Days 95 - 99 - Niagara Falls, Buffalo, New York & Home

Day 95 – Niagara Falls to New York
Up at a reasonable time, packed our bags, headed across the road to Dad’s Diner for a bargain breakfast and then cycled down the hill again to see the falls in daylight. Still there!
We cycled around for a while, stopping to take lots of photos. Once we felt we’d seen enough we headed back towards the hostel, checked out, did a bit of blogging and e-mailing and then headed over to trusty Dad’s Diner for lunch before once again experiencing the joys of Greyhound bus travel to Buffalo.

The bus was about 30 mins late but we had plenty of time. Crossed the border back in to the US, (there was a film crew at the border filming people going through immigration – who knows, perhaps we’ll be on TV) and then got the shuttle bus pretty much straight away to the airport.

Checked in, bit of food and whiled away the time watching/scrutinising some guy painting yellow lanes on the ground of the airplane parking bays outside. (Amazing what passes for fun when you’re bored!)

75 minute flight to New York, arrived at around 9, with a good view of Manhattan by night as we flew in. Eventually got our bags and got the Airtrain and subway to the city where we walked the 7 or 8 blocks to the hostel. Great location in the heart of the city with a good gym and a pool but tiny rooms and we had bunk-beds – how romantic!

Crashed out after a long days travelling.

D x

Day 96 – New York
Lazy start, I went to get us some tea from a Starbucks around the corner while M snoozed. I then proceeded to drop one of them all over the floor to the hotel lobby – luckily it was M’s so I was OK ;-)

Changed and breakfast at a café around the corner and then plans to wander up 5th Avenue to Central Park were altered by some guy called Pope Benedict!

He too was in town and they’d fenced off 5th Avenue for a procession so we detoured around it up into the park where we lazed around and people watched for a bit – beautiful sunshine and shorts weather – gorgeous!

Then back to the city, had a light lunch in a small café near the park and watched the Pope on TV – far easier than fighting the crowds. He was in a custom made Mercedes with a bullet proof glass box on the back which he sat in and waved – it was even called the Popemobile…. Brilliant!

Then finally got to wander through the crowds along 5th Avenue, passing the biggest 'cop' convention before stopping in at various shops, with hopes of buying M some new work wear – we both ended up buying underpants/knickers….. rock and roll!

Walked along Broadway, past Times Square all the way to Macy’s (largest department store in the world) by which time we’d both had enough so we bee-lined it back to the hotel, pleased to be out of the crowds.
Bit of down time and then it was off out for dinner. Luckily we were in a pretty good area for restaurants too and we stumbled across a nearby Indian restaurant.

Decided to give it a go as it was full of Indians and we weren’t disappointed although it wasn’t spicy enough for M!

Fairly early to bed after a long day of pounding the pavement.

D x

Day 97 – New York
Both up early and down to the pool for 30 lengths. Feeling refreshed and ready for more, we headed out, breakfast at our local café and then the subway north to the Guggenheim Museum. I was very disappointed as the building (which is very cool – a big white spiral basically) was covered in scaffolding for renovation work so you couldn’t see it plus there was some bizarre exhibition in the main gallery which consisted of cars being suspended from the ceiling with lots of flashing lights coming out of them so we simply grabbed a seat, did a bit more people watching (I think New York is the best for this – lots of strange folk) and then left and got the subway back towards Midtown.

Went to Bloomingdales, I bought a belt, and then on to some more shops where at last we had success and M got a few things for work too!

Yummy salad lunch at a nearby café and then we wandered back towards the hotel.

Sorted out and packed our bags ready for tomorrow’s final flight and then headed out for dinner.
Went to a great Japanese restaurant that we’d seen the night before and had probably the best meal of the trip so a fitting end to our world tour of restaurants!

Both tired we called it a night and retired to our luxurious bunk-beds!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

D x

Day 98 – New York to Somewhere over the Atlantic
Plans for an early morning swim (6 a.m) were pushed back to 9 as soon as we heard the alarm…. What were we thinking?
20 lengths today and then we checked out, stored our luggage and then had a quick breakfast before walking to the UN Building which was just a couple of blocks away. Went in, through all the security gates only to find that the next available tour wasn’t until 2 (too late for us) so we wandered around the lobby, looked at the exhibitions and then, yet again, did some more people watching, in particular the long line of indigenous people seeking registration. All sorts of people ranging from indigenous American Indians to what looked like Masai warriors – all very interesting.
Final stop off at a Starbucks (we had to really) and then got the subway and Airtrain back to the airport for our flight home - hooray!

Grumpiest woman of all time checked us in and then we had a pub lunch and took advantage of the Duty Free and M had a back and shoulder massage.

Once on board, we settled in for what would be a very, very long night….!

D x

Day 99 – London & Home!
And it was. A very long night. We flew through the night so I was keen to get as much sleep as possible so I was back on UK time. Whilst the flight left the terminal on time, we then sat on the runway behind 22 other planes for about 45 minutes.
Finally we were up in the air and we both sat back to watch a film.

Expecting dinner to be served almost as soon as the seatbelt sign went off, we were disappointed to find that it was almost 3 hours later before we were tucking in to our sweet and sour chicken.
We were the lucky ones though - the couple sat behind us had ordered a kosher meal but their request had not got through to the kitchen. They didn't get any food and to add insult to injury, the air steward bought them a bottle of champagne as compensation - being muslims they don't drink so they weren't best pleased!

I tried to shut my eyes to sleep but it wasn't happening. Our trays were finally cleared away, then tea & coffee was served. The lights were switched off so I thought I could get some sleep at last. But I was wrong! The duty free trolley was then wheeled out so the noise of everyone ordering their goodies kept me awake until the lights were turned back on.

I gave up. I did drift off for about 20 minutes just before we landed but I did not get the 7 hours undisturbed sleep I was hoping for. But we were home and as the plane touched down on the tarmac, we were both looking forward to seeing everyone and getting back to a 'normal' life.

We had arranged with Ben to pick us up from the airport and take us back to JC's so as we came through the final gate, we soon spotted him in the crowd. Then we noticed JC was there too! A lovely surprise.
As we were almost with them, a little head popped out from behind a group of people and I realised that it was Em! I was so excited and ran over to give her a big hug. Lots of hugs and smiles and a few tears and we were soon in the car to be taken back to JC's for cups of English tea and bacon butties. Bliss!

M x

Day 112 - Looking Back
We've been home for nearly 2 weeks now and tomorrow it's back to work!
We've sorted through all our photographs - over 1500 to start with but we've got it down to about 500 to show people!
We've decided that Uluru was the most 'incredible' place that we went to and we've recounted many tales of our adventures.

It was strange in the first few days being home. Whilst we were away I often thought about friends and family and it seemed strange not being with them for so long. Once we were back, it was as if we'd never been away. It felt the same as if we'd been gone for a week!

Now the travel seems a long time ago but we are still re-living moments of it every day as we recall funny incidents or amazing sights that we've seen.
We are both really pleased that we decided to do this trip. We have had the most amazing 99 days of our lives and have enjoyed every minute of it - well the majority anyway!
The memories will stay with us for ever and we will soon have our photographs printed off to look back on.

Tomorrow it's back to reality with work starting again. We are both looking forward to what the rest of the year has in store for us.

Watch this space...

M & D xx

Days 91 to 94 - Jasper, A Train, Toronto & Niagara Falls

Day 91 – Jasper to Edmonton
Up early and on the road back up North to Jasper. Heavy snow on the roads made driving quite tricky but Dave did a grand job of keeping all 4 wheels on the road!
We made it to Jasper with plenty of time to spare so headed to the internet café where we wrote the last blog.

Checked our bags on to the train then waited for a short while before we were shown to our seats. 2 each this time. Great!

There’s not much to say about the next 55 hours! We sat on a train, we had occasional stops where people got on and off, we looked out desparately for moose, bear or anything slightly exciting. We saw a muskrat, lots of deer and a few elk. Oh, and a bald eagle!

The scenery was stunning but whizzing along at high speed, we weren’t able to get any photos unfortunately.

We decided to treat ourselves to dinner as I for one couldn’t face another delicious pot noodle for dinner.
Due to the smallness of the dining car, we were joined by an elderly gentleman and a lady for dinner. The lady introduced herself as Karen, the gentleman as Happyness! At first we thought he was joking but he’s actually changed his name officially to Happy Ness Charron.
A very interesting character who spends his time writing inspirational books about his life, travelling round the country to book signings and speaking at prisons and to young people. He has a website which we’re sure to check out at some point! He’s had a tough life but come through it all and is now a very, very happy if slightly deaf and eccentric old man. He’s 73!

