18th October - Several hours after driving through the Valley of Fire we got to Las Vegas. It was quite exciting to be on a campsite that was right in the middle of the city and not on the outskirts or anything.
We did a LOT of walking this evening (miles and miles), but it was worth it to experience the lights, noise and bustle of the place. Some of the super-casinos are just crazy (a hotel in the shape of New York? .... Paris? ... a pyramid??)
As usual on this trip we wished we'd had more time here, as one evening basically gave us just enough time to walk the length of the strip (longer than you think!) and have a meal, before it was time for bed. We could imagine this place being a giggle with a few friends for a few days.
We'll be back at some point....
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Video blog #33 - The Valley of Fire
18th October 2008
After leaving Williams and the Grand Canyon, on our way to Las Vegas we took a detour to have a look at this place we'd heard about (it was actually in the film Star Trek: Generations as one of the alien locations). It was so dramatic and beautiful, we wished we had got to spend more time there!
After leaving Williams and the Grand Canyon, on our way to Las Vegas we took a detour to have a look at this place we'd heard about (it was actually in the film Star Trek: Generations as one of the alien locations). It was so dramatic and beautiful, we wished we had got to spend more time there!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Video blog #32
17th October
We stayed in the old Route 66 town of Williams, Arizona and took a great train ride on the old Grand Canyon Railway to... well, the Grand Canyon! It was a lovely break from driving, and doing this by train added a whole other dimension to the day.
We had so much fun that day, the Wild West show in the morning was hilarious, the train ride was lovely, with a singing cowboy to entertain us (and on the way back the train got held up by fake Cowboys), the Grand Canyon is, as you would expect, spectacular... and the town of Williams on Route 66 was great to walk around. We're really glad we did this.
Part 2 (of 2)
We stayed in the old Route 66 town of Williams, Arizona and took a great train ride on the old Grand Canyon Railway to... well, the Grand Canyon! It was a lovely break from driving, and doing this by train added a whole other dimension to the day.
We had so much fun that day, the Wild West show in the morning was hilarious, the train ride was lovely, with a singing cowboy to entertain us (and on the way back the train got held up by fake Cowboys), the Grand Canyon is, as you would expect, spectacular... and the town of Williams on Route 66 was great to walk around. We're really glad we did this.
Part 2 (of 2)
Video blog #31
(sorry for the delay in getting more posts up!!)
17th October
We stayed in the old Route 66 town of Williams, Arizona and took a great train ride on the old Grand Canyon Railway to... well, the Grand Canyon! It was a lovely break from driving, and doing this by train added a whole other dimension to the day.
We had so much fun that day, the Wild West show in the morning was hilarious, the train ride was lovely with a singing cowboy to entertain us (and on the way back the train got held up by fake Cowboys), the Grand Canyon is, as you would expect, spectacular... and the town of Williams on Route 66 was great to walk around. We're really glad we did this.
Part 1 (of 2)
17th October
We stayed in the old Route 66 town of Williams, Arizona and took a great train ride on the old Grand Canyon Railway to... well, the Grand Canyon! It was a lovely break from driving, and doing this by train added a whole other dimension to the day.
We had so much fun that day, the Wild West show in the morning was hilarious, the train ride was lovely with a singing cowboy to entertain us (and on the way back the train got held up by fake Cowboys), the Grand Canyon is, as you would expect, spectacular... and the town of Williams on Route 66 was great to walk around. We're really glad we did this.
Part 1 (of 2)
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Video blog #30
16th October - Meteor Crater
Hi, Darren here. I've wanted to see this place ever since I saw it in a science book when I was a child, and on this trip I finally got my chance. This place is amazing!
(oh, and we bought a replacement camera... crisis avoided!)
Hi, Darren here. I've wanted to see this place ever since I saw it in a science book when I was a child, and on this trip I finally got my chance. This place is amazing!
(oh, and we bought a replacement camera... crisis avoided!)
Video blog #29
16th October - The dead camera.
In the middle of Monument Valley, the day before we're due to go to the Grand Canyon... Darren's camera dies.
Arrghhh!!!
...here, Darren has an early morning rant.
In the middle of Monument Valley, the day before we're due to go to the Grand Canyon... Darren's camera dies.
Arrghhh!!!
...here, Darren has an early morning rant.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Video blog #27
16th October - Part 1 (of 2)
We spent two nights here in Monument Valley. What a staggeringly beautiful place! We loved it here. So dramatic, and yet peaceful at the same time.
Our campsite was right in the middle of the place, so everytime you came out of the campervan you were hit with this "oh wow, we're IN Monument Valley" feeling. Simply wonderful.
We spent two nights here in Monument Valley. What a staggeringly beautiful place! We loved it here. So dramatic, and yet peaceful at the same time.
Our campsite was right in the middle of the place, so everytime you came out of the campervan you were hit with this "oh wow, we're IN Monument Valley" feeling. Simply wonderful.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
The next video IS on its way...
Just letting you all know that the next video diary (number 27 - Monument Valley) has been made, but for some reason today I couldn't get YouTube to accept the upload. And I was trying for most of the day.
I'm not sure what the problem was, but I'll have another go tomorrow, from our other computer. I just wanted to let you know that it's coming, so bear with me...
Darren
I'm not sure what the problem was, but I'll have another go tomorrow, from our other computer. I just wanted to let you know that it's coming, so bear with me...
Darren
Friday, October 31, 2008
Video blog #26
15th October - On the way to Monument Valley we drove past a town called Mexican Hat, named after an amazing rock formation that looks like.... yup, you guessed it!
All of the scenery on the way in was stunning, but nothing prepares you for just how quiet, and beautiful it is once you're actually in Monument Valley. An incredible place!
All of the scenery on the way in was stunning, but nothing prepares you for just how quiet, and beautiful it is once you're actually in Monument Valley. An incredible place!
Video blog #25
14th October - Here we were camping just outside Salt Lake City on the way to Monument Valley. The mountains here are just stunning.
It would have been nice to have been able to spend more time here. (as with a lot of the places)
It would have been nice to have been able to spend more time here. (as with a lot of the places)
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Video blog #24
13th October - Wyoming, roughly halfway between Mount Rushmore and Salt Lake City. (this should have been number 23... oops)
We drove into the night to get this far, not a particularly nice drive either, as we wanted to get to Monument Valley as soon as we could. We'd just stopped and hooked up the RV when this was filmed.
We drove into the night to get this far, not a particularly nice drive either, as we wanted to get to Monument Valley as soon as we could. We'd just stopped and hooked up the RV when this was filmed.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Video blog #23
13th October - This was on our way towards Salt Lake City, for an overnight stay on our way down to Monument Valley.
This was during a very very pretty part of Wyoming... which was a nice change after the flat emptyness that we'd had for days.
This part of Wyoming was stunning, which was good as it would be our last time in the State and it was nice to leave on a visual high.
This was during a very very pretty part of Wyoming... which was a nice change after the flat emptyness that we'd had for days.
This part of Wyoming was stunning, which was good as it would be our last time in the State and it was nice to leave on a visual high.
