The blog seems to be cutting the right hand side of the photos off... which more often than not removes Steve from the pictures. While some on tour consider this a plus, we do realise it is slightly unfair.
Any ideas?
Thursday 30 July 2009
Wednesday 29 July 2009
The Rest Of The West
Yellowstone National Park.
Boom! It's like Disney's Animal Kingdom, but way bigger, and less Lion King. Bison, bald eagles, elk (but no bears), canyons, geysers, waterfalls, a massive lake... it has everything. Really really great.
Our last nite's camping would have been totally fine, was it not for the fact that it was the coldest night in the history of our planet. I gave up trying to get back to sleep around half 4, and made my way to the car, where with the help of 4 t shirts, blankets and a lot of socks, I warmed up enough that I managed to doze for another hour. Good times. The fudge at the campsite was pretty amazing though.
That morning we headed East again, across the width of Wyoming, our new favourite state. We had to drive through Yellowstone again, so that was neat. The rest of Wyoming was really impressive scenery wise, and its small towns were way cooler than the small towns in Montana/Idaho/Eastern Washington, which were all the worst and covered in billboards advising people not to use Meth. Good advice, I guess.
This is Cody, Wyoming, where I think I will live in the future.
It was a lonnnng days driving, 600 miles or so, and by the time we got to South Dakota it was dark. But not dark enough to prevent Neil from spotting a KFC All You Can Eat from the interstate. What followed was pretty absurd, but for $9.60 we had as much chicken as any man could ever want, and 4 different varieties at that. The chicken counts would offend those of you with sensitive dispositions, but trust that we got our value for money.
Rapid City, SD was only home for a short while, but it was really boring. We headed away early this morning and made our first stop at Mount Rushmore. Note Mike's George Washington... I think he's been practicing that.
Two thumbs up for Mt. Rushmore. It doesn't disappoint in person, and it had the best gift shop we've seen yet.
The rest of the day was spent in Wyoming again, this time driving from North to South, aiming for Denver, CO. Sadly East Wyoming has a little less going for it, there were 80 mile stretches with not a building in sight, we passed through a 'town' with a population of 1... it was pretty desolate. It was another long day, so we arrived late again in Denver. Instead of heading out in the rain and finding a bar, we spent our money in a novel fashion. A drive in movie.
Unfortuntely the movie showing was Harry Potter, which was freakin' awful, but it was a pretty hilarious experience. Cant see any of us getting a chance to do it again, so glad we bothered ourselves.
Tomorrow we're gonna get to know Denver, hopefully knock off the Coors brewery and the US Mint. Then on Friday, a long, long, long drive through Kansas. Wish us luck.
Boom! It's like Disney's Animal Kingdom, but way bigger, and less Lion King. Bison, bald eagles, elk (but no bears), canyons, geysers, waterfalls, a massive lake... it has everything. Really really great.
Our last nite's camping would have been totally fine, was it not for the fact that it was the coldest night in the history of our planet. I gave up trying to get back to sleep around half 4, and made my way to the car, where with the help of 4 t shirts, blankets and a lot of socks, I warmed up enough that I managed to doze for another hour. Good times. The fudge at the campsite was pretty amazing though.
That morning we headed East again, across the width of Wyoming, our new favourite state. We had to drive through Yellowstone again, so that was neat. The rest of Wyoming was really impressive scenery wise, and its small towns were way cooler than the small towns in Montana/Idaho/Eastern Washington, which were all the worst and covered in billboards advising people not to use Meth. Good advice, I guess.
This is Cody, Wyoming, where I think I will live in the future.
It was a lonnnng days driving, 600 miles or so, and by the time we got to South Dakota it was dark. But not dark enough to prevent Neil from spotting a KFC All You Can Eat from the interstate. What followed was pretty absurd, but for $9.60 we had as much chicken as any man could ever want, and 4 different varieties at that. The chicken counts would offend those of you with sensitive dispositions, but trust that we got our value for money.
Rapid City, SD was only home for a short while, but it was really boring. We headed away early this morning and made our first stop at Mount Rushmore. Note Mike's George Washington... I think he's been practicing that.
Two thumbs up for Mt. Rushmore. It doesn't disappoint in person, and it had the best gift shop we've seen yet.
The rest of the day was spent in Wyoming again, this time driving from North to South, aiming for Denver, CO. Sadly East Wyoming has a little less going for it, there were 80 mile stretches with not a building in sight, we passed through a 'town' with a population of 1... it was pretty desolate. It was another long day, so we arrived late again in Denver. Instead of heading out in the rain and finding a bar, we spent our money in a novel fashion. A drive in movie.
Unfortuntely the movie showing was Harry Potter, which was freakin' awful, but it was a pretty hilarious experience. Cant see any of us getting a chance to do it again, so glad we bothered ourselves.
Tomorrow we're gonna get to know Denver, hopefully knock off the Coors brewery and the US Mint. Then on Friday, a long, long, long drive through Kansas. Wish us luck.
Sunday 26 July 2009
The Pacific North West, and then East again.
A quick photo catch up, from our Motel 6 room in Helena, MT. I say quick, because the boys are trying to sleep. I feel guilty.
We headed to Portland.
Via Wing Stop!
60 wings, a pound of potato salad, a pound of coleslaw and a basket of fries was too easy. We need a new challenge.
Portland was super great. We especially liked the bridges and Powells. We also liked the International Rose Test Garden.
Which isn't to be confused with the Rose Garden which hosts NBA games. Glen looks stupid, mental note made for next time. The roses were cool though.
We left Oregon and stopped in Vancouver, WA for breakfast. Wienerschnitzel did an amazing Super Cherry Mountain Dew, but its chili dogs...
Worst breakfast ever. Well, since Paris, TX.
We stopped by Olympia to see the State Capitol. Another good stop.
Then stopped in Kelso. Which is funny for those of you who know Steve.
Then Seattle, at last. It's a really nice city to drive into, especially when you pass your favourite baseball and football teams' stadiