Welcome home

The flight home was out of the top drawer as Celia and I managed to get an entire section of the plane to ourselves as they needed us to sit in the emergency seats. We only needed two rows, but the extra space made us feel all that more important.

I know it's been discussed before over and over again, but I cannot stress how much I have to hold myself back from opening the aeroplane door mid flight. I'm not sure if I'm just concerned I will trip and accidentally open it, but I physically have to lean the opposite way when i am walking past it...

When we touched down at Heathrow we had Claudio and Jen Jen waiting for us at the airport whisking us away to the heart of Essex. I must say it is the first time i have been there as my travel card never got me to zone 16.

I held off the urge to succumb to my jet lag and went off with Claudio to buy some beer and bbq equipment for the braai they were throwing for us the next day. Driving through one of the dodgy areas of north east London we stumbled across some Greek, Cypriot shops where Claudio immediately had his eye on a Foukou(left). Now a Foukou is a traditional bbq made in Cyprus, and its purpose is to cook meat and fish on a kebab or "souvla" on coal.

I somehow think that Claudio knew where we were going and we never just 'stumbled' on those Greek / Cypriot shops.. Although we were stoked with what we had just bought, the woman were averagely pleased with our purchase.

I managed to put my new running shoes into action down the paths of Epping forest which in some sections looks a fairytale with the beauty of Fallow deer and Autumn leaves. All that was missing were Lucy, Peter, Edmund and Susan.

We had a ton on friends around that day to enjoy our Saffer / English bbq. About 3 kg's of wors on the Weber and even more souvla on Claudio's new foukou.

Charlie arrived in his 'I are wearing a jean pant' shirt providing much amusement, but unfortunately for him, more interest was taken in the kilo of biltong he brought along.

Our little braai went well on into the night while we tried our hardest to finish all the beers on offer while we sat around the log fire in the garden telling our 'round the world' campfire stories.

Last Day Blues

Well today we bode farewell to NY, our family there and our 8 months on the run from real life. It’s obviously a bit sad for us, not that any of you have any sympathy. It was 'Da Bomb'(just for Michael). The day was just as hectic as you can imagine with the two of us trying our utmost to shove all the junk inside our trunk, into our tiny suitcases we started this trip with. Now not only have our waistlines expanded in the last two months, but so have our suitcases as we have much more sheeaaat.

Celia's new running shoes sadly did not make it on board, neither did my dads present I bought him as it was forgotten on the train last night.. Let's pray for honest people and the lost 'n found section.

So I sit here now at the airport typing away on my new uber cool Sony Vaio laptop, while they announce that our flight had been delayed due to electrical problems. Refueling rig is apparently shot which does not instill much confidence. It's nice in a way though as I am pretty reluctant for this trip to end so the longer we get to stay on US soil, the happier I am.

Celia and I almost took our camping gear with us today because we had grown so attached to it. It has been over 3 months of camping in those snug sleeping bags, under the cozy comforter in many US state parks. We will have to get another soon we can carry on our adventures back home.

Can't wait to see our friends in London though, go to Hillsong and see if life does actually go on without me...

Expansion

With a day to go, we were due another dinner and Flavio did not disappoint. Although the logical place would have been our all time favourite diner, but we stepped it up a notch and went to a great Teppanyaki place down the road instead. I think I have omitted my next insert in my previous posts, but only because it has become more relevant in recent weeks.

This actually brought about the title of this post, my waistline has been looking a little larger than usual with my mirror denial not really helping. It was the therapy that my denim jeans bring that really highlighted the issue as the pair of Levi's that were given to me by Tim in Singapore about 4 months back now need a bit of persuasion to close, and more than that at the end of of a good meal with a slight of hand a flick of the button bringing instant relief.

It was entertaining to watch this meal prepared and the chef pulled out all the stops, with his juggling and lobbing food into our mouths. Fortunately it tasted great too and by the end of the evening the button was released for that extra bit of comfort.

More flags, more fun

This is something I have not done in years, but i'll credit Michael with the brilliant idea. A bit of planning and we were off to Six flags amusement park. I had the chore of driving all the way to Jersey cause on Michaels 'little kids' drivers license, he cannot leave the state.

Now you can imagine the queues (or lines if you are American) at an amusement park in the school holidays, nevermind the fact it was passover, they are something out of my worst horror, and today did not dissapoint. We ditched the opportunity to buy our 'flash pass' tickets which would simply allow us to walk to the front of each ride queue simply out of lack of funding. This would see us only scream it out on 5 rides that day as the wait totalled an average of 45min a ride.

With rides named, Medusa, Nitro, Kingda ka, Batman and El Toro, there would be a fair amount of nausea and vocals over the duration of the day.

Now every ride there has some world record to its name. Kingda Ka (to the left) is the fastest at 128mph and tallest at 458ft roller coaster in the world. The ride is only 59 seconds, but I cannot even begin to explain how much of a thrill it is. I was freaking out every second and realised then how little I actually enjoy these things. The speed is not so much the issue. It's the falling out I am concerned about.

Celia managed to strain her neck as the she was turning back and talking to me when the ride started, as they count down from 10, but start at a random number which was ulimately her downfall.

She was out of the running for the rest of the day, but still joined Michael and I in the line for 'El Toro'. Now this ride features the steepest drop of any wooden roller coaster in the world at 76 deg. and was by far the most fun ride we went on all day. The top speed is only 70mph, but felt just as fast running over those rickety wooden tracks. The upside was the nausea experienced on Kingda ka did not show its ugly little head.

Celia did however join us on the ride as when we got to the front she found it too irresistable to watch us enjoy it without her. The photo we picked up from the automatic ride camera shows her screaming with pain, and she vowed to not go on another ride.

I will quicky add before I carry on that she did join us on Medusa (the world's forst floorless coaster), agonising neck pain and all, but this was to be here last as when Michael and I carried on to Batman and Nitro, Celia slipped off to see the more tame Dolphin show.

My highlight of the day was however none of the ridiculous rides we went on, but the wait in the line at Kingda Ka. Watching all the Jewish kids her on passover holidays lose their yarmulke's when the ride was upside down at top speed, was something out of Americas funniest home videos and had everyone (maybe only me) in stiches.

Times Square Church

Our last Sunday in the US and A and we had the opportunity to visit the renowned 'Times Square Church' which was phenomenal. We were fortunately enough to get a seat that was not in the rafters, with half the leg room of your average budget airline, so seating was tight to say the least. The choir however made up for it and the renditions of the songs we knew were a bit special.

The church location could not be more perfect. Right on Broadway, a stones throw from Times sq., and it makes your average Sunday in Manhattan a bit more exciting than a good bargain.

Good times

We were so lucky that we finally managed to catch up with Billy in NYC as we had missed the opportunity in Boston. His company had put him up in the Hyatt in a great suite which he invited Celia and I to share with him on one evening. We had a truly grand time with dinner at a phenomenal restarant and a few drinks, kindly all on the company. My only charge whould be the cab ride back to the hotel.

It's always a little strange for me to spend time with friends in a foreign place when you are so used to seeing them day in, day out at all your familiar haunts in London. It was the same when Billy was in SA for our wedding and now in NY (not for his) in his backyard.

He was in his element too, knew all the places, who to call and where to go. Good times! BTW, just found this picture of him onine. Wooooohoooowaaahaaaaahhaaaaaa. Waaaaaaaaahhhhahahahahahahahaha. God bless Google.

Still moseying around New York

With not an awful lot to to and only a few days to kill, day's were mostly spent watching the 60 inch plasma and drinking Flavio's Pepsi stash and home made biltong. after a few days of more than 100 channels of cable, you settle on your favourites, and then your favourites run out of shows, so it's mostly 'The Girl Next Door', Kardashians, and "The Deadliest Catch' reruns. I was going to add 'The Family Guy' to that list, but Peter Griffin does not get grouped with anyone.

