maybe we should be heading over to the east coast after all....
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-27210992
makes a change from fireworks
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-27210992
makes a change from fireworks
Tuesday, 29 April 2014
Sunday, 27 April 2014
Civilisation
Is good cheese, and after 6 months of American crap, Canada has come good. The US make a huge deal about names and choices - swiss, Monterey jack, muenster and my least favourite, american processed. All of them tasteless and indistinguishable. Local mennonite farmers market in waterloo has cheddar. 5 year, 7 year and 10 year, and all of them are good. And a nice brie as a nod to the French influence...
They also have local lamb, and diced goat for curry.....
Thursday, 24 April 2014
Book now for autumn
So having just arrived in Canada, we're already planning to leave for a visit back home. We will be flying back into London on October 30th, returning to Vancouver on December 1st. All offers of accomodation, visitation and beer gratefully received....
Friday, 18 April 2014
USA Round 1 - Done
So we got out 2 days before our visit allowance was up, not that the US authorities know that as there are no controls on leaving the US at the Detroit Ambassador bridge, but we do have Canadian date stamps in our passports so can look forward to that discussion when we try and get back in, probably in Alaska...
Overall this visit went pretty much as planned, given the 6 month limitation. We aimed to see the south and covered off all the things on the todo list - Vegas, Death Valley, Mardi Gras and the Florida Keys - at a fairly relaxed pace.
Sights - highlights have to be the Grand Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns, Hoover Dam and the air museums (we ended up spending 3 1/2 days at the air force museum in Dayton on the way up to Canada). The California and Arizona deserts were stunning and if we were local snowbirds we would choose that over florida every time. Texas was big and boring, and most of the south east is swamp. Galveston and Key West had some character, and Miami Beach architecture was cool. And the industrial/scientific sites were a bonus - mirror lab, observatories, and visited the Ford Rouge factory that produces the F-150 pick up truck to see the production line.
Food - we've had some good BBQ and burgers, but generally nothing that memorable in restaurants. I'm glad I tried all the cajun and creole cooking in Louisiana - we bought a load of the cajun spice to use with chicken and tilapia ourselves, but otherwise I wouldn't make them my first choice off the menu.
We have, however, had some really good USDA prime, grain-fed ribeye steaks on the charcoal BBQ, had some nice Ahi tuna steaks while we were over near the west coast, and mahi mahi around the gulf. And developed a taste for sourdough bread thanks to the starter we were given by Pris and Bill in Palm Desert
Badger- the more time we've spent in Badger, the happier we are that he was absolutely the right choice for us. Even in the south the evenings have been cold so, as expected, we have been cooking and eating inside more than we did with Tigger in Oz, and the two sofas are comfortable for watching movies. We've worked out that if we set the cruise control for about 60mph and just roll along the interstate we can get almost 9/12 miles to the US gallon, so that puts fuel cost per mile at about the same as in Oz. Badger is showing his age in a few minor ways - loose electrical connections, a couple of seals that need scraping out and redoing, but fingers crossed nothing major...
Driving - Interstates are the easiest way to move Badger around, and we've done almost 7000 miles in him, plus about another 9000 in Toad. All the dealers told us a diesel rear engine bus with independent front suspension and air bags was the best ride, and given the state of the roads here I hate to think what the alternative would be like. In Arizona we commented that they must have wanted to keep that authentic wild west stagecoach feel to some of the roads, and as we've come north I think they are blurring the line between road and rubble there are so many cracks and potholes. And its not just age and wear - even many of the bridges are very rough which is down to poor original construction.
And the only words for most of the drivers are slow and ignorant. All the truck drivers are considerate and pull over to let you on at intersections etc, but all the rest of them just bumble along in their own little worlds, won't accelerate or slow down or move over to let you move across when you indicate, even though its law to pull out when passing emergency vehicles on the hard shoulder. And they need some more colours on their traffic lights - half the people don't seem to like red, amber or green...
Guns - didn't actually notice anyone openly carrying a gun, but some of the court cases and news items around gun ownership while we have been here have been scary, especially in Florida with their "stand your ground" law that allows you to "defend" yourself with lethal force if you feel that you are in mortal danger, like the retired cop in a cinema who shot a father of 2 in a row over texting before the film even started and who was armed with a tub of popcorn....I don't have a problem with the right to bear arms, but a little more quality control over who is allowed ammunition would be a good thing.