Video blog #22
12th October - This day was reserved for driving through some stunning scenery in the Black Hills, and visiting the Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse monuments. These things are amazing, giant sculptures done into mountains. We REALLY liked these, and we loved the whole area they were in.
Video blog #21
11th October - today we drove a few hours from the campsite to see (or so we thought) Devil's Tower. Made famous by being in the Stephen Spielberg movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind with Richard Dreyfuss.
We stuck with the poor weather though, and in the end (for Darren especially) it was worth it in the end.
We stuck with the poor weather though, and in the end (for Darren especially) it was worth it in the end.
Video blog #20
11th October - Rapid City, South Dakota.
After a long (long!) drive through Wyoming, and for the final few hours through a rainstorm and then a blizzard (scary when driving a 32 foot motorhome) we arrived in our campsite at Rapid City, near the Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse monuments. This was recorded the following morning.
After a long (long!) drive through Wyoming, and for the final few hours through a rainstorm and then a blizzard (scary when driving a 32 foot motorhome) we arrived in our campsite at Rapid City, near the Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse monuments. This was recorded the following morning.
Monday, October 27, 2008
We're home...
Hi, Darren here.
Today is the 27th October, and after about 13 hours travelling we finally arrived home. We're both totally exhausted (both from the distance we covered while on the road over there, and from the jetlag), and will probably need the next two days just to get our body clocks back to being on UK time... but we wouldn't change a thing. It was the most amazing thing either of us has ever done.
I'll carry on with the blogs, photos and video blogs just as I was while we were out there. There's lots left to come! So keep coming here... hopefully now that we're back we'll be able to find more time to do them than we could while we were travelling across America. (and we often didn't have internet access over there, which slowed us down as well)
When we've finished the blogs and told you about the whole trip right up until the end... then I'll start work on the proper wedding/honeymoon video. This will include footage from the wedding, and stuff that was shot while we were travelling around the U.S. (not the short video-blogs that I did). There was so much that we saw, so hopefully the final video will give a good cross section of America as we saw it. I can't wait to show you all, and to put up the rest of the video blogs and stories of the places we travelled to.
Anyway... I'm off to bed now, as I can barely keep my eyes open! I'll try to get a few blogs up tomorrow (assuming I wake up in the next 24 hours). See ya!
Darren
Today is the 27th October, and after about 13 hours travelling we finally arrived home. We're both totally exhausted (both from the distance we covered while on the road over there, and from the jetlag), and will probably need the next two days just to get our body clocks back to being on UK time... but we wouldn't change a thing. It was the most amazing thing either of us has ever done.
I'll carry on with the blogs, photos and video blogs just as I was while we were out there. There's lots left to come! So keep coming here... hopefully now that we're back we'll be able to find more time to do them than we could while we were travelling across America. (and we often didn't have internet access over there, which slowed us down as well)
When we've finished the blogs and told you about the whole trip right up until the end... then I'll start work on the proper wedding/honeymoon video. This will include footage from the wedding, and stuff that was shot while we were travelling around the U.S. (not the short video-blogs that I did). There was so much that we saw, so hopefully the final video will give a good cross section of America as we saw it. I can't wait to show you all, and to put up the rest of the video blogs and stories of the places we travelled to.
Anyway... I'm off to bed now, as I can barely keep my eyes open! I'll try to get a few blogs up tomorrow (assuming I wake up in the next 24 hours). See ya!
Darren
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Video blog #19
10th October - After the Garden of the Gods we drove up through the Colorado Mountains to our campsite, which was literally in the middle of nowhere. The mountain roads were REALLY scary to drive on, especially as we were driving a house with wheels. But we got there safely.
These clips were recorded once we arrived at the site, and through the evening.
The evening spent here in the mountains was one of our favourite memories so far from the honeymoon.
These clips were recorded once we arrived at the site, and through the evening.
The evening spent here in the mountains was one of our favourite memories so far from the honeymoon.
Video blog #18
9th October - With Texas behind us, we headed up through New Mexico into Colorado. We were heading for a campsite near Colorado Springs, and on the way stopped off at the Garden of the Gods. This place was amazing.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Video blog #17
7th & 8th October - We were in Texas for around 24 hours. While we were there we met up with our friend Julie who kept us company and showed us some fun and interesting places. Thanks Jules, we had a great time. Miss you loads! xxx
Salt Lake City and the best sunset picture I never took...
So we drove through the rest of Wyoming with better weather and much better scenery.... it's a beautiful place if you like open spaces and unusual rock formations, which i do so I was impressed especially in the improved weather conditions.
It was quite a long journey down to Salt Lake City from Laramie and we didn't get there till sunset (at 6:30pm) but what a sunset...
Salt Lake City is surrounded by mountains which were covered in snow, and the day had been blue skies and very sunny so it was an amazing pinky purple sunset, but we were stuck on a four lane interstate and there were no places to stop and also we had a campsite thirty miles south of where we were to get to... so we just accepted that it was one sunset we wouldn't be able to capture.
But then just as we'd resigned ourselves to the fact.... what did we notice only a very large full moon that had risen and had turned a beautiful sunset sky into an exceptional one!
So I then spent the next several minutes contorting in my seat trying to at least get one image of the sight along side us....to no avail.. we looked for potential places to stop.... no luck... So unfortunately all I can do is try and describe it... except words fail me... it was simply one of the best sunsets I've ever seen and believe me I've seen some good ones...
Half an hour later we arrived at the campsite we were going to stay at and settled in for the night.
The following morning for the second time on this trip I had to fight my way through a "picket line" of ducks to get to the shower rooms.... Darren took some video of it, there were at least 50 of them blockading the door to the campsite ofice and shower room and they really didn't want to move...
It was then off on the road for the drive down to Monument Valley, it was a spectacular drive, Utah is a stunningly beautiful place, and we didn't even get to see some of the best places as we still had so many places to get to....
So we didn't go to Zion or Bryce Canyon... but we will as Utah needs a whole holiday to itself!
And so we headed into Monument Valley at sunset.... OMG how beautiful was that... well there are pictures but I don't think they do it justice, and we got another beautiful moonrise. So we got settled in at our campsite.... in Monument Valley.... actually in the Valley.... on the Valley floor.... with the classic view of the structures.... right outside our RV, sometimes you just get really lucky... and this was going to be two days of lucky!!
It was quite a long journey down to Salt Lake City from Laramie and we didn't get there till sunset (at 6:30pm) but what a sunset...
Salt Lake City is surrounded by mountains which were covered in snow, and the day had been blue skies and very sunny so it was an amazing pinky purple sunset, but we were stuck on a four lane interstate and there were no places to stop and also we had a campsite thirty miles south of where we were to get to... so we just accepted that it was one sunset we wouldn't be able to capture.
But then just as we'd resigned ourselves to the fact.... what did we notice only a very large full moon that had risen and had turned a beautiful sunset sky into an exceptional one!
So I then spent the next several minutes contorting in my seat trying to at least get one image of the sight along side us....to no avail.. we looked for potential places to stop.... no luck... So unfortunately all I can do is try and describe it... except words fail me... it was simply one of the best sunsets I've ever seen and believe me I've seen some good ones...