We somehow managed to find time to rip ourselves off the couch and head into the city to do the Natural History Museum. Now I sadly never got to go to the one in London, I know, pathetic. I was only there for six years...

The museum was pretty good with the animal exhibition (mostly African) being my favourite by a long shot. I think it's maybe because looking at the dinosaur skeletons does not really invoke many emotions in me. Possibly the lack of imagination, which in itself is hard to believe with the amount of day dreaming I usually do.

I must say that the exhibition here was not dissimilar to the ones at Cabela's hunting stores around the US. The stuffed carnivores all set up in attack position ready to devour the defenceless prey in their path. Some of them are excellent, like you are stuck in a real life freeze frame, and if I had to show you some of the pictures I took you would thing I was somewhere in the African Savannah or the North American plains.

With all the game viewing we had there, there was sadly not enough time to go to the National Portrait Gallery which was Celia's pick for the day. I thick you might need a day for that on it's own if it is anything like the Louvre or the Smithsonian in Washington (you see how I've listed the only two art museums I've ever been to).

We managed to fit in a couple more walking hours in to the day and went for some great coffee and cakes at 'Le Pain Quotidien' just off central park as well as a world famous hot dog at "Gray's Papaya'. It was a good hot dog, but you understand what I mean when I say how different can you be from your competitor when you are selling a wiener in a roll.. Michael being the the only true American among us, assured me it was a great hot dog.

I did manage to spot the Chris Elliot who famously played Dom Woganowski in 'Theres something about Mary' adding to my celeb spotting total in America to a satisfying '2'.

Recalculating

Celia and I had to get back to 'Woodbury Commons' outlet mall to get some bargain shopping done so Flavio lent us his car for the day, but we had to come and pick him up from work. In true holiday style we only left the house just after lunch and after punching in the coordinates in our GPS we were on our way. All was going pretty peachy, and we had this GPS speaking to us in every accent available, but I started passing the same trees and seeing the same landmarks usually pre-empted by the Australian bird on the GPS saying "recaaalllculating". I dunno how it happened but the directions kept telling us to take the incorrect exit off the roundabout. It took me until the third time to ditch the GPS and ask for directions (wasn't happy about that) showing that you generally shouldn't listen to an Aussie woman giving you directions.

Back in the Big Apple

The drive back from Cape Cod was fine, I got arrogant and chose the coastal road this time, rather than sticking to Google Maps prescribed route which may be a touch quicker, but about as exciting as say, reading… I have stated my new stance on reading I'm sure.?

Well i'm telling you anyway.

I have decided reading a book is an utter waste of time as the world just passes you by as your nose is stuck in between printed paper. So the nine books (eight unread) I bought at a library sale (totaling about $4) somewhere in the California desert will have to waste somebody else's time rather than collect dust on the back seat of our Honda Accord.

This brings me to the next part of my day. We had to drop off our rental car, apart from being a major chore as it had to go all the way to JFK airport; it was a pretty sad moment as it was the first bit of finality of our trip and the last road trip we would take of our world tour. We had a bit of a moment with our car on the way to the airport and bode it farewell.

When I checked it in at the Hertz counter they tried, but couldn't just scan my rental agreement and wish me a good evening, they had to go in a and manually enter my details as the system would not accept the fact I had driven 8500 miles in just under sixty days. It made me realize what an epic journey we had just completed, and the emotions came yet again.

Well our last week in New York was reserved for shopping and maybe a visit to a museum or two. Fortunately for us Michael was on spring break and we had a driver when Flavio was unable to lend us his car. Celia finally got her ‘tan colored full length ‘ UGG boots which we had been searching for, umm... approximately a month now, no shops having the tan in her size. She was pretty thrilled when Michael and I got back from Palisades mall and wore them around the house the whole evening deciding then that actually she would prefer the chocolate colored ones in a smaller size. Can anyone else feel my pain?

Cape Cod touring

Ray took us on his best Cape Cod tour through the gusting wind and fine drizzle, and had I known we were going to be walking for an entire day, I would have dressed a bit warmer than the long sleeve t-shirt I was wearing. Ray was in fine form, posing at will for the most ridiculous photos taken in Massachusetts that day.

It was a pretty amazing tour though and Cape Cod has immense beauty ranging from the Cedar and Maple bogs to the endless beaches. Let's not forget the harbor at P-town and a bonus cherry on the top were the eight whales we saw at Race Point. I could hardly believe it, but from the beach we saw Humpback and Right whales feeding on plankton just a couple hundred meters off the beach. They had apparently been there for the entire weekend and were predicted to be there for a few more, so Celia and I decided there and then that we were going whale watching the next day.

Well things don't always work out as planned and that evening when we got back from touring Mike recommended we go snowboarding in New Hampshire the next day. It was a tough choice, boarding or whale watching. So 4AM the next day we were up and dressed to go whale watching, naaaat. We were going snowboarding and were kitted out thanks to Jane and Mike who had enough ski clothing and equipment to sort out the Jamaican bobsled team and their cheerleaders.

What a day we had up on Mount Sunapee, being up on the mountain is always ...umm well... invigorating in search of a better word. My boarding improved loads as Mike pushed me to increase my speed and to not be such a girl. Celia also loved the day and every time I saw her she was full of smiles and Ray was teaching her some new tricks on the skis in between racing Jane and me. Being on a snowboard I was always a bit slower, but by the end of the day I was right up there and Jane will admit I absolutely showed her a lesson in downhill racing, German style.

Had to remember Laurie who couldn't join us as she had to visit her dad down in Florida who sadly was terribly ill (would have taken her in a race too though).

Still can't believe how lucky we were to have a great day on the mountain in early spring with new friends (and old ones - Ray). Feeling excited just writing this now!!

On our way back home we had a short stop in Boston for an early dinner and an alternative to sitting in the traffic. After a days boarding i was thirstier than a baby in a topless bar so at the first sight of a Sam Adams, it was emptied, and my thirst was quenched.

We grabbed some seafood to go along with the beer. The Swordfush kebab grabbing my attention and Celia couldn't be stopped ordering the Maine lobster which, at the time of ordering did not register in her mind that they cook them on the spot. So when the chef took the unlucky fellow out the bucket and straight into the pot, the expression on her face was pretty priceless, worthy of a Mastercard advert.

Tuesday came and it was time to head back to the Big Apple. With some regret, we said goodbye to Little Ray, Big Ray, Kory, Jane and Mike, let's not forget Hudson. In true Dieter style I lead with my emotions, so goodbyes are as short as possible. I'm always so grateful for times like these spent with great people sharing fantastic moments and giving time out of their life. Jeesh… what was that, let's move on before I delete it.

Cape Cod

We left New York well rested and a few hours late after trying to sort out the car hire issue, but now we were on our way headed straight for Cape Cod, well as straight as Google Maps will allow us anyway. In hindsight we should have taken Flavio's GPS, but that would make me less of a man now wouldn't it.

Our drive took about an hour longer than we had wished for, but still arrived at Ray's house with some sunlight to spare and with a fantastic welcome. Ray's sister and his dog were there with a bottle of red to wash away the long drive. Laurie had also put together some fantastic quiche and cranberry bread so we were not to go hungry.

The wheels for that weekend were tonight set in motion as we went from bar to bar in Cape Cod. Not a remarkably big area, there is always a ‘happening' place a few miles away and a couple back road's home.

I somehow managed to plant a seed in Mike's head that we should go snowboarding in New Hampshire, he seemed pretty keen, and so we'll see how that pans out.

