Heading for the Coast ... 16th November

Originally I had the intention of reaching the West coast around the Big Sur area before heading back to San Francisco & the Bay Area. However this did not eventuate ...

Coming out of the (seeming) fresh air and hills of the Sequoia & King's National Parks into the San Joaquin Valley area saw a distinct change in both the scenery and the air quality. As a whole, this trip has been relatively (& surprisingly) free of the sense of a polluted environment. Now, parts of the New Jersey Turnpike area had provided probably the most industrial and perhaps polluted looking atmosphere for me on this journey, but it did not compare with what confronted me in this part of California. For one, it was hot and I imagine this did not help with the hell on earth scenario of smog and haze which filled every direction. I was in the open countryside, yet the hot sun was filtered through a smog the like's of which I'd only ever experienced in large cities such as Bangkok. Except for China, where the countryside's atmosphere can be tainted with coal smog, yet the mere fact that I was comparing California with China in terms of pollution haze seemed to shock (& interest) me. Also, being a valley does not help I would imagine, and this combined with certain unique natural weather features to the area compounds the effect.

According to the Wikipedia, California is the world's 5th largest supplier of food & agricultural supplies and you don't get to that level of production thesedays without some environmental casualty I guess...correct me if I'm wrong, but this area seemed like it would be one of California's main agricultural producers.

Besides the intensive farming and the occasional factory, there seemed to be a fair amount of population dotted around the valley, with alot of new housing going in as well. This area would be one of the last places that I'd live! I wanted to get out of there that afternoon, ASAP - so I headed in as straight a line as possible to the coast. The harvested cotton fields and other crop rows made for an interesting landscape as I sped through the fluffy white remnants on the State Route 198.

I left the valley area when I crossed the Interstate#5 and climbed into the Coast Ranges. At last, a breath of fresh air! The picturesque hills I was now winding through gave me a a real sense that I was finally approaching the sea. I aslo had a sense that my whole journey was close to coming to an end.

In fact, mentally I was running out of steam. I had probably driven close to 10,000 miles by that stage and the winding road approaching the elusive (for me) Monterey county was getting the better of me - scenically beautiful as it was. My loss of the hope for seeing the West Coast that day in the daylight was finally realised when the sun disappeared behind the range between me & the sea. It was getting dark fairly early thesedays - it was only around 5pm.

So I booted it up the highway 101 past the traffic jam that was the San Jose area into the now familiar sights of San Francisci & the Bay Area.

Land of the Giants, 16th November

That's General Sherman - the largest tree in the world ... the Sequoia redwoods were more impressive than I imagined. Standing in groves (like Kauris) they set themselves apart from the rest of the forest like red, thick-skinned (their bark can be up to 31 inches thick) giants.

Leaving Las Vegas ... 15th Nov

After the best breakfast buffet I've ever experienced, ... & a massage at the TI's spa I was all set to head off & resume the road trip. Not long to go now ... Vegas is about 575 mile from San Francisco & my flight back to NZ.

I'd always wanted to see the giant Sequoias - so I headed in their direction via Death Valley National Park. The Death Valley landscape was like nothing else - an amazing backdrop as I trundled through just as the sun was getting low and was casting that eerie dusk light onto the earth.

Getting into the Sequoia National Park proved to be a bit of a task late at night as I had to drive right around to the western side -there are no roads entering it from the east. My original plan of crashing in the back of the van in the park was eventually foiled (I was going to park in an orchard at 11pm, but I though better of it) - I found a cheap motel in Exeter, California & succombed to sleep.

I Got Me a Gun

More Vegas fun ... I could have opted for a machine gun, but you pay by the round & I wanted it to last a while. I was happy to play with the .38 & the 357 Magnum - interesting comparison (!)

Vegas ... 10 - 14 November

What can I say ... after driving in the desert all day, arriving at dusk into the apparition that is Las Vegas is ... cool! The traffic was mad, the neon a buzz and the hostel surprisingly easy to find - a huge neon coyboy pointed the way to the right street.

I seemed to have capture more digital footage then photos, but never mind.

The Treasure Island Hotel was great; I hung out by the pool, gambled a bit, boozed a bit, and got to see the TI Sirens in action. The MGM Grand was HUGE, New York New York had a good Irish Pub & a roller coaster, Caeser's Palace was visually awesome - as was the Venetian, the Mirage, Paris & the Italian themed one beginning with 'B' whose name escapes me at the moment(!)

The Hostel's end of town seemed to be populated with far more down & outers ...was a bit of a dodgy walk home at night ... Treasure Island's part of The Strip with wealthy holiday makers. MGM's part of town was by far the busiest. It has it's seedy side ... but Vegas seems America's ultimate destination to let go & have a good time. They've stopped marketing Vegas as a family destination over here ... the latest advertising slogan being broadcast all over the media now is : What Goes in Vegas ... Stays in Vegas. Enough said.

To Vegas ... & a slight mishap #2 Friday 10th Nov

Ok, so the Grand Canyon was spectacular - waking up so early in my van I was able to take my breakfast part way down into it & sit in the morning sun. A great spot you might say.

I headed out of the Canyon National park in what I though was resonable time to get to Vegas ... I was attending a 3 day seminar (it was pretty leftfield and difficult to explain here - see www.stuartwilde.com - met alot of interesting characters...) & so had to get to a hostel I'd booked, park my van 7 be at the MGM Grand by 7pm.

Thing's started happening which seemed to hinder me ... a slight prang ( into a solid Chevy pickup - but no real damage) in Kingman Arizona, a police check for all traffic heading to Nevada (just a delay) , a big traffic jam around the Hoover dam, and a lasck of gas stations on my side of the interstate (couldn't believe it!) ... but anyway apart from all that it was a tremendously scenic drive.

After checking in at the hostel (My vegas stay will encompass 3 nights in the hostel while the seminar is on & then a treat of 2 nights at the Treasure Island Hotel) and an interesting sharedcab ride down the strip, I ended up jogging through about 2 miles of casino to the MGM's conference center. I was only 15 minutes late.

