Cadel and the Blues We ended up not getting to the blues bars we wanted. They had jazz on the nights we were there and couldn't justify the long trip late at night on the train just for jazz.
Thank you for reminding me of my favourite beer in Houston. I didn't realise Shiner Bock, made funnily enough in Shiner between Houston and San Antonio, was available outside of Texas.
Cadel and the blues But did you get to the blues bars in the end? Also, what on earth does "Shank's Pony" mean? Where we come from that's called 'taking the foot Falcon'.
And - we saw Cadel on his way to win Le Tour!
Sorry we missed you Hope to see you on your way back to San Francisco. We are presently in the Virginia Beach area and will head on Saturday to Northern Virginia for a week to finalize my daughter's wedding plans.
By the way, we are also Louis L'Amour fans and have most of his books (the rest we sent to our neighbor who was the U.S. Consul General in Wuhan, China to donate to a library). Our son is named Tyrell after one of the Sackett brothers. You will want to visit where he planned to build a western village near Durango on your way to Mesa Verde National Park. I would also recommend books written by James Doss...in the southwestern Indian detective genre like Tony Hillerman.
Hi Dave and Pat, Not sure if you've had time to read our last blog but you are in it. I'm so happy you are touring cross country. I hate it when people come and only see California and NYC. You really have not seen America until you've been to some of our small towns
Greetings Dave and Pat Loved your roadside Cafe....we do that all the time when we are road tripping. Another excellent blog and adventure. We like Glacier the best. So jealous that you got to see Willie and Lyle. We saw Lyle about two months ago in an acoustic performance with John Hiatt. Willie is heading this way soon so maybe we can get tickets. I've seen him 4 or 5 times. Wish you had a bit more time in some of the places you've seen but so glad you are seeing all that you are seeing. I am looking forward to hearing your impressions of the Rocky Mountains and Colorado. Glad the tent is working well. We Americans do love to look at the wildlife from the car even if we've seen them 42 times in the past hour. Happy travels
Have fun in the Top End Hello Donna and Peter. Great to hear from you, and that your trip is so close. It will be hot and increasingly humid in the Top End and down through the Kimberleys and Pilbara. You probably wont have any cooling at night in the van. An electric fan is often enough to keep cool but, coming from the cool in Wales, it may not be enough. If it is too hot inside you might consider picking up a Mozzie Dome. Just mesh with a floor but with the fan it would be a lot cooler than inside the vehicle. Just dont camp too close to creeks.
Have a lot of fun.
Australia here we come!!! Hi Just 2 weeks 2 days to our flight, initially to San Francisco then on to Aus. Really looking forward to it. Reading your blog we can see that if we had been in 'sisco' sooner we may have bumped into you. Just like it happens when you don't have any plan to meet up with someone, and hey ho there they are, sitting in a bar, or just walking down the street towards you. Well maybe another time.
We have spent some considerable time - well Peter has - planning the places we want to see and a rough route when we pick up the campervan in Darwin. We considered the Cobourg Penninsular long and hard, realising it would take several days to warrant the fee. But when we were in touch with the campervan hire company it was one of the area's we were not permitted to take the van. So decision was made easy.
Something we need to just check out, whether the temperatures drop much at night or whether we are going to be 'melting', as the bed is high up under the roof!!
We enjoy reading your blog and are amazed at the amount of facts and information you gather along the way. Glad you have survived the bear's, they are obviously not as hungary as the Norwegian ones !!!!!!!!!!! All the best Donna & Peter
New light over old grounds Dave here.....enjoyed your blog as it brought back great memories for myself and MJ. Glad to hear all is well and you are pressing on across this great country. Enjoy the sights and the great people you will meet on this path. What you will experience on this leg of your journey are in all rights the "real Americans." Honest, honorable and well-intentioned folk, who best represent our nation the same as many in all countries do.... the "real" people. See you in November!!
