s1600-h/DSC00586.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056221513613546706" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisie2_QLeAb15W-vgI0xOaMENGce6yRyPZISU9vmdZviMwie6qvpUKEI7DoNUMs9PnsS-tDwwfeXNM8bvl3uen_izqUFcGexN4RoRtrdhmoM1xBfe3C8GaNYLrvWVKsip6Hnk7sv3WvbU/s320/DSC00586.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>Apparently every so often each face 'spits' a jet of water across the plaza between the buildings! Unfortunately the fountains do not operate in the winter, but when they are working in the summer, children play in the water. The next sculpture, done by the renowned artist <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Anish</span> <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Kapoor</span>, is even more amazing. It is called Cloud Gate and is an enormous highly polished stainless steel bean shaped object, which has a passageway, that you can walk through.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIbwDKVoQH2CX4SVnWB99bnefCuXsNBUqK93u7uiM3ANbX0Oceuk94jFDOWhtBAvJwSNqFfptFmGm55tW6x9-Hc0v97P7XtFlQqETvVNhTFMxluNWRBDVdg-fIFuZCtJoOeOAxD8BTls/s1600-h/DSC00589.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053795163199915682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIbwDKVoQH2CX4SVnWB99bnefCuXsNBUqK93u7uiM3ANbX0Oceuk94jFDOWhtBAvJwSNqFfptFmGm55tW6x9-Hc0v97P7XtFlQqETvVNhTFMxluNWRBDVdg-fIFuZCtJoOeOAxD8BTls/s320/DSC00589.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> The whole object is like a gigantic mirror and reflects images back at you from all angles. When you stand underneath it and look up into the sphere it takes time to work out where your reflection is.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCkm6wOf45KnqO5lMi3KflH2iN9SZTglB04iVVCIh5LMC96fOVRIRh1R_Jlq2o7_D6DOImJEhkum3FPaqZctJJzOrXd4HG06A8tR7u02pdMaNPXLnbkbQPihkFkgGK45eSD_rLuGt8JU/s1600-h/DSC00591.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053795528272135858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCkm6wOf45KnqO5lMi3KflH2iN9SZTglB04iVVCIh5LMC96fOVRIRh1R_Jlq2o7_D6DOImJEhkum3FPaqZctJJzOrXd4HG06A8tR7u02pdMaNPXLnbkbQPihkFkgGK45eSD_rLuGt8JU/s320/DSC00591.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> It is a truly wonderful work of interactive art. As I have said on many occasions on this blog, I hope the photos do the sculptures justice.<br />
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Our walk then took us to the impressive Frank <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Gehry</span> designed <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Pritzker</span> Pavilion.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0L3lBI2jiVtMETlc-jwPaZ6NSLb6e2bqXX4w5mLjPmPkp_urYHiI6VeuH40ktYijcKBBnH-wKpPsMptSWoeBXQTp2rWet5_jgFAULf4PqMQvvUDUSZLd-rP35v6XURrTuCXDwWJf09Wg/s1600-h/DSC00596.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053795970653767362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0L3lBI2jiVtMETlc-jwPaZ6NSLb6e2bqXX4w5mLjPmPkp_urYHiI6VeuH40ktYijcKBBnH-wKpPsMptSWoeBXQTp2rWet5_jgFAULf4PqMQvvUDUSZLd-rP35v6XURrTuCXDwWJf09Wg/s320/DSC00596.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> Alongside the Pavilion is the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">BP</span> Bridge, again designed by <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Gehry</span>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJeLYfHj-UxpvfsKwKHEcnQHdxMuSxezqnTotIvUBUBIi_1AIisK6qpiiQ4cFP3qlSh8QOn7P1MNEO6UJ8gnveNRM5wlUWDdk-NO4-2KYoUCBiq-VbfGudwRCx_1S-i8m4G09rc2GTDo/s1600-h/DSC00600.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053796258416576210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJeLYfHj-UxpvfsKwKHEcnQHdxMuSxezqnTotIvUBUBIi_1AIisK6qpiiQ4cFP3qlSh8QOn7P1MNEO6UJ8gnveNRM5wlUWDdk-NO4-2KYoUCBiq-VbfGudwRCx_1S-i8m4G09rc2GTDo/s320/DSC00600.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>This is a serpentine walkway linking the Millennium Park and Daley Bicentennial Plaza, next to Grant Park. Both structures are stunning visual works of architecture.<br />