Another BIG drive ...9th Nov

Wow. Didn't leave Taos till the afternoon ... is a cool place to hang out. Headed out amongst some awesome desert landscsapes until it got dark. I then left New Mexico into the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation. A bit spooky at night ... just me, the road & the stars - plus the occasional lonely old pickup truck. The towns of Kayenta & Tuba city shone out like beacons in the distance amongst all the dark night. They were strange, quiet affairs when I passed through them tho ... got some Burger King at Tuba city (where there is a display on the WWII Navajo code talkers - funny place for an important exhibit like that).

I ended up driving LATE into the Grand Canyon National Park - the moonlight illuminating the canyon. Crashed out in the back of my van near the Canyon village ... a fairly cold night. Got some sleep in tho!

Taos, New Mexico

So now I'm up in the mountains ... it's a beautiful area, I got here (The Abominable Snow Mansion Hostel) late last night - even with the help of crossing into Mountain Time and gaining an hour. It's a pity I can't stay ... have to be in Vegas Friday - so will try & take in the grand Canyon on the way ...

Route 66, 8th November

I only realised mid morning after leaving Oklahoma city on the i40 that I was on the old Main Street of America - Route 66. I stopped off at the National Route 66 museum in Elk City, Oklahoma. It was excellent! It set the atmosphere for the road - the scenery had started to change dramatically from the night before, becoming more desert-like. It really felt like I was now heading west. I remained on Route 66 right through the Texas pan handle (where I saw road runners). The whole way was a great western stretch of road, sprinkled occasionally by some classic Americana kitch and some classic tunes on the radio. I loved it!

American Roads

All right, I'll say it - I think the roads I've been on here, the major ones (especially the interstates) have been mostly appalling! OK there have been some great stretches of road where the tarseal is as smooth as can be (eg Knoxville to Nashville) but they have been punctuated by vast stretches of potholed, concrete sectioned bumpy nightmares. Can't do the average cars suspension any good. No wonder there are so many SUVs here - the roads are so bad if you want to go any reasonable distance. Most of the other traffic on the interstates are trucks - sometimes it's just me & the trucks! Maybe that's part of the problem.

There's also a huge amount of road construction going on, so maybe things are getting fixed ... but sometimes, when you can't even hear the radio due to the bump-bump-bump of the road (it's like driving over speed humps) I think I'm in the 3rd world! New Zealanders who complain about our roads should check these out.

Memphis - Conway, Arkansas 6-7 Nov

I crossed a milestone after leaving Graceland - I went back over the Mississippi into Arkansas. I last went over the river exactly a month ago - West to East in Minnesota-Wisconsin. Seems like an age ago. Now I'm on my final run ...heading west again.

I spent the night in Conway, Arkaksas - interesting little town ... several images of Toads around the place with references to Toad Sucking. Still not sure what that means ...

Fall colours -all the reds & shades of yellow were out in spendour right until it got dark, whenI arrived in Oklahoma city. I have to be in Vegas for the weekend - got places booked, so I'm clocking up alot of miles at the moment ...

6th Nov - Memphis

The lady at the motel last night told me that Graceland would 'move me emotionally.' "It's really just as if He's still there," she said solemnly.

It was a grey day, which didn't help with the run-down look that Memphis was giving off ... also the sign-posts are not that great, so by the time I found Graceland it was getting dark. It didn't really want to go in, just check it out from the outside. There wasn't many people around (apart from the thousands of cars speeding along Elvis Presley Boulevard) and the fence was quite high. But there it was; a big house on a hill surrounded by trees and illuminated by many coloured lights ... the Heartbreak Motel was across the road and a host of other Elvis related type stuf lined the road. An aeroplane named after Priscilla (spelling?) is housed by the large car park.

Sorry Elvis fans ... I wasn't moved. It was getting late & it was time to move on.

The best road so far ...

Sunday night - I booted it as fast as I could - it was a great help that the i40 in Tennesse from Knoxville to Nashville is a great, smooth ride. (unlike alot of other roads I've encounterd here) An even greater help was that I crossed back into the Central Time zone - I got another hour. Late in the night sometime I called into a motel in a tiny place called Fairview, Tennessee. A heavy sleep ensued.

Ashville, NC 4-5th November

A big thank you to Sarah & Simka (hope this is spelled correctly?) for kindly putting me up & taking me on a tour into the beautiful mountains surrounding Ashville.

Ashville is a cool place - full of art & artists & surrounded by hills- I had a wander around the town before I had to shoot off on Sunday arfternoon. I also interviewed a guy on my handycam who happened to be protesting about American politics on one of the main streets ... interesting!

A Belated Progress Report

6,305 miles in the van
24 States covered
54 Burgers
11 Burritos
17 Tacos
19 Hot Dogs
58 pints of very good micro brewed beer
2 Bud lights - not recommended
47 Full American breakfasts
3 decent cups of tea
17 not so decent cups of tea
1/2 Moonpie (too sweet)
1 root beer (almost drinkable)
1/2 Dr Pepper (not drinkable at all) and
111,461 images of the American flag observed

Life is like a Box of Chocolates...

I found Forest's bench! - Chippawah Square, Savannah.

The Lowland South ...3-4 November

Two of the places I definitely wanted to see were Charleston Sth Carolina & Savannah Georgia. I hoped that the salty marshlands, grand plantations and colonial mansions would give off a kind of Gone With the Wind mystique for me. I wasn't disappointed - once you got in past the usual road services areas of the periphy that is. (It's like that for most American towns that I've seen).

It was back to tee shirt weather (most of the time) and Charleston being a college town insured that there were a few noisy bars in the historic heart to patronise. The moss hanging off the tree lined streets was just as I imagined.

It was a bit cold for a swim at the beach on Tybee island out from Savannah, but at least I got to see the coast. Didn't get to see any alligators tho. I could have spent alot longer in Savannah, but time is marching on ...

2nd November - a big drive...DC to the Lowland

I had to be up early to retrive my van from the parking garage ... which was just as well as I needed to get to Charleston today. There was some amazing fall-coloured forest through Virginia, however I pretty much stuck to the i95. This was a bit of a shame as I missed out on alot of the Civil War memorials on the way, but I'm now finding out that I can't go everywhere that I originally intended. Started to notice alot more Country on the radio ... about 540 miles, 3 states & an impressive feed at a Cracker Barrel later, the night was approaching & I arrived in Charleton South Carolina.

