14 – 18 november Canyons to the coast

Day 5: Half way across USA and almost every day we gain an hour in a new time zone. Surprising how many towns we know from songs or movies. Travelled up the turquoise route (a scenis byway) to Santa Fe, when a large scrap metal welded bison caught the eye. Turns out this cute little village called Madrid (that’s Mad’rid not Ma’drid) is an arty/ crafty epicentre. Dry and rocky, old coal mines and turquoise gems. Climbing up through the mountains to  Santa Fe, at 7000 ft above sea level, has an historic area complete with adobe buildings and mud walls and more art. Back on the Interstate 40, the last town in New Mexico is Gallup, still in the 50s era of old highway 66. It was 16 deg F (yes that’s F not Celsius) last night and snow is still on the north facing banks and rooftops and ice in the road gutters.

 

Day 6: Don is on a mission, so today we packed in Arizona’s badlands Painted Valley, found some native Indian Petroglyphs in the Petrified Forest National Park. Some amazing logs turned to stone, but sadly most have been looted by the trainload over the years and can be seen for sale  in nearby towns and used for carpark edging. We checked into a cheap hotel in Tuyasan just outside the Grand canyon Park. The views from the south rim lookouts in the late afternoon were amazing. The landscape is just too big to be real- layers of pastel pink, green, cream and grey shades, sheer cliffs and creased buttresses, towers and castles and way down below, terraces and more cliffs, and way down further again the Colorado River.

 

Day 7: Bright Angel trail zigzags and plunges 3000 ft into Grand Canyon. Liz and Don tackled the descent to the 3 mile turn around, Tony took his pencils half way but could not capture the awesome scene. We took the shuttle bus 7km around the Rim and walked back, stopping for every jawdropping viewpoint on the way. The drive out through the  park’s eastern entry was punctuated by more gawking at the canyon from different angles. Tonight’s accommodation in a very comfortable hotel (run by the Navaho Indians and complete with backyard canyon) is in direct contrast with the mean native dwellings (generally a shabby shed which looks like it would be freezing in winter).

 

Day 8: Another big day. Arizona, Utah, Nevada and into California! Our route looped north in barren rocky country, lumpy land like Coober Pedy but unnaturally naturally formed, then cliffs with bands and ridge caps resmbling fortifications. As the road climbed westward up to 8000 ft to cross a mountain range, the barren landscape became a forest of spruce and snow lingered on the roadside. Down again north to Utah, the housing standard and pride of streetscape and garden improved dramatically in Mormon county Dade. Through crimson redrock hills, down a valley of yellow checkerboard cliffs into Zion National Park, a green, treed canyon with steep glistening walls and rainbow. This has to be a “must visit again” for longer bushwalks in this beautiful area. Down a highway in the funnel of another canyon into the Nevada desert. Las Vegas screams wealth with gold or bronze tinted skyscrapers, extravagant Treasure Island oasis with sailing pirate ships, Hotel Venetia’s replica of piazza San Marco with gondolas, casino Royale and Caesars Palace and all the neon ablaze at night.

 

Day 9: On Interstate 15, the Californian food bowl is mile after mile of orange orchards, vineyards and feedlots. At Sacramento, we say thanks and bye to Don, to catch the train and bus to San Francisco, arriving at the downtown Travelodge in the dark. 3500 miles from the Atlantic to the Pacific, via the most memorable and spectacular scenery. What a great journey.

 

10 – 14 november Go West young man

USA car trip

Day1: Don lives in an enormous “gated” mobile home village for 55+ year olds. We found his home on 8th street about a mile from the entrance, past the clubroom, tennis court, swimming pool and artificial lakes. We et off in his Ford Fusion, trying hard not to disagree with his definite views on politics and theories of big brother, indoctrination and manipulation of the general public. Anti government, anti authority, anti processed GM foods:  pro The Constitution, The 1st Amendment (the individual’s right of religion, freedom of speech, etc) and 4th amendment (one cannot be searched or arrested without warrant). Drove all the way to the end of the Florida panhandle on the first day. Left the Interstate highway 10 for detour to the pristine white sugar sand beach on the Gulf of Mexico. The scenic route went through Disneyesque resort villages and perfect cute little towns like the seaside town called Seaside where Truman Show was filmed. Dinner at a noisy sports bar where animated fans cheered the TV broadcast of Texas v Alabama football. Could not finish the oversize salads and pizza

