Day 46 of 63 Nights

Impossible to just pull out

Tuscan Desert

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From Tuscan we drove to Phoenix, however, we found it rather disappointing as the RV site was well out of Downtown (as the Americans call it) and when I say out it was miles out, so we only spent one night in the urban sprawl and headed to Palm Springs California.    We had booked three nights in Desert Hot Springs, Palm Springs, which was great, as there were four pools and at least 8 spas all feed by natural hot springs.  The notice by the pools claimed that the mineral water is good for Heart Disease, diabetes, weight loss (had the opposite effect on me), arthritis and insomnia!

We went up in the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway up 10,000 ft up the mountain, the tramway was incredible, it took 81  people (probably the 1 was the driver) and we all had to stand as the floor rotated to ensure we all had 360 degrees view as we took the 10 minute journey up.  We left a flat valley of sandy desert and arrived in a lush green woodland full of trees and wildlife, amazing and 20 degrees cooler which was very welcome as it was over 110 F degrees down below.

Sorry I don’t want to write a boring travel log but I get carried away, must just mention the huge  San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm which consists of 3180 units. Certainly the largest wind farm we have ever seen.

We hit California Pacific coast yesterday and bang into the smog, it looked like there was a really bad bush fire ahead.  This was evident until about mid day when the sun had burnt a lot of it away, but here in Long Beach all my photos show the smog.

Long Beach is incredible, our RV site is in the middle of all the action, there is a massive network of cycle paths around the town, they know what ‘cycle friendly’ means.  Today we got back to the RV after a fabulous day on the Queen Mary, they had a special exhibition of Princess Diana’s gowns.  When we got back there is a film crew outside our gate and after some questioning of the crew found out they are ‘shooting the latest Audi car” so will be out there later when the sun goes down and the actual shoot is going to happen, but to make it even more intriguing, I went into my settings of my ipad to find Wifi and take a look at my screen shot!!

So far we have driven 3500 miles (5630 kms)

Highlights

The ‘slimming’ hot springs

The contrasts of scenery, flat desert to rolling hills to smog polluted oceans.

Arriving in California

The Old Queen Mary

Brian from England, who used to go ballroom dancing in Beckenham

Lowlights

The weight thing!!!!!

Terry getting barbed cactus spikes in his fingers, it took a pair of pliers to remove. A passing local said they use two rocks to pull them out but Terry didn't trust me to use rocks!

Aerial Tram

 Marilyn Munroe in Palm Springs

 Wind Farm in Palm Springs

 Queen Mary

 Long Beach Terry chatting with Mexican Local catching Halibut Fish

 Smog on Long Beach with the BP refinery Island in the background

Is it us they are looking for???????

Day 36 of 63 nights

Farmer Trade Market

Farmer Trade Market

Bonnie and Clyde's Car

Long Horn Cattle

We are now over half way through our trip East to West of USA, we have left Texas, dipped our toes in New Mexico and heading to Tuscan Arizona.  The Trip continues to be amazing and the vastness of the southern desert leaves something to behold.  Up until we arrived in a place called Fredrickburg the landscape has been sans hills, flat flat flat, but then we started climbing a couple of hills and now we are surrounded by hills and mountains, quite beautiful.  This is definitely "cowboy & Indian" land and As we are driving Terry is imagining himself on a horse galloping across the vast prairies avoiding the odd ambush.

Getting back to reality, I must mention the huge signboards that seem to be in abundance leading up to every exit road, advertising: - Fireworks, cowboy boots, hottest food in town, MacDonalds, "tasty exit ahead" (more fast food), advertising churches in town, etc etc. oh and did I say MacDonalds and proud to say we haven't been in one yet.

We have just spent a very pleasant three nights in a Texan town called Fredricksburg, 120 German settlers established it in 1846 and they have now got an amazing albeit touristy town.  It was extremely clean, well maintained with some amazing little country stores.  We even managed to arrive on the weekend of the monthly farmers trade fair, we spent a very interesting day looking around various antique stalls, flea market stalls, craft stalls and food stalls.  Of course, not every man's dream but Terry loved the old Americana antique rummage stalls, those who know him well the well know saying "pig in shit" comes to mind!

The weather is worth a mention as it has been quite different in the varying amounts of heat up to now, up to New Orleans, it was very hot and oppressively humid, with some rain mainly at night, then the last week has been hot with some cloud now soon as we hit New Mexico is it very hot but a dry heat, this is the heat we are used too in Perth, so coping well, although from what we have been told it will be extreme through Tuscan and Phoenix reaching 45 degrees not so good.

 Just a quick breakdown now as I can hear y'all yawning.

Highlights since last Blog

Texas
The river walk in San Antonio
Texan rib eye steak
Fredricksburg
The classic car museum next door to RV site
Great people especially Rick and Sandie very helpful
Scenery

Lowlights
A couple of the RV sites - a bit run down only stayed one night

Some people might be interested in the fuel prices, we are paying between $3.17 -$3.59 per gallon which is roughly $.73-$.80c per litre.( RV only does 7 miles to the gallon, go figure!!)

Yee haw I am off now folks.

 San Antonia River Walk

Day 29 of 63

NASA Space Centre - Houston

I will call this Blog TEXAS, because TEXAS deserves a complete blog to itself, as they say in Texas if its not big go home!!! 

We have travelled from New Orleans into Texas,  we have stayed in Houston for three nights and spent a day at NASA space centre, which was pretty amazing and definitely educational. Then we went through Galveston to Jamaica Beach, RV site, which unfortunately was inundated with loads of kids as it was a weekend, so we only stayed one night, now we are in Corpus Christi.  This has been a good location as we can cycle to the local marina and beach, which has been a bonus, but pretty eye opening.  Our site, although very nice, is situation between a crematory and a very run down area.

Getting back to everything being BIG in Texas, this includes: the roads, the bridges, the skies, the people, the steaks, the shopping malls (everywhere), the hospitals, the RVs and did I mention the people?

Highlights

Love Texas, great place

Texan steak, best I have ever tasted

Great RV parks

People

Low Lights

Some of the poor run down areas

Still having a great time, got to be careful as we are beginning to slow down the way the talk with a bit of drawl!!! So bye for now y'all until the next blog.

 Big Bridges oh and me being pushed over by a Buffalo

 Houston skyline

 Terry cycling along Corpus Christi boardwalk

 Selling Gull Shrimp off the boat

 Our neighbours

 Just so you know they can

 Thrusters I am told!

Someone lives here, I took this whilst cycling by didn't want to stop!

Day 18 of 63

 

We have arrived in New Orleans where it’s motto is “Laisseez Les Bons Temps Rouler” or as others may say it, Let the Good Times Roll!

…. And roll they do.

It is interesting arriving in New Orleans during its revival although Hurricane Katrina was in August of 2005, so nearly 8 years down the track there are still derelict and battered homes that are boarded up waiting for demolition there are houses in the process of being renovated.  Interestingly most of the homes that where literally blown or swept away in the Ninth Ward were experiencing winds of 250 mph but the water level reached 20 feet before is settled down to 13 feet, but the controversial situation is that the homes are being rebuilt in exactly the same place which is already 12 feet below sea level, there is an absolute certainly that these homes will flood again.  Those people who were insured have had to build their homes on very high stilts, so high that lifts are often installed at the front of the house.

The main tourist part of New Orleans, the French Quarter which was built in 1734 and was built on higher ground and only had kerb high flooding, which we experienced yesterday, one minute the sun was shining and next the rain fell down and got heavier and heavier, to make matters worse there are drains from the roof  tops that pour straight into the street.  It lasted about 30 minutes then the sun came out and dried the streets.  Unfortunately, we got caught out and had left the sky light windows open in the RV and came back to bed full of water, luckily there are launderettes on site.

Unless an outsider knew about the disaster that happened here 7 years ago there is no clue in the atmosphere and the local people as the streets are full of music and laughter.  Every street you turn into there is live music, music from the bars, cafes, restaurants, street corners and in the market places.  Everywhere there is a band, usually a piano, banjo, drums, bass guitar and often clarinet, double bass, washboards and many more instruments.  It is wonderful listening to music from Dixieland jazz, trad jazz, blues and in Boubon Street funky music, we love it.

We have done the touristy tours, including a two hour ghost walk through The French Quarter, not at all scary, a three hour coach tour with a driver who was directly affected by Katrina, so very interesting getting a first hand commentary, then yesterday we went on a paddle steamer up the Mississippi.  This evening, our last day before we go to Texas, we are going to an Oyster Festival on the Mississippi foreshore; someone has got to do it!

Highlights

New Orleans, New Orleans

People of New Orleans

Lows

Wet bed!

The humidity is draining

Typical Menu

One of many unique Cafes, we eat off plastic plates with plastic cutlery, Louisiana has not heard of recycling!

One of thousands of homes waiting for demolition

After the flood, every house was checked for bodies and this sign left on the front of the house, date checked and number of bodies found or not. People are now repainting the originals on their renovated homes as reminders.

In the market, taking requests

and it rained!!!!!!