Washington DC, 1st November

So, I had 1 day (2 nights) In DC. After arriving late, I fortified myself for the busy day ahead with a few locally brewed lagers at the Capital Brewing Company. An early start was required as I had to remove my van from th street before the parking restrictions started at 7am. Luckily there was a parking garage nearby - $15 to leave it there untill 7am the following day. A bargain!

My tour of the Capital's monuments was a walking marathon - but an an incredibly interesting marathon starting at 1600 Pennsylvania avenue - the President's address. (See one of his neighbours above on the left - she and her friend have been camped outside the gates of the Whitehouse since the 1980's). There wasn't alot of obvious security that I could see, but I decided not to lob my backpack over the (relatively small) fence as someone had done the day before as it resulted in a lockdown of the place for several hours & made the national news.

Do you like my new hat?

I know it's a daft photo & a corny joke, but ...

Better get a move on ...31st Oct

I've realised that I'm running out of time, so I'm have to make some drastic cuts to my schedule ...today I drove to Washington DC from NYC, a nice day & not a bad drive - although I did get a bit lost in New Jersey & so got delayed an hour while I tried to find the i95 amongst the backblocks of the not too savoury areas of Newark's surrounds... Also, I discovered Cracker Barrel off the interstate - for me the best of the franchise restaurants so far ... good ole country cookin (you can keep the biscuits'n gravy tho) & a breakfast menu all day.

From DC I'm going to have to boot it as far south as I can - I'll try for Savannah (always wanted to go there...)

The Late Show

Yes! I got into Dave Letterman's audience, for the taping of the Friday show. It was fun - a bit more of a class act than the Springer show in Chicago! It's was shown yesterday here (Friday 3rd) so I'm not sure when it is on Prime in NZ - Mum can you tape it??? You can see me clapping & whooping just like I was told to (at great length) by the audience-management type people beforehand. I'm in the very front row, behind the CBS band ...

Reality TV

Hey - I know it's back to front, but you can get the gist of one of the newest reality TV shows coming up over here ... Mr T helps fools get things into perspective. Damn straight.

The Big Apple 26th to 30th Oct

Manhatten is awesome! I wish I could be here longer. I've treated myself to a couple of nights in the Gershwin Hotel - a cool boutique type of place inspired by the work of Andy Warhol. A little overpriced for what I got tho...but it's just around the corner from the Empire State Building & right next door to the sex museum!

So far I have:
driven around Manhatten, which is quite an experience (even crazier than a Californian freeway); been to the sex museum (early 1900's silent porn!); been out boozing on 3rd Ave; wandered around Ground Zero (sobering - not recommended with a hangover); hung out at Moby's cool cafe in the Lower East side ( a very decent cup of tea); applied to be in the Late Show's audience; checked out the amazing NY public library; been out boozing on 5th Ave; been all over on the subway; walked 100's of miles around Manhatten; lost my cellphone; seen some crazy stuff in Times Square (and pretty much everywhere else really); checked out Macy's; been out boozing on 3rd Ave (again); amazingly recovered my cellphone from the security dept of the NY public library where it had been handed in - big thanks to all involved there!; cruised around the island on the circle line tour; biked around Central Park; and now have shifted into a very comfortable studio apartment on 64th St (less than half the price of the Gershwin, but just as comfortable - thanaks to www.lastminute.com !) for the remaining 2 nights - I'm staying longer because I got a phonecall (right after I found it again at the NY public library) telling me that I made it into the Letterman Show audience Monday night!

Plates

Just an aside - it's makes for interesting observation checking out people's license plates around the country - you can see who's far from home - ie there's not too many plate's like mine (California) where I am out east at the moment. Each State has it's own motto (Maine: Vacationland ... New Jersey: The Garden State, etc) inscribed on the plate & a colourful design. Some of them are quite cool. Not too sure about New Hampshire's motto tho ... seems a bit extreme ...!?

To NYC !!! 26th Oct

If my driving experience in Boston was a nightmare, what was the drive to Manhatten to be? Supposedly Dayville Conneticut (where my Motel was) to NYC would be about 3-4 hours. I planned my route meticulously over several pounds of bacon, sausage, eggs & pancakes in a waffle house down the line. The weather was perfect and the drive was great. It was exciting to make my way through the Bronx & down into Manhatten - traffic was fairly heavy, but it was relatively easy - Manhatten being a grid. The only hiccup being where you encounter a one way street. All up it took about 3 & a half hours.

I'd treated myself to 2 nights at the Gershwin Hotel in Midtown, but for tonight I was to be in the largest Hostel International in the world - on 103rd St uptown Manhatten. The luxury had to wait.

Main to Boston, sort of ... 25th Oct

The drive out of Maine was great - lakes, fall colours ... and I got to see a Moose too!

Over a leisurely lunch in Portland in the afternoon I made my mind up to stay in Boston that night. However I forgot to charge my cell phone the night before and I simply cannot make the public phones work here. So I decided to wing it & turn up at the Boston Hostel.

Dipped my toes in the Atlantic on the way at dusk on the beautiful Maine south coast - Kenebunkport was the place to be precise. There were heaps of outlet stores on the way too, but I didn't have time for those as it was getting dark.

Now the nightmare began - arriving in Boston at night is a cool sight, however it's a bloody nightmare to negotiate on the roads.My map to the hostel was vague at best and when I finally got there (45 mins of traffic negotiation) the last bed had just gone. They got me into another place, but the directions to it sounded alot like what I'd just been through - a busy, pot holed, non existant street signed, road under constructioned, random one way street nightmare. So I though f*** that, & shot off on the interstate out of Boston. It was 10.30pm. Half way to NYC, in the middle of nowhere, Conneticut cheap motel here I come! I crashed (in bed, not my van) at 12.45am.

