Michael Fleming and Monique Gignac

13000kilometres

Michael Fleming and Monique Gignac

One month, one truck, 13000 kilometres. Let the fun begin!



North America May 1st 2012

Here we are, safely back at home. If I've taken a few days to write this post, it is because I was dreading writing the end of this wonderful journey. But I am trying to adopt Mike's philosophy, which is to say that if it seems to go by so fast, it means that we can get back there in no time. I still can't believe that we were gone for one whole month. It seems surreal, like that month just disappeared into thin air, as if the wonderful memories we created were but a dream. I'm sure reality will hit when I look at my bank account tomorrow morning. Ha! Ha! There are not many pictures from the last days of our road trip, mostly because the scenery much resembled what we see at home, ... read more
Scenery in Virginia - 1
Scenery in Virginia - 2
Scenery in Virginia - 3

North America April 27th 2012

Good morning! On Wednesday, we drove from Birmingham, Alabama, to Johnson City, Tennessee. I was feeling a little sad that we were trying to make it back home as fast as possible, when there were still so many neat things and places to discover in Alabama. So after about an hour of driving on the interstate, we decided to take another highway that paralleled it. What a difference that makes! You get to drive through little towns, see how people live and stop for lunch at local restaurants where, if you’re lucky like we were on Wednesday, you may very well have one of the best meals you’ve had in your life! We stopped at one little convenience store because I had seen a sign for boiled peanuts, one of my favourite snacks. Did you know ... read more
Diet Grapico
Scenery - rural route
I saw the sign...

North America April 25th 2012

Hello! On Tuesday, we spent the morning and early afternoon in New Orleans. That meant driving into the French Quarter, finding parking (!), and then hanging out at the market. First, we hit the flea market, then had lunch at the Gazebo café, and desert at the Café du Monde. That’s really all we had time for as we had made a hotel reservation in Birmingham, Alabama, for that night. Making reservations ahead of time like that is a good thing for us, as it keeps us on track. Check out our pictures for some more Roadtrip trivia! One thing Mike and I have been remarking on is that we essentially feel like we are “almost home”, even though we still have close to three thousand kilometers to drive by this Saturday. I think this is ... read more
Daiquiries everywhere!
Mmm, beignets!
French market - gator stuff

North America April 25th 2012

Hi! On Monday, we drove through Louisiana and made our way to the Big Easy (New Orleans) for the night. Being in Louisiana is always emotional for me as it is where Mike brought me for our honeymoon and I feel an undeniable connection to my Cajun cousins out there. Our route had us going through Lafayette, Bâton Rouge and New Orleans, with a pit stop in Breaux Bridge where we spent most of our honeymoon. It was nice to drive through the different bayous and see familiar sights. I was determined to eat some crawfish while I was there, so we stopped in a little town for lunch and found a seafood restaurant. In Louisiana, eating crawfish is about the same as eating fried clams at home. During the season, they are everywhere, they are ... read more
Rivers and bayous - 2
Rivers and bayous - 3
Daiquiri Shoppe

North America April 23rd 2012

Hi, Y’all! Every time Mike and I go on a roadtrip, one thing sticks out as most memorable. I would be very surprised if anything in the coming week manages to surpass the impression that Austin, Tx has made on us. If it weren’t for the insanely hot weather in the summer, we may very well be looking for jobs there. Sure, the fact that we had made reservations to see three shows in three days may have something to do with it. But Austin is the live music capital of the world, so I can only imagine that it is this awesome all the time. We arrived on Friday in time for the Johnny Cash tribute concert. Wow! The various artists present at the event did not disappoint. I even cried a little when Chris ... read more
Green again!
Traffic going into Austin
First impressions of Austin - 1

North America April 21st 2012

Hello! On Thursday, our highlight of the day was definitely the White Sands National Monument, in Alamoguordo, New Mexico. In the middle of the desert lies a bright white gypsum deposit that gets blown into gorgeous sand dunes. I had never seen “sand” so soft and white in all my life. It was the consistency of salt that has been ground with a grinder, almost more powder than sand. We spent a good hour driving around the park and taking pictures, amazed by the complete silence that surrounded us. It could have been eerie, but I was in good company. When the sun was out, the sand was so bright that it hurt your eyes, hence the squinting looks we gave the camera as we tried to capture the height of the dunes behind us. Some ... read more
New Mexican architecture - university building?
Scenery 1
Scenery 2

North America April 20th 2012

On Wednesday, we drove from Casa Grande, Arizona, to Las Cruces, New Mexico. We were planning on driving straight to Silver City, NM, to see the Gila Cliff Dwellings (check it out online, very neat!). But then we saw a sign for Tombstone, AZ., and we knew we had to go. This meant a half hour drive there and back, plus the time spent in the town itself, but it was worth it. Tombstone is the location of the famous gun fight at the O.K. Corral, where Wyatt Earp was sheriff. Of course, it has been commercialized a little, but the original architecture and landmarks are still there, including the spot where we had lunch: Big Nose Kate’s Saloon. We went up to see Boot Hill, but the area was fenced in and we figured you ... read more
Tombstone 4
Pecan stand
Odometer

North America April 19th 2012

On Tuesday, after going back to our hotel to take a much needed nap, we left Las Vegas to head south. We had to do a little backtracking through Lake Mead to eventually make it to our destination. I'd love to tell you where that was, but I'm in a bit of a cold medicine induced daze. Mike doesn't remember either. Oh wait, he just told me we were in Casa Grande, Arizona. Anyway, we left Vegas and were in lush, green scenery for a few hours. Then, we went up a hill, and as we came down the other side, the landscape had changed. All the difference a mountain range can make! Again, we were in cowboy country, with sandy soil and bushes. We were amongst the mountains again, each one looking like it was ... read more
Scenery 1
Scenery 2
Wild West

North America April 18th 2012

Hello! First, let me start off by wishing a belated happy birthday to my friend Janice. I realized as I was tucking away the computer in the truck that I had not mentioned her birthday on our blog, so I called her at once and she was "fortunate" enough to be sung the happy birthday song by yours truly. Bonne fête, ma belle! On Monday, we did some backtracking in order to bring back our rental vehicle to Las Vegas. We took it easy, stopped at a country store to buy local pistachios, enjoyed the scenery, the vineyards and the orchards. Then, we stopped at an In-N-Out Burger for supper, a "must" for Mike as he enjoyed this place when he was last in California. The menu is simple: burgers, fries and drinks. No chicken, no ... read more
Scenery 2
Fremont street, Las Vegas
Long bridge

North America April 16th 2012

Hello, everyone! Well, we spent our last few days with mom and dad in San Francisco, and what a blast we had! I would like to say that we did it all, but some things will have to wait until our next visit. :) We started off Saturday with a stop in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. I had not realized the significance of this bridge for dad until I noticed how excited he was to see it. To me, it's just another big bridge. Mike and I have driven over many big bridges in our adventures. But dad explained that he learned about the GGB when he was in school, and always dreamed of seeing it in person. So this was a dream come true for him. The pictures show his excitement well, I ... read more
Driving on GGB 1
Driving on GGB 2
Driving on GGB 3




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