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Day2: We were soon out of Florida (the Sunshine State), our Lonely Planet got a good workout through the flat swamplands of Alabama and into Mississipi. The southern states, dependent on agriculture and slavery, seceded from the Union then fought the civil war with the industrial northern states in 1861. Alabama was central to the Civil Rights movement in the mid 20th century. Rosa Parkes was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white person and go to the back of the bus. Slave-based plantation estate Louisiana was our next state. We made a quick stop to walk around the French Quarter of New Orleans, wacky shops, street performers, Mon Marte-like artists, carriages pulled by donkeys, flower covered wrought iron verandas and paddlesteamers on the Mississippi River and home to Louis Armstrong and Fats Domino. Signs of hurricane katrina still evident in areas with unrenovated housing and swathes of stripped trees. The road continued for about 50 miles of causeway though the swampland.

 

Day 3: An early start on Interstate 49 to Natchitoches, the earliest settled plantation town, with lovely colonial homes and historic street on the Dane River. We tried the local specialty of crispy deep fried meat pie and explain dead horse and dog’s eye to Don.  Dolly Parton  starred in “Steel Magnolia” here. Our camera’s battery had finally carked it (so no pics of New Orleans), so off to Walmart for a new camera, then back onto the frog and toad. Stopped at a rest stop and saw an Emu! Over the border on Interstate 20 into Texas. The countryside is still mostly flat and now drier grassland. We drive straight through Dallas, not stopping for JFK and through Fort Worth even though Liz suggested going to the Cowgirl museum and show. The concrete freeway overpasses are often 3 or 4 levels high, weaving the traffic every which way. Car is King, especially the F150, the Dodge pickup, a huge RV bus towing a SUV, a 1950s Cadillac, or a little car like our economical 4 cylinder Ford Fusion. It would be completely possible to drive from Miami to Seattle without one traffic light. As the sun sets, we found a “delux” hotel and then sat down for a Texan Ribeye steak at Sweetie pies.

 

Day 4: Travelled through prairie, oil fields, cattle ranch country and cotton fields. crazy cafe names like Wired Wabbit. A turn off to Acme and would not have been surprised to see Wil E. Coyote and Road Runnner. Interstate 40 has replaced most of Highway 66 but remnants remain in Amarillo, the planted cadillacs and Midpoint Cafe (equal distance to Chicago and L.A). The rugged beauty of the orange and pink cliffs of Palo Duro canyon was a worthwhile detour. 440 miles of Texas and then another 200 miles to Albuquerque in New Mexico was a big day.

  

4 – 9 november Miami to Melbourne, Florida

In the land of the brave.  we ignored the advice to take a taxi and walked 15 mins across the bridge over Biscayne Bay to our cheap hotel in downtown Miami. Are we really in USA? Nobody speaks English. Everyone, shop assistants, bus drivers, people on the street are hispanic. Cuban food in the cafes, big women and big hair. When English is spoken, it sounds like a cool, laid back, gravelly jamaican lilt. We do know we are in the USA – Hummers and super stretch limos contrast the old public buses (more like trucks). Thousands flocked to the foreshore for the Redbull Moomba type event where homemade flying contraptions were pushed off a ramp and crashed spectacularly into the water. Yellow Forrest Gump school buses, huge pharmacy stores which sell beer and wine, pawn shops and “we buy gold”.

 

Bus and trains, although very old and tired, are an easy way to get around for $5 per day. There is a clever driverless metromover on an elevated track.  Spent a frustrating couple of days investigating rental car deals and car yards to buy a car. It all seems too difficult (too expensive) for non-usa (visitors without usa address or insurance). Another possibility is to deliver a vehicle from Fort lauderdale to San Diego in California but unable to supply an official driving record from RTA. Also took a while to buy a phone and get it working.

