VANCOUVER BRITISH COLUMBIA - A VIBRANT METROPOLIS WITH A MULTICULTURAL POPULATION OF 2 MILL PLUS, 3RD LARGEST IN CANADA AFTER TORONTO AND MONTREAL. IT IS SURROUNDED BY TOWERING MOUNTAINS AND CRADLED IN AMONGST BOTH A BEAUTIFUL AND WORKING, AND IN SOME PARTS QUITE INDUSTRIAL, HARBOUR. THE HARBOUR RIDES AND GLIMPSES SOAKED US IN, FELT A BIT LIKE HOME. VAN IS THE GATEWAY TO THE INSIDE PASSAGE UP TO ALASKA, WHICH WE WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO ENJOY THE JOURNEY TO, (BUT WILL COVER IN A SEPARATE BLOG) THE BIG CRUISE TERMINAL, RIGHT IN THE CENTRE OF DOWNTOWN IS BUILT TO RESEMBLE A [View Full Entry]

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AMERICAN AIRLINES LANDED US ON THE WEST COAST. WE THEN HEADED TO OUR FAVOURITE RENTAL CAR COMPANY, DID THE DEEDS AND THEN BEGAN TO MOTOR SOUTH EAST TO BAKERSFIELD, TO OUR DEAR REVY AND THE CHEVY. THIS LITTLE TRIP, WE GOT QUITE BRAVE AND DID MINUS OUR LITTLE BARB (GPS) AS WE FELT WE NOW KNOW THIS SIDE FROM LAST YEARS TRIPPING AROUND AND IT WAS TUCKED IN THE RV WAITING FOR US. ARRIVED IN BAKERSFIELD AND HEADED STRAIGHT TO THE STORAGE TO SEE HOW OUR USA HOME AND TRUCK HAD SURVIVED 7 MONTHS IN THE CALIFORNIAN SUN. ALL LOOKED PRETTY [View Full Entry]

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Dear All, we will try the photos downsized. Love to all [View Full Entry]

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BLOG NO 2 USA 2008 CROSSING THE ATLANTIC, - ARRIVAL JFK USA WOA !!!! THE CONTRAST !!! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LOVELY SLOW PACE, ROLLING COUNTRYSIDE AND THE WONDERFUL LACONIC HUMOUR OF THE BRITS??? -- WE NEEDED TO ADJUST REAL QUICK!! -WELL AT LEAST UNTIL WE HIT OUR NEXT DESTINATION. MADE OUR WAY WITH ALL OUR “EXPANDABLE” LUGGAGE, (I’M SURE IT’S GROWN SINCE WE LEFT HOME ?------ BUT WE ONLY BOUGHT 10 PAIRS OF M&S UNDIES FOR OUR E?!) INTO THE SKY RAIL FOR A QUICK ACROSS AIRPORT TRIP, TO THE VAST SELECTON OF RENTAL CAR OFFERS. AFTER SOME PRICE COMPARISON [View Full Entry]

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TRAVEL BLOG NO 1 ON OUR JOURNEY’S AGAIN 4TH JUNE 2008 ----- SCHEDULED 21.55PM QANTAS DEPARTURE FROM SYDNEY ------ “SORRY FAULTY ENGINE, EVERYBODY OFF”, ALL THAT = NIGHT AT HILTON (ON QANTAS, OF COURSE) AND THEN A NICE LITTLE UPGRADE TO BUSINESS CLASS ALL THE WAY TO LONDON !!!!!! YAHOOOOOOO !!!! HOW LUCKY CAN ONE GET??????? TEN ON BOARD, ------WHAT CAN ONE DO BUT PUT ON YOUR LITTLE PETER MORRISSEY PJ’S, GRAB A GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE AND DRINK A TOAST TO THE MASCOT MAINTENANCE ENGINEERS AND CURFEWS, ------ AND THAT WE DID !!!!!!! (WE ONLY DEPARTED 20 HOURS LAT [View Full Entry]

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Gidday to you all, just to let you know we're heading out again. --------We have a super trip in plan, with the highlights being ------- 3 days Amsterdam, then a month in the UK,including Glasgow, visiting family,friends and attending a wedding in Cambridge. We then cross the Atlantic in time for the 4th of July celebrations and a fun week in The Big Apple (and a quick little look at Tiffany's!!) and a whistle stop into Pennsylvania and the Amish country to look at the quilts, a helicopter day trip to Niagara Falls and then over to Frisco and to pick [View Full Entry]

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CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME AND UP INTO THE ALTITUDE WITH SOME ATTITUDE As we started to climb, amongst the smog, so heavy from the recent fires through the agricultural plains we started to twist and turn with glimpses of yet another severely depleted lake with house boats - the water born version of the road RV - bobbing in a tight group due to lack of water. This lake as others we have passed is suffering from 3 plus years of drought in California and is also awaiting the snowmelt that will be 6 months away in the spring thaw from [View Full Entry]

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DEEP INTO THE DESERT AND DEATH VALLEY Driving out of LA felt OK. Back to nature for us! Tecopa had Hot Springs in the middle of the Desert of California, with summer temps of 120 degrees F. We stayed for 2 nights to re-group after LV and see if we got a knock on our door for Halloween but alas even though we put the Pumpkin outside with a candle in it, but there were not many young people in this mining ghost town, so we ate the chocolate treats ourselves. Visited a date farm in the desert on Ronald’s (house [View Full Entry]

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VIVA LAS VEGAS, VIVA LAS VEGAS Eventually we pop through the desert ridge line and see below us the smog filled desert valley that cradles Las Vegas - do we or don’t we? - we had booked the camp ground and organised to meet Trace and Marc who will fly in from Santa Fe for the weekend, so it is connect up ‘Barb’ the GPS and lock in KOA campground Circus Circus and venture forth. Can you imagine a giant asphalt RV park with occasional trees and some grass, in the middle of a city and attached to the casino of [View Full Entry]

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HOODOOS ,CONDORS AND ANGELS ARE LANDING As we travelled out of Capitol Reef area we needed to resupply the food and wine cupboard - food was easily found, but being in Mormon Utah country meant wine was a bit harder to find - eventually, in the back section of a mountain outfitters clothing and gun shop we surprisingly found the State liquor store - no taxes and Australian/New Zealand wine, yeeha !!! The scenic road ahead climbed and climbed and eventually at 9000 feet what we thought was snow revealed itself as fields of trees without leaves having completed their fall [View Full Entry]

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