What to do ... 24th Oct

After Killington, I headed for Hanover New Hampshire to find a pub and contemplate my route. This place seemed a cool town - a college town - however I couldn't stay as by now it was coming apparent that I has to start taking my journey back to the west coast seriously as I was running out of time.

I needed to see Maine - apart from it being New England's frontier, I wanted to see a Moose. So I shot off (after a pint in Molly's) late in the afternoon bound for Bethell, a tiny place nestled north in the Maine woods not far from the NH border.

From my driving experience so far in New England, it seemed that MOST of it is woods - and apparently I am correct. The woods have crept back over the decades that the farming has moved to the mid west - a triumph of nature. This was the setting for my late drive to Bethell - into the dark woods, where I got a little lost at times and it all became a bit Blair Witch. I finally made it, after questioning what few locals I found that time of night, shortly before midnight.

My highlight of the drive - the road sign on State Route number 2 - Brake for Moose - it could save your life.

To New England...23 Oct

The weather was not so good as I headed east from Syracuse & made my way through the Airondacks, a mountain range in northern New York State. The small towns here, smothered in the bleak weather, seemed so remote and enclosed - by the woods, the hills & the dark lakes. Previously when you mentioned New York, I immedietly thought of New York City and not too much else, but I knew there was a whole state out there somewhere as well. This region put that into perspective as I truly felt that I was out in the sticks.

Having read Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, I leaned that you could see 5 States and all the way to Canada from the top of Killington Peak, Vermont. Therefore, one of my goals was to hike up Killington on this trip & take in the fall colours from this all-encompassing perspective. Coming out of the Airondacks State Park on the east put me pretty close to Killington, & as it happens a reasonably priced hostel in White River Junction, Vermont. After checking in and settling into my room, I prepared for the next day's hike by drinking at one of the 2 bars in the town & watching Monday night football.

The fall colours in this region were probably past their most colourful phase due to the unseasonably cold weather that the Northern U.S. had experienced recently, however the whole drive over from Chicago to Vermont had been picturesque for me.

The weather the next day was awesome -perfect for this time of year, except that Killington seemed to be smothered in cloud. It was, because it was lightly snowing. At the base of the peak there was no one about & it was getting quite chilly. I now had a few doubts as to my venture, and the American breakfast I'd had earlier was weighing quite heavily in my abdominal regions, but I soldiered on regardless and was rewarded with what seemed to me like a hike through Narnia with the snowfall hanging on the branches like xmas trees. The higher I got, the more bloody cold it got, and the visability was almost zero. But it was worth it.

Niagra, NY State & a slight mishap ...

Arriving pretty late in the night, I was lucky to phone the Buffalo Hostel International & get a room. The New England Patriots were in town, so that meaned there was a fair bit of activity at the bars.

The weather was fairly grim (grey skies & constant drizzle - they'd just had a 4 day blackout due to a storm which had uproooted trees & scattered debris all over), so my stay at the falls was shortened somewhat. Nevertheless, they were still an awesome sight and I would have got wet from all the mist they produce anyway.

Leaving Buffalo in the afternoon, I floored it as much as I could across New York State to get to the Syracuse Hostel - which amounted to a bizzare night almost alone in a seemingly haunted old mansion...

An early start on the 24th Oct saw me finally come unstuck via my miscalculations involving the tempremental fuel guage on my van... I managed to coast to the exit on the interstate ...where I climbed over the barrier & walked the few hundred yards to a BP station ... the NY State Trooper who pulled up behind my van on the side of the busy interstate informed me that you're not supposed to do that, but "more power to me". (?)

Leaving Chicago ... to Cleveland Ohio

I stayed at my mate Adam's friend's Christof & Elizabeth's place in a nothern Chicago suburb the last 2 nights. Thanks guys for your hospitality. It's good to see a foreign city via a local's perspective.

... and Christof - keep up the good work in that public school - the education industry needs more people like you!

Toll roads abound on the way to Cleveland - which is by no means an indication of the quality of the road - more often it means you're on a road that needs repairs!

Cleveland - strange place, home of The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - which I enjoyed, to my surprise. It was strange in that, it looked like an exciting city, some cool architecture & there was the lake front, but it seemed DEAD. There was a theatre district, with shows playing & a bit of neon, but NO theatre cafes or bars to be (obviously) seen in the vicinity. Hardly inviting. The bars were fairly quiet too. Maybe it's too cold (although it wasn't that cold the night I was there - Friday night) for an al fresco type of set up. It was mostly like a ghost town outside - I expected to see tumble-weed.

Currently in Buffalo ... will be off soon the see the Niagra Falls ...

GO - JERRY!!!!!!!

On my last night in Chicago I was in the audience for the recording of the Jerry Springer show in the NBC Tower. It was an experience, but at times I kind of wished that I wasn't part of the spectacle! They can now use our audience responses (whoopin & a hollerin) for ANY Jerry show - if we were good enough.

As it turned out Jerry was still in California - he's the American Dancing with the Stars equivalent of our Rodney Hide - he keeps getting voted back on. So the show was hosted by Steve - the big, bald, ex police officer that is usually Jerry's head of security on stage - the guy that throws himself in between the fightin hillbillys.

I was told to report at 4.30, whereupon I joined a queue for 30 minutes before going through similar security to that of an international airport. I guess there were around 100 of us. We were then ushered into a waiting room for another 40 minutes or so. Once in the studio we got to watch a whole lot of the Too hot for TV Jerry clips and then the stage manager instructed us on how we should chant, whoop & holler & bay for blood if that became necessary. (eg when Steve entered the show we were to shout out Steeeeeeeeeve!!! ; not Steve-Steve-Steve as they do for Jerry - quite specific(!)).

The show was about this woman who wanted her daughter to dump her loser boyfriend (ex jailbird, druggie, hits her, etc ...) The boyfriend turned up with a big bruise on his eye that he got from his partner, so she gave as good as she got, or better apparently. Steve lectured the guy on how big a loser he was, and the girlfriend on how ignorant she was & that she should get her baby daughter away from him & get a life. The mother occasionally took swings at the guy & the guy himself took swings at everybody - mostly because he was being goaded by Steve & the audience. He couldn't win - apart from Steve, a fair portion of the audience wanted to smack him over too. I don't know who was worse - the loser boyfriend, or the audience members baying for blood!