So other than a couple of weeks in Alaska later this summer we are done with the US now for about a year. Subsequent trips will cover the west coast, the rockies, and the midwest down through kentucky, tennessee and georgia and back up the east coast. Not sure which one we will do next - it may depend on if anyone wants to come and visit anywhere in the coming years...
Overall this visit went pretty much as planned, given the 6 month limitation. We aimed to see the south and covered off all the things on the todo list - Vegas, Death Valley, Mardi Gras and the Florida Keys - at a fairly relaxed pace.
Sights - highlights have to be the Grand Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns, Hoover Dam and the air museums (we ended up spending 3 1/2 days at the air force museum in Dayton on the way up to Canada). The California and Arizona deserts were stunning and if we were local snowbirds we would choose that over florida every time. Texas was big and boring, and most of the south east is swamp. Galveston and Key West had some character, and Miami Beach architecture was cool. And the industrial/scientific sites were a bonus - mirror lab, observatories, and visited the Ford Rouge factory that produces the F-150 pick up truck to see the production line.
Food - we've had some good BBQ and burgers, but generally nothing that memorable in restaurants. I'm glad I tried all the cajun and creole cooking in Louisiana - we bought a load of the cajun spice to use with chicken and tilapia ourselves, but otherwise I wouldn't make them my first choice off the menu.
We have, however, had some really good USDA prime, grain-fed ribeye steaks on the charcoal BBQ, had some nice Ahi tuna steaks while we were over near the west coast, and mahi mahi around the gulf. And developed a taste for sourdough bread thanks to the starter we were given by Pris and Bill in Palm Desert
Badger- the more time we've spent in Badger, the happier we are that he was absolutely the right choice for us. Even in the south the evenings have been cold so, as expected, we have been cooking and eating inside more than we did with Tigger in Oz, and the two sofas are comfortable for watching movies. We've worked out that if we set the cruise control for about 60mph and just roll along the interstate we can get almost 9/12 miles to the US gallon, so that puts fuel cost per mile at about the same as in Oz. Badger is showing his age in a few minor ways - loose electrical connections, a couple of seals that need scraping out and redoing, but fingers crossed nothing major...
Driving - Interstates are the easiest way to move Badger around, and we've done almost 7000 miles in him, plus about another 9000 in Toad. All the dealers told us a diesel rear engine bus with independent front suspension and air bags was the best ride, and given the state of the roads here I hate to think what the alternative would be like. In Arizona we commented that they must have wanted to keep that authentic wild west stagecoach feel to some of the roads, and as we've come north I think they are blurring the line between road and rubble there are so many cracks and potholes. And its not just age and wear - even many of the bridges are very rough which is down to poor original construction.
And the only words for most of the drivers are slow and ignorant. All the truck drivers are considerate and pull over to let you on at intersections etc, but all the rest of them just bumble along in their own little worlds, won't accelerate or slow down or move over to let you move across when you indicate, even though its law to pull out when passing emergency vehicles on the hard shoulder. And they need some more colours on their traffic lights - half the people don't seem to like red, amber or green...
Guns - didn't actually notice anyone openly carrying a gun, but some of the court cases and news items around gun ownership while we have been here have been scary, especially in Florida with their "stand your ground" law that allows you to "defend" yourself with lethal force if you feel that you are in mortal danger, like the retired cop in a cinema who shot a father of 2 in a row over texting before the film even started and who was armed with a tub of popcorn....I don't have a problem with the right to bear arms, but a little more quality control over who is allowed ammunition would be a good thing.
So other than a couple of weeks in Alaska later this summer we are done with the US now for about a year. Subsequent trips will cover the west coast, the rockies, and the midwest down through kentucky, tennessee and georgia and back up the east coast. Not sure which one we will do next - it may depend on if anyone wants to come and visit anywhere in the coming years...