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We then walked to the Navy Pier. Along the way we crossed the Chicago River which snakes right through the centre of the city. The city's skyline is one of the most impressive in the world. Towering skyscrapers, with the Sears Tower at 110 storeys the tallest building in the US, make a magnificent backdrop to the blue waters of Lake Michigan. Standing on Navy Pier and looking at Chicago is one of the best sights of any city in the world.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSnnMOYuJw-i1Qqd2P3iqoTDIzM0nSbcigtSRFiGaxKeWIwZxsuXMuH_qLpGgZ_wvKnbjRSxg6YQOOP28t3pkcK7Ft61aUlZCB9qXooTOkU90PbAW-0X5gaXeTAAVeVWYX-jDTDOQlg4M/s1600-h/DSC00602.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053796580539123426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSnnMOYuJw-i1Qqd2P3iqoTDIzM0nSbcigtSRFiGaxKeWIwZxsuXMuH_qLpGgZ_wvKnbjRSxg6YQOOP28t3pkcK7Ft61aUlZCB9qXooTOkU90PbAW-0X5gaXeTAAVeVWYX-jDTDOQlg4M/s320/DSC00602.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> At the end of the pier there is the Smith Museum of Stained Glass. A huge collection of stained glass is on display. Amongst the works are wonderful examples of work by Tiffany.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishH1qOBUt7j5IKjyANpzoLNOh74a0sa7GYuHqCtoCzegrd34Hk8sQrZCi7vtc2XxOJuPk_PLXf6sjIezk3EUOdF75odKAy_rQbC29pbUjdC5DeUzdEcJdty0lEhJmHg7ATASZtSKN6d8/s1600-h/DSC00607.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056223411989091570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishH1qOBUt7j5IKjyANpzoLNOh74a0sa7GYuHqCtoCzegrd34Hk8sQrZCi7vtc2XxOJuPk_PLXf6sjIezk3EUOdF75odKAy_rQbC29pbUjdC5DeUzdEcJdty0lEhJmHg7ATASZtSKN6d8/s320/DSC00607.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJLUGB7gg3jf07GIPflT3vRLfyON75ICEm_PuJeH3RYBUlcfuAPuyL5lgVoaPlFqHkNEwZdGL2e9apOKkyVPbrKtZ7E9pJnGBWA5usbCBMFEwZiIH74BeD3bJodz3G030-csInoyjaKI/s1600-h/DSC00608.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056223643917325570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJLUGB7gg3jf07GIPflT3vRLfyON75ICEm_PuJeH3RYBUlcfuAPuyL5lgVoaPlFqHkNEwZdGL2e9apOKkyVPbrKtZ7E9pJnGBWA5usbCBMFEwZiIH74BeD3bJodz3G030-csInoyjaKI/s320/DSC00608.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>The photo below is of a modern piece which I thought our American friends might appreciate!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Hekcdh6Ngh49zPvxL4AC_AXGKkqczk1lLVjrnyvOdWCf6g9Ofa1xVcWSgAvFJQdx4x4Ztig2qBNiznqL2GCmaIqXFXuTlOpDZVuGIjSJJIEij9z4DXhD4gUue9BpsdfwX-CqggfA_Ng/s1600-h/DSC00605.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053796889776768754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Hekcdh6Ngh49zPvxL4AC_AXGKkqczk1lLVjrnyvOdWCf6g9Ofa1xVcWSgAvFJQdx4x4Ztig2qBNiznqL2GCmaIqXFXuTlOpDZVuGIjSJJIEij9z4DXhD4gUue9BpsdfwX-CqggfA_Ng/s320/DSC00605.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>In the afternoon we took the car for a short drive up to <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Evanston</span> to visit Adam and Joseph, the son and grandson of our goods friends, Les and Barbara in Malibu.<br />
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We dined out at the Signature Room restaurant on the 95th floor of the Hancock Building. With clear skies we had a spectacular view over Chicago.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdb9CZPlvmb2Jnr4pGaulJNAgzrL8rfYfeo0_7wp5VnEnARie9TGn0JippoiweC7JYzpkMaChX0HHxjfT_efXZRU_7KdbnCKnBRfnDHm0tbJ5DYFkuidcdEgu4iJ7_JHY17gxpcQzjzw/s1600-h/DSC00614.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054008412621129474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdb9CZPlvmb2Jnr4pGaulJNAgzrL8rfYfeo0_7wp5VnEnARie9TGn0JippoiweC7JYzpkMaChX0HHxjfT_efXZRU_7KdbnCKnBRfnDHm0tbJ5DYFkuidcdEgu4iJ7_JHY17gxpcQzjzw/s320/DSC00614.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>As the sun set the city came alight.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gRwKq_LZaESMCEZQymbIFN14LX4AsGoAKDh48IKqncvH1YL0AzM1X_C97xrN0Djmy15zV7DpuGl86i_i3mqgREY9bPPHCBv5Hk1YqCdd4MI7qqwoegtwFHIKaA_QgqOc3iXPZIfhiow/s1600-h/DSC00615.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054008863592695570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gRwKq_LZaESMCEZQymbIFN14LX4AsGoAKDh48IKqncvH1YL0AzM1X_C97xrN0Djmy15zV7DpuGl86i_i3mqgREY9bPPHCBv5Hk1YqCdd4MI7qqwoegtwFHIKaA_QgqOc3iXPZIfhiow/s320/DSC00615.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> Below us the Ferris wheel on Navy Pier looked like a giant Catherine wheel as its lights changed both in pattern and colour.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAxg3unVm21_P5A7nQCfCdJ2aV-FF8IUok5Z_3NfGgeYFowUVyBgBR6ddl4B05IuZKV5PW6LCPSxJGh-SqIYV-X0AEaa_JuHWqXU71113vXhWaQniGfxiNYgk_IO4do09bNB0yjHLfy0/s1600-h/DSC00616.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054009104110864162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAxg3unVm21_P5A7nQCfCdJ2aV-FF8IUok5Z_3NfGgeYFowUVyBgBR6ddl4B05IuZKV5PW6LCPSxJGh-SqIYV-X0AEaa_JuHWqXU71113vXhWaQniGfxiNYgk_IO4do09bNB0yjHLfy0/s320/DSC00616.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>The perfect end to another wonderful day on this trip across the States.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06687540740621124205noreply@blogger.com0