Ray couldn't possibly have let us stay at his house for free (????) so he had us working on the cranberry farm in the morning. He has built a greenhouse there to grow seedlings of various types of pretty flowers in the off season, when the cranberries don't require much work. So on this biting Cape Cod Saturday morning, Celia, Jane, Ray and Dieter (don't you hate it when people talk about themselves in the third person) got busy planting. It was definitely a case of many hands make light work as those few hundred seedlings were planted in no time, it wasn't even late enough to crack open the first cold one. We killed time by watching Ray's amazing greenhouse plumbing in action, which instead of watering the plants, just leaked a big puddle in the corner, nice!

The afternoon showers arrived, and that called for us to pack up, but not before I had negotiated the pathways through all the cranberry bogs on Ray's golf cart. Let me rephrase that, on Ray's working golf cart. He has behind his house a golf cart graveyard, ranging from the standard club car type to the more outrageous Harley Davidson golf cart. He keeps them there as he says he might need some spare parts sometime.

We had some great seafood that afternoon in a little village (don't ask me which – Hyannis maybe) and I got to try more of the local brew. So far I have been very loyal and stuck to my Sam Adams, but the Harpoon IPA I had that afternoon is not all that bad either. Celia ordered some ‘New England Steamers' or something to that effect which are these massive clams which have the texture of an Oyster and are not really my thing as the one I had went down with hooks and almost came straight back up. It seemed to have the same effect on Celia as she politely said she was not that hungry.

We had a fantastic BBQ at Mike and Jane's house that night with some of the tastiest sirloin I have ever eaten. Interestingly the topic came up as to why we have seen very few (I mean tens of) sheep in the US. It turns out that the cattle farmers completely took over and drove out all the sheep farmers. They don't know what they are missing.

The evening involved a trip to the Claddagh where Richard and Monika met, so really the visit was mandatory. They were currently experiencing some licensing issues so were not open, but they did manage to turn the kettle on and pour us a famous Claddagh coffee, which according to my taste buds, contains less than 10% coffee and the rest, according to Cathy, Frangelico, Kahlua and Whisky. A couple of those, and I needed the back roads. Fortunately Ray was driving and took us out to Sundancers where this U2 tribute band was playing and everyone was in fine form on the dance floor, so I joined them and managed to get a bite without even casting a line. I am a married man now so I just shook the hook loose and carried on dancing. It seems however, that I've still got it.

Philadelphia

Our drive through to Philadelphia was a long one, with narrow roads and many a wrong turn taken, we arrived quite a few hours after we wanted to so our tour was a whistle-stop one, we never even got out of the car! There was no time, so we drove right through taking in the sights, including the university, the skyline, and the very famous library. I never got the opportunity to run up the steps to the sound of the 'eye of the tiger' like the great Sly Stallone in the Rocky movies. Maybe it's better that we never stopped as I can only imagine how many sad tourists have pulled that stunt. I never wanted to be one of those statistics.

That only left us with the drive to Flavio's house to complete. It was pretty exciting as he never knew we were coming this week, we were meant to drive straight through to Massachusetts, but gave him a nice surprise as he was doing his gardening. We naturally had to go through to the diner down the road that evening with the entire family, overeating once again as is only possible in America.

It was fantastic to catch up, but our visit was a short one, as we had a drive to Cape Cod to look forward to in the morning.

Historic drive through Pennsylvania

Gettysburg is name most of you must have heard of. It is the location of Lincoln's famous address and a few months' prior to that, 'The Battle of Gettysburg'. This battle happens to be one of the major defining moments in the history of America and was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War and is frequently cited as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, ending Lee's invasion of the North. Over fifty thousand men lost their lives in that battle which prompted the before mentioned famous Gettysburg Address. The monuments and statues erected on the battlefields as well as gravestones standing where the men lay all those years ago, are constant reminder of those times and make you realize you are somewhere really special.

I love my history, especially battle history, with the Anglo-Boer wars being some of the most remarkable in South African and British history. On occasion when we drive by these sites in South Africa, my family and I always stop and go through the motions to see what happened on those days that made our country what it is today. Celia thinks I'm a loser, but it makes me appreciate places like this in other countries where the same battles were fought over the same issues thousands of miles away.

We never planned on staying the night there as there were more unique American lives to see not too far away. I'm now talking about the Amish. These folk stay amongst themselves in the farmlands shunning technological advancements of today's world still bizarrely driving around in their horse drawn carriages (with tail lights) sporting their top hats and matching black waistcoats.

That night we found a great little motel to stay in as the only camping area we found was almost the same price… talk about racketeering. Starved, we tried to go get a bite of some local Amish delicacies to find that all the restaurants shut at 8pm and we were about 15 minutes too late. It was probably the worst thing that could have happened as on our last pass we found a trucker's diner, proper movie style I'm telling you. We devoured this deep fried chicken that Colonel Sanders himself might have turned his nose up at, and I drank the thickest milkshake known to man, opting for the spoon once the straw provided a little inadequate. My cheeks collapsing inwards with the sucking power I was exerting, providing Celia with some light entertainment and highlighting the straw's only possible use.

Walking around in their villages, buying goods from them, they do freak me out a little, I think it is because they choose to live such a separate life, not associating themselves with the world, not even knowing much about current affairs.

We never took any pictures of them as the guidebooks say that to them it's bad luck, or something to that effect.

We stopped off at one of the towns they stay called 'Intercourse', in Pennsylvania. Quite ironic as they are so reserved. It seems like these people are from the 'Men in Black' movies, remember that scene in the second installment where they were in the post office where they sent all the aliens and retired 'space officers'. The Amish could definitely be them.

One thing we learnt while we were there is that the reason they are called the 'Pennsylvania Dutch' is because when they first arrived in America (from space), they said to all the locals they were Deutsch, meaning German, the clever Americans mistaking that for Dutch so hence the misconception.

Next stop - capital city

Once we had made our way out of Richmond, it was a short (by American standards) drive to Washington which goes beyond all my expectations. It is a really cool city with a really 'livable' atmosphere and plenty to do.

We started off at Arlington cemetery where (don't quote me on this) all the national servicemen get buried. You must have seen the picture before, fields and fields of identical gravestones signaling all the brave men who have given their life for this country. Many other great people have been buried there including John F Kennedy and his brother Robert. These are definitely the more popular sites to visit here and are immensely difficult to photograph for all the Chinese tourists practicing their version of patience (pushing in).

It is definitely worth a stroll around here and a few hours will suffice to really take in how significant a place this is to the country.

From there it's straight over the memorial bridge and before you stands the famous World War 2 memorial and behind it in the distance, Capitol Hill. Do not ask me why it is spelled 'Capitol' and not 'Capital'.

We had a bit of time to relax that afternoon and went for lunch at 'Fudd Ruckers' at the recommendation of Chris, Odilette's son, who swears by it. It's this gourmet burger place where you select the size of the pattie you want and then you add all the garnish and extras at the salad bar yourself. I have Definite hunger pains right now just thinking about it.

That evening we found a campsite a few miles from DC town center, far enough to be isolated and quiet enough for the deer to wander round the park. We saw the most peculiar thing in DC in that they have so many institutions names after Chevy Chase, or he was named after them…? They have Chevy Chase bank, streets, you name it. I also think I finally figured out what the 'DC' in 'Washington, DC' stands for, 'District of Colombia' I believe. So there's a little fact to brighten up your day.

We went back into town after the entire tent putting up was done and found a nice convenient place to park. First stop, the White House. It is pretty impressive, but I still say that Buckingham Palace has one up on it, then again a hundred times better than 10 Downing St. We spent a couple hours taking some great night photos of the Washington landmarks before we headed back to the car and the comfort of our tent. What we would have done without our inflatable mattress I don't know.