Half an hour later we arrived at the campsite we were going to stay at and settled in for the night.
The following morning for the second time on this trip I had to fight my way through a "picket line" of ducks to get to the shower rooms.... Darren took some video of it, there were at least 50 of them blockading the door to the campsite ofice and shower room and they really didn't want to move...
It was then off on the road for the drive down to Monument Valley, it was a spectacular drive, Utah is a stunningly beautiful place, and we didn't even get to see some of the best places as we still had so many places to get to....
So we didn't go to Zion or Bryce Canyon... but we will as Utah needs a whole holiday to itself!
And so we headed into Monument Valley at sunset.... OMG how beautiful was that... well there are pictures but I don't think they do it justice, and we got another beautiful moonrise. So we got settled in at our campsite.... in Monument Valley.... actually in the Valley.... on the Valley floor.... with the classic view of the structures.... right outside our RV, sometimes you just get really lucky... and this was going to be two days of lucky!!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Video blog #15
6th October - this was recorded on the way from Memphis, Tenessee (after being to Elvis's house) through Oklahoma, heading towards Texas
Graceland...
I didn't record a video blog at Graceland (we weren't allowed to film anything inside the house), so... especially for Jane's Mum, here's just a few photos that we took. (It takes ages to resize the photos on this computer otherwise I'd put them ALL up. And we should have left the hotel where we are an hour ago)
Don't worry though, we took lots, and LOTS of photos for you Ann. Love you loads. xxx
Don't worry though, we took lots, and LOTS of photos for you Ann. Love you loads. xxx
Video blog #14
5th October - We stopped overnight on the way to Memphis (didn't make it all in one day), this was recorded the next morning before we set off for the rest of the journey...
Devil's Tower, Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse...
Hi, Darren here.
I'll pick up right where Jane left off in Rapid City (and why we drove through Wyoming 3 times). We got up the following morning, and even though we were unsure whether Devil's Tower would be clear of snow enough to drive up there... the thought of leaving america without seeing this place was unthinkable. (especially after being just two hours away!).
I've wanted to see Devil's Tower since 1970-something when I first saw the Steven Spielberg movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. At the time (and for many years after) I thought this tower was a thing that was 'built' just for the movie... it didn't look real. Once I'd learnt it was a real place though, I knew that one day I would have to go see it. I didn't think it would take me until I was 36, but I knew at some point I WOULD go there.
Once we'd figured out what we were doing for our honeymoon, one of the first places I knew I wanted to see was Devil's Tower. So after two years of planning, and anticipation to finally see it with my own eyes... to find out that we couldn't go there because of bad weather? Aaarghhh!!
Anyway... this is why we ended up driving out there from the campsite that morning. It was about a two and a half hour drive, but amazingly within the first hour of leaving the site the ground turned from being wet from rain, to being white from snow. I guess the difference in altitude changed how the weather was behaving. At first we were unsure how bad the weather would get, or even if the roads would be clear. The worst would be that we would get stuck out here in the middle of nowhere!
Luckily the roads stayed clear, and although we did get snowed on and the visibility got much worse as we drove into the clouds we managed to get there. As we got closer to where it was, we kept on saying "where is it? shouldn't we be able to see it by now?" ...but we thought it was hidden around a corner or behind a hill or something. Eventually we got to the entrance gate to the Devil's Tower National Monument, and to the gift shops and campsite that was there.... but still no Devil's Tower.
Eventually we realised that it was in front of us all along, but hidden with pure white (and thick) cloud! And it was VERY close. We simply couldn't see it. Because i'd travelled so far, and waited so long to see this... there was no way I was going to turn around without seeing it. I wanted to wait around in case the clouds cleared. But it was cold. Very cold. So standing there with my hand holding the video camera in what felt like (and might have been) subzero temperatures for about an hour, left me almost unable to move my fingers... and shivering... a LOT. Jane was cold too, but she had been walking around taking photos of the local deer that were wandering around the place.
Every now and then we'd see a thinning in the cloud and you'd see this huge dark silhouette of the Tower, and the first time I saw this the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. This was VERY exciting for me. (and I had the Soundtrack to the Close Encounters film playing on the RV's stereo for added atmosphere.. yes, I'm a geek. But it worked!)
Anyway... after almost an hour, just as I was about to give up and let us leave (we still had Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse to visit) the clouds thinned out a few times and we got some (almost) clear views of it. Woohoo! We got some photos, and I got some video recorded... so I was happy. (also... I know I'll be back, although next time it will be in summertime!)
By the time we headed back, we realised there wouldn't be enough time to see the other two places... and also the weather was really coming in, so even if we went we wouldn't be able to see much anyway! So we went back to the campsite, and booked in for another night. The next morning we realised that we'd made the right decision as although it had been snowing overnight... the sky was clearing!
We went to see Mount Rushmore, and the Native American equivalent Crazy Horse monument. To get to these places we drove through the Black Hills, which was some absolutely STUNNING scenery to be driving through. Especially with the clear skies and snow-covered forests. We couldn't have asked for it to be any prettier. We got to Mount Rushmore just in time to see the (very cool) monument. It's very weird looking at 4 huge faces carved into the side of a mountain. And after we'd been there a short while and taken our photos and video... the clouds came in again, and it vanished.
On our way to Crazy Horse (again through some beautiful mountain forests covered in snow) we thought we wouldn't see a thing. Indeed, when we got there, we couldnt see it at all... and this one is BIGGER than Mount Rushmore. But we paid our fee and went in anyway, hoping for the heavy clouds and fog to clear.
...and indeed it did. Our patience paid off. This thing is amazing! We'd watched a very informative and interesting film about how Crazy Horse was started, who was doing it and just how long it had been worked on. All REALLY interesting. I really hope we get to see this finished... it's an unbelievable thing to see, and the fact that it was worked on by one man and his family for his whole life (literally his life's work) makes it even more amazing.
Seriously, go to the official website and read all about this. It's staggering.
Anyway, after here we left and headed South, driving through Wyoming again (for the second time) in the reverse direction (and it was a long and hard enough drive to do just once) and by the time we reached the South of the State and started to head West the night came in, and the snow and wind started to pick up. A lot.
I was tired after the amount of driving, and fighting against the wind and low visibility meant we called into the next campsite (Laramie) instead of trying to push further into the night. It was the right decision to make. And the next morning we headed off across the South of Wyoming (third time) in much better weather into Utah, and towards Salt Lake City (and onwards to Monument Valley). But we'll cover this in the next segment! It's after 1:30am now and we're up early to head up the california coast to try to get to Yosemite National Park, so I need to get at least a few hours sleep!
Speak to you next time!
Darren
I'll pick up right where Jane left off in Rapid City (and why we drove through Wyoming 3 times). We got up the following morning, and even though we were unsure whether Devil's Tower would be clear of snow enough to drive up there... the thought of leaving america without seeing this place was unthinkable. (especially after being just two hours away!).