And then there was ...Canada
They let us in after quite a bit of questioning - how long are we intending to stay (4 months), do we work, what income do we have, how long have we owned the bus, are we taking it back to the US? etc, etc. When the border guard asked if we had a firearm for personal protection I was tempted to say that I didn't know we needed one - I thought you lot were supposed to be more friendly than the US....
we are now at a campsite in Waterloo (home of RIM) and will be here for just under 5 weeks. We didn't realise until we got talking to some Canadians in Florida that Canada doesn't really open for business for camping until 1st May, and then when we were phoning round the area most campsites are going to be a couple of weeks late in opening because of the amount of cleanup work they have to do after such a bad winter. So, no point trying to tour before places are open, so we got a month's deal here at the only open site in about a 50 mile radius. Blair and Cheryl live in Kitchener about 12 miles away, and want to do some things with us, so we will get some jobs done and use this as a base for visiting Toronto, Niagara falls and other things in the area until the Victoria day holidays on May 19th.
Looking at the Canada maps in detail, once we start touring we may not go over to the east coast and Newfoundland on this visit as it is a long, long way, so we may choose to do that another year when we are up in New England. So, this time we may go as far east as Montreal then turn around and head for the west coast, maybe aiming to be in Calgary for the stampede in early July.
We will still try and get up to Alaska around mid-late august. It closes around mid-September, but hoping that and the Yukon are our best chances to see the northern lights and there is no point doing that at midsummer when it doesn't go dark. Then fall in British Columbia and look to park Badger up for the winter at the end of October and head back to the UK to visit for about a month.
They didn't say how long we are allowed to stay , but as we are leaving the country anyway each time we come back is on its merits and we will have to go through the same questions. But if the bus is already here at least we can argue that if they don't let us back in then they are stuck with it - exactly what they seem to want to avoid.
Tuesday, 15 April 2014
Spring is sprung
And easter is just around the corner. So of course it's snowing....Sunday was 80 degrees and we put the air con on that evening to cool the bus down. This place is nuts.
Went shopping to the outlet malls again yesterday hoping that we could turn up some remaining stock of snow boots (florida had sold out) and got lucky with some real bargains (rrp $150, paid 34) and maria stocked up on ski pants and fleeces ready for next winter in canada. Hadn't really planned on using them just yet....
Saturday, 12 April 2014
Second favourite plane...
The XB -70 Valkyrie. Dates back to 1964, so slightly older than the blackbird, also capable of mach 3 and absolutely huge - can't get the whole thing in a single shot. Only 2 were built and one crashed on a photo shoot when a star fighter got sucked into its wingtip vortex and rolled over on top of it.
On display at the us air force museum along with all sorts of other exotica and prototypes - the losers to both the f-22 and f-35 projects, a real x-15 rocket plane and many of the lifting body experimental aircraft that led to the space shuttle design and are still being referenced on new stuff like the dreamchaser. There is so much to see here we have spent the last 2 days, going back tomorrow and still may not finish....toys!
Wednesday, 9 April 2014
Florida - Georgia - Tennessee...
We have really enjoyed our month of sun in Florida - from Pensacola and the Gulf, down to Tampa and Clearwater in the west, across the Everglades to Miami, right down to the Keys then up the east coast to Fort Lauderdale and Daytona Beach. Lots of sun, beaches and a laid back atmosphere. What we won't miss is the 'eau de swamp' that has assailed our nostrils since Alabama and the midges and mozzies that go hand in hand with all the standing water, even by the coast.
Yesterday we crossed the border into Georgia,
and there are lots of hills and forests here. We don't have much time left on our visas so we'll have to leave Tennessee for another visit too.
We are also noticing the drop in temperatures as when we left Florida yesterday morning, it was 75F (24C) and so humid at 9am, and tonight its going down to 39F (4C) her just north of Knoxville. I suppose we are 660 miles further north!
Tomorrow we'll cross Kentucky into Ohio where we'll spend just under a week before we carry on with our journey to Canada.
Yesterday we crossed the border into Georgia,
and saw the changes in landscape. Spring is here and lots of trees have white and purple blossoms in full flower, which make the scenery more interesting. The further upstate we traveled, we saw a more undulating landscape. We will be back another year to spend more time here.
This afternoon we crossed into Tennessee
We are also noticing the drop in temperatures as when we left Florida yesterday morning, it was 75F (24C) and so humid at 9am, and tonight its going down to 39F (4C) her just north of Knoxville. I suppose we are 660 miles further north!
Tomorrow we'll cross Kentucky into Ohio where we'll spend just under a week before we carry on with our journey to Canada.
Friday, 4 April 2014
Closest to home
We have been in 18 months. Daytona Beach pier....
Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.
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