After a good night's sleep we cleared up our site and headed for town with many things in mind to accomplish. We headed straight for the Aeronautical museum which has aircrafts from the Wright Brothers' plane to the lunar modules for the Apollo missions. It was immensely impressive, but the cream on the crop was the mini exhibit they had on display there. It was all about American icons and its history, probable titled the same too.

Thomas Edison's light bulb; Alex. Graham Bell's telephone; R2D2 & C3P0 from Star Wars; Dorothy's slippers & the scarecrow; Abe Lincolns top hat; George Washington's battle regalia and musket; Mohammed Ali's gloves; Babe Ruth signed ball; Micky Mantle baseball car; Prince (or the artist formerly known as Prince) 's guitar; and heaps more that I could go on for hours about. It was very, very exciting and I have many photos.

Unfortunately this did not leave much time for us to see the National Art Gallery as our parking meter was rapidly counting down leaving us with a double quick step tour that went from the door straight to the Vermeer paintings. These are Celia's favorites as 'the way he captures the light' is apparently pretty impressive, it wasn't half bad.

That pretty much summed up our Washington stay with a drive through the Cherry Blossoms remaining we were well on our way to a place I am very excited to see.

Oh Carolinas

To say we did much during the rest of our stay in Atlanta would be stretching it. We did go watch the semi-finals of the college basketball season at this great bar with a selection of hundreds of beers. I did only get through about 10 of them, but then again, I had to drive..

We bid Debi farewell and headed off through the Carolinas where we hit the cold weather showing us how lucky we had been with the warmth up until then. By the time we got to Columbia we were freezing and could not wait to get all snug in our tent. Camping in winter should be a no-no. I wish we were back on the west coast. With the weather turning out the way it is and the possibility of it warming up second to none, we ditched all our plans to head to Virginia Beach (damn) and decided instead to go inland.

One thing which makes South Carolina famous today is their 2006 Miss teen USA contestand who could possibly be the dimmest person ever to appear on television. Have a look at this video clip on YouTube. Too funny, I really mean way beyond funny!! Wooohoooo waaahaaahaaaaaaa haaaahaaa!!!!!

The drive that day was pretty uneventful. With much countryside to see, we just sat tight in the chairs and pressed on for Richmond as this would give us a good opportunity to reach DC by morning and plenty time to go sightseeing around the capital. There was of course time to stop off at our one of our favorite places.. outlet malls. Result - nothing purchased, nothing lost.

Virginia was really the start of the east coast weather. It was chilling down to the bone and we would experience one of our coldest nights camping here so far. Morning heralded a very exciting day though, the town of Richmond is extremely beautiful. It overflows with history and has many great statues depicting generals or the battles they were in. To go with that, there are a few quirky coffee shops and bars to keep those, who do not enjoy the wonders of history, entertained.

HotLanta

With our time in Florida up, we had time for a last trip to the beach, albeit under heavy cloud, but we knew it would be our last opportunity for a while so we made the most of it.
Our drive to Atlanta was a bit of a shambles and the first time we had gotten lost on this entire trip. We ended up driving this ring road all the way around one town for an hour and then later on did a little hour’s back and forth drive which pleased me immensely. We did eventually get to Debi’s house and settled in for a good night’s rest because we had to get up at sparrows fart to fetch Omar at the airport.

What a day we had. Airport at 7AM and fetch Omar – check; breakfast at Johnny Rockets – check; afternoon at Georgia Aquarium; tour of CNN Center; Hawks against Sixers in the evening.

You know you are going to have fun when you spend a day with Omar, we just seem to trade BSing all day long. The aquarium was amazing; well I should hope so – being the biggest one in the world. There is so much to see, but we seem to hit a snag at the Beluga whale tank when we couldn’t remove Celia from the massive clear glass panel. I must admit it was pretty amazing to see these mammals so close up and the day just got better as we saw the whale sharks, leopard sharks, rays and various other types of marine fish big and small. I loved seeing all the reef fish again, reminding me of our diving experiences in Thailand.

We went from there to the CNN center, which is actually the headquarters for the US and A. It was pretty fascinating seeing where some of the worlds breaking news is broadcast from. They explained to us how they do the weather these days and how they did it in the past with the green screen.

Now that were we completely bushed, we still had to go pick up Debi before the game, unfortunately the sudden rain storm delayed the entire pick up and we missed the first quarter. The game was pretty amazing though and the Sixers scraped through away from home by a few points, everything gone to plan. We were fortunate enough to get some great seats a few rows back in the final quarter as many of the patrons had left once their team was behind.

We ended a crazy day off at the ‘Waffle House’ with some grits and stayed a couple hours with Omar at the airport as he was catching a 5:30AM flight home. What a great day!!

Destin(ation), Florida

We could have stayed a few more days in New Orleans, but with the prospect of a few days on the beach in Florida only a handful of hour’s drive away, we packed up and went in search of some sun.

What a decision that ended up being as the weather was perfect and beaches – unbelievable. We couldn’t wait to get our toes in that sand. Finding a campsite was another issue though, we underestimated what a year round holiday destination Florida is and when we eventually found somewhere to camp, it was dusk and not much time left to spend on the beach. We did see this amazing little beach where we had to stop and take some postcard worthy pictures. Turns out it was a military recreation area and we were very fortunate to be let in to take some pictures. Those ten minutes we spent there were idyllic and some of the most relaxing of our entire trip. The beach was absolutely deserted and the sand, soft and white. Celia and I had both never been on a beach like this before. It may not have been the most picturesque, but its raw simplicity with flour like sand and emerald green water made you realize you were definitely somewhere unique. It’s not for nothing that Destin has been voted in the top beaches of the country for more years running than many can remember.

That evening we finally decided to have our big night out at a seafood restaurant and got a great recommendation at a no nonsense joint not too far away. You immediately got the idea when you walked in and in the reception stood a sign that said “We don’t need no stinking view”. This was not a day for half measures and we boldly ordered the king sized seafood platter for two. I also got a bowl of shrimp gumbo and did my best Bubba impression for the camera. What followed was a good effort at trying to finish lobster, king crab, crawfish and prawns. At one point we had both decided we were no longer hungry and just eating for the hell of it so we filled a take-out box with the leftovers, and headed for the comfort of our tent.

After doing some essential shopping on the second morning plus a trip to Walmart to exchange our inflatable mattress for one that does not leak overnight, we went and relaxed on the beach. It was tough finding a spot to lay your towel as all the condo developments have rights to the beach in front of their building. We did find a sweet little spot on the state beach where we could soak up the rays and play with that unbelievably soft sand I was telling you about earlier. We both had a little dip in the ocean which was heaps warmer than the water in California, but it was short lived as this mammoth cloud rolled in over the sea. Not the end of the world as we headed for a bar on the marina. Celia tried her best to OD on oysters; I did chuckle as the 9th one almost came up.

Apart from the oysters, I can definitely see why people flock in their thousands to get to the beautiful coastline of Florida.

Thank you Odi for your ama-zing recommendation

New Orleans continued……

Finding a campsite in close proximity to a major city is always a tall order in the urban jungles of today, and New Orleans was a no different, but we did find one right on this bayou a little south of the city center . Following usual procedure, we found our allotted site and began to put up our tent. What followed was the single most aggressive attack on human life since the D-day bombings. These killers were taking every available opportunity to gore on our flesh and within minutes Celia and I were covered in red welts from head to toe which started a frantic search for our mosquito repellent which had not been used since the great New Zealand Sand Fly battle of February ’08.

As soon as the tent was up we got the hell out of there and fondly retold our battle stories and displayed our war wounds. Celia vividly and quite animated explaining how four mosquitoes in synchronized attack landed on her thigh; broke down all defenses and continued their brutal lust for life until she had lost so much blood she felt dizzy. Not even my 501’s could keep them at bay and they got me right through them forcing me to scratch uncontrollably during our drive to the chemist.