I've wanted to see Devil's Tower since 1970-something when I first saw the Steven Spielberg movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. At the time (and for many years after) I thought this tower was a thing that was 'built' just for the movie... it didn't look real. Once I'd learnt it was a real place though, I knew that one day I would have to go see it. I didn't think it would take me until I was 36, but I knew at some point I WOULD go there.
Once we'd figured out what we were doing for our honeymoon, one of the first places I knew I wanted to see was Devil's Tower. So after two years of planning, and anticipation to finally see it with my own eyes... to find out that we couldn't go there because of bad weather? Aaarghhh!!
Anyway... this is why we ended up driving out there from the campsite that morning. It was about a two and a half hour drive, but amazingly within the first hour of leaving the site the ground turned from being wet from rain, to being white from snow. I guess the difference in altitude changed how the weather was behaving. At first we were unsure how bad the weather would get, or even if the roads would be clear. The worst would be that we would get stuck out here in the middle of nowhere!
Luckily the roads stayed clear, and although we did get snowed on and the visibility got much worse as we drove into the clouds we managed to get there. As we got closer to where it was, we kept on saying "where is it? shouldn't we be able to see it by now?" ...but we thought it was hidden around a corner or behind a hill or something. Eventually we got to the entrance gate to the Devil's Tower National Monument, and to the gift shops and campsite that was there.... but still no Devil's Tower.
Eventually we realised that it was in front of us all along, but hidden with pure white (and thick) cloud! And it was VERY close. We simply couldn't see it. Because i'd travelled so far, and waited so long to see this... there was no way I was going to turn around without seeing it. I wanted to wait around in case the clouds cleared. But it was cold. Very cold. So standing there with my hand holding the video camera in what felt like (and might have been) subzero temperatures for about an hour, left me almost unable to move my fingers... and shivering... a LOT. Jane was cold too, but she had been walking around taking photos of the local deer that were wandering around the place.
Every now and then we'd see a thinning in the cloud and you'd see this huge dark silhouette of the Tower, and the first time I saw this the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. This was VERY exciting for me. (and I had the Soundtrack to the Close Encounters film playing on the RV's stereo for added atmosphere.. yes, I'm a geek. But it worked!)
Anyway... after almost an hour, just as I was about to give up and let us leave (we still had Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse to visit) the clouds thinned out a few times and we got some (almost) clear views of it. Woohoo! We got some photos, and I got some video recorded... so I was happy. (also... I know I'll be back, although next time it will be in summertime!)
By the time we headed back, we realised there wouldn't be enough time to see the other two places... and also the weather was really coming in, so even if we went we wouldn't be able to see much anyway! So we went back to the campsite, and booked in for another night. The next morning we realised that we'd made the right decision as although it had been snowing overnight... the sky was clearing!
We went to see Mount Rushmore, and the Native American equivalent Crazy Horse monument. To get to these places we drove through the Black Hills, which was some absolutely STUNNING scenery to be driving through. Especially with the clear skies and snow-covered forests. We couldn't have asked for it to be any prettier. We got to Mount Rushmore just in time to see the (very cool) monument. It's very weird looking at 4 huge faces carved into the side of a mountain. And after we'd been there a short while and taken our photos and video... the clouds came in again, and it vanished.
On our way to Crazy Horse (again through some beautiful mountain forests covered in snow) we thought we wouldn't see a thing. Indeed, when we got there, we couldnt see it at all... and this one is BIGGER than Mount Rushmore. But we paid our fee and went in anyway, hoping for the heavy clouds and fog to clear.
...and indeed it did. Our patience paid off. This thing is amazing! We'd watched a very informative and interesting film about how Crazy Horse was started, who was doing it and just how long it had been worked on. All REALLY interesting. I really hope we get to see this finished... it's an unbelievable thing to see, and the fact that it was worked on by one man and his family for his whole life (literally his life's work) makes it even more amazing.
Seriously, go to the official website and read all about this. It's staggering.
Anyway, after here we left and headed South, driving through Wyoming again (for the second time) in the reverse direction (and it was a long and hard enough drive to do just once) and by the time we reached the South of the State and started to head West the night came in, and the snow and wind started to pick up. A lot.
I was tired after the amount of driving, and fighting against the wind and low visibility meant we called into the next campsite (Laramie) instead of trying to push further into the night. It was the right decision to make. And the next morning we headed off across the South of Wyoming (third time) in much better weather into Utah, and towards Salt Lake City (and onwards to Monument Valley). But we'll cover this in the next segment! It's after 1:30am now and we're up early to head up the california coast to try to get to Yosemite National Park, so I need to get at least a few hours sleep!
Speak to you next time!
Darren
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Video blog #13
4th October - After leaving Washington, DC we headed on down towards Memphis, Tennessee. This was filmed on the way.
Rapid City.... snow and Wyoming 3 times!!!!
So what happened in Rapid City?? and why Wyoming 3 times????
We drove up from Colarado and hit the Wyoming border, in contrast to Colarado, Wyoming is not mountainous.... it's not completely flat though. Just high up and flat plateaus... so there were lots of views that went on forever, and lots of unusual rock formations.
It had started getting colder in Colorado and this continued into Wyoming and the winds that we'd experienced in Oklahoma were back.... so it was quite a tough drive.
Then just as we were about sixty miles from Rapid City the clouds that had threatened rain decided to do more than threaten... but because of the altitude it fell as sleet then SNOW!! So we slowed down and began taking a little more care.... so we got there later than we thought....far too late as it turns out!
We weren't actually planning to stay in Rapid City but just outside at Hot Springs... unfortunately despite the fact they were supposed to be open until the end of that weekend, they had closed early for the winter, probably because of the eary bad weather (it doesn't normally start for another 4 weeks!!) So we had to attempt the drive into Rapid City in the dark to another site that we knew was open.... luckily the snow decided to slow down then stop!
So we arrived in the dark and OMG was it cold... trying to hook up was interesting as our fingers wouldn't work and no gloves (we'd brought thermals to sleep in.... not thinking it would get that cold this early!!)
So we "battened down the hatches" and went to bed... and woke up to a Christmas scene the next morning.
So we had to make some decisions about our plans for the next day or two as all the forecasts said that this weather was here for the weekend... and we had planned to go further north and west to Yellowstone. So after discussion with the campsite people and another look at the forecasts we reluctantly had to abandon our plans to go to Yellowstone as they had a foot of snow and were expecting more, although it was due to thaw on Monday.... too late for our timetable though!
So we checked to see if we could at least see the stuff we wanted to see in South Dakota and North Wyoming.... Devil's Tower was clear roads and accessible as was Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument so we decided to attempt them and then head south to warmer weather...
More tomorrow... got to get ready for breakfast!
Jane xx
We drove up from Colarado and hit the Wyoming border, in contrast to Colarado, Wyoming is not mountainous.... it's not completely flat though. Just high up and flat plateaus... so there were lots of views that went on forever, and lots of unusual rock formations.
It had started getting colder in Colorado and this continued into Wyoming and the winds that we'd experienced in Oklahoma were back.... so it was quite a tough drive.
Then just as we were about sixty miles from Rapid City the clouds that had threatened rain decided to do more than threaten... but because of the altitude it fell as sleet then SNOW!! So we slowed down and began taking a little more care.... so we got there later than we thought....far too late as it turns out!