Were they faking it? Maybe, it was hard to tell; they were pretty good actors if they were. The thing is, I actually hope they were.

Newsflash ...

My departure from the Chicago area has been delayed ... an appointment at a certain TV recording studio has been postponed ...

The Truth is out there ...15th Oct

The Revolutioner War re-enactment at Cantigny Park just down the road from Wheaton was pretty cool. Decked out in all the original late 18th Century gear, those guys took their stuff pretty seriously & therefore were quite a fscinating lot to talk to & ask questions.

Had a most entertaining evening, hosted by Govert, the incredibly well informed & knowledgeable conspiracy theorest / philosopher (not sure if he would like this label - if you don't Govert, please correct me in a comment!).

Good food & home brew was had by all & we viewed 2 documentaries guaranteed to make you a little angry (provided you're not a blindly right winged sheep) : Iraq For Sale & Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism. Both highly recommended (by me at least!)

Speaking of blindly right winged sheep, I think 2 of the main shepherds over here are in the media - on Fox TV of course. How anyone can take the mad ramblings of people like Bill O'Reilly & Sean Hannity as serious journalism is beyond me! Take a look at their shows sometime & (I hope) you'll see what I mean.

Architecture & Piano Bars...14th Oct

Another sunny Chicago day, only it was bloody freezing! Which was brilliant for the visability on the Architectural river boat tour, but not good for my comfort levels given the thin jacket that I was wearing. It forced me to buy a thick hoodie from Gap on Michigan.

It was a hell of a lot warmer in the Redhead Piano Bar later on - earlier, I met 2 girls in from Nebraska (Josi & Lacey) at the train station & we all met up & went to a couple of bars. The Redhead may have been warm but it was hardly friendly - if you weren't shown your seat by a hostess, a Reserved sign was produced by the grumpy Matre-d bird resembling Bette Midler and you were kicked out over to cling to the wall or to sit at the seats at the bar. She was busy all night dragging people out of the centre of the bar & squeezing them hard up against the wall. The piano guy's renditions were, in my opinion decidedly average, so we moved on to the Kerryman Irish bar around the corner - much more inviting.

My Week & a bit at Olcott...

As I said before, I'm staying at the Theosophical Society's ( http://www.theosophical.org/ ) HQ in America (I'm a member of the Society in Auckland). The campus at Wheaton is set on 42 beautifully wooded (is there such a word?) acres and the HQ building itself is the perfect compliment to the grounds, reminding me of an English Stately manor. As well as the many staff members who live here, I have come across numerous other residents: squirrels; groundhogs; woodchucks; canadian geese; rabbits; and skunks - only I have smelled these at night, I haven't actually seen one yet.

I've been working half-days with the maintenance department (Mark & John - an army of 2) for my lodging & have therefore had ample opportunity to explore a large extent of the campus. Apart from the grounds & building itself, interesting feature include the labyrinth, the unique & atmospheric Olcott Memorial Library and the Quest bookshop - the main vendor of metaphysical & spiritual books for the Chicago area. Altogether, Olcott (the campus is named after the American co-founder of the Society Col Henry Steel Olcott) has been a welcoming, intriguing & very comfortable place to stay! A big thank you to all the staff here for making me feel so welcome & a part of the place. I hope to see some of you in NZ!

Chicago! 7th & 8th October

After negotiating a bit of slightly pre rushhour traffic in the northern suburbs surrounding Chicago, I arrived & was welcomed to the Theosophical Society's HQ at Wheaton. I awoke the next day to a free weekend (I'm working half-days here for my lodgings). Being excited at the prospect of venturing into the big city (USA'a 3rd biggest?), I set aside both Sat & Sun to journey in on the Metra train - a 50 minute ride to the east.

The weather was brilliant - crystal clear fall days, so the view from the 103rd floor of the Sears Tower (previously the world's tallest) was incredible. The usual queues to the skydeck weren't so bad, even including the obligatory security check that pervade most public locations today. The streets of downtown Chicago are remarkably clean - which make the numerous seemingly genuine beggars and apparently obvious opportunists scamming for cash seem out of place (!) The array of stores in the shopping district along Michigan Ave is VAST, although shopping was not on my mind - apart from the compulsory visit to the cool Apple Computer store to insert this blogsite onto as many stylish Macs as possible - I had some boozing to do - my friends Chris & Lydia from California were in town, so we sampled a couple of bars. I ended up having to run to make the 10.40pm train - they only run every 2 hours that time of night.

A Good Cup of Tea...6th Oct

Finally found one! At about the 1st decent cafe I've found too! (Not saying there aren't any, just it's been hard seeing the wood through all the (chain-restaurant) trees.

May I congratulate the Daily Grind cafe in Cambridge Wisconsin (a truly pleasant looking little town) for providing proper cups of hot tea, with milk!

I couldn't stay long tho, as I had to move on into Illinois.

The main news in the Wisconsin Journal that morning: America's Dairyland (according to the license plates), Wisconsin, is worrying that California may yet overtake it as the nation's top cheese producer. It was conceded that California captured the top milk producing position around 10 years ago, yet cheese hold's a special place in Wisconsin's history and pride. It's still a few million pounds per annum ahead, yet the West Coasters are rapidly advancing. The article then provided one of those inane yet 'fun' comparison lists between the states - you know like the ones that appear in NZ comparing Auckland with the rest of the country from time to time. It seems that California is the Auckland of the USA midwest, whenever these matters arise.

On the Road - of Motels & Hunting...

What I've discovered is that you can be fairly sure of the types of services provided at the various stops along an interstate for the travellers' convenience: you'll get the Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn, Days Inn, Wendy's, Arby's, Various family restaurant chains, gas stations, and of course the golden arches. After a while it can become a bit of a junk food/chain motel hell. I haven't yet used any of the chain motels, except for my night at the Day's Inn in Winnemucca, but that was only because of the casino voucher I received as part of the price. If I'm not staying in the back of my van, I've opted for a motel of the locally owned variety - thinking that these would be cheaper & not so sterile - a bit of character. This had led me to experience both friendly local hospitality & a basic but clean room, and also possibly the grubbiest motel in the Western world - I wont name it specifically, but it subsists in Minnesota somewhere.

In Sth Dakota at this time of year, the motels seemed to be populated mostly by hunters - who were all vacating their rooms by 6.30am. There's been a bit of a hunting culture in the mid west that I've seen - bumper stickers & t-shirts displaying phrases like: "Vegetarian: An old Indian word for Lazy Hunter" or "Wild Animals of the Forest ...belong right next to the potatoes & Gravy." There's even an entire cable TV station with shows devoted to showing you more efficient & fun ways to shooting wild animals. Seems the Elk, Moose & Deer don't stand a chance?

Americana & the Mid West ...4-6 Oct

Eventually, I got back on the i90 after Rushmore. I had to boot it as far East as I could. It was Wednesday & a made a committment to get to the Theosophical Society in America, in Wheaton Illinois (http://www.theosophical.org/ if you want info), where I am staying currently by 5pm Friday.

I had a late lunch at the Wall Drug Store, South Dakota. I couldn't help but check this place out as the billboards along the i90 had been telling me to for what seemed like 100 miles. It turned out to be an eccentric mix of cafe, drug store, western museum and tacky tourist trap. I availed myself of their free ice water, and the burger was pretty good. The adverts for this place have taken on a similar cult status to what New Zealanders know as the Bring Back Buck campaigne, with Wall Drug signs being displayed in unlikely places such as the side of London buses and in the military bases of Iraq (perhaps not so unlikelly there).

That night I crashed at a cheap motel in a place called Kennebec, middle of nowhere.


The next day - a classic piece of Americana awaited me in Mitchell Sth Dakota - The Corn Palace is the town's civic center, hall, concert venue, basketball court, & is redecorated every year with around 275,000 ears of corn. A true masterpiece of building decoration, which has been in the town since the late 1800's.

I ended up being pretty sick of driving by the time I got to a place called St Charles Minnesota late that night. I'm sure the Mid West has plenty to offer, but I had to get from A to B and that was the longest straight line I had ever driven. (I hit the 3,000 mile mark in my van somewhere in Mimmesota too).

PS - the state of the interstate in Sth Dakota & Minnesota is APPALLING. I hope my van's shocks recover.

Radioland...

I have come across some great stations to listen to when the driving days are long ... I have also been exposed to a hell of alot more country music than what I need ... although it has set the scene quite nicely in some of the towns that I have passed through. What I have not helped but notice on the radio so far is that there always has been at least 3 stations on the dial intent on introducing me to the Lord. I been preached at by all sorts of charismatic & outrageously enthusiastic sounding 'ministers' (there first names all seem the be Doctor...) on everything from how to conduct business in line with God's will to, to the Iraq conflict and it's inevitable parallel's with the bibical Armageddon. Of course, to really ensure that I connect with Jesus, almost all of these ministers have requested that I assist this through donating cash to their ministry via the supplied 1-800 number. Visa / Mastercard / Amex all accepted.

Cody to Crazy Horse to Rushmore 3-4 Oct

The Irma Hotel in Cody is just like an old style saloon of the West. Set up by Buffalo Bill himself, the beautifully carved wooden bar surrounds were a gift from Queen Victorie herself apparently. I had a great feed & a beer there after my descent out of the Yellowstone area.

From Cody (after spending the morning in Buffalo Bill's Museum - a must see) I began my hike East, arriving in the little town of Custer, Sth Dakota late in the night. This placed me perfectly to see both the Crazy Horse Monument and Mt Rushmore in the morning.

The only trouble was ... South Dakota didn't come to the party & put on some decent weather for me: the Crazy Horse monument (a work in progress monument to the native American people which apparently makes Mt Rushmore seem tiny) was shrouded in fog! I couldn't see a thing, so I spent the morning at the museum & visitor center. It was still worth going & seeing the story behind this hugely impressive undertaking.


Next stop - Rushmore - only a few miles up the road & the fog seemed to be avoiding the Presidents of old. Hooked up with a trucker called Craig who also did not want to pay the $8 & park in the official carpark, so we made a more interesting time of it and went a little cross country to end up looking directly at George Washington's nostrils.

I'm glad the weather let me see the Rushmore Monument, as it is quite a sight.

Thanks Emma & John ...

Now I'm back in front of a PC with USB capability ...
Thank you very much cousin Emma & John for your hospitality at you lovely home in SLC ... hope to see you again sometime ...

Cowboys, etc

Cody is named after Buffalo Bill Cody, and I swear I saw him the other day. Several times.

Seems there is a certain look some guys go for here that resembles the late 1800's Bill Cody style. For real!

I saw Buffalo Bill (Jeans, boots, denin shirt, thin wavy mullet & cowboy hat) ordering Subway, walking hand & hand with his missus & driving a 4X4 pickup. Yes sireee! Then again - I saw an ageing John Wayne in the Buffalo Bill Museum carpark with Hoss Cartwright from Bonanza as well...

Best be off ...

Will be uploading photo's, etc of Cody, its cowboys & so on ASAP, however I've decided that I better hightail it as much as I can this afternoon across Wyoming, East towards the Rushmore National Monument (& the Crazy Horse work in progress) ... see you soon ...

Dead Indian 2 Oct

On the way down the slopes of the mountain they call Dead Indian, I swear I saw the Marlboro Man, complete with smoking cigarette, watchin his buddys round up some cattle. It was a pretty scenic few miles into Cody out of the hills of the Yellowstone area.

GAS prices ...

Paid an exorbitant $3.10 a gallon today in Cooke City, Montana. Probably because it's just outside Yellowstone & they can catch people (like me) who are running low. Across the road it was $3.80! I just put $20 in - in Cody here, it's about $2.50. The cheapest I've paid so far is $2.55 - in Mill Valley, CA - however it's going to get even cheaper as apparently it ranges from $2.07 - $2.47 in Sth Dakota where I'm headed. www.gasbuddy.com - quite a handy site if you know you're way around the State you're in!

