We've done it - the Grand Canyon. We travelled from Sedona to Flagstaff -where we stopped at a Downtown Diner for pancakes and french toast and blueberries with half a gallon of maple syrup- we then took the Old Fort Valley Road, avoiding a busy highway....a great route with beautiful pine forests and snow toped mountain views. When we stopped at Valle we filled up the gas ( see I am talking american already)and got our Grand Canyon Park pass and so at the entry gate to the park we could sail on through pretty quick. I did book our campsite ages ago ( just as well as they are all full) and so we got straight into it ...parked up and in no time armed with shuttle bus maps we got going for the South ... read more

Well what a contrast!!! from quaint old cowboy smalltown Colorado mountain scene to this place. I love the Americans - they are friendly and polite and pretty outgoing in a very nice way .... they reallly do give good service....AND if they havent got it on their doorstep then they invent it and here we have Las Vegas. I am just amazed at the scale and opulence of the hotels - the money which has been spent - the colossal number of rooms available ( 3000 - 6000) in some hotels. And no stinting on landscaping even though we are in the desert. So on The Strip we have New York next to the Pyramids, Paris and Bellagio ( Lake Como) near the Roman Forum of Caesar's Palace - not to mention the canals of Venice ... read more

After a brekki of a short stack of pancakes ( that was actually the smallest portion I could get and it was massive) - we set off to Canyonands Nat Park which is not far from Moab. We entered by the northern entrance - this really is like a wilderness - as far as the eye can see mesas, and canyons for 100 miles and more. The Green River and the Colorado have carved out these canyons and rocky plateaus. Water and gravity have cut into the flat layers of sedimentary rocks forming mesas, buttes, fins arches and spires. The 2 main canyons of these rivers meet and form what is called " Island in the Sky" so you are driving on top of this looking down into the plateaus and canyons...oh and there are a ... read more

Day 2 Yes I am loving Colorado - Pat picked me up and we drove 3 hours through the mountains to where he lives 2 miles up a winding road from the valley at El Jebel. Our nearest town is Carbondale. And at about 6000ft high we have fantastic views from this lovely house. Pat and his wife Velma stayed with me as an Intervac hospitality exchange about 4 years ago - and so now they are returning the swap. The house is beautifully designed with lots of wood and windows- quite becoming for a mountain perch... I am very happy here. They have a car for me to borrow-so I have already driven the SUV yesterday and today I had the big Buick!!!! - so many controls I felt like a pilot. But of course ... read more

While Richard is slaving away at work each day and Catherine has gone off to Sweden for work - I decided a little side trip to the smaller island of Gozo would be just the ticket - so a hasty search on Booking.com came up with a real bargain ...how could £18 a night including brekki be anything but a miracle for me - as you know always looking for value for money on my travels. This time I manged to pack my stuff for 3 days into my little rucsac - I must be getting better at this packing lark!!! and off I went to get the bus to the ferry . A word here about Malta busses - yes they run all over the islands but I have to say the timtetabling is not ... read more