Had a great tour out to the Everglades on the airboat powered by an enormous chevy motor. They call it the biggest swamp in the world but it is actually savannah grassland inundated by the slowest moving river in the world, about one or two feet deep. We saw four of the 1.5  million alligators and a few little  ones, great blue herons, egrets, cormorants and grackles. One of the guides spoke with an amazing (to us) real slow, high pitched, sing song, upward inflected drawl (is this the famous southern accent?).

 

Explored the art deco Ocean Boulevard on Miami south beach. Saw lots of “the beautiful people” strutting their stuff, great bodies,  fancy cars. Amazed at how many people cover themselves with graffiti (tattoos). Sat down at a bar/ restaurant on the footpath for a happy hour bucket of “Miami Vice” – a concoction of pina colada and rum runner. The divide between rich and poor is pointed out by our waiter – a woman rummages in the rubbish bin as a Porsche Boxter pulls up to the kerb. Segway and electric tricycles and Cadillacs.

 

US elections see Obama returned for second term. Florida is one of the swinging states, with hispanics in Miami-Dade urban county voting for Obama and the rural areas going to Romney. Travelled by Greyhound bus to Orlando, comfortable hotel in dead part of town. Orlando is Universal studios, Disneyworld, Waterworld, etc but we rented a car for 24 hours to make a trip to the Space coast. This is Kennedy Space centre, rocket launch pads for Apollo and Space Shuttle (and I dream of jeannie). We watched 3D IMAX movies of Hubble Telescope view into deep space galaxies and nebulae – fantastic, and the building and use of the international space station- amazing. Saw the cockpit of Apollo 11, the Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars and had a simulated ride in the space shuttle – zero to the speed of sound in 55secs. Lots of rockets and the actual Atlantis shuttle.

   

After several hours of educational and scientific wonder, we travelled south along the narrow strip of land of Cocoa Beach. Lovely unspoilt sandy beaches, then on to Melbourne where we enjoyed the hospitality of Saul (the Epic cruise bridge director) and wife Sam. Back to Orlando in the morning to return the car, greyhound bus to Tampa. Greyhound bus travel is an interesting experience; the amusing insistence of baggage handlers and security officers to “stand behind the yellow line”, do not pass go . . . and the not so amusing hand luggage searches and security wands. Managed to check emails on the bus’ free WiFi. The next few days will be even more interesting. We have found a lift (via the internet) to California and are on our way to meet Don ! Not sure how it will go, sharing a car with complete stranger to New Orleans, Grand Canyon and Lss Vegas. Liz has been talking to him on the phone for the last few days. Fingers crossed.

26 oct – 3 nov U.S. Virgins and across the big puddle

Life on the ship is settling into a nice routine with this typical  snapshot : 7pm Hypnotist (Tony still a skeptic), dinner in  Manhattan Restaurant with piano-clarinet-violin trio, 11pm Comedy Magician (brilliantly clever, professional and funny), get another hour of sleep for new time zone, 7.30am morning workout at the gym, stretching class, treadmill, bikes, weights, shower, breakfast, 10am contract bridge lecture (Tony), cooking demo (Liz), Rock climbing wall, Chess (not good enough against the Russians), Foot Assesmment, Caricature artist portrait, watch the sunset from Deck 19, go to “re-Voiced” the five-man a capella group, dinner at “Taste restaurant.

 

 

October 31 breaks the pattern as we disembark on St Thomas Island (one of the four USA Virgin Islands) in the Caribbean. US immigration officials give us a hard time as we do not have an address or a ticket to prove that we will leave  the USA. One official even told us some nonsense that we would be put in jail. First catch up with emails at internet cafe, lovely to hear from Alice, Emma and Wal and Robyn. Also booked a hotel in Miami and a Greyhound bus ticket from San Diego in California to Tijuana in Mexico (total outlay of $22.50 in case immigration come the heavy again). Go downtown, where another enormous cruise ship (the Aurora, 5000 passengers) is also in port). Bob Marley is everywhere in the market stalls – on T shirts and in real life, cheap jewellery and Hawaiian/ Jamaican prints and every second shop is selling diamonds. We climb aboard an ancient taxibus for a scenic tour of the island, grand views, banana daiquiri tasting and a swim at beautiful “Secret beach”, a delightful crescent of sand and palm trees with a warm and pristine ocean.