We weren't actually planning to stay in Rapid City but just outside at Hot Springs... unfortunately despite the fact they were supposed to be open until the end of that weekend, they had closed early for the winter, probably because of the eary bad weather (it doesn't normally start for another 4 weeks!!) So we had to attempt the drive into Rapid City in the dark to another site that we knew was open.... luckily the snow decided to slow down then stop!
So we arrived in the dark and OMG was it cold... trying to hook up was interesting as our fingers wouldn't work and no gloves (we'd brought thermals to sleep in.... not thinking it would get that cold this early!!)
So we "battened down the hatches" and went to bed... and woke up to a Christmas scene the next morning.
So we had to make some decisions about our plans for the next day or two as all the forecasts said that this weather was here for the weekend... and we had planned to go further north and west to Yellowstone. So after discussion with the campsite people and another look at the forecasts we reluctantly had to abandon our plans to go to Yellowstone as they had a foot of snow and were expecting more, although it was due to thaw on Monday.... too late for our timetable though!
So we checked to see if we could at least see the stuff we wanted to see in South Dakota and North Wyoming.... Devil's Tower was clear roads and accessible as was Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument so we decided to attempt them and then head south to warmer weather...
More tomorrow... got to get ready for breakfast!
Jane xx
Monday, October 20, 2008
Video blog #12
3rd October - Washington DC. We couldn't wait to come here, as it's one of those places that we see pretty much every day on either television or in films.
Also it was exciting for the fact that we were going to be meeting our friends Becky and Rich for the first time. They were to be our tour guides, and our company for the day.
...and they excelled at both!
There were so many things to see in DC, and we enjoyed all of them. It was just a wonderful place to walk around... and it took a LOT of walking to see it all. (which Becky and Rich did with us, without complaining once!)
We absolutely loved this day.
Also it was exciting for the fact that we were going to be meeting our friends Becky and Rich for the first time. They were to be our tour guides, and our company for the day.
...and they excelled at both!
There were so many things to see in DC, and we enjoyed all of them. It was just a wonderful place to walk around... and it took a LOT of walking to see it all. (which Becky and Rich did with us, without complaining once!)
We absolutely loved this day.
Video blog #11
2nd October - this was it.. the day we were both looking forward to, and dreading simultaneously.
Picking up the motorhome.
We couldn't wait to get this, as after New York it signalled the start of our actual travelling across the country. However, it also signalled the first time something this HUGE would have to be driven.
...and there was a little bit of anxiety about that (it turned out well in the end though!)
Picking up the motorhome.
We couldn't wait to get this, as after New York it signalled the start of our actual travelling across the country. However, it also signalled the first time something this HUGE would have to be driven.
...and there was a little bit of anxiety about that (it turned out well in the end though!)
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Video blog #10
1st October - Today was our walking around the local neighbourhoods day. So we got to see Little Italy, Chinatown, Soho, the West Village and other areas. We loved this day.
We got to see lots of interesting people, some lovely old looking apartment buildings, many interesting shops... and just the general feeling of seeing New York, where people actually lived their day to day lives, away from the hoards of tourists. (even though that's what we were!)
It was nice to be in the smaller areas and not just in the centre of places like Times Square or under the Empire State building. We had a really nice (but tiring!) day on this day.
Anyway, here we are looking for somewhere to have a coffee and rest our feet!
We got to see lots of interesting people, some lovely old looking apartment buildings, many interesting shops... and just the general feeling of seeing New York, where people actually lived their day to day lives, away from the hoards of tourists. (even though that's what we were!)
It was nice to be in the smaller areas and not just in the centre of places like Times Square or under the Empire State building. We had a really nice (but tiring!) day on this day.
Anyway, here we are looking for somewhere to have a coffee and rest our feet!
Video blog #9
30th Sept - this was the day we went up the Rockerfella Centre (called Top of the Rock), to get some unbelievably AMAZING views of the city. We stayed up here for a few hours. At first you're just amazed at the view in front of you, and then you start to look closer and start picking out details. The video can't show just how incredible this was!
This only shows the view facing the Empire State Building, but from up here we could also see the other side facing Central Park.
We stayed up here until it got dark, so we got to see New York slowly light up like some huge Christmas tree... and that was just jaw dropping to see. (and yes, we've got lots of photos and vids of that... so you'll be able to see it on the full Honeymoon Video we make when we get home)
This only shows the view facing the Empire State Building, but from up here we could also see the other side facing Central Park.
We stayed up here until it got dark, so we got to see New York slowly light up like some huge Christmas tree... and that was just jaw dropping to see. (and yes, we've got lots of photos and vids of that... so you'll be able to see it on the full Honeymoon Video we make when we get home)
Saturday, October 18, 2008
I promise....
Hi, Darren here.
I promise... that I'll get jane to write some stuff (tonight hopefully) about the next leg of our trip after the last post we made. I've been staying up until midnight or 1am to get my video blogs up on here (it takes ages), and I just haven't had the time to sit here typing as well. (see how good I am to all of you? even missing out on sleep so you can all see what we've been doing!)
I don't mind though... I wish I had more spare hours to put up ALL the videos, photos and writings about where we've been so far. I'm doing my best to catch it up though. (we're about to leave Arizona for Las Vegas)
I get the feeling that some of the final ones will be put up once we're back home.... but I'll see if I can get us caught up ;)
Anyway... I need to get off here, we're about to pack up from Williams, AZ and drive through the Valley of Fire to Las Vegas... speak to you soon!
Darren
xxx
I promise... that I'll get jane to write some stuff (tonight hopefully) about the next leg of our trip after the last post we made. I've been staying up until midnight or 1am to get my video blogs up on here (it takes ages), and I just haven't had the time to sit here typing as well. (see how good I am to all of you? even missing out on sleep so you can all see what we've been doing!)
I don't mind though... I wish I had more spare hours to put up ALL the videos, photos and writings about where we've been so far. I'm doing my best to catch it up though. (we're about to leave Arizona for Las Vegas)
I get the feeling that some of the final ones will be put up once we're back home.... but I'll see if I can get us caught up ;)
Anyway... I need to get off here, we're about to pack up from Williams, AZ and drive through the Valley of Fire to Las Vegas... speak to you soon!
Darren
xxx
Video blog #8
30th Sept - It seems the last few days of wedding planning, traveling, lack of sleep and walking round have finally taken their toll on Darren... and boy is he whining about it!
Video blog #7
30th September - Today we were walking around Brooklyn, over the river. We liked it here...
Friday, October 17, 2008
Video blog #6
29th Sept - we'd spent the day going around the New York, saw the Statue of Liberty and walked around the financial district (Wall Street etc) and the World Trade Centre site, and in the early evening we made our way to Midtown to see Times Square.
Video blog #5
This is just a short clip to show the amaaaazing view we had of New York from our balcony at night. We really loved just standing here watching the fire engines, police cars and general traffic going by, and listening to the sirens and horns. Really made you feel like you were 'in' the city. It all added to the atmosphere of those first few days of the honeymoon so much!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
video blog #4
Here's a quick addition to the previous post. I forgot to show the bathroom of the room, so I recorded an extra vid to show what I think is quite possibly the best shower ever!
video blog #3
Here's a short video blog I recorded when we first arrived at our hotel. We absolutely loved this hotel, the room was just amazing and those windows!
Walking into your room after a day's sightseeing and having the City all laid out in front of you made the start of the honeymoon feel so special. Very different than feeling 'boxed in' in a standard hotel room. It made the first few days feel like a honeymoon.
Walking into your room after a day's sightseeing and having the City all laid out in front of you made the start of the honeymoon feel so special. Very different than feeling 'boxed in' in a standard hotel room. It made the first few days feel like a honeymoon.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
After Texas.....
I know we're probably confusing you by posting things out of order (writings, pictures and videos all coming at you in different orders), but we started off by mainly wanting to type stuff... then after a while realised that we wanted to show you all some photos.... then after a while realised that we wanted to show you some of the video blogs.
So if you bear with us we'll TRY to catch up the texts, pics and vids all together by the time we leave this place. (we'll try!!)
Anyway... after Texas we headed up towards Colorado Springs, but this was way too much to do in one day so we ended up stopping overnight in Raton, New Mexico. We LOVED this part of the trip. Firstly, we ended up driving alongside one of those huge freight trains that seem to be endlessly criss-crossing this country. That was very cool to have this thing alongside us for a while. These trains are ridiculously long... they seem to go on forever! The landscape was very stark, but great to drive through. Very interesting and dramatic in parts. Deserty and scrub-like.
Raton, New Mexico was great... it had an old 1950's feel that we'd been hoping to see some of. There were old signs for hotels and other places that looked like they hadn't been changed in years... and we loved that. We walked around this town for a while, took some photos and vids, and camped overnight.
The next day we left for Colorado Springs. Cripple Creek to be precise. We planned to see the small ex-mining town (now mainly gambling) as we wanted to see a town that still had the layout of an old mining town with one main street... but we ended up not having the time to do this.
We camped in a site that was just a few miles from the town, and the drive to get there (right up in the mountains) was SCARY! Very thin roads... and very steep! We had visions of ending up like the end of the movie the Italian Job, with the coach hanging over the side of the road! But after a while we got to the campsite. (the drive WAS beautiful though... so we're not complaining now that we're safe. We're glad we did it!)
The campsite was right up in the hills, surrounded by nothing but mountains and glorious views. And dead silence. We bought some marshmallows (a kit, which came with sticks, chocolate and a list of campfire songs!) and even though it was really cold, we stayed up into the night toasting marshmallows on the campfire that we lit, under the stars.
It was one of the best (and coldest) times we've ever had. We kept looking at each other in between the giggles, saying "it doesn't get much better than this, does it?". We loved that night... even if we WERE frozen at the end of it!
The following morning we didn't really have time to go to the town of Cripple Creek, which was a shame, but we needed to get to Rapid City, to see Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse monument and Devil's Tower.
But you can read about those in the next post!
Darren
So if you bear with us we'll TRY to catch up the texts, pics and vids all together by the time we leave this place. (we'll try!!)
Anyway... after Texas we headed up towards Colorado Springs, but this was way too much to do in one day so we ended up stopping overnight in Raton, New Mexico. We LOVED this part of the trip. Firstly, we ended up driving alongside one of those huge freight trains that seem to be endlessly criss-crossing this country. That was very cool to have this thing alongside us for a while. These trains are ridiculously long... they seem to go on forever! The landscape was very stark, but great to drive through. Very interesting and dramatic in parts. Deserty and scrub-like.
Raton, New Mexico was great... it had an old 1950's feel that we'd been hoping to see some of. There were old signs for hotels and other places that looked like they hadn't been changed in years... and we loved that. We walked around this town for a while, took some photos and vids, and camped overnight.
The next day we left for Colorado Springs. Cripple Creek to be precise. We planned to see the small ex-mining town (now mainly gambling) as we wanted to see a town that still had the layout of an old mining town with one main street... but we ended up not having the time to do this.
We camped in a site that was just a few miles from the town, and the drive to get there (right up in the mountains) was SCARY! Very thin roads... and very steep! We had visions of ending up like the end of the movie the Italian Job, with the coach hanging over the side of the road! But after a while we got to the campsite. (the drive WAS beautiful though... so we're not complaining now that we're safe. We're glad we did it!)
The campsite was right up in the hills, surrounded by nothing but mountains and glorious views. And dead silence. We bought some marshmallows (a kit, which came with sticks, chocolate and a list of campfire songs!) and even though it was really cold, we stayed up into the night toasting marshmallows on the campfire that we lit, under the stars.
It was one of the best (and coldest) times we've ever had. We kept looking at each other in between the giggles, saying "it doesn't get much better than this, does it?". We loved that night... even if we WERE frozen at the end of it!
The following morning we didn't really have time to go to the town of Cripple Creek, which was a shame, but we needed to get to Rapid City, to see Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse monument and Devil's Tower.
But you can read about those in the next post!
Darren
Video blog #2
we seem to be getting internet access at our campsites less than we'd hoped at the moment, so we've been able to get online less to tell you all about places we've been to... and less photos being posted than we wanted. But Hopefully we'll be able to catch up with it a bit from now on. (assuming we get internet at the rest of the campsites)
There should be less driving on the days to come, than the very mileage intensive last week or so. So hopefully we'll be able to get some more typing done, get some more photos uploaded onto here.. and some more of these video diary thingies.
Here's #2... taken in the taxi on the way to New York on our first day in America. (this is just a short clip, but there'll be loads more of these... I've been recording short video blogs a few times a day, so I'll try to upload them whenever I can!)
There should be less driving on the days to come, than the very mileage intensive last week or so. So hopefully we'll be able to get some more typing done, get some more photos uploaded onto here.. and some more of these video diary thingies.
Here's #2... taken in the taxi on the way to New York on our first day in America. (this is just a short clip, but there'll be loads more of these... I've been recording short video blogs a few times a day, so I'll try to upload them whenever I can!)
Monday, October 13, 2008
the first of the video blogs....
This is the first of the video blogs that I've been recording through the honeymoon trip... this one was done the morning after the wedding, right before we left (after a few short hours sleep)
You'll have to turn up your speakers, as through the evening of the wedding, talking (shouting) to everyone i totally lost my voice!
Anyway, this was right after we'd got out of bed to get ready for the flight... so i look tired... and I felt tired!
This is the first of many...
You'll have to turn up your speakers, as through the evening of the wedding, talking (shouting) to everyone i totally lost my voice!
Anyway, this was right after we'd got out of bed to get ready for the flight... so i look tired... and I felt tired!
This is the first of many...
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Spotted.... Banksy???
Just a quick reference back to our stay in New York. (as I've just had confirmation that what we thought we'd seen...... we had!!!)
We were wandering around the streets of Little Italy, Soho etc when we came across this scene...
It looked like it was a very familiar style..... Banksy!! (we hoped!)
The "infamous" and elusive street artist whose work we love.. no one's ever been able to truly reveal his identity although there is lots of speculation about it..
