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Published: July 31st 2008
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Hi Guys.....sorry I haven't posted anthing for a while but wi-fi has been a bit scarce in these parts. You will be happy to know that I am fine and dandy and writing this whilst sitting on a beach in Mexico.....life is hard!!!!
But first let me update you......
Leaving Canada and re-entering into the USA was relatively easy...the border guards were frosty especially when they saw the floor compartments of the truck and immediately assumed we were smuggling something. Luckily enough they calmed down and we were on our way in a matter of minutes rather than hours.
Our first stop was Hells Canyon....the canyon is supposed to be bigger and better than the Grand Canyon.....i'm not quite convinced myself.....It was all green and not what I expected......we camped at the bottom of the canyon...after being in the cold it was great to be in the heat......it wasn't long before we were all complaining that it was toooo hot! Damn British there is no pleasing them! We were all a bit crispy the next day!
There was loads to see and do in Yellowstone National Park and not all of it hiking related. I did do a 12 mile walk
one day, which may explain why my trousers are now 2 sizes to big for me! The park is full of sulphur pools and geysers all brightly coloured and smelly!!!! We also saw bears, buffalo, deer, elk and snakes. It was Jackies Birthday so we had cake and marshmallows too! The campsites have been good, although it has been a trek to the showers sometimes. The truck started smoking on the way to Yellowstone...all the blokes stood around the truck pretending they knew what to do!!!!
In America choice is everything...you go into a cafe and there are 30 different coffee's to choose from. A sandwich can entail making over forty choices from the type of bread, whether you want it toasted, the type of cheese to which dressing you want on it.....you can almost feel yourself aging! It was light when I went in and dark when I left!!!! These places also tend to employ the person who only speaks 2 english words...hello and goodbye......everything entails me repeating myself gestating wildly in the process.
On the way to Salt Lake City we visit Jackson Hole. It's a wild west town with saloons and inns.....they have a pretend shootem up
at 6:15pm everyday and a stagecoach. They also have a Million Dollar Bar where the seats are made of saddles....such a cool place. The drive to Salt Lake is very green and lush. All along the road are ranches and stables. Small towns have names like Montpellier and Paris which have no resemblance to the real article.
I have decided that the worst thing about travelling by truck is not having any control of where we stop....seeing a place which looks interesting as it speeds past the window!!!!
Salt Lake City appeared on first glances to be a dive.....however I was pleasantly surprised. The city has quite a positive vibe. The city is primarily run by Mormon's. The centre is taken up by Temple Square, a complex of religous buildings. We took the free tour, led around by 2 young girls...referred to as sisters. Apparently there are 100 such 'sisters' who obviously do all the work whilst the men sit on their arse! In fact the whole experience was a bit freeky.....they were too nice....cultish.....robots.....it made you think that behind closed doors all sorts of things went on....repeated beatings, brainwashing. Anyway a religon that doesn't believe in alcohol or cigarettes
Will
In true hippy style amongst the flowers and promotes multiple marriage partners and has a leader call John Smith has got to be a little screwy!!!!
After a quick exit we made our way to a coffee house to recover....it was only after a bottle of Vodka and 100 fags did I feel like I was able to continue! The therapy was complete after a shopping expedition.
The best thing about city life is when the weather is hot and sunny and you can sit in a sidewalk cafe and eat and drink all afternoon. Linda and I did this in Salt Lake, later I went to an arts festival where they had live music, food and arts and crafts stalls.....what a great ending to the day.....Salt Lake City rocks!!!!
On the way to Bryce Canyon we bush camped, for those who have not stayed in anything less than a 3 star hotel, this means rocking up in the middle of nowhere and camping for the night.....no toilet....no showers. One word of warning don't drink lemon and lime Gatorade before going to bed.....it gives you hallucinations badly, it must be the energy ingrediants......I dreamt I was being attacked by mad axe murderer, that a rattlesnake was sleeping
in the porch of my tent, that wolves were circling my tent and that Ricksy was coming to stay with me and he was gay!!!! It sure made for an interesting night.....but not in a good way!
Bryce Canyon turned out to be amazing....I would even go as far as to say better than the Grnd Canyon. The place is full of hoodoos or pinacles and it is all different colours. In the afternoon we had a thunderstorm with forked lightening above the canyon! All around the park are little chipmunks. One in particular was doing a mission impossible trying to get into the general store to nick some candy....everytime he would get in the store the owner would chase him away......he was persistant!!!!
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