With all our repellants and creams now bought, we headed down to the famous Bourbon St. With its image and reputation spurning many nightclubs and bars throughout the modern world, some which I must admit have ashamedly frequented on countless occasions. I can’t lie about the fact I was disappointed at how Bourbon Street has turned out. I know it is the survival of the fittest (richest), but every third bar in this place is a strip club which really takes a lot away from its carnival atmosphere. I have been told that since Hurricane Katrina had its devastating effect on this town, many restaurants and bars were forced to shut with the sleazy alternatives popping up all over the place.

We did manage to find a great little seafood spot just off the main drag and settled in for some snacks, I don’t really recall what type of seafood we ate that night, but it was tasty and most notably, all deep fried.

We were in the mood for more exploring so headed out to find some night life and ended up at this great bar with some fantastic live jazz music playing. We sat back and sipped on some cold ones. Celia was in her element, and I must admit that I enjoyed it too.

On our way home that night as we were driving through the national park to our campsite we saw a whole bunch of armadillos along the road which are infinitely cuter when they are alive than as road kill. Sadly they are very shy creatures so we could never get close enough to get a picture.

Sod’s laws definitely in place that night, as when we got back to our tent, there were no mosquitoes to be found near the tent, so armed with our cans and sprays of repellent, we had nothing to fire at and sleep would not be a problem.

New Orleans

We were happy again as the drive became a journey and not just a means to get to the destination. Driving along the scenic motorways in Louisiana, you see all the swamps around which is again, something new for us and worth a few photos.

One thing we really had to watch out for and which I found hilarious was the amount of traffic cops along the roads here sitting in their cars monitoring their radars with their trunk open so you could not see that it was a cop car (as it covers all the police lights and signs). I suppose you can only get caught once and if you have more than one brain cell in your head you will realise, trunk open - Polizei!!

Heading out of the center of the universe

Now my story about Houston follows along the same lines as that about Dallas so don't think you are in for many surprises. Visiting Portuguese family seems to be like this, you get so content with the company and the food that you never actually do anything.

It was my intention to go to NASA Space Center, but as I mentioned above, the opportunity just passed me by and we ended up just hanging out with the cousins instead, playing basketball in the front yard, or talking a load of BS in the kitchen while drinking gallons and gallons of milk. I believe here they think it'll bring eternal life, because in one weekend in Houston we drank 4 gallons of milk. Thats 4 x 4 gallons for you metric system users out there.

I would definitely say the highlight of my weekend was Celia telling everyone we were going to watch a 69'ers game in Atlanta when we all know that its actually the 76'ers, or just 6'ers, and 69'ers is something different entirely.

According to the new road trip itinerary I had had created in Dallas to try and stop us wasting too much time in one place, especially when we get staying with family, we should have left on Sunday after church, but it was another case of the women in my life forcing my hand, so we only left on Monday. This at least gave me one more day to wallow in Chris and my Pictionary success of Saturday night. I believe they call it a gift.



Coming back to the church I just mentioned. It was really something else, Joel Osteen has his ministry based in Houston. The church there is the old Houston Rockets basketball arena, seating (according to Google) about 16k people, so when you arrive there not expecting it, the jaw dropping moment is quite special.

When Monday arrived, we sadly bid farewell to the crazy cousins and headed out of the 'center of the universe' as they call it. We were off to New Orleans, LA

San Antonio

We left Dallas a little sad but excited about our next leg of the trip. Off to San Antonio, TX which according to most is the prettiest town in Texas. Can't wait, as Dallas is not your average Mona Lisa. The plan was to stop off in Waco and Austin on route, but we were running late as usual and got stuck in rush hour traffic which forced us to go straight through. It's a pity as Austin is the capital city and the home of Lance Armstrong with a Capitol (no spelling error) building as beautiful as the one in Washington, DC.

Well we were happy enough in San Antonio with its fantastic buildings, taking a leisurely trip down the river walk and learning of it's importance in Texan history with the battle of the Alamo.

The Battle (and siege) of the Alamo took place at the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, Texas (then known as "San Antonio de Béxar") in February and March 1836. The battle was between the Republic of Mexico and the rebel Texian forces, including both Whites and Blacks (from the United States) and Tejanos (Mexicans in Texas), during the Texians' fight for independence — the Texas Revolution. The 13-day siege started Tuesday, February 23, 1836, and ended on Sunday, March 6, 1836, with the capture of the mission and the death of nearly all the Texian and Tejano defenders, except for a few slaves, women and children. Despite the win, the 13-day holdout stalled the Mexican Army, and allowed Sam Houston to gather troops and supplies for his later success at the Battle of San Jacinto. The Texian revolutionaries went on to win the war.

With the history lesson over we went through to Seaworld, San Antonio where Celia was going to have what they call in this part of the world an "experience" with the Beluga whales. This involves going in the water with them, feeding them, doing tricks, etc.. she had been looking forward to it for a week or so since we had found out about it, so when we arrived and Seaworld was closed for a few days, there was a bit of disappointment hanging in the air. Celia did take it well in the end and even better once we had bought some new clothes.

Off to Houston to visit the crazy Prima.

Dallas in a nutshell

When we arrived in Dallas we did the same thing we tend to do whenever we find a comfy bed to rest our head, sleeeeppp. It also helped that it rained for more than a day which tends to keep me on the couch watching sports, college basketball this time round.

We were slowly starting to meet all of Omar's brothers, four of them to be exact - plus one sister. Each of them with an amazing character. Ozzie and all his stories about Africa; Odi has his 6 beautiful daughters, Osi is hunting mad and has his 17 guns plus more knives, torches and everything for the outdoors; Orlando, well he is the oldest and more mature which just leaves Omar himself who is the BS'ing champion of the US and even gives me a run for my money. Not forgetting there's the sister Odilette, who doesn't need 3 sisters to match the crazy of the brothers - she has it all in one basket.

All the family was going to be up in Dallas for easter which also happened to be (according to Celia) our six month anniversary. So embarrassingly they threw a party for us on the Saturday where I was forced to display my talents on the BBQ.

All in all it was a great week spent in Dallas, we went through to Fort Worth to see cowtown and it's longhorns, Cabellas outdoor store which is pretty much like heaven is intended to be, then to the Texas Motor speedway where they were testing some Indy Cars. This is pretty exciting watching them tear around the oval track with the methane fumes rushing through your senses every time they are near. I would now love to go watch oval track racing.

The icing on the cake for Celia was a visit to Southfork Ranch where they filmed the hit TV series Dallas. Fortunately I am young enough not to have remembered being put through all of that dribble, so I just came along for the BS'ing. Turns out they never filmed any of the indoor scenes in the at house, they were all done on a set in LA, so they cheekily take you on a tour of the inside of the house which has nothing to do with the show..... It was still fun for all those interested to see the pool area and the outside shots of the house as used in the series. Celia made us pose for a couple painful pictures around the breakfast table and pool having a Dallas style cat fight. We'll let the pictures will tell the whole story.

And before I forget, we also went to downtown Dallas via all of the sports stadiums present and the ones they are building, finally stopping off where they assassinated JFK, I am too a believer in the conspiracy theories and he was indeed picked off by the Republicans who never fancied that Democratic candidate/actor too much.

It was sad to say goodbye to all the brothers and Prima Theresa, but we would catch up with Odilette and her sons again in Houston. Being around all of the Portugeezeers with their big families made me realise that a large family would be nice and not such a burden at Christmas time, so watch this space.

The gorgeous drive to Dallas

Had I known that the Arizona countryside was some of the most picturesque we would see for a while, I would have paid more attention. As we made our way into New Mexico, enjoying watching the dust storms in the distance, I worked on my Air drumming and my drive-dancing which has evolved quite a lot since I managed to operate the cruise control.

