We started today the 4th of July with a barbeque at my Brother Dwight’s house in Hayward, CA. Dwight really was into the spirit with bunting and patriotic music and awesome barbeque. Then just us guys went to crawl through every inch of the USS Hornet a retired Aircraft Carrier now setup as a museum at the decommissioned Alameda Naval Air Station. We spent hours and hours going through every bit of the ship they had available for us to see which was quite a lot. When it got dark we saw some of the fireworks around the Bay Area through [View Full Entry]

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Today we took a ride to Yosemite National Park, there was one really interesting moment when James was riding in front of me and a deer ran out in front of him and up a hillside. He was pointing to it for me to see and I was pointing at the second deer that was right in front of his bike! Luckily it kept going following the first deer up the hillside and we all survived for another day. After returning to my brothers we met up with more family stopping by to say hi, and I got to see my [View Full Entry]

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We have a great day planned, we are headed back to the coast to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. My brother Claude, Jody and Sammy are going with us and I think Sammy is really gonna like all the fish. I will let the pictures tell the story from here on out. Jack. [View Full Entry]

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No, I don't really hate USA, just all those tee shirts that say "I love USA" or "I love NYC." Anyway, it's been ages since the last update and this isn't going to be much of an update either. Just to say that I'm now in the USA and about to finish a 16,000km (10,000ml) trip by train and bus then returning to UK this weekend. I'll catch up with all the stories of the NZ/USA parts of the trip once I'm back, plus add lots of pics. All for now as I have to get the train from Seattle to [View Full Entry]

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We left Solvang today heading up Pacific Coast Highway, the weather was perfect and the traffic light. Just before we got to Cambria we passed a sign that said the highway was closed but we were able to continue to we did. We passed 3 or 4 more signs that said the highway was closed and again we were not impeded so we continued. 50 miles beyond Cambria we came upon a highway patrol blockade and were told the highway was closed from this point on because of fires. We had to backtrack the 50 miles to Cambria then take a [View Full Entry]

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The weather has cooperated nicely with getting me ready for Kolkata. Low 90s and scattered thunderstorms are rare conditions for Seattle, but the combination is apparently a two-month long phenomenon in West Bengal. Working on my fake Irish accent in case I encounter any anti-American sentiment. Or maybe I should just go for Canadian, eh? Even though aami bangla jaani na, I have been practicing a few phrases. Aamar sastar hotel chai. Khudan hafiz, Seattle! I will miss you. [View Full Entry]

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We had a very relaxing day today, hanging out in this picturesque city of Solvang. We went back out to the Cold Spring Tavern to get some pics in the daytime, and walked through Solvang capturing some of the interesting architecture. We also got to visit a motorcycle museum and had it to ourselves since it is by appointment only during weekdays. All in all a great layover, and we are back on the road in the morning on our way to the San Francisco Bay Area via Pacific Coast Highway. Good night all, Jack. [View Full Entry]

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We started our ride at 6:00 AM today and it was already 89 degrees in Laughlin! It was a long hot ride to Solvang until we hit highway 101 on the coast and fog. I had to stop and put on my leather jacket, what a transition. We met up with David and Joanna White and went out to dinner at a secluded dinner house that used to be a stage coach stop over 100 years ago. The establishment is called Cold Spring Tavern, the steak was good and the atmosphere was cool. Jack. [View Full Entry]

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Today we left Phoenix early and it was 86 degrees already and kept getting hotter! We rode up to Flagstaff then switched over to the Historic highway 66 and rode it all the way to Kingman, NV. It was surrealistic riding the 2 lane blacktop through the middle of nowhere. By about 11:00 AM I think both our brains were addled by the heat, and by the time we made it to Laughlin I was riding in circles. Jack. [View Full Entry]

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--About one month and counting down-- Still in Seattle, USA. Counting down the days until my first trip to Europe. One month and counting. This blog will be updated constantly to share my European travel experiences with friends and family. Please comment when you can. All comments will be appreciated! [View Full Entry]

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