 

Back on board for dinner including Halloween themed cakes and sweets. The ship steams on and on – it seems a long long way even non stop at 26 knots. How much further is the Pacific crossing? And what if one is on a small yacht? Liz has been using the swimming pools and hot tubs for a few days now as the Caribbean weather is beautiful. Tony joins in on Day 12, trying out the giant water slides, between lazing and reading – only just managed to finish one book.

 

 

On day 14, Epic docks at Miami. We join Kiwi friends Chris and Robyn, and Texan friends Steven and Jim for a relaxed breakfast of eggs benedict, fruit and cottage cheese, grits and coffee. Debark is uneventful, no immigration officials to be seen, customs collects our card with all the “No” boxes ticked and we are in the USA!

21 – 25 october just cruising

The Norwegian Epic cruise ship is monstrous, 155,00 tonnes, towering above the dock, 19 decks high, 330m long. At midday we go through luggage check-in, passport control, card swipe and  handwash. Deck 5 includes guest services desk for those who need to sort out their on-board credit facility. We find the couple of bookshelves that is the ship’s library and promptly collect a couple of books. Tony gets “the quantum universe” to go with “the great equations”, Liz got something easier to read. Up to deck 13 we find our little inside cabin, up forward, twin beds, toilet, shower, fridge, TV, wardrobe, no window. We won’t have trouble finding it as the room is right next to the stairs in a cross hall with only 4 rooms. OK.

 

The Garden Buffet Café is a handy two decks up directly above and is already serving copious quantities of food with abundant choice and variety. There is disco music on the pool deck and the all-smiling, singing, dancing cruise director and crew lead the macarena. Down to  deck 14 to the “Pulse” gym and Mandara Spa, where the hard sell is to purchase $200 of yoga/ pilates and cycling sessions, $189 facials, $250 teeth-whitening, spa, massage, acupuncture treatments, etc. A compulsory emergency drill, back to the café for dinner, we are worried how much weight we will stack on in two weeks.

The first three days go quickly, eating, sleeping, exploring, eating, going to shows, eating, learning and playing bridge, sleeping and eating and still there are places on the map of the ship we haven’t found. The ship does 26 knots and on the second evening we leave the Mediterannean through the gap between Europe and Africa at Gibralta and into the Atlantic. The Norwegian captain makes regular announcements that the ship is on schedule, the sea is calm, the cyclone in the Bahamas is far far away too far away to worry and having a wonderful day and a smashing evening. The daily newsletter lists the day’s activities, art auctions, bars, restaurants and entertainment. The casino and poker machines do not interest us, nor does the shopping mall or the internet room at 55c per minute. We enjoy the comedy string quartet Graffiti Classic, and the BlueMan Group is entertaining and different. The Legends in Concert features three amazing performers who do absolutely brilliant impersonations of Rod Stuart, Madonna and Elvis.

 

US citizens (many from Florida) are the majority travellers, then UK, and German. We meet two young Australian boys. Justin is underage, turning 21 in five days time, so cannot purchase or drink alcohol, but is “welcome to gamble”!! Tony meets a woman who has now made 14 ocean crossings (12 atlantic and 2 pacific) on cruise ships! A few people (like us) are cruising rather than flying but the vast majority actually flew from USA to do the cruise or will be flying back to UK or Germany after the cruise.

The first shore excursion is the Azores, an island group belonging to Portugal known for volcanic lakes and tea plantations – this is country number 18 and perhaps half-way around the world. Catch up with emails on free WiFi at café and two coffees for 1 Euro with new friends Wim and Wil from Holland. The weather is warm and sunny for a walk along the coast, past decrepit but colourful houses to a small islet and beach, then up out of town to pineapple farms and back down through cobblestone streets.

 

Back to the starship Epic for a meal, a show another meal and bed. Big day! Still a long way to go, It will be six sea days before we see land again.