So we stopped and watched for a bit, took some pics and filmed for a bit too... and got some close ups...
I was on the BBC website about an hour ago and saw that Banksy had a new exhibition in NYC so we knew we were probably right....it was him (well one of the two guys must be him??) ... so I had a quick browse on Banksy's Site and there was the completed image.... (just scroll across the linked page to find it... it's the "Let them eat crack" one)
I can't believe we actually might have seen him actually at work!!! YAY!
We were wandering around the streets of Little Italy, Soho etc when we came across this scene...
It looked like it was a very familiar style..... Banksy!! (we hoped!)
The "infamous" and elusive street artist whose work we love.. no one's ever been able to truly reveal his identity although there is lots of speculation about it..
So we stopped and watched for a bit, took some pics and filmed for a bit too... and got some close ups...
I was on the BBC website about an hour ago and saw that Banksy had a new exhibition in NYC so we knew we were probably right....it was him (well one of the two guys must be him??) ... so I had a quick browse on Banksy's Site and there was the completed image.... (just scroll across the linked page to find it... it's the "Let them eat crack" one)
I can't believe we actually might have seen him actually at work!!! YAY!
Texas....
So Texas....
Where to start?
It's huge... and we only saw the panhandle! It's just so flat and open, and amazingly beautiful. Ok the vast blue skies help but it is stunning. We loved the drive through to Amarillo, especially once we got off the Oklahoma roads, (beautiful state, if a tad windy, but terribly, terribly bumpy roads!) But it was a long, long drive and we arrived just in time for sunset..... to be greeted not by the campsite people but our friend Julie who was waiting by our pitch for us! After lots of hugs (as always!) we got the RV set up, mainly involving me and Julie teasing Darren while he hooked up for the first time... I've done it most times as he was doing most of the driving!
We spent the next hour or so freshening up and chatting... Julie had told us that we needed to be ready for half eight but wouldn't tell us why....
Right on the dot at half eight we found out why.... a huge old white limo, with COW HORNS on the front turned up to pick us up! Out steps this guy in full "stereotypical" texan clothing.... tight jeans, leather waistcoat, cowboy boots and a stetson, and informs us that our ride to the "Big Texan" is here!
Now for those of you not familiar with Route 66 mythology (and before this trip we weren't very familiar with it either...) this is the restaurant where bikers and the like were offered a free meal if they could finish the 72 oz (yes SEVENTY TWO OUNCES!!!) steak in 1 hour!
So off we went.... well we had a ball.... yes it was cheesy, but it's supposed to be!
And just to add to it 2 crazy dutch bikers challenged each other to eat the 72oz-er, we've got some footage of the start of it, but as we had already eaten and were very tired i don't know if they managed it....
The following day we were treated to some of the sights of Amarillo (Cadillac Ranch) and more amazing texan food.... then we travelled north a bit with Julie to visit her hometown. We stopped for a few picture opportunities on the way there but the real treat was when we got there... it was REAL small town Texas, you could see just how the town had been shaped by the needs of the huge 3 million acre ranch whose land it sat on. It hadn't been consumed by corporate America, there was still the feel of fifties USA that Darren and I were hoping to see a little of. We got some great pics and got up close and personal (well as close as I wanted to get anyway!!!) with a bull snake!
But then all to soon it was time to be off again as we had to get to Colorado Springs the next day... we're so gonna miss Julie and her beautiful strange Texan home.
So we headed north via New Mexico and stopped overnight in a small town called Raton... and when we saw it in daylight we were impressed enough to stay to get some pics... I'll tell you about that when we post those pics.....
Where to start?
It's huge... and we only saw the panhandle! It's just so flat and open, and amazingly beautiful. Ok the vast blue skies help but it is stunning. We loved the drive through to Amarillo, especially once we got off the Oklahoma roads, (beautiful state, if a tad windy, but terribly, terribly bumpy roads!) But it was a long, long drive and we arrived just in time for sunset..... to be greeted not by the campsite people but our friend Julie who was waiting by our pitch for us! After lots of hugs (as always!) we got the RV set up, mainly involving me and Julie teasing Darren while he hooked up for the first time... I've done it most times as he was doing most of the driving!
We spent the next hour or so freshening up and chatting... Julie had told us that we needed to be ready for half eight but wouldn't tell us why....
Right on the dot at half eight we found out why.... a huge old white limo, with COW HORNS on the front turned up to pick us up! Out steps this guy in full "stereotypical" texan clothing.... tight jeans, leather waistcoat, cowboy boots and a stetson, and informs us that our ride to the "Big Texan" is here!
Now for those of you not familiar with Route 66 mythology (and before this trip we weren't very familiar with it either...) this is the restaurant where bikers and the like were offered a free meal if they could finish the 72 oz (yes SEVENTY TWO OUNCES!!!) steak in 1 hour!
So off we went.... well we had a ball.... yes it was cheesy, but it's supposed to be!
And just to add to it 2 crazy dutch bikers challenged each other to eat the 72oz-er, we've got some footage of the start of it, but as we had already eaten and were very tired i don't know if they managed it....
The following day we were treated to some of the sights of Amarillo (Cadillac Ranch) and more amazing texan food.... then we travelled north a bit with Julie to visit her hometown. We stopped for a few picture opportunities on the way there but the real treat was when we got there... it was REAL small town Texas, you could see just how the town had been shaped by the needs of the huge 3 million acre ranch whose land it sat on. It hadn't been consumed by corporate America, there was still the feel of fifties USA that Darren and I were hoping to see a little of. We got some great pics and got up close and personal (well as close as I wanted to get anyway!!!) with a bull snake!
But then all to soon it was time to be off again as we had to get to Colorado Springs the next day... we're so gonna miss Julie and her beautiful strange Texan home.
So we headed north via New Mexico and stopped overnight in a small town called Raton... and when we saw it in daylight we were impressed enough to stay to get some pics... I'll tell you about that when we post those pics.....
photos from Washington, DC
Hi, Darren here.
We've had a really busy few days (and a few days without internet access) so we've not had much time to post on here, but we're at a camp site quite early this evening (in South Dakota) so I thought I'd stick some photos up for you all.
This was the day we met up with our good friends Becky and Rich, and they kept us company and showed us around Washington. They were really great (and walked MILES with us). I think Jane mentioned briefly about just how great they were... but we'll get into that in another post (they deserve a post to themselves!).
Here's some photos of that day, showing some of the many great monuments, statues and buildings around the centre of the city.
This is the Sunrise we woke up to in New York before we drove to DC (the day before the rest of these photos)
The Lincoln Memorial, at one end of the Mall.
The view from in front of the Memorial.
...and a close up, looking right down the full length of the Mall, to the Capitol Building.
Inside the Lincoln Memorial, and the huge statue of Lincoln.
A few photos of the Korean War memorial. (slightly eery, but very powerful in the way it's done)
The Vietnam Memorial. Including all the names of all the soldiers who died, and it is scary when you're walking along the walls, just how MANY names there are. Hard to get your head around just how many.
Becky and Jane. Big smiles for the camera now!