What was a great drive turned into a very boring one as the highway patrolmen kept us at standstill on the motorway for more than two hours as there were high winds in the area. This left us with little confidence for our tent which had already suffered two brutal wind storms, one in Kaikoura and the other in the Mojave desert. We did manage to get as far as Las Cruces, NM, where we found a place to stay for the night, most importantly - with HBO and breakfast.

We were in for a long day with our ETA in Dallas at 8pm, 10m hours on the road would not be joy ride. Now if you have ever driven down I-10 and 1-20 in Texas you will understand how little there is to see, so you even get excited when some tumbleweed comes blowing past.

My day was made when some state trooper on a power trip ticketed me for being a few miles over when there were clearly many cars flying past me. My downfall being the Georgia reg. I had in small town Texas. $180 thanks very much. I could not hold in my excitement, and along with the great scenery I was over the moon to be in Texas. I needed to get out that car badly and smash a few Shiner bock at Celia's cousins house. Only 3.5 hours to go.

Phoenix

I would like to tell you much about our trip to Phoenix and the lovely drive through Arizona, but it was largely uneventful. The highlights being the many tall cactus we saw along the road. I had to resort to air drumming to entertain myself which Celia found most amusing, she says my action is too stiff for a drummer. Well I am still learning.

We eventually managed to find a place to stay for the night just outside Phoenix on Lake Saguaro after many hours of frustrating driving. We had bought a patch to fix our hole in the tent, but all it managed to do was make it 5 times the size, so sleeping on the ground sheets was the only option once again and it made me pretty grumpy as i was starting to enjoy these creature comforts. Well nothing I experienced that evening could have matched the grumpiness shown by Celia (and me) when we realised before church on the Sunday that this campsite had no running water whatsoever, not even a tap. Well you should have seen the two of us walking into the majestic 'Phoenix First' church. Boemelaars is a word that comes to mind and I'm sure they must have thought we were perfect candidates to get saved. They had a fantastic easter production on and an easter egg hunt which was sadly only for children.

This actually got me thinking about the easter bunny hunt they have on in NZ every year where everyone goes out and, instead of finding eggs, shoots as many cute little bunnies as they can on the easter weekend. Only the Kiwis.

Grand Canyon

Now that we had done Vegas we could head out to the Grand Canyon and see what the rest of the world has been going on about for all these years. We headed out there towards sunset but our timing was off once again and what was meant to be a romantic stroll on the 'Sky Walk' turned out to be... well nothing, we were too late to enter the park. Once again we had to scramble to find a place to stay before nightfall - panic stations (for me). There was a little spec on the map nearby called Meadview which has been the smallest town (that existed on the map) we have seen in the U.S. Never found anywhere in the town to camp, but fortunately the owners at the video store knew exactly the place and little did we know it was the find of the trip.

Turns out Lake Mead dries up a fair bit over the winter so we were able to camp right in the basin where the lake meets the Grand Canyon. The reds, the oranges, yellows, greens and blues - apart from being the first four colours of the rainbow shone brightly across the canyon making for great viewing which still don't think our pictures will ever do it justice.

We headed back to town for dinner, indulging in Chicken Fried Steak (steak fried like chicken in crumbs), rib-eye, and a jug of Sam Adams, making my driving back to the canyon basin in the night more auto pilot than anything else.

My evening of fun and games was not to end so well as when we got back to the tent our inflatable mattress was no longer inflatable as it had a big fat hole in it thanks to me, it seems that in my quest to achieve the ultimate night's sleep, I went slightly overboard. Try as I might, the piece of gum I was chewing did not block the hole either, so much for all the years of watching McGyver, you big liar. It was back to the ground sheets and the cold hard floor.

Vegas

We drove all day through these little dorpie's scattered all over the desert, crossing the Hoover dam, stopping for a couple quick pictures. As we passed over the last mountain range before the road down to the city, Vegas came into view and it sticks out like a sore thumb in the desert, something definitely not meant to be there.

Approaching the strip from the south you first past Mandalay Bay with it's golden reflective glass windows, then the Luxor with its great glass pyramid, 'New York New York', the MGM Grand and the golden lion in front of it, right through to the iconic Bellagio, Caesers Palace, the Mirage, plus many truly beautiful structures right up until one of the oldest Casinos on Las Vegas boulevard, Circus Circus.

Now Celia and I had been trying for days to get online and book a hotel in Vegas but had no luck finding an Internet Cafe so we were left to stay in a dodgy 'Motel 8' room. Not the greatest way to do Vegas, but at least it was opposite the Mandalay Bay and easy access to all the hotels and casinos.

After washing up and putting on our best evening wear (jeans and trainers) we headed out for dinner.Smith and Wollensky's was the target but the menu denied us outside the restaurant. Neither of us wanted to pay $45 for a steak no matter how hungry we were. I was pretty pleased as I was here for the buffet. You don't

a) Go to Vegas without having a legendary buffet

or

b) Get an ample stomach like mine without having had a couple buffet's in your life before

We opted then for the buffet at the Bellagio as we wanted to go there anyway, me because I had seen it on 'Ocean's 11' and Celia - well I'm not to sure. The way into the hotel is truly spectacular as you pass the lake with the musical fountains, the entrance hall with the glass flowers hanging from the ceiling. I personally was looking for the signs to the buffet and only spotted the flowers due to that.

Well all I can say is that I had to pray for forgiveness that night for being such a glutton. We rolled out of there and try as we might, couldn't even suck in our stomachs. Now when you load your plate at a buffet, the items you choose have not earthly place in being there together. On my plate I had turkey, Alaskan king crab legs, potato strudel, prime rib, sashimi, california rolls - and that was just the first plate.

The key with a buffet is stay way from the carbs, the rices, potatoes, breads, etc. They will fill you up. I perfected this technique about 7 or 8 years ago when I went to Namibia and Celia's cousin, Mauro and I had 12 plates of the most fantastic buffet at the Kalahari Sands hotel. Job done.

With the food out the way, we attempted to walk around town which was actually a good thing as I don't believe we would have manage with our bellies so full. The casinos are all as beautiful as the next and although I would love to stay at one and be spoiled for the time I'm there, I'm not much of a gambler, and there is not much else to do in Vegas. Maybe I'm just a bit biased as I am on a budget trip. Put a wad of cash in my pocket and we'll talk again. I did gamble the $20 I did have in my pocket and sad to say it lasted a whole 3 minutes in which they never saw me gambling and I never got free drinks like the rest that were sitting there.....

Today in Boulder city I went online to see how much you can get a hotel in Vegas for if you book it on lastminute.com. The answer, about $80-$100, a bit more than we paid for a motel, but then again, in a hotel you don't get the waterproof mattress protector or the dirty towels. :( If we knew we would be in Vegas that day and had internet access, we would have def booked a hotel that day. Lesson learned.

Death Valley

Just a short one about death valley which was as the name suggests full of nothing, but with so mush to see at the same time. It has the lowest elevation in North America at 282ft below sea level and covers an area of about 3000 square miles.

It was another trip into the Mojave desert, yes I know you want to say it again, 'mooohhhhhaaavvee', it's still rolling off that tongue. This place has some of, if not the longest stretch of roads of have ever seen. You reach these sections where you can see the end of the road disappear in the mountains about 20 miles ahead of you. It's really tough to explain all the different types of landscapes and vegetation that exist in that area, so I tried to plagiarise some from Wikipedia but then you'd all know thats not written me. The grammar and spelling for one would all be correct.

Here goes.

Death Valley is considered one of the best examples of the Basin and Range configuration. It lies at the southern end of a geological trough known as the Walker Lane which runs north into Oregon. The valley is bisected by a right lateral strike slip fault, the Death Valley Fault. The eastern end of the left lateral Garlock Fault intersects the Death Valley Fault. Located on the border of California and Nevada, Death Valley is the principal feature of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve. Death valley also contains salt pans. Millions of years ago, there was an inland sea located over where Death Valley is today, but as the area turned to desert, the water evaporated, leaving behind the salt.

I know what you're thinking, that wasn't me either, you may be correct. So here goes again.

We started in the salt flats driving through the little sand tornadoes, which are harder to capture than you can imagine, before rising up towards the highest parts of the desert passing by these picturesque canyons and then back down into the basin leading to the lowest part of the park and ridiculously warm dry temperatures rising up into the 90's (Fahrenheit). That was not the only thing rising with the most expensive fuel we saw in California at over $5.50 g, about a dollar more than anywhere else we had seen.

All in all this was an amazing place to visit, or preferably drive through and just the perfect ending for California which we had spent close on a month visiting. It could have been way more, but we had more to see, so onwards towards Nevada.

Not Yosemite

The drive down along the Sierra Nevada range was one of the most spectacular drives ever, serias! We must have stopped every 10 minutes to take photos of the snow covered mountains. Looking back, they are all extremely similar. You know, 'same same, but different'. All this stopping added many hours onto our drive to Yosemite Nat. park. We also took some bad turns down roads that they said were closed for the season but we thought we'd take a chance anyway, stupid idea Dieter.

Well every road into Yosemite was closed for the winter, so all these fantastic ideas about seeing the ancient giant sequoia trees, waterfalls, deep valleys, grand meadows and vast wilderness areas went up in smoke, or buried beneath the snow that was covering the roads into it. We were bummed because this was meant to be one of the highlights of California, but still riding on a high after our trip to Tahoe, so we sucked it up and drove as far as we could by nightfall so we could try get Vegas the next day. KA CHING!

After much deliberation we chose this really cool little motel in Bishops because truthfully we were afraid of the wind in our aging tent. Behind the desk of this place was this really cooky manger who was either super smashed and stoned or a little mentally retarded but either way she was really friendly and gave us a discount on our room. After she told us that John Wayne used to stay at that motel when he passed through that area, she attempted to do a South African accent for about five minutes which was absolutely horrendous and left me laughing embarrassingly on the outside and uncontrollably inside. Maybe I needed a few more glasses of vino...What a loon.


Great news for all of you is that we saw yet another smashing sunset over the mountains in Bishops, sunset picture 652. I know you are all looking forward to seeing all 10k pics so far.

Boarding in Lake Tahoe

Well we never went wine tasting in the morning, the mood just never struck us, but we did see some beautiful fields of mustard flowers which they grow here in the off season while the grapes are not there and makes for wonderful scenery.

We headed from there through Sacramento and towards Lake Tahoe which I have seen in many pictures and movies. I was thinking Smokin' Aces with Ryan Reynolds, but for those who prefer the soppy variety, it was also 'The Bodyguard' starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston.

Driving in form the California coastal region the landscape changes and the air starts getting cooler as you reach the mountains which are now covered with snow as far as the eye can see. It hasn't snowed here in weeks, but there is still enough to to keep the winter sport enthusiasts like myself happy.

I have to say once again the scenery is breathtaking, I couldn't wait to get out on my board in the morning. All we need to do was sort out our accommodation as we found a fantastic camping site, except it was under a foot of snow.. not a problem if you are in an RV, but a bit cold in a tent.

Luckily we got a cheep and cheerful motel for $35 right near all the happening spots of South Lake Tahoe. Think it could have been the mountain air, but we just decided to stay in and watch cable under our cosy comforter ready for a 7:30AM start so I could pick up my rental gear.

Well I can't say there was 3 foot of powder, but it was a perfect day out with the sun shining down on us making way for a great spring day on the slopes. I got the best rental gear ever and the guy threw in so much free stuff including the mandatory helmet which I don't leave home without. No repeat of Morzine 06's "cool people don't wear helmets" hairline skull fracture thank you.

Celia out of the goodness of her heart decided to skip this one out cause she wanted to rather spend her daily allowance on some UGG boots, but being up there and having such a great day she totally regretted it of course.

The runs had been well groomed and the snow was great. They had a fantastic board park with a downhill snowboarding "race" run perfectly set up too. I don't know if it is just because I have sufficiently improved, but I loved boarding this day more than any I have had so far. It is a totally different experience than in the Alps, the runs may be better, but if you are with a group of friends, nothing can beat Europe with the drinks, mulled wine, and great food you have after a tough day on the slopes.

We had to leave that afternoon to try get down to Yosemite later that day so 2:30PM was my cut off time and I really resisted, going for one final run after another. Eventually succumbing to my lack of excuses why I was late.

What a great day and a place I would recommend anyone who loves winter sports to go and visit.

Sonoma Valley

Off we headed for Sonoma Valley on recommendation that Napa Valley was getting too expensive and commercialized. I have never been to the wine region in the Cape (SA), I know - hard to believe, but I am sure it is as beautiful as this. As it is not really yet the spring season, there are no leaves or fruit on the vines, but it still makes for amazing pictures as the rows and rows of them look perfect up on the hills.

At the visitors center in the town square they told us of a couple vineyards where they offer free wine tasting... no brainer I think. They also told us of a couple others we should try and visit even if we have to cough up tenner or more. The two that stood out are 'Buena Vista', which is the oldest vineyard in the region and the other owned by Francis Ford Coppola, and contains many pieces of memorabilia from his Godfather days.

I was pretty thirsty so we headed for Cline, which happened to be one of the free wine tasting establishments.. funny that. Now I don't really understand the whole etiquette of wine tasting, it's quite a bizarre affair. Even when trying the first glass of wine at someone's house who is fond of their wines, I feel like I perhaps might not be doing this right. Well I seem to have gotten away with it, or they didn't let on. We ended up buying a bottle of red which more than made up for their freebies. We were going to head to the vineyard across the road but without a designated driver we called it quits for a while.

We did go visit a few more vineyards that afternoon, including Buena Vista making for a very worthwhile relaxing day. We camped at a state park not too far from town that evening in order for us to hit the vine tasting with force at an early hour. We were very lucky to see many deer wandering the park that evening and finally had enough light for me to get some pictures of them.

The Mighty Redwoods

Once we left San Fran it was north towards Sonoma valley or the more popular Napa valley made famous by the move Sideways. Don't bother watching it though, it stars Lowell from the TV show 'Wings' where he should have stayed.

We drove the windy coastline for hours only to realise that if we had driven along the interstate it would have only taken us 30 min.. Nevertheless we ended up at Samuel P. Taylor National park where we would camp for the night. It could be one of the coolest spots we camped at in California. Our tent site was along this stream full of Salmon and Steelhead. Then there was the entertainment section to the site with two different BBQ's, one for cooking and one for a campfire. The section for the tent was just amazing, a gap to pitch the tent surrounded by these massive redwoods. Granted they are not as big as in the 'Avenue of the Giants', but for us it was just perfect.

We BBQ'd some pork ribs, potatoes, onions and cheesy sausages and went to bed as content as you can imagine. I was so proud of my fire that I was taking pictures of it from every angle... looking back that is a bit over the top so I decided not to feature them on this entry.. I guess this much time on the road can do that to you.

San Fran Sunday

To say we walked a lot on this day would be the understatement of the honeymoon. Sir Edmund Hillary, G0d bless his soul, would have been proud. Those streets don't stop going up and down, and back down again. We climbed about, not lying, like, I'm saying, almost, maybe over, one thousand steps to get to the base of Coit tower which affords you fantastic views over downtown San Francisco, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate bridge. You also get to see the most crooked street in the world which runs zig-zag for a couple hundred meters. It was apparently build in this fashion so horses could go up and down the steep hill.