Wyoming ...home of Yellowstone

Got as far as Jackson Hole on Saturday ... decided to stay there as looked like a cool town & was getting dark. Drove through a variety of landscapes to get there - arid desert for miles & miles (with those rock formations that make you think you're in a western) to the mountanous scenery approching the National Parks. Got some footage of a local football (Gridiron) game in Kemerer on the way.

Then next morning it was onto Grand Teton National park (I was told Tetons is French for tits, & that's what the mountains are named after. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I like that idea). It was kind of like driving the Mt Aspiring region in NZ - alpine beauty. My $50 National Parks pass has already paid for itself, as Yellowstone is only 20-odd miles up the road. (The parks all seem to be $20 to get in).

Yellowstone is HUGE - 3,500 sq miles. There seems to be alot of some sort of bug or blight killing lots of the trees, but otherwise it is stunning. Plenty of big SUVs & RVs (read massive motorhomes) occasionally clogging the roads. Yellowstone is also a big thermal area - like Rotorua, only bigger apparently (according to the Yellowstone brochures). There's around 300 geysers, & I got to see Old Faithful go off - it regularly fires on average every 90 minutes.

Plenty of Wildlife - saw Buffalo, Elk, deer, but no bears. Had to observe all the stashing food rules tho, as it is Grizzly country. The bull Elk make a hell of a racket if you approach them with their cows - they were hanging around Mammoth Hot springs, where I camped in the van for the night. They can be quite dangerous - there were rangers keeping the public away from the bull that was hanging around Mammoth's visitor center. Heard coyotes at night around the campsite - cool!

Will post photos when I can - looks like this PC will do it - I'm in Cody's (named after Buffalo Bill Cody) public library - so will try tomorrow. Will check out Buffalo Bill's museum in the morning ...

North ... to Wyoming

It's 10am, cloudless sunny morning in SLC ... I'm off - through Park City, then North into Wyoming to Yellowstone & Cody ...

A day in the air - Moab & the Arches

I wish I took more still photos (I've got great video footage tho) as I was treated to some amazing views today from the cockpit of John's twin engine Cessna. We left an airport in SLC around midday, flying directly for Moab and the around the Arches National park area over some spectacular slick rock & desert landscapes. John & Emma do a bit of off-road jeeping in this area which looks pretty wild. The slick rock mountain biking looks cool too, will make note of this for when I am here next!

I got to drive John's Dodge Viper when we landed back in SLC - I didn't use much of it's potential apparently, but I thought I did OK for a 1st time in rush hour traffic! Thanks for the great day John!

Temple City

Navigating your way around SLC is easy - the streets all form a grid, whose references can all be traced back to their distance from the Salt Lake Temple. The architecture in the Town's centre is largely dominated by the LDS Church. They have an interesting & sometimes colourful history, which I wont go into here, but I went on a tour of the temple (non Mormons cannot go into the Temple itself) grounds & buildings, escorted by 2 young Sisters on their mission. Free tours are on every 15 minutes & are well worth the effort, if for interest sake only. I gave my address for my free copy of the Book of Morman at the end, so I may get a visit sometime soon. I'm not sure what a fresh faced 20 year old missionary is going to be able to convince me of, but we'll see.

The rest of the town's centre is pretty immaculate. Great architecture too. Apparently it had a makeover for the 2002 winter olympics, which obviously helped, but it's location on the flat amongst surrounding mountain ranges & alongside the Great Salt Lake makes SLC a pretty attractive place.

Southern Utah Camping Sept 22-24

We (Emma, her friend Pita & I) headed south down the i15, camping for the weekend. It was dark by the time we got to look for our 1st camping spot, which was somewhere NW of the predominantly Morman town of St George.
We collected Sage brush & other dry wood, had a campfire, a few beers & looked at the stars before turning in for a fairly cold (but well wrapped) night in our tents. After packing up camp the next day we hiked around Snow Canyon State Park. The landscape around here was dominated by those amazing, kind of primeval, red-rock formations you've seen in Western shootouts where the gang has holed up in the desert. It was also bloody hot, considering I'd woken up to snow in SLC yesterday.

Later on (after a fairly sizable off-road campsite hunting venture - great driving Emma) we found a place to stay on a river bed somewhere in Cedar Breaks Canyon:










It was a great campsite, with the narrow river flowing nearby & plenty of dry wood for a roaring campfire. It was also the coldest night in a tent that I've ever experienced. However my 2 sleeping bags & wooley hat soon warmed me into a pretty good night's sleep.

We hiked in Dixie National Forest the next day, at about 10,500 feet which gave us breathtaking views (like the top photo) and also, at that altitude it literally was a breathtaking hike. Emma & I mostly trailed behind Super-Hiking-Chick Peta and her wonder-dog Sporen, the super fit & friendly black lab.

SLC Foot Treatment

Check this out. So far this trip has been an avalanche of new experience for me. One of which you can see in this photo. I've never had a pedicure before, and now I can fully recommend it! Thanks Emma for allowing me this experience in your shop, and thank you Tiffani for the extremely fine job and for making it such an enjoyable, if not ticklish time. PS - I now have my toenails painted an electric shade of blue. Don't ask me why, I just do.

SLC, Friday 22nd

The weather here has been great; cloudless & not too hot / cold. Dry, with the autumn colours starting to show themselves in the valley below the house. This morning, however, I woke up to a light covering of snow. Not entirely conducive to our intended camping trip today ... even Emma seemed a little dubious...

New Road Trip Vehicle ?!

Maybe not ... I think my gas bill would dramatically increase. But it would be a pretty cool way of seeing the country...

Salt Lake City Wed 20th Sept

After a much longer drive than I expected, I finally arrived in Salt Lake City at 6.30pm just as it was getting dark. My cousin Emma arranged to meet her & her partner John outside the zoo, which was on the way up to their place. I hadn't seen Emma since I was a kid, so naturally I was wondering what she was like. Well... she's cool! & so is John! I was welcomed warmly & me & my van were escorted up into the hills where their lovely home sits overlooking Emmigration Canyon to the lights of SLC.