The view from about halfway down the Mall
Darren, Jane, Becky and Rich.
...and The White House. (very cool to see it in person after seeing it all your life on television and in movies)
....and just to prove it, Smart Cars are everywhere!!
We've had a really busy few days (and a few days without internet access) so we've not had much time to post on here, but we're at a camp site quite early this evening (in South Dakota) so I thought I'd stick some photos up for you all.
This was the day we met up with our good friends Becky and Rich, and they kept us company and showed us around Washington. They were really great (and walked MILES with us). I think Jane mentioned briefly about just how great they were... but we'll get into that in another post (they deserve a post to themselves!).
Here's some photos of that day, showing some of the many great monuments, statues and buildings around the centre of the city.
This is the Sunrise we woke up to in New York before we drove to DC (the day before the rest of these photos)
The Lincoln Memorial, at one end of the Mall.
The view from in front of the Memorial.
...and a close up, looking right down the full length of the Mall, to the Capitol Building.
Inside the Lincoln Memorial, and the huge statue of Lincoln.
A few photos of the Korean War memorial. (slightly eery, but very powerful in the way it's done)
The Vietnam Memorial. Including all the names of all the soldiers who died, and it is scary when you're walking along the walls, just how MANY names there are. Hard to get your head around just how many.
Becky and Jane. Big smiles for the camera now!
The view from about halfway down the Mall
Darren, Jane, Becky and Rich.
...and The White House. (very cool to see it in person after seeing it all your life on television and in movies)
....and just to prove it, Smart Cars are everywhere!!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
A very busy few days....
So we've been a bit useless in updating the blog for the last few days.... five to be precise..... Oops!
But there has been a lot going on....
On leaving New York in our HUGE RV we headed to Washington DC to meet up with a friend of Darren's, Becky, and her husband Rich, and after a longer than expected first drive we arrived at a great RV park just outside DC.
Early the following morning Becky and Rich turned up and after much hugging and stuff they whisked us off for a whistle stop tour of DC's highlights.... except as it's all on such a big scale it was quite the walking marathon! The weather was beautiful so it was stunning if a little warm!
We got some great pics and Becky and Rich were the perfect hosts... no request was too much trouble... even when it involved scouring the local (and not so local) shops for a pair of flip-flops for my poor overheated tootsies..
Then we had our first taste of proper American Chili... very nice and so-oo reasonable and of course there was the whole "doggy bag" concept to deal with... as the portions are as big as we'd been warned.. so I got a free dinner the next day unlike Darren who was determined to finish his... and he did... amazing himself and me!
The following morning we left for the 2 day drive to Memphis... OMG was that a long and arduous journey. With an overnight in a really nice site that was in a forest... we nearly ran over a deer on the way in, and there were bears about on the site too (we didn't see any but there were lots of signs telling us they were there!)
Darren did a lot of the driving on these days as I'd realised that on busy roads I wasn't as confident with the RV as I thought I'd be.. so there were lots of breaks and on the second day we didn't quite make it to the RV park we were heading to and it had got really late so we had our first experience of an American Motel Chain. It was clean a bed and a shower all for £30 for the 2 of of us so no complaints there.
So the next morning we were up early and headed to Graceland... The mansion was touching and great to see but there is definately a little too much overselling of memorabilia!
Then it was a drive to Amarillo in Texas to meet with Julie and see some of Texas.... and oh boy did we... but I'll leave that for tomorrow's installment..
PS pics to follow once we've resized them
But there has been a lot going on....
On leaving New York in our HUGE RV we headed to Washington DC to meet up with a friend of Darren's, Becky, and her husband Rich, and after a longer than expected first drive we arrived at a great RV park just outside DC.
Early the following morning Becky and Rich turned up and after much hugging and stuff they whisked us off for a whistle stop tour of DC's highlights.... except as it's all on such a big scale it was quite the walking marathon! The weather was beautiful so it was stunning if a little warm!
We got some great pics and Becky and Rich were the perfect hosts... no request was too much trouble... even when it involved scouring the local (and not so local) shops for a pair of flip-flops for my poor overheated tootsies..
Then we had our first taste of proper American Chili... very nice and so-oo reasonable and of course there was the whole "doggy bag" concept to deal with... as the portions are as big as we'd been warned.. so I got a free dinner the next day unlike Darren who was determined to finish his... and he did... amazing himself and me!
The following morning we left for the 2 day drive to Memphis... OMG was that a long and arduous journey. With an overnight in a really nice site that was in a forest... we nearly ran over a deer on the way in, and there were bears about on the site too (we didn't see any but there were lots of signs telling us they were there!)
Darren did a lot of the driving on these days as I'd realised that on busy roads I wasn't as confident with the RV as I thought I'd be.. so there were lots of breaks and on the second day we didn't quite make it to the RV park we were heading to and it had got really late so we had our first experience of an American Motel Chain. It was clean a bed and a shower all for £30 for the 2 of of us so no complaints there.
So the next morning we were up early and headed to Graceland... The mansion was touching and great to see but there is definately a little too much overselling of memorabilia!
Then it was a drive to Amarillo in Texas to meet with Julie and see some of Texas.... and oh boy did we... but I'll leave that for tomorrow's installment..
PS pics to follow once we've resized them
Friday, October 3, 2008
Some final New York photos.....
We've left New York now, so here are some final quick photos (I basically just picked some interesting ones for these... we've been taking hundred of shots each day!). Hopefully tonight or tomorrow we'll see if we have time for one of us to write a little about what we liked about New York. (or rather... what we LOVED about the place!). So far, this honeymoon is just the most amazing 'once in a lifetime' trip ever. Just as much as we'd hoped.
Anyway... here's the photos. Enjoy!
Eating breakfast at the hotel before a day's sightseeing.
Our hotel room with the huge windows
...and the same view at night. (wonderful to just sit there and watch New York all lit up at night!)
This is the view off our balcony. Pretty cool huh?
The shower in our bathroom, and yes... you have to shower in front of the window. (but it's surprisingly not-scary!)
The Flatiron building, with it's distinctively wedge-like shape.
Anyway... here's the photos. Enjoy!
Eating breakfast at the hotel before a day's sightseeing.
Our hotel room with the huge windows
...and the same view at night. (wonderful to just sit there and watch New York all lit up at night!)
This is the view off our balcony. Pretty cool huh?
The shower in our bathroom, and yes... you have to shower in front of the window. (but it's surprisingly not-scary!)
The Flatiron building, with it's distinctively wedge-like shape.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Some more New York photos...
it's just gone 6am here, and I wanted to put some more photos up for you all to see, so I've just been working to get this little lot done for you. Hope you enjoy seeing what we've been seeing.
(and by the way.... we LOVE New York!)
Top of the Rockerfeller Centre...
Empire State at Dusk..
Ghostbusters building..
Grand Central Station
The Chrysler Building..
View from "Top of the Rock"
Our Hotel room..
(and by the way.... we LOVE New York!)
Top of the Rockerfeller Centre...
Empire State at Dusk..
Ghostbusters building..
Grand Central Station
The Chrysler Building..
View from "Top of the Rock"
Our Hotel room..
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