See the real Washington. Take the Mountain Loop highway through Darington to Rt. 20 instead of interstate 90 over the Cascades. If it's clear, take a hike up Mt. Pilchuck. Go east on Rt. 20 at Rockport. Once you get to Pateros, go ride a boat on Lake Chelan or head east to the Grand Coulee Dam. Follow Rt. 2 from Wilbur to Spokane and back on to the interstate. By all means make sure you have plenty of picture storage before starting this trip into the Evergreen Outback. You won't be disappointed. Cheers.
Thanks Bob Appreciate all of the tips. Went to Banff and Jasper a couple of years ago and agree with you completely. May be back in your part of the country later in the year, early Nov possibly. Hope we can catch up.
Wind Blown Trees Hi Dave and Merry Jo. We are now in Billings MT. Glacier was magnificent. Trying to get a post up on north Washington and Glacier now. But off to Yellowstone this morning so maybe a couple of days.
Love the wind blown trees. Nice looking tent. Sounds like your plans keep changing and altering....nothing wrong with that. We spent a very nice weekend in Depoe Bay a few years ago. It was winter and there was a kick ass thunderstorm. The sea was raging. Glad you are getting in some hiking. You will love Glacier National Park. That is one of our favorites.
Where next? I figured you would rent a car and buy a tent as that is what you did in Europe, although the States is less expensive. Thanks for helping our economy, by the way.
You didn't miss much at the Muir redwood forest since you saw other redwoods further north. That may be a rule you should follow...only visit the better of two similar destinations. That's what I usually do.
You seemed indecisive as to which way to would proceed east. By now you have probably picked which route you will head east from Seattle. The northern Cascades are beautiful, but this might mean that you would miss Vancouver, Victoria, Jasper and Banff, which I certainly hope you do not do. If you cross the northern Cascsdes don't proceed any fruther east until you have looped back and, in the end after Banff, you will reach Glacier National Park I hope you have nice weather...winter sets in in mid-October in the higher latitudes and higher elevations. As you are over 62 you can by a pass for $10 that grants access to all National Parks and Forests for the rest of your life. Campgrounds in the National Parks are about $25 per night, and they often have showers, usually in the same building as the general store and laundromat.
Any easward trip will require you to cross the Great Plains, and the less the plains the better. You can minimize the plains by heading southeast along the Rocky Mountians which will take you to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons and then further south to Salt Lake CIty, perhaps taking Dinosaur National Park, and Moab, Utah where you can see Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.
You could go further south, but as you have to return to San Franciso, you should leave for the return trip the more southerly parks such as Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, Monument Valley, and the Grand Canyon (north rim if you get there before it is closed, other wise the south rim) although going to the south rim makes a more lengthy drive to get to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks before arriving in Las Vegas. As you have already doe LA, from Las Vegas drive to the east entrance of Yosemite National Park before returning to San Francisco.
Go east from Moab on I-70 and then a detour to Rocky Mountain National Park, although if you have seen Jasper and Banff, you can skip this park. Instead, if you are in the area after September 1 you can swing south on US24 at Avon/Vail and end up at our place in Woodland Park, CO for lunch or dinner. Let me know.
After this you have the Great Plains. We are driving back east to visit family and friends between 13 and 31 August and dread the long boring drive. This time we are avoiding I-70 and taking US 50 to Wichita then south through OK and on I-40 through Arkansas to Memphis, where the plains end. We are hoping that changing routes will end our boredom, and we might see some authentic America in the process. Good luck on which route you take, and enjoy our great country.
Our travels over the years have often sought out those places that we haven't yet experienced. We have loved chasing new places, but there is a change underway. We continue to enjoy experiencing other cultures along with their food, beverages, history and ways of life but now, having a little more freedom, we will also make more effort to seek out out such things as music events and festivals, particular natural attractions that we have missed and places where we can better appreciate the history of a place and its people.
The attraction of the road less travelled and the place less visit... full info
Slowfeet
Slowfeet
Cadel and the Blues
We ended up not getting to the blues bars we wanted. They had jazz on the nights we were there and couldn't justify the long trip late at night on the train just for jazz.