throb131

Newark, NJ. I was chasing the weather to get into New York, or more precisely, to just South West of it by a few miles at Newark International Airport. I opted for the significantly cheaper Hampton Inn, right next door to the Hilton where my Trek America tour would kick off. As chance would have it, or sheer lucky stupidity might be another way to look at it, I had my days mixed up and arrived 24 hours early. Lucky because I would have been right in the middle of Hurricaine Irene had I arrived on time. Stupid because er well… it is what it is. Perhaps all the talk of Hurricaine Irene made me focus on its predicted arrival on Friday that I associated my arrival and the tour date as one and the same. ... read more

Had a quiet weekend spending time with my good friend Jenny and her family, seeing a bit of the town and watching some school football, NFL that is. Jenny's son was on the team and it was my introduction to the game in the USA. We took a drive on the Tuesday, and came across a local honey harvester and manufacturer. Jenny, clever beaver she is, suggested i try to do a short documentary about it, and the owners and workers there were wonderful, only too happy to oblige. They showed us the entire process. From bee to hive, to collection and refinement to the final product. They don't do just honey either. They have products from beeswax moisturisers, to chewing honey, and honey butters, cheeses and ice creams. It's a cosy place, the honey is ... read more

Enjoying the flight time was the hardest thing! 22 hours with transfers, then running around organising banking and car rental with 60KG of bags to carry. I arrived off the plane in Chicago at 6:20pm but did not leave in the car until 9:30pm. It was hot, humid, and i am sure i was wreaking odour. I was extremely exhausted by the time i finally arrived at the hotel in Naperville after 10pm. The airport bus and shuttle drivers were excellent. They would help with all your luggage and seemed very happy to do so. I got underway, but trying to tell yourself to drive on the right side of the road, and i do mean the right side, not the left, was just not working. Some idiot was up the wrong side of the road ... read more