The World's Fastest Indian

Check this out - Bonneville salt flats, where they break all the land speed records is just off the i80 as you get into Utah ... SLC here I come (I guess about 100 mikes to go ...)

The Big Sky (2) Sept 20th

Well, Winnemucca was interesting ... (last night mostly full of truckers & older people at the casino / restaurant) I had a strange, stodgy (almost tasty) beef & gravey concoction for dinner.

Phoned my cousin Emma & finally touched base last night from the motel (my txt messages weren't getting through). I will be visiting & staying with her today. Haven't seen her since I was about 10 ...

The Big Sky (1)

Leaving Yosemite, I drove for a while at over 9,000 feet. (How high is Mt Cook?).

Down, down, down, descended to around 5,000 feet, past Mono lake & then through Carson City (pretty, not quite what I expected, but I was going on Mark Twain's account of it which I imagine is a little out of date...)

Onto Reno Nevada (getting HOT now in the afternoon), didn't stay long as wanted to get on. Blinked & missed my first State line crossing. Contacted my cousin Emma who lives in Salt Lake City, so I now had a goal to get across there to visit ... roll on the interstate 80 (i80).

This is where I experienced my 1st BIG drive - nothing but a straight road for miles ... dramatic desert lanscapes, occasional STRONG cross winds buffeting the van, BIG trucks rumbling past, & a BIG sky full of a variety of cloud & weather patterns ...

Had to break this trip in 2 - stopped at a motel in Winnimucca, in the middle of nowhere, nothern Neavada. (got some coupons for the local casino too - bargain!)

Yosemite - 18-19 Sept

Holy sh*t it was cold last night! The air in the air bed must have been dry-ice or something. Managed to sleep after a while ( was in bed by 8 as had nothin to do once it got dark!). Had a slight disagreement with a bloke who turned up to his camping spot once he returned from being lost. I chose to ignore his little tent in the far corner of the area. Was OK in the end - I just moved the van a bit, because the plonker wanted to light a fire (close to my parking spot). He was gone when I awoke.

Cruise down into the Yosemite Valley for brekky & to check the place out. The rangers had roped off an area right by the visitor center - because a bear had climbed one of the trees - right to the most extreme, thin branches - & was chewing on acorns! Hiked to the top of Verna falls - a bit of a climb up hundreds of granite steps. Spectacular views - the sheers walls of rock amongst the trees is something pretty unique.



Drove out of the valley & camped again that night - at an elavation close to 8,500 feet. But I was more prepared for the cold this time + I had seen the videos in the visitor centre showing how beers frequently rip car doors open like a can opener if they can smell food inside! This was a bear area so I made sure I had everything smelly in the bear locker. Was alot of scratching type of noises around the van for a large part of the night (so it seemed). I couldn't see out so well, so at one stage I blasted the horn& flashed my headlights. It seemed to make the noises stop. There weren't alot of other people at the site. (apart from a guy sitting up late watching TV outside his tent). $10 was all they charged for this camp-place - you leave it in a box at the entrance.

To Yosemite ...

17th Sept - I've been staying in Mill Valley now for over a week - & I'd like to thank Toby Reed for his generosity in allowing me the use of his apartment for that time.

The cheapest gas I've got so far - $2.55 a gallon - was just down the road from where I was staying (at a gas staion right next door to another one charging $2.79 - go figure? - great competion here, NOT like in NZ).

Was pretty hot in that part of California - heading South on the freeways. I had the needing to get a matress thing on my mind when, like a beacon in the fog I spied a Walmart. I had reached the town of Tracey. So, for a mere $34 I got an airbed + 12V air pump & I was away laughing. Finally got to the park entrance around 6.30pm. At the gate I bought an all National Parks pass for $50 - great value considering it's $20 to get into Yosemite alone.

Called into the 1st camping area I came across - Crane Flat - I parked the van in a spot (including a picnic table, fire ring & bear-proof food locker) & got set up pretty quickly...

On the Road ...

Well, I'm now leaving the San Francisco Bay area ... to Yosemite. Should be 3-4 hours. Just need to get up NOrth on the 101, cross the Richmond Bridge, get on the 580, then ...

There's not a cloud in the sky & I'm rearing to go!

Bargains to be had...

Got me some stuff for the trip yesterday ...
- 1 GALLON of distilled water ...99c
- bath towel from target $2.99
- full double sheet set $7.99
- duvet / 'comforter' $13.98
- a foon for $2 (bet ya don't know what that is)
- & a new pair of Timberlands from a factory outlet for $39

Just need to get some sort of matress before I get to the park ...

Beach Volleyball in the Dark

Hey guys, thanks for a great night of beer, bbq & beach volleyball. You know who you all are, I wont publish here where or when this regular event is, but it sure makes for a fun night.

Thank you Hannes for taking me along & introducing me to everybody. Funny how, as the night wore on, the games became increasingly competitive & we all became more & more skillful.

Giants 5 Rockies 0

Went to the ball game at the AT&T park on the bay's waterfront yesterday. What a great stadium! Built in a classic design of the ball parks of years goneby, even the views from the worst seats give you a great outlook over the marina & the Bay Bridge. I got to see Barry Bonds bat (& got some good closeup footage), but he didn't hit any homers this time. The promanade level of the park takes you all the way around the field, with a HUGE (& fairly pricey) array of food, drink & merchandise on offer. I sampled a Giants Hot Dog ($3.75), an all-beef Superdog ($4.50) & a Louisianna Hot Link (another hot dog, with a kick) for $5.25. Washed down with a couple of Sierra Nevada pale ales, this mixture in my stomach produced a slightly (only slightly) uneasy feeling of not wanting to eat anything else for quite a while.

Apart from the Giants much needed win, other notable stories in today's Chronicle:
* Senate committee rejects President Bush's proposed strategies on torture of enemy combatants
* So far, the hurricane season is pretty tame (good news for me!)
* The CIA knew Hussein had no ties to bin Laden, but did not pass this onto the White House, and;
* Dog the Bounty Hunter has been arrested on charges in Mexico for kidnapping