We walked around the coastline having a look what the many piers had to offer, eventually stopping at pier 39 where we ate some clam chowder (not my best ever) and went to see the 'bunch.. pride.. herd..' of sea lions who were jostling for place on the jetty. We stood there for ages with the crowds laughing at the younger ones playing the fool, only for the big ol' daddy to come round and shut them up by pushing them back into the harbour water.

When our poor legs couldn't handle it anymore we we got our car back and drove around the area near Alamo park admiring the beautiful Victorian houses painted in a variety of colours. We also had a chance to drive by the house where the Manson family lived, which is a very nice house I must add, here Celia says they plotted to kill a whole bunch of people in the 70's.. never heard of them myself..?

I again attempted to get the best Golden Gate Bridge picture ever which involved me stopping the car at every inopportune moment even walking onto the tee box at this golf course. I think I put those guys off so much because 3 of them hit it straight into the bay to my amusement.

China Camp

Day two in the San Fran bay area was a busy one, but first we had a fantastic morning being awoken by the turkeys gobbling around our tent and the woodpeckers making a new nest high up in the trees. I followed the turkeys around a bit and tried to get some good pics of the males turkeys strutting their stuff around the women, unfortunately the light wasn't all that good and I think our camera needs to go in for a service, this trip has given it a few knocks, so only i'm left with a few images that i'll keep.

I managed to see the herd of white-tailed deer that we spotted with our torches the evening before but unfortunately they scattered, albeit gracefully, when they heard my size 10s coming nearer so no photo this time.

We needed the internet and ideally a phone as it was Celia's moms birthday, so we headed to the nearby San Rafael which is a very arty farty town with it's own annual movie festival to rival Sundance, so we hear. We never got the phone but got stuck outside this coffee shop chatting to an American chap who it seems, needed someone to talk to. He was jabbering way about Thailand, house prices, the government, you name it. We were halfway down the street, backing off a half step at a time by the time he realised we needed to go i think... shame.

With all the admin and emailing done at the library we headed for the Berkeley area. Being probably the most famous university town in the US, it was a must. Well it was a real student town with the exception that here the drinking age is 21 so you see a lot less drunk students stumbling down the street than in say PE or Stellenbosch.

We managed to get a nice pair of 'pumps'..? for Celia at this quirky boutique so that put a smile on her face and we headed for the pub. We each had a ginormous chicken salad and pint of cold beer, just enough to keep my beer belly satisfied. Would've stayed for another one but our parking meter was telling us to leave which left me just enough time to shoot into the Berkeley store and by a couple unnecessary items of clothing.

Staying at the campsite another evening would've been fine, but it was a bit out of the city and we really wanted to be in the heart of it so we could do loads of exploring in the morning. I think we found the last room in San Fran, obviously at a premium rate, but not enough to keep me up that night. It could have also been the 10s of episodes of 'The family Guy' I watched until I dunno what hour. Damn I love that show, it makes me laugh. I had to keep it to a snigger though as Celia was counting sheep a long time ago.

The way to San Francisco

San Francisco had some traffic backup to rival LA, but not quite and we still made it over the Golden Gate bridge in daylight. It's a real treat to be able to experience that after seeing it in so many films and documentaries, it's larger than life and an amazing engineering feat.

We struggled for a while to get to the Point Bonita lighthouse where we believed there was a campsite for us to stay for the night. Not an easy task if you don't know the area, we drove around for ages, through Sausilito and other areas north of the bridge until we eventually got to the lighthouse to find there was no campsite. Big hassle as it was now almost night and pitching a tent at night is not my favorite thing.

I had just gotten out the car and looked over the cliff to the beach below when I saw what I couldn't believe I did. A Californian Mountain Lion was walking along the ledge which was absolutely an incredible sight to behold. I had just seen some deer not a couple hundred yards away and now 15ft below me was the elusive Cougar. I ran back to get the camera from the car and came back to get the shot but it was gone. Absolutely gutted..I suppose sometimes it's just better to soak up the moment and forget about the shot.

We eventually found a spot to camp at China Camp State Park and in the dark, pitched our tent amongst the rustling trees and other critter noises. These drunken old men were singing campfire songs and smoking pot all night, trying their best to keep everyone in the camp awake. I was trying to get the fire going and had the food ready on the table and out the corner of my eye I spotted this pair of raccoons trying to get at the corn and steak I had just marinaded on the table. It was really sweet because I had never seen raccoons in the wild before so I couldn't be upset with the damn things for being interested in our food.

Pismo Beach, CA

Our next stop was the famous Santa Barbara which was everything we were told it would be. We never had that much time and it was not one of our planned stops, but we drove around for a while, stopped off on the pier and took some classic pictures. From there we found a great location a few hundred miles up the coast which fell within the boundaries of our new driving policy which is to find a place to stay for the night by the latest 4:30 as after that it starts getting dark and becoming an issue and places start closing.

Our stop was Pismo Beach which was this very cool little town with amazing beaches, great waves and a really cool town center. It has an outlet mall too which is a bit dangerous because on occasion I have been known to shop more than a woman.

We pitched our tent right behind the sandbank that separates the beach from the camp site and got ready for dinner. We had bought a large crab from the supermarket, granted it was already cooked, but it looked too good to pass up. We boiled some rice with the pot we bought at the thrift store and we had a meal fit for a king. It was getting cold again and the can of Sapporo I had in the boot was already cold so Celia and I enjoyed some ice cold Japanese beer with great tasting crab along one of Californias finest beaches, absolute bliss.

I woke up pretty early while Celia was still snoring away and went for a run along the beach, it's a really long hard beach where people run their dogs and ride their bicycles. Breakfast was the usual affair with my bowl of Kellogs 'All Bran' v's Celias Granola.

We rounded up our gear and headed for the Outlet Mall to end off our stay in Pismo, got a bunch of stuff for under a tenner which is unheard of anywhere else in the world and back on the 101 to San Francisco

Malibu, err.. again

We left Joshua tree that afternoon after having an eyeful of the amazing desert there and headed for Big Bear mountain. I have heard it is a great place to go board or ski as well as just a beautiful place in general. I remember hearing about Big Bear when I was much younger and my sister used to make me watch 'The Bold and the Beautiful'. They always used to go up to their cabin at Big Bear when there was a big fight or some sort of drama. Sadly never saw the cabin this time, clearly all was well in the Forrester household.

We decided not to spend the evening there as we had many more miles we needed to cover before we reached San Francisco, so we found a campsite in San Bernadino we wanted to stay at and did the hundreds of miles through the winding roads to finally get there only to find the campsite had been closed due to a mudslide or something to that effect. We were now a little stuck and couldn't find anywhere in the area we could camp so we headed for the nearest campsite we knew would be open, Malibu Creek State Park.

We arrived there after dark so putting up the tent was a little hassle, but we used the headlights of the car which worked pretty well. I got some food going on the braai and we settled in for the evening. I spotted some animals playing around nearby, obviously attracted by the smell of the food but I never managed to get a good view of them, only of the eyes using my torch. I believe they were raccoons and bobcats, but this is an unconfirmed sighting.

Just before we were about to put the lights out we decided to move the car, and yes, we had run the battery flat by using the lights for the tent. Schoolboy error on my part and we have this massive American automatic tank so push starting is not a no go. Hopefully we can sort it out in the morning.

Well I think this was the coldest evening we have had so far, the drop in temperature was so severe that it dropped below freezing overnight and we were crying out for some warmth. Morning could not come quickly enough and with our shower done and breakfast down the hatch we headed up the west coast towards San Fran.