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...
No comments:
Post a Comment