Back to our seats we tried to find the most comfortable positions for sleeping but however you tried it, there wasn’t enough room for legs, arms and being comfortable whilst horizontal. The only way for it was to sit up a bit. Not the most comfortable but not too bad.
M x

Day 92 – Edmonton to Winnipeg to Sioux Lookout
Not much different today. Another day of being on a train, reading, eating, stopping at a few stations and watching the world go by.
We decided to buy a pizza at one stop to have for dinner. We bumped into Happyness who urged us to join him for dinner again that evening. We explained that we had already bought the pizza as we were trying to save money.

Back on the train, we were both having a little snooze when who should appear but Happyness! He had reserved us seats for dinner with him and wouldn’t take no for an answer. What a lovely chap! Pizza would have to wait for lunch tomorrow!

Dinner was delicious, again, and we learnt more about Happyness’s life. He still didn’t learn much about us due to not really being able to hear us. He still thinks I’m called Mindy!

M x

Day 93 – Sioux Lookout to Toronto
Another almost full day on the train. We did get to get off the train at Capreol for about 30 minutes which was good – although I did feel like I had motion sickness! And we got to have pizza for lunch. Yum!

We finally arrived in Toronto, on time and collected our bags. The weather was good and really mild. We got a taxi up to our hotel (in the midst of renovation), checked in, showered (for the first time in 3 days, bliss!) then walked into the city to find dinner.
The place recommended in Lonely Planet looked awful so we made our own way to a Thai restaurant where we had a delicious meal. The waitress was Thai and we had a quick reminisce about our time there a few months ago – seems ages ago now!

M x

Day 94 – Toronto to Niagara Falls
Lazy start, taxi to station to drop bags off then walked down to the Harbour Front area. Cup of tea then we got a ferry over to Ward’s Island.

The sun was shining as we started our walk along the boardwalk alongside Lake Ontario. We saw a sign for a snake crossing and sure enough, there were snakes crossing. Lots of grass snakes.
We quickly moved on and enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the sound of seagulls – millions of them! Lunch at Rectory Café was a rip off but the only place to eat on the island – funny that!

We stopped on the other side of the island to take some great photos of the CN Tower (it is e-nor-mous!) before realising that we were going to have to wait for 3 hours to get the ferry back and there was absolutely nothing to do!

Fortunately there were 4 others in the same boat (ha ha!) so we got a river taxi back to the mainland.
Fruitless walk to try and find an internet café before we were yet again climbing aboard a train! This time fortunately only for a few hours to Niagara Falls.

We both snoozed which meant we were in Niagara before we could really get fed up of the train.
It was dead. There appeared to be no-one in Niagara at all. We bought greyhound tickets for our bus to Buffalo tomorrow then checked into the hostel.

Realising that the falls were illuminated until 10:00pm we hired bikes and cycled down to the edge of Bridal Falls and Horseshoe Falls. It was freezing! It was a fairly mild night but the spray off the water falls was so cold.
We could hear the roar of the water from a good mile away and the power of the falls was incredible. I admit they’re not as tall as we thought they would be, but very impressive none the less. With it being dark, it wasn’t possible to see them in all their glory but we got some good photos before cycling back to the town.

The restaurant that had been recommended in Lonely Planet had stopped serving food but the owner recommended another place just down the road – Nautica. Dave went in to confirm that they were serving food and came out to tell me that they weren’t but the owner had offered to make us Serbian sausages and salad. I was a bit dubious but hungry so we went in!

I admit, it was delicious. The sausages were 60% beef, 10% lamb and 30% veal. Yum! Even the salad was delicious and he served it with home made serbian bread. What a star!

Final cycle home then to a very welcome bed.

M x

Days 84 to 90 - Vancouver, Jasper, Calgary & Banff

Mum & Dad – when do you go to Cyprus?!

Day 84 – Vancouver
Up early for a run – Dave had to head back as his calf was hurting but I managed to make it round in the rain!
Back to the hostel for another yummy breakfast then out to Granville Street where we caught the sky train to the main station. Called in to collect our train tickets and canrail passes – very exciting! Then a bus up to UBC (University of British Columbia – or University of a Billion Chinese as Dave and his friends amusingly christened it!)
The plan was to go to the Museum of Anthropology but unfortunately as today was Monday, it was closed! Dave never did manage to get to go to it…
We grabbed some lunch and then headed to the library – hoping it would be warm and dry and have internet access. It was all of the above and I updated the Blog.

Bus back to downtown for the evening. I was beginning to feel pretty rough with a sore throat and beginning to ache all over. 84 days of feeling great, it was about time to get ill.
Dave very kindly walked down to get us a takeaway Chinese. It was too much effort to go out into the rain again!

We agreed that Vancouver hasn’t been seen at its best. We’ve not been able to do everything we’ve wanted to do just because the rain has left visibility so poor – I’ve not even seen some of the mountains. But it seems a very nice city and one which we should come back to one day…when it’s not raining!

M x

Day 85 – Vancouver to Jasper (ish)
No run today as my cold / cough had definitely set in. We packed up all our belongings and left them at the front desk. With 4 hours to kill before our train and the rain predictably falling, we made our way to an internet café. Dave had a sudden brainwave that the Liverpool Arsenal Champions League game was on so we did a quick search on the internet and found a pub down the road showing the game. Result!

We entered the pub (an Irish one!) to find a number of Liverpool fans sat at the bar with their red shirts on. We found a table in the corner, a pint of Guinness and sat back to enjoy the game.
Final result of 4-2 on the night and a great way to spend the morning – the first live football we’ve seen in the last 85 days (excluding the game in San Fran of course!)

Stopping off at the hostel to collect our bags and at the pharmacy to get medicine for me, we then caught the bus to the station to get our train.
We met a lovely man in the queue who seemed to be a seasoned traveller and could tell us the cost of water at each stop on the way, and burgers. Interesting!
As we were leaving the train at Jasper rather than continuing all the way across Canada, we were escorted into the first carriage and to our seats.



The seats were great with loads of leg room, a footrest and the ability to recline quite a way. Much more comfortable than the Greyhound bus!
Marlene and Sonny were our crew and they came round to bring us pillows, blankets, eye masks and a very small towel. Even Flopsy got an eye mask!
The train left bang on time and we were soon heading very slowly towards the Rockies, along the Fraser river.
Dinner consisted of a pot noodle and a sandwich. A film was being shown but as it was Star Trek we decided to read instead. Bingo was called off due to lack of numbers. We should have gone. We’d have won!

M x

Day 86 – Jasper
We awoke to beautiful mountain views. We’d both slept fairly well but I was aching as I opened my eyes. We had a couple of cups of tea, some granola and yoghurt for breakfast and both felt a lot better.
Unfortunately we missed seeing two moose swimming in the river but we’ll keep an eye out on the next stage of the journey.

Dave realized that we were running 2 hours late – it turns out it was due to unexpected freight trains during the night.
Crossing the trans Continental Divide into Alberta, we soon entered a very snowy Jasper along the Yellow Head Pass, passing Moose Lake which is the source of the Fraser River.

I was feeling quite poorly and dizzy so Dave went to collect the hire car, leaving me with the bags at the station.

Lunch at a local pub then we set off along Route 93, The Icefield Parkway to Saskatchewan Crossing.

A brief stop at the Athabasca Falls was absolutely beautiful with snow, ice and crystal clear waters. The paths were very icy and slippy!
We also stopped into the Icefields Centre to find out about a glacier tour for tomorrow.

We checked into our Motel at Saskatchewan Crossing and walked the 5 yards to the restaurant where we were handed a beef patty and told to cook it ourselves on a BBQ! Dave had Buffalo which he said was delicious – I didn’t like the strong taste!

The scenery has really been amazing today. The mountains of the Rockies are covered in snow and the sky has been blue. We’re both really pleased we’ve come to Canada – and the rain’s stopped at last!!
M x

Day 87 – Jasper
Dave was up early to get us cups of tea from the restaurant whilst I snoozed. Quick showers and breakfast then back up the road to the Icefields Centre for the 11:30 glacier tour.
We joined 7 others on the bus up to the edge of the glacier then transferred on to the snowcoach to take us on to the glacier itself.
20 minutes walking around was absolutely beautiful. The ice was up to 1000ft thick and as blue as the sky. Amazing. The air was very cold and very thin and we were glad to be back on the bus to take us back to the centre.
A quick lunch then we headed back towards the motel to try and find a walk that was still open with all the snow. After a little snooze in the car, we found a walk at Bow Summit (the highest road point in the Rockies) that overlooked Peyto Lake.
The walk was beautiful – very snowy but with the sun shining. We saw only one other small group of people as we made our way up the hill to the viewing point then back down to the car park. The view of the lake was great – although it was all snowy, not beautiful and blue as we’d seen in photographs!
Back in the car we continued our drive to Lake Louise. The snow had started to fall as we made our way to the lake’s edge. People were skating and playing hockey and we were able to walk right onto the lake. Very weird! The visibility wasn’t great so we weren’t able to see the mountains at the end of the lake but it was good to see some snow fall.
We stopped off at a hostel in Lake Louise to go to Bill Peyto’s Café for dinner – I couldn’t face another burger! – then back to the hostel. Beautiful views of Crowfoot glacier on the way back and lots more snow!

M x

Day 88 – Jasper to Calgary to Banff
Up and out early to make our way to Calgary airport to pick up Dave’s friend Starky. Pick up at 12:30 then back to Banff via Subway for lunch. We checked in to the hostel (a private log cabin – lovely) then drove the short distance into the town.

Banff is pretty small so the walk around the town took about 10 minutes before the inevitable happened and we found ourselves in an Irish pub!

Dave took the car back to the hostel whilst Starky and I made sure we kept the table!

8 hours later, we made our way home. A really fun evening with lots of laughter and a little too much drinking!
M x

Day 89 – Banff
A very lazy start. I didn’t really want any breakfast so I let Dave and Starky walk into town whilst I snoozed a bit more.
The plan had been to ski but none of us were really feeling up to it so we agreed to get the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain for great views over the whole of Banff.

The weather was absolutely glorious, the sun shining, the sky blue and it was really warm.
We had a quick drink, threw a few snowballs then made our way back down to the car.
Deciding that we were all feeling a lot better, we walked down to the town to Wild Bill’s for dinner. We all ordered steaks with a couple of beers to wash it down.
On to play pool for an hour or so before we agreed that we were all too tired to carry on so made our way back up to the hostel for a bit of TV before bed.

M x

Day 90 – Banff to Calgary to Jasper
Up earlyish, Dave and Starky watched the Man U Arsenal game whilst I had a quick go on emails.
All packed up and ready to go, we set off on the journey to take Starky back to the airport.

We left him at departures then made our way to get a cup of tea. I’m pretty sure Starky doesn’t read the Blog (he told us as much) but thanks for coming up to see us both. We had a really great weekend.

Back in the car, we queued up to leave the car park through the ticket barriers. That’s when we met Bob Wilfur. Bob is the CEO and President of First Capital Management. He reversed straight into our car as he was getting impatient with having to wait in the queue. He told us he hadn’t seen us!
Fortunately the damage was very slight – a small hole in the bumper – and no-one was hurt. Just jolly annoying!
We got all his details, called the hire company to check what we had to do then spent the next few hours taking the car back to the hire place in the airport and getting a replacement car. Luckily Bob was really good about it all, accepting that it was totally his fault so all is covered by his insurance.

Back in the car we drove back up towards Jasper, stopping off for lunch on the way and at Lake Louise to get supplies.

Checked back in at The Crossing at Saskatchewan Crossing where we re-packed in preparation for the journey tomorrow…

M x

Days 77 to 83 - San Francisco to Vancouver

Today we are at UBC (the University where Dave spent a 6 month secondment). We’re able to use the library so I’m updating the blog. Unfortunately we don’t have the camera card with us so no photos at the moment – it’s raining and grey so we’ve not actually taken many photos anyway!

Thanks for the comments Em & M – Smashball is played with two wooden bats (a bit bigger than table tennis bats) with a ball like a squash ball. I’m not sure if there are actual rules but we were basically trying to knock it backwards and forwards to each other as many times as possible. Good hey?!

So, here’s what we’ve been up to…

Day 77 – San Francisco
Ben & Madeline set off to Starbucks first thing to do some work. Dave and I walked to some sports shops and office shops to try and get a fleece for Dave and some filofax stationery for me. Dave decided against a fleece even though we did find some lovely ones that were really reasonably priced.
Filofax isn’t a brand that the US recognise – we certainly couldn’t find anything suitable so I’ll just have to wait until we’re home.

The sun was shining and it was seriously warm. We bought a Starbucks and sat on a bench enjoying the weather.
Finally deciding that we were hungry, we strolled through the city to Market & 3rd to meet Ben and Madeline for lunch.
Soup, sandwich and ice-cream later we left Ben to head back to Starbucks, Madeline to go home to do some work and for us to go and do some shopping. Plan was to buy a dress suitable for Ben & Madeline’s wedding that I could leave with them to save me having to carry one over in July. As seemed to be the theme for the day, I didn’t buy anything. So, we went back to Starbucks to collect Ben then walked back to the flat.

Ben & Madeline rustled up some dinner whilst we sat in front of The Bachelor to see who he would be sending home tonight. If I lived here I’d spend my whole time watching programmes like it!

M x

Day 78 – San Francisco
Today was our 2 year anniversary!

Ben was up early to go to Yoga before work. I think Madeline and I telling him the night before that he probably wouldn’t make it pushed him to go! It turns out he was the only one there for the start and only one other person turned up! It was at 6:30am…

Madeline had work so we saw her briefly before we left for the day. We got a MUNI down to Embarcadero then we did only our second run of the trip. Our plan had been to run regularly. I’m not sure what happened to that!
We made our way back to the flat via the Urban Market to buy yoghurt for breakfast then spent the rest of the morning writing emails, sorting out our Canada trip, showering and having breakfast.

We decided to go out for lunch to celebrate our anniversary so wandered back into the city and found a nice Japanese restaurant. The food was good but the tempura not the best.
Having had our fill, we walked down to the cinema where we watched ‘21’, the film about the students from MIT who take Vegas by storm by counting cards. Really good film (not sure if it’s out at home yet). Also saw a trailer for the ‘Sex And The City’ movie – very excited to see it!

Back to the flat via Urban Market to buy some pink champagne – decided it was time to celebrate Ben & Madeline’s engagement and our 2 year anniversary. Also found out when we got home that a research paper that Ben had written has been chosen to be included in a conference in Vienna so lots to celebrate.
We had planned to cook for B&M but decided on a take away instead – lovely Chinese.

A bit of TV whilst D finished off planning our Canada trip then we all headed to bed.

M x

Day 79 – San Francisco and beyond
We had a bit of a lie in today as nothing really planned. Madeline had to go to school so we said our goodbyes as we were due to leave at 3:00pm. Dave and I went for our second run – this time at the gym where B&M are members. It’s so much hotter running on a treadmill!

Back at the flat we had breakfast, packed, showered, reviewed our finances and spent a bit of time with Ben. He made us fried egg sandwiches for lunch (yum) before we had to say goodbye and get our taxi to the bus station.

We’ve had a lovely time with Ben & Madeline – thank you both so much for being great hosts and for organising the road trip. It’s been awesome.

We picked up our tickets for the Greyhound bus, checked our luggage then waited for the bus to arrive. Once on the bus, I set to finishing off ‘Atonement’ which I’ve finally managed to get round to reading properly. Not much really happening on the bus. We stopped at Sacramento where we changed buses and bought a sandwich for dinner. I managed to get us the ‘wheelchair’ seats so there was lots of leg room. 8 ½ hours of reading and I finished my book before we decided it was time to sleep.

A kindly gentleman was talking very loudly but finally stopped when told to by the bus driver. I slept. I think Dave did too for a bit.

M x

Day 80 – Canada border & Vancouver
We both woke up many times through the night. It was a bit cold and there were a number of stops where people got on and off. We finally woke properly at 7:00am.

A brief stop in Portland where we had some breakfast then back on to the bus for the journey to Seattle. I listened to the Podcasts that I’d downloaded to my iPod at Ben’s and Dave slept.

Arriving at Seattle, we changed buses and I popped to Starbucks to get us some sandwiches for lunch.
Back on the bus we had a little excitement as we arrived at the Canadian border! We got to get off the bus, have our luggage checked and our passport stamped then we had to get back on the bus again. So exciting!

Another hour or so and we finally arrived in Vancouver. 25 hours of travelling by bus with the strangest people. I was glad to be getting off the bus and into a taxi to take us to the hostel.

Checked in, showered to warm up and then off out for tapas. It was cold but not raining. I knew we should have stayed in sunnier climates!
The tapas was delicious at a place called Bin 941 and the local beer that we sampled was also pretty good.
Both feeling the affects of a poor night’s sleep on the bus, we headed back to the hostel and were both soon sound asleep.

M x

Day 81 – Vancouver
UP at 8:00am for a run along English Bay. It was raining and cold. Back at the hostel we had a yummy breakfast, showered then headed out for the day.

We had a walk up to the Pacific Center shopping mall where we did a bit of shopping then caught the Sky Train to Main Street on a ‘Vibram 5 Fingers’ search – the ‘Vibram 5 Fingers’ are trainers where each of the toes are separated, a bit like a glove.
We discovered that we were on the wrong Main Street but that there was another place close by. Arriving there we found that they had only a limited selection and not really what I was looking for. I bought some standard walking shoes instead that are water proof as my feet were soaked from the little walking we’d done that morning.

Stopped at an Indian restaurant for lunch where they had a special lunchtime deal with very good food.

We finally headed back to the hostel to drop our bags off then caught the ferry across to Granville Island. We booked onto the Granville Island Brewery tour, had a quick walk around the market then back to the brewery to be told all about how to make beer. We also got to sample some of the local brews which were quite good.
Ferry back to the hostel where we both had a little cat nap before we went out for dinner. We had Japanese which wasn’t that great and I wasn’t really hungry.



Back to the hostel we read for a bit before falling asleep.

M x

Day 82 – Vancouver
Another run, breakfast, showers then out into a slightly less rainy but still cold day.
We walked down Howe Street to Canada Place where we wandered around the harbour area – we saw a sea plane coming into land which was pretty cool!
Stopped in for a Starbucks to warm us both up then on into Gas Town which was the centre of Vancouver until it was hit by fires, now a touristy area with a big steam powered clock.

We did a bit of window shopping and had lunch then waited for the steam clock to ‘steam’ at 1:15. I discovered that it was no longer powered by steam and the 1:15 performance wasn’t that great but at least we can say we’ve done it!
We walked out of the city to a bike hire place where we picked up bikes for a ride around the headland and Stanley Park. I was excited to see a black squirrel scampering along a tree’s branch but even more excited when we saw seals swimming around in the bay!
We also saw ‘Harper’s Island’ being filmed but neither of us has heard of it!

After dropping the bikes off, we walked back to the hostel, had a bit of a snooze then went for dinner at a Greek restaurant that had been recommended. There was a massive queue outside but neither this nor the rain deterred us from waiting in line.
The food was really good and reasonably priced. Dave was chatted up by the male waiter from Columbia who ‘Loves the English accent’!

True to recent form, we went back to the hostel, read for a bit and fell asleep.

M x

Day 83 – Vancouver
Walked to ‘Chapters’ first thing to buy some books – a 55 hour train journey coming up and I’ve finished all the books we have with us!
The heavens opened as we were inside so we decided we needed an indoor activity. Just across the road was the Art Gallery so we paid our entrance fee and spent a very pleasant morning walking round looking at the artwork and films that were on display.
Lunch at the gallery then more time spent looking at the photographic collections. We finally left around 4:30pm for the hostel then out for dinner – an Indian meal which was really good.
Back for… you guessed it, reading then bed.

M x

Days 69 to 76 - San Francisco to Santa Barbara & Back!

Firstly, apologies that it's been so long since we last blogged. It seems the more easy it is to access a computer, the less we're actually doing so. Maybe it's that when we're with other people we have more to occupy our time. Does that suggest that we're not making the most of our time when it's just the two of us? I don't think so when I read back through our blog and see the hundreds of photos that we've taken.

We keep thinking about coming up with some statistics on miles travelled, places visited, number of beds slept in etc. Maybe that will be something for the 24 hour bus ride we have ahead of us on Wednesday or maybe the 72 hours we get on a train! More of that to come. Firstly I'll update you on the last 8 days...

Day 69 – San Francisco
I woke at 5:30am feeling surprisingly well but with a big thirst. I headed to the kitchen, downed a couple of glasses of water and congratulated myself on not having a hangover. The football that lay ahead at 2:30pm was still a possibility.
Back in bed I was restless. I couldn’t sleep and tossed and turned for what felt like forever. My head began to hurt and my tummy was swimming.
Eventually I got up and I was ill. I hadn’t avoided a hangover at all. I had just woken up before it had started!
I slept some more and eventually everyone else began to stir. Ben and Madeline decided to head to Starbucks to get some work done. Dave planned to write the blog. I planned to continue sleeping and try and get over my hangover.
1:55pm arrived. I was still in bed. Still feeling awful. Why is it that I can drink the same as everyone else, if not less, eat the same as everyone else and yet be the only one feeling so ill?! I really must learn from this!
Emily (Madeline’s sister) was due to pick us all up in 5 minutes so I hauled myself out of bed and got myself ready. We drove to the soccer ground and I decided that I was not really able to play. It wouldn’t be fair on the rest of the team. So I watched whilst Ben, Madeline, Dave and Emily valiantly soldiered their way through 90 minutes with only 1 sub – Ben was the only one who took advantage of him – finishing with a 4-3 loss with Dave scoring 2 goals and the team really looking like they could win it at half time.
The team have had a consistent season losing all of their games and coming bottom in the league. But it appears from their one game that they are in it for all the right reasons – the fun of playing a team sport and not necessarily just to be in the top 3!

Back to the flat we decided to walk down to Brainwash for lunch. I managed only a diet coke whilst the others tucked into delicious sandwiches. Back home I decided to continue where I left off and had a little snooze.
Waking feeling a lot better, I had a muffin and some water and we decided to take a walk to the grocery store to buy dinner and get a DVD.
Dave and I were choosing some cereal and saw a little mouse scurry across the aisle in front of us! Very cheeky!

Ben cooked us all a delicious dinner of turkey meatballs whilst Madeline made a yummy salad to accompany it. We all tucked in (I was finally able to face food) and we finished the evening off watching ‘Margot At The Wedding’. If you’ve not seen it, don’t bother! Very weird and we were all left wondering if we’d missed something. Madeline slept through the last of it so we called it a night and went to bed.

Not surprisingly, we haven't got any photos of today!

M x

Day 70 – Alcatraz & Sausalita
Dave and I were up early to get ourselves ready to head to Alcatraz. Ben, for all his plans the previous evening, laid in bed whilst Madeline fortunately got up and gave us directions on how to get there!
We eventually got ourselves on to the MUNI (we bought a BART ticket by mistake but the kind man behind the counter swapped it for us) and headed down to the water.
A fairly long but pleasant walk along the front and we arrived at Pier 33 where we were to board the ferry. The clouds were low and it was a little foggy so Dave was able to get his wish of seeing Alcatraz appear from the mist as we approached.


The ferry journey was really short – about 15 minutes – and we soon docked and made our way over to see Jon the Ranger who gave us an introductory talk about ‘The Rock’. We headed inside to see a short video with some history about the different uses of the island and the escape attempts that had occurred.

We had been told that Stan the Ranger would be giving a talk about the escape attempts at 10:00am so we waited patiently for him to arrive. An interesting half hour later we knew that there had been no-one confirmed to have ever escaped from the prison although there were 3 men who had managed to break their way out of the prison into the choppy, freezing cold waters around the island and were assumed drowned. They would be over 100 years old now so the authorities have stopped looking for them! One guy also managed to escape from the island having gathered together a navy corporal’s uniform over many months only to be taken to the next island where he was quickly brought back to Alcatraz and given an additional 30 years on his sentence!!

We decided that we’d heard enough about escape attempts so we broke away from the group and headed inside to the prison for the audio tour. The tour has been really well done. You have a head set each which talks you through the tour, all the commentary being given by ex-inmates and wardens of the prison. It was really interesting and kept our interest throughout.
Back outside in the real world we were a little chilly so treated ourselves to a hot chocolate before getting the ferry back to the mainland.

Whilst we’d been away, Ben and Madeline had been to pick up our transport for the next few days of the road trip so met us at the Pier.
The road trip began as we headed over the Golden Gate Bridge and into Sausalita, a beautiful harbour town with houses climbing up into the mountains and sheltered from the wind so a good few degrees warmer than the bay.
We stopped at a small store to buy sandwiches – freshly made and delicious – before walking along the front and to the harbour. We sat and contemplated the virtues of having a boat – deciding that we’d like one that someone else would look after for us and get ready when we wanted to sail away for the day – before walking back to the car via a shop to buy ‘Salt Water Taffy’. Yum!

Back in the car we took a scenic, wiggly, windy road up to a vantage point overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay.

Photos taken, the wind drove us back into the relative warmth of the car and we made our way back to the flat.
Quick change and we were back in the car heading for Ramblas, a Tapas restaurant that Ben and Madeline had been to a number of times before. We ordered a number of Tapas dishes along with paella and had a lovely relaxed meal.

Back home we watched the latest episode of ‘The Bachelor’ before I made an attempt to pack for the road trip and we all headed to bed. Another long but very enjoyable day.

M x

Day 71 – San Francisco to Monterey
Up early, Dave was first in the shower whilst the rest of us finished off our packing and readied ourselves. Ben went to collect the car from just down the road and crammed as much in to the car as possible. We managed it but with lots still in between the 2 back seats – good job we’d got a free upgrade on the car or we’d never have fitted everything in!

Heading south, our first stop was Yahoo! Ben had promised us a delicious breakfast and he wasn’t wrong. We all had our fill, and some, followed by a tour of the offices where Ben works. He was also due to pick up a tent and some other camping gear from one of his colleagues but unfortunately it had been forgotten. We were tent-less with 2 nights of camping ahead of us!

Next stop was REI, a camping shop which also does rentals. Discovering that it was as expensive to rent a tent as to buy one, Ben took the option of buying, assuring Madeline that they’d use the tent again. I’m not so sure Madeline was convinced!

I took the opportunity to re-pack the car to allow everything to fit in (including the new tent) and we were soon back on the road.

Next stop, Monterey where Madeline had reserved tickets for the Aquarium. We spent a happy few hours wandering around seeing the many fish, sharks, jelly fish and otters and watching the penguins being fed.
A little further down the road and we arrived at the Travelodge which was to be our home for the night.
Checked in and unpacked, we strolled down the main street to Rosina’s for dinner. An All American Diner, we had the biggest dinner ever, all leaving feeling over full but very satisfied.

Back to the hotel for a quick change before back in the car to drive the short distance to the bowling alley – Monterey Lanes. We had a few games of pool before buying our game (it was buy one get one free after 9:00pm) and heading to the lanes. First game was won by Dave and the second by Ben. Madeline and I weren’t far behind but all were hampered by a less than flat lane!

Soon it was time to call it a night so we headed back to the hotel via the supermarket to get some supplies for camping and some ice-cream for dessert.

M x

Day 72 – Monterey, Carmel & Big Sur
Again, an early start with breakfast at the hotel. Ben and Madeline went for a run whilst Dave and I snoozed after which we all went for breakfast where we had our fill of bagels, muffins, eggs, cereals and toast. Picking up a few supplies for the next few days of tea bags and sugar we checked out of the hotel and set off towards Carmel.
Stopping at a supermarket to buy breakfast, lunch and dinners for the next few days then at the mall for Ben to buy a saucepan and for me to exchange some shoes that I’d bought only a few days before – the sole had started to come apart!

Carmel is a lovely little beachside town, near to Pebble Beach golf course where they sometimes hold the US Open.
Down at the beach, Madeline and I played smashball for ages – trying to get to a rally of 40. Having finally achieved it, Ben and Dave repeated our success on only their second attempt!
A quick stroll through the town, we stopped for refreshment before hitting the road again.

A short time later we arrived in Big Sur and to our first campsite of the trip. The campsite is set within a large redwood forest which is beautiful. All sites with their own fire pit, bench and space for the car and a tent. We cleared a space, removing acorns, twigs and large lumps of mud before finally erecting the tent. Very simple and plenty big enough for the 4 of us. Ben and I spent a little time trying to arrange the few mats that we had to try and make it as comfortable as possible for us all to sleep.
We’d bought a trek guide as we’d entered the park so decided that we’d do the 5 mile trek to Buzzard’s Roost. It was pretty steep in places with lots of cutbacks making it seem like we were walking a lot further than we needed to. Finally making it to the top, we had wonderful views of the Pacific Ocean and the hills the other side of the valley. Beautiful.The walk down was much quicker with the sun going down it was also a little chillier.
A quick stop at the store to buy some firewood and a tarpaulin to go under the tent before heading back to camp to make dinner.
Ben quickly realized that his paraffin lamp mantles had not survived the trip from San Francisco so another trip to the store was required to buy new ones.

With the light fading and the temperature plummeting, Ben lit his camp stove and cooked us all some delicious sausages which we ate with chips and dips all washed down with a few beers. Other than the chill in the air it was lovely! We attempted a game of smashball but the visibility was far too poor. Frisbee was a little better but once I’d thrown it at the window of our neighbour’s car we decided to call it a day!

A few games of cards later, the cold got the better of us all and we retired to the tent to wrap ourselves in as many clothes as possible before snuggling down under the sleeping bags for the night.

M x

Day 73 – Big Sur to San Simeon
Not a great night’s sleep for any of us and we awoke to a cold morning as the sun hadn’t quite made it above the hills that we were sleeping in the valley of.
We attempted to make toast but finally accepted that we’d have bread for breakfast.

We packed up the tent and I re-packed the car before we set off on a much shorter walk to Pfeiffer Falls. More on the flat than the previous night’s trek and considerably shorter we arrived at the falls pretty quickly. Having not had a lot of rain the fall wasn’t that spectacular but I think we were all feeling a little better for the fresh air.

Back to the car, we headed further South to San Simeon.
As I was looking out of the window towards the ocean, I noticed lots of large lumps lying on the beach. They looked like sandbags but it turns out they were actually elephant seals! There were hundreds of them. We pulled up at the next scenic spot and joined lots of other people walking along a path at a safe distance from the seals, taking photos and being amazed at their smell!


A short drive further to another campsite for the night, this time next to the beach and much less shady, with grass sites!
We erected the tent, had some lunch then the boys fell asleep on the grass whilst Madeline and I read.
Dave and I decided to walk to the beach but were held back by a river in our way and being too cold to be bothered finding an alternative route!
Having learnt our lesson from yesterday that being cold for so many hours is not that much fun, we got in the car and drove to the local store to buy some marshmallows, Graham’s crackers and Hershey’s chocolate to make s’mores over the campfire later in the evening.
We spotted a bar next door which had wireless internet so we popped in for a beer or two, a game of pool for Dave, Madeline and I whilst Ben did some work on his laptop.

All feeling a lot warmer we made our way back to the campsite for showers before playing a game of ‘marsh pong’. A bit like beer pong but with marshmallows instead of ping pong balls!

The light was fading so Ben lit his camp stove and heated through some soup which we had with baguette. Yummy!
He also lit the campfire and we were able to move the bench to sit as close as possible and keep warm. Madeline showed us how to make s’mores which involves holding the marshmallows over the fire until they’re toasted then putting them between two Graham’s crackers with some Hershey’s chocolate. So delicious!

We played a little more cards before once again being beaten by the cold and heading to bed.

M x

Day 74 – San Simeon to Buellton
Up for tea and breakfast (more soup) we all agreed we’d had a better nights sleep although both Dave and I were aching!
We walked down to the beach where we spent a lovely time taking some photos, playing Frisbee and strolling along by the water’s edge.
Back at the campsite we dismantled the tent for the final time and re-packed the car. As we were doing this, we were joined by a couple of chipmunks who were very interested in the Graham’s crackers than Ben offered them – coming up at one point and stealing one from the table! Very cute!

Back in the car we headed South again, our destination Buellton. Stopping off for Subways for the boys and toiletries from the supermarket for me I called Emma to wish her a happy birthday.
We soon arrived in Buellton where we checked into the Quality Hotel, showered then back to the car for a wine tour.
Ben had kindly volunteered to be the designated driver so took us to Sun Stone, the first vineyard of the day. We sampled some delicious wines then on to Kalyra (a vineyard owned by an Aussie) where we had more wine – a delicious rose which we bought a bottle of – and some girl scout coconut cookies. Madeline and I devoured the cookies as we got back to the car – regretting having not had lunch before starting on the wine tour!
On to Gainey for the final vineyard of the day, Madeline and I befriended Rafael who spoke English, French, Spanish and Japanese and allowed us to try lots of wine!
I think Ben had had enough of our giggling as we drove back to the hotel for a quick shower and change before heading out for dinner.

AJ’s was our dinner location – there was more meat than you could possible ever want and lots of stuffed animals around the place. Everything was served with a huge bowl of soup with black beans, salsa, pilau rice, potatoes, onions and finished with a root beer float or liqueur. A ridiculous amount of food, Madeline and I shared a half rack of ribs and had more than enough.
We all left feeling a little bloated and made our way to the Sport’s Bar for our favourite past time of pool and darts.
Madeline and I were both feeling the effects of drinking wine so early in the day so stuck to water!

The walk back to the hotel was refreshing and we all settled down for sleep, please to be back in beds rather than on a mat in a tent!

M x

Day 75 – Buellton & Santa Barbara
Up for breakfast at the hotel then drove to Santa Barbara. Madeline had been to uni here and I can’t think of a better location. The sea, the mountains and a lovely warm climate. So many shops too!
All feeling a little out of sorts, Ben decided to go to Starbucks to get some work done, Dave wandered around the town, also calling in at a Starbucks, and Madeline and I set off in search of a hairdressers.
After being unsuccessful in about 5 salons, we decided that we would try one more and were fortunate enough to both be able to get appointments immediately. Both feeling better for having been pampered for an hour or so and for having beautiful new hair cuts, we re-joined the boys for lunch at Pescucci’s, a delicious Italian restaurant.
A quick drive to the old court house where we climbed a tower that overlooked the city. Beautiful views and a huge lawn where we spent a little while snoozing in the sun.
On to the beach we played Smashball and did a little more snoozing before we made our way back to Buellton.

A short detour to Cachuma lake, we were able to see more of the beautiful countryside. A very quick drive around the lake complex (we only had a 15 minute courtesy ticket!) and we were on our way back to the hotel.

We noticed a Firestone brewery just down the road from the hotel which also served dinner so I booked a table for 8:00pm.
Back at the hotel we showered, changed, had a glass of wine then strolled the short distance to the brewery.
We were able to try 4 different beers and get a souvenir glass for $6 each. Bargain!
Dinner was a much healthier affair than the previous evening and we all left feeling full and comfortable.

Back at the hotel we watched TV for a very short while before tiredness got the better of us all and we were off to sleep.

M x

Day 76 - Buellton to San Francisco
Up for breakfast at the hotel. Packed up and I managed to get everything into the car for a fairly comfortable journey back up the 101 to San Francisco. I confess I've enjoyed trying to get everything to fit as neatly as possible into the boot (or 'trunk' as I keep being told it's called). The endless hours of tiling ladybird books when I was younger have certainly paid off!

Fairly uneventful journey. Madeline drove, Ben read the remainder of Dorien Gray, Dave snoozed and I wrote this blog in draft.
A brief stop in Gonzales for lunch - Subway's foot longs for only $5! Bargain.

After about 4 hours of driving we were home. Ben took to taking a huge pile of clothes to the laundry, we all unpacked and tidied a little and then decided that we should head out for a game of soccer. A week of eating, drinking and generally being slobbish getting on top of us all.

We drove a short distance to a park near Emily's house where we met with Emily and her friend Cory. Cory had also brought her little dog Ruby with her. So cute!

The wind had got up and we were all freezing so we quickly got stuck into a game. Ben, Madeline & Cory versus Dave, Emily and I. I never have been able to play football and calling it soccer didn't change that! I did score two goals though - Dave noticed both with my left foot. Maybe I could have been a great football star if I'd started younger!..

Emily received a good kick in the leg from Cory (accidentally I might add) which halted the game after about 45 minutes. I was pleased as the inactivity over the past few months was very noticeable. I was shattered!

We drove a few blocks away to Emily's house where we cracked open the champagne, donned our swim wear and headed for the hot tub. How cool?! Very much needed and appreciated.
After not too long we decided that we were all starving so the four of us left Emily & Cory to it and headed home.

A quick shower & change and we walked the short distance to Basil, an amazing Thai restaurant.
Delicious starters and main courses and a really nice atmosphere. We chatted the night away.
Home for a bit of TV, Ben to do some work and tidy the flat and we were soon all tucked up in lovely comfy beds.

M x

Days 63 to 68 - Melbourne, Auckland & San Francisco

Day 63 – Melbourne
M woke early to take Leah to the station as she was away for a couple of days on business, giving us the use of her car – thanks again Leah!
Both had a bit of a lay in. D then spent a few hours doing the blog and huge amounts of laundry whilst M sorted out our finances (ouch) and tried to get the headphones that we’d bought to work on Skype - very frustrating as they wouldn’t. Today was possibly the hottest day so far which only made things seem even worse.

Eventually we gave in and seeked refuge in the air conditioned shopping centre to buy some supplies for a Bar-B-Q dinner which included lamb back-straps – Yum!

Lazy evening back at the house, with D doing the Barbie and M phoning her granddad to wish him a happy birthday! (Happy Birthday Alec!)

Bed quite late after an evening chatting about….. stuff!

D x

Day 64 – Melbourne
Another lay in followed by another morning of sorting our stuff and packing our bags ahead of tomorrow’s flight to Auckland. Leftover sausages for lunch with a quick visit to the barbers for me. (Classic moment when a bloke sat next to me asked for his hair to be cut short on top and left long around the sides. Basically, he’d asked for a mullet!)

Then we got the train into the city, spent an hour so people watching in Federation Square and wandering around the shops. Watched some giant chess at a nearby café before meting up with Leah and Rob. (A friend from school who now lives and works in Melbourne) All had a couple of drinks in a nearby bar before M & Leah headed back for an Italian meal and a few drinks whilst Rob and I drove back to his for some beers and food at his local pub. Great night spent drinking and chatting about everything and anything.

Left Rob (who’d conveniently arranged to work from home the following morning – never was good on hangovers) to get the train back to Leah’s. Train took forever so got back around 1’ish to find M fast asleep. Night night!

D x

Day 65 – Melbourne to Auckland
Leah woke us early, around 6:20, to get the train into the city with her, where we said our farewells, before we got the skybus to the airport. Took forever to check in but had a really good flight to Auckland (about 3.5 hours) with great food and loads of leg room.

Usual routine when we arrived, M to the information desk whilst I drew yet more cash out. Straight on the shuttle bus which conveniently dropped us off right by our hostel. Pretty good room on the top floor with great views out across the city. Sun was setting so we headed straight out and went directly to the Sky Tower. (The tallest tower in the southern hemisphere) where we booked a table for dinner at The Observatory restaurant, some 200m up. We had an hour to kill before our seating time so we spent it wandering around the observation level one floor below the restaurant taking in Auckland’s beautiful harbour and surroundings. M even managed to stand on the glass floor looking down 200m to the pavement below – although she has since blocked it out and can’t remember doing it!

Dinner was great – an all you can eat seafood buffet with sushi, sashimi, oysters (which both of us thought were disgusting) and lots lots more. Both stuffed after SEVERAL visits to the buffet, we waddled back through the city to the hotel for bed. We both liked Auckland – very relaxed feel to the place.

D x

Day 66 – Auckland

Up early, breakfast at Starbucks (no surprises there!) and then walked down to the ferry terminal where we got the 9:15 ferry to Rangitoto – a 25 minute trip. Rangitoto is a volcano that was formed about 600 years ago. Got there before the heat of the day and walked the hour or so to the summit (270m above sea level).

Great views across to the city and the surrounding islands. The walk up is through fields of black volcanic rock and quite dense forest. Also stopped off at some lava caves en-route which was quite eerie! Both put our new camel packs to the test, successfully, despite them still tasting a bit anti-septicy (is that a word?) – Ugh!

Back in time for the 12:45 return ferry and grabbed a sandwich and strolled down to the harbour to people watch for a bit whilst eating our lunch. Saw the Americas Cup sailing boat and lots of other very expensive yachts. We considered doing a harbour cruise but thought we’d already seen it whilst on the ferry so decided to save our pennies!
Wandered back through the city, stopping off at Albert Park for a bit or reading, sun bathing and snoozing before booking tickets to see ‘I am Legend’ at the IMAX cinema later on that night.

Back to the hotel, power nap and then out for dinner at a nearby Japanese restaurant before the film. Both really enjoyed it – definitely made all the better because of the massive screen and great sound!

Again, wandered back to the hotel before crashing out after another long days sightseeing!
D x

Day 67 (first one) – Auckland
Lazy start, walked in to the city to find virtually everywhere closed as it was Good Friday. Finally found a really nice café tucked down a side street where we both treated ourselves to a fry-up… perfect!

Then with time on our hands before the evenings flight we strolled about for a bit – another hour so in the park. M refusing to let me lie down in peace and constantly poking and tickling me… I think she was excited about flying to San Francisco and seeing her brother!

Both agreed that as everywhere was shut, we may as well go and check in at the airport as at least that’d be open! Got the return shuttle bus and checked in 4 hours ahead of the flight. As we were so early we managed to get them to give us an extra seat so we had a row of 3 for just us – bonus!

Flight left on time so we settled back for some good films and good food – Air New Zealand are great!

D x

Day 67 (again) – San Francisco
As we flew over the International Date Line, we’d been given an extra day, so we landed 8 hours before we’d left Auckland…. Brilliant!

Despite the flight being 12 hours, it went fairly quick. M, as usual managed a healthy 6 hours sleep. I was less fortunate.

Met at the airport by Ben, wearing his shorts which was a good sign. We’d both expected it to be a bit cool but the sun was shining so things were looking good.

Back to Ben & Madeline’s flat, we had some tea, showered and then set off for a tour of the city a la Ben Dalziel. Met with Madeline in the city centre and then walked, and walked and walked, and walked a bit more, before eventually getting a taxi to a bar called 'Mars Bar' where we had some beers and played some pool. (Very American)

Mandy & Madeline spotted some little plastic eggs dotted around the pub. Curiosity got the better of them and they opened them up to find sweets and in one, a piece of paper saying ‘Zen MP3 player.’ We then found out that there was to be an Easter Egg Hunt in the pub later – having jumped the gun by about an hour we hung around till they announced it, M & M in particular, keeping a very close eye on the eggs. When the hunt was announced, they pounced on their eggs and gathered up a load more as did Ben and I. (although not with quite the same level of competitiveness as M & M)

Between us we won an MP3 player (surprise, surprise), a T-shirt, a $15 i-tunes voucher, a $100 bar tab and lots of sweeties – all in all, a good afternoons haul.

Met Madeline’s sister who gave us a lift home. Plans to go out were dashed when both Mandy and I crashed out on the sofa at about 7:30 – I think the 48 hour Friday had taken its toll!

Early to bed on a not so inflatable mattress – what a great day!

D x

Day 68 – San Francisco
Fairly lazy start after an interrupted nights sleep. The mattress had a slow puncture so every 2-3 hours we had to roll off and pump it up again. M gave up after the 2nd time and retreated to the sofa, a wise decision, whilst I persevered and woke up lying on the floor with a half inflated mattress either side of me.

Madeline had a job interview so she left us at about 11 as we set off to explore the city. Got a train to an area called Haight Ashbury. It’s the slightly alternative quirky part of town that’s left over from the seventies – very friendly with lots of characters about.

Stopped off for some Mexican food (the biggest Burrito’s I’ve ever seen – they weighed about the same as Mandy) and then wandered around Golden Gate Park (still no sight of the bridge though!) where we saw loads of stuff including a couple of baseball games. Stopped to watch them for a bit and were soon joined by some humming birds (very cool) and a rather talkative tramp who seemed to enjoy commenting on the baseball – STTTTTTRRRRRIKE! After a few minutes, we realised he wasn’t leaving so we did!

Back towards Haight Ashbury we met Madeline, whose interview had gone well. Stopped for a quick drink and then got a taxi through the city to the shore near the Golden Gate Bridge! Saw the steep rolling streets that San Francisco is so famous for and then got our first view of the bridge and the Bay with Alcatraz sitting in the middle.
Hour or so on the beach people and dog watching, playing ‘smashball’ and Frisbee. We then wandered along the beach and into an area called The Marina to meet with Madeline’s sister. The pub was rammed so we went somewhere else where we were introduced to Beer-pong!

Basically, teams of 2, trying to throw a ping-pong ball into some cups at the other end of the table which have got beer in. Once you get the ball in, the other team has to drink the beer. There were some pretty serious players there with a lot of whoopin and a hollerin! Pretty funny. Needless to say, the rookies, M and I, cleared up and thought we would beat our hosts at darts too whilst we were at it. Really good fun.

Madeline’s sister and a friend joined us for a few more drinking games before we got a taxi back to get changed before heading out for the evening. All a little worse for wear by this stage we headed out to a bar called ‘Top of the Mark’, a penthouse bar on top of The Mark Hotel where we had some drinks and danced to the live music – very classy place so obviously we fitted right in???

Then on to a Mexican place because it was the only place we could find that served food. I think we had food, though my memory gets a little hazy here, but I do remember there being Karaoke, run by an Iranian guy called Mel who seemed to want to join in with the singing – All very amusing!

Several hours and lots of singing later (complete with sombrero’s and mini guitars) we got back (not sure how) to the flat and I dare say fell asleep pretty quickly!

D x

Days 52 to 62 - Uluru, Great Ocean Road & Melbourne

Day 52 – Uluru to Coober Pedy
Thought we’d get up at the correct time today and hot footed it to the sunrise viewing point at Uluru. Drove past the masses and found a quieter spot with an Aussie who was expecting the sun to rise from behind Uluru – he seemed pretty disappointed!

Again, the sun brought beautiful changes of colour and lots of flies though we were far better prepared today with our fly nets – a great purchase.

You could also see the Olgas in the distance which made for some more great photos. Then a final farewell drive around Uluru (saw 3 camels – alive this time) before heading back to the camp site where we treated ourselves to Bacon & Egg rolls a la Dave.

Showered, packed up and then set off for the return drive. Couple of fuel stops and a lay-by lunch stop later we pulled up in the opal mining town of Coober Pedy where most houses are sunken underground to escape the heat. The town is the set for films like Mad Max & Pitch Black….. basically, a ghost town in the middle of the desert.

Luckily the camp site had an icy cold swimming pool so we had a dip before M cooked a delicious curry – Yum!

Both pretty tired after a long days driving so we fell asleep pretty early…. Again!

D x

Day 53 – Coober Pedy to Port Pirie

Not much to hang around to see in Coober Pedy so we set off fairly early with hopes of reaching Adelaide, some 1000km’s down the road. Probably a bit ambitious so we ended up calling it a day in Port Pirie (about 250km north of Adelaide) but not before visiting the longest wooden jetty in Australia at Port Germaine.

We found a nice spot next to a lake but the heat was almost unbearable as were the swarms of mosquitoes.

Eventually we dozed off though the night which didn’t bring a great deal of relief from the heat so we couldn’t wait to get nearer the coast for some cooler weather… possibly the most uncomfortable nights sleep so far.

D x

Day 54 – Port Pirie to Robe
Woke up for breakfast and a mosquitoe bite count – about 40 combined we reckon! Ouch!
The milk was off so we had our morning cup of tea en-route at a service station. The nice man behind the counter was instilling in us the importance of wearing a good hat as the O-Zone over Australia is depleted. He then went on to try and sell us some for $50 each… and I thought he was just being friendly! (we didn’t buy any)

Soon we were south of Adelaide and stopped off at Mount Lofty Summit for great views over Adelaide and the surrounding areas.

No rest for the wicked so we soon hit the road once more bound for Coorong National Park. We were a little disappointed as you couldn’t get to the best parts without a 4x4 but we did do a walk to a Pelican lookout 'hide' at Jack Point only to discover that it wasn’t the breeding season and that they were all somewhere else… still, it was a nice walk.
We passed through Kingston Southeast which is home to Larry the Lobster, a 50 ft high lobster who welcomes you in to the town as you drive in from the north. (Australia seems to do a lot of things like these; big lobster, banana, pineapple… even a giant Ned Kelly!)

Finally arrived at Robe at around 6pm and found a nice site right next to the beach so we hot footed down to the sea (ocean) and I managed to get Mandy to have a dip despite it being pretty cold. Finally, we were both cool. I told her that it was called the Southern Ocean. She didn’t believe me claiming that that was a ‘crap’ name for an ocean. Needless to say, I was proved right when we looked at the map later… J I did feel a little smug.

Dinner in the camper and then a short stroll into town for a beer. I think M even wore trousers as the temperature had dropped significantly. Quite busy with a good atmosphere as it was a bank holiday weekend.

Another long and enjoyable day.

D x

Day 55 – Robe to Mount Gambier
Up at a reasonable time and then did some internet stuff before setting off for the day. Went to the coast near to town and walked around a headland or 2 to the Obelisk which is a marker for sailing ships. Beautiful scenery and we even saw a big lizard en-route. (we were however on the lookout for snakes after being warned by the camp site owner. She thought it wise to warn us as we were after all “internationals!”)











First stop on the days drive was at Beachport where we stopped briefly at Siloam Lake (very salty lake) where we “floated like we’d never floated before!” It was very bizarre, lying back, hands behind head, feet crossed and floating on the surface with ease.
M stood on a wasp and got stung whilst showering after our quick dip/float but luckily the pain seemed to ease fairly quickly.

Stopped off in town for a few supplies and yet more fuel and then it was on to Mount Gambier via a huge windfarm (literfally 100’s of turbines) which was pretty impressive.

Arrived in Mount Gambier at around 3ish and checked in to a site where we got the last powered hookup before setting off to explore the area.

First to Umpherston Sinkhole which is a formal garden set in a deep sinkhole. (A sinkhole is a piece of land that has been undermined by rainwater over years and years and then finally collapses in on itself leaving a large ‘hole’)
Not many people around but there were loads of bees. We could see their honey combs hanging in the crevices in the rocks.

We then drove up to view the volcanic lakes. Our first stop was Blue Lake which has the most ridiculously blue water you’ll ever see. Then on to Valley Lake which was home to lots of families playing with their speed boats water-skiiing, jet biking etc… so we sat back and did some quality people watching and judging. (the water skiers that is)

Then it was back to the site for the usual; dinner, dip in the pool, read and then bed! (very hot again)

D x

Day 56 – Mount Gambier to Port Fairy

Up and out and straight away to the nearby Englebrecht Caves for 9:30. Waited there for a while until we were told that it wouldn’t be open today due to an illness in the family…. Sounded like a case of a bad hangover to us! So we headed off to Valley Lake again for a wander around their small wildlife park which bordered the lake and had boardwalks through the reeds etc…. Saw lots of birds, a few kangaroos, a pottaroo (a small kangaroo) and the highlight was a sleepy koala high up in one of the eucalyptus trees. (We later learned that there are only 2 koalas in the park so we were lucky to spot him)

Both pleased with our koala spotting we drove and then walked the final steep bit to Centenary Tower, a lookout tower (now used to spot bushfires) which had fantastic 360 degree views of the area. (Visibility up to 80km on a clear day)

Spoke with the friendly guy on the door who told us about a few attractions that were ‘sort of’ on our route if we had the time. He seemed very knowledgeable about the area and gave us some good tips.

The best one was when he asked “Are you cave people?” I felt like replying that we’d evolved a bit personally but I kept that one to myself.

So we treated ourselves to an ice-cream after the steep climb and headed off for the Princes Margaret Rose Caves. It was then that we both agreed that we weren’t really cave people and decided to head straight to Cape Bridgewater on the coast. (That and the $12 entry fee)
Got to Cape Bridgewater and headed up the coastal footpath which was about a 2hr return walk. Amazing views across the bay and we reached the highest coastal point in Victoria. (Our 3rd state/territory of the road trip) There was a viewing platform at the end of the walk from which we could see a seal colony playing in the surf which was great and made the walk so much more worthwhile. We also saw snakes and large cricket/butterfly insects with bright yellow wings!
We then drove the short distance to a petrified forest (that wasn’t actually a forest, just rock formations that look like one) and saw a blowhole (which didn’t blow). Both a bit disappointing but nice to look at all the same.

For the first time in a long time the temperature was more than bearable – I think we may even have worn a long sleeved top as the temperature plummeted to 25!

Eventually arrived at Port Fairy so we booked into the park, settled down and relaxed for the evening and enjoyed being able to sit still without sweating.

D x

Day 57 – Port Fairy to Port Campbell
I woke Mandy up by reading (I didn’t realise I was reading out loud) so we had breakfast, went into town for a cup of tea and spot of internetting before we started on the ship-wreck walk. When we got to the start of the walk it was clear that we weren’t actually going to see any shipwrecks so we decided to go for a run along the beach instead. We both really enjoyed it and vowed that we’d run every day from now on…?

En-route to Port Campbell we stopped off at Warnambool for lunch at Logans Beach. It’s in a large bay which is where whales are often spotted although not at this time of year unfortunately.

Passed an outdoor activity shop and both treated ourselves to Camel Packs ahead of our planned treks in Canada (a bargain for the pair of us).

Finally we arrived at the long awaited Great Ocean Road.

Somewhat ironically it starts at Peterborough though it couldn’t be more different than ours.


We first stopped off at the Bay of Islands where there are lots of limestone stacks left in the bay whilst the headland retreats. We walked down to an amazing beach which we had all to ourselves. Got a bit wet as the tide was coming in pretty quick. – awesome!

Driving out of Peterborough we saw a small group of Pelicans so we felt some sort of payback after our efforts at Jacks Point. We then drove along what can only be described as the most beautiful coastline. We couldn’t drive more than a couple of km’s before pulling over at various scenic lookout points or scenic walks. Our many stops included The Grotto, London Bridge, the Arch, Blowhole & Thunder Cave.All of these are amazing limestone rock formations created by the wind and the sea.

Both pretty tired by this point, we pulled into Port Campbell, reserved a powered site and then drove the final few kilometres to the eagerly awaited 12 Apostles. (12 enormous limestone stacks sticking out of the ocean) Although you can only see 6 of them from this view point it was incredible. We took loads of photos, none of which do it justice. We contemplated waiting for sunset but as it was 2 hours away we headed back to the site and agreed to go back tomorrow for another look.

Back at the site we rewarded ourselves with a couple of beers and then out for dinner. We found a great little restaurant round the corner called Waves where I had lamb and Mandy had trout…. Delicious especially when washed down with a bottle of wine.. Ahhhh!

D x

Day 58 – Port Campbell to Apollo Bay
Usual morning routine saw us leave by around 9:30 and stopping off at Loch Ard Gorge (the site of a famous Australian ship wreck) on our way to the 12 (6) Apostles.

Once we’d checked that they were still all there we took another load of photos and then headed the 0.5km along the coast to the Gibson Steps which are carved into the cliff face and allow you access to one of the beaches alongside the apostles. Absolutely amazing setting. Nice stroll along the beach although the sun was hiding from us a little bit. M didn’t quite manage to avoid all the waves and got a bit of a soaking on one, perhaps two occasions.


Back on the Great Ocean Road for a while we then took an inland detour to The Otway Fly, a 25m high elevated walkway through the canopy of the rainforest with a 47m high lookout tower which we discovered swayed quite a lot. Despite Mandy’s fear of heights/falling she did it all, and with only a few tears. Once back on solid ground we walked back to the centre for an ice-cream and tried to spot the resident platypus on our way… No joy!

We pulled into Apollo Bay and got the last powered site in the town – very lucky! We wandered down to the beach where we rested our weary feet and read for an hour or so. Then, as the evening drew in, we wandered along the sea front and had fish and chips. (both been craving it for a few days so it was long overdue)

Back to the camper for bed for the final time!

D x

Day 59 - Apollo Bay to Melbourne
Lazy start to the day then hit the road for the final time. The stretch of coast from Apollo Bay hugs the coastline for about 50km’s and requires a bit more concentration. Luckily M was driving so I could just enjoy the views.

Came around one sharp bend to find about 5 or 6 cars pulled up in a layby with people staring up into the trees. So we pulled over and spotted about half a dozen koalas snoozing and stretching in nearby trees – brilliant. Proper wild koalas at last! So we got loads of photos, M clambering through bushes and trees to get the best shot. They seemed only too pleased to pose for photos so we got plenty.


We arrived in a town called Lorne where we headed inland for about 10km to Erskine Falls, a 38m waterfall in the forest. Being the end of summer it was more a trickle than a raging waterfall but still worth the journey. Then a quick stop at Teddy’s Lookout for a view back along the Great Ocean Road.




On to Airey’s Inlet where we wandered up to the lighthouse, couldn’t go in as there was a school trip arriving so on to the world famous surfing spot, Bells Beach! Both watched as the serious surfers rode some pretty big waves. (Thought of you Rob!) Stopped off at Torquay for a bit of shopping and then it was the final push to Melbourne – hooray!

Arrived to an empty house where we let ourselves in and unpacked the van (which by the way we’d called Smudge!).

Leah (Mandy’s friend from when she lived in Japan) soon arrived back from work and in no time we were drinking beers/wine and throwing snags on the barbie… finally an aussie bar-b-q! Drank, ate and chatted into the early hours before crashing out in a BED at last! What luxury!


D x

Day 60 – Melbourne
A late start (surprise surprise) and we were off to return the camper before getting a tour of Melbourne courtesy of Leah who’d taken the day off work.

First stop was a Japanese restaurant for lunch where M shook off the remains of her hangover. The heat seemed to be following us as it reached 39 – absolutely sweltering!

Shuffled around town wherever there was shade and visited the cathedral, Federation Square where we stopped in at the centre for visual arts. Then Flinders Street Station, ice cream at South Bank on the Yarra River and then up to the 88th floor of the Eureka Tower for views of the city. (could see the Formula 1 practice session at Albert Park which was pretty cool) then back to earth for a wander up to the public library (nice and cool in there) and then back home on the train. The city has a great feel about it and seems very relaxed.

Time for a quick drink before getting back for another bar-b-q and a fairly early night as we had an early start ahead of us.

D x

Day 61 – Melbourne & Anglesea
Up at 7 for a 2 hour drive back along the coast to Anglesea where the 3 of us checked in for our surf lesson. Kitted up with wetsuits and a board we had about 11 seconds of instruction before waddling out into a fairly big surf to give it a go. I seemed to have more success at first but I think it was because I had the bigger board. Once M and I swapped we were all getting up on our knees and then our feet and can honestly say we were surfing! We all enjoyed it though found it very tiring, especially on the arms.

Drove back to Melbourne and stopped off for lunch en-route for much needed sustinence. On the way back we stopped off at St Kilda, the trendy beach part of town where we wandered around for a couple of hours, had another ice-cream, walked along the beach and down the pier before driving back to Leah’s.

Hour or so relaxing and showering before getting the train into town for dinner. We went to a Thai restaurant on Chapel St, the drinking part of town. The meal was fantastic in a really great atmosphere. M bit into a chilli which looked painful. Leah’s brothers girlfriend Elise (nicknamed Scribbles) joined us after for some dodgy wine before getting a train to the centre of town for Karaoke. M and Leah were in their element and sang till gone 2 in the morning. I’m afraid I sang a couple too for which I can only apologise.

Taxi ride home and then straight to sleep… another late one.

D x

Day 62 – Melbourne
Very lazy morning as predicted before Leah & M drove to Chadstone (nearby shopping centre) for an hour or 2 before I joined them around 2:30 at the cinema to see The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson & Morgan Freeman. Really good film + it was air conditioned… relief!

Back to Leah’s before meeting up with Leah’s brother and Scribbles and Leah’s Mum & step-dad Clint at a Vietnamese restaurant. Very noisy and full of locals with lots of atmosphere and really good food. Couple of hours spent eating and chatting, then back to Leah’s for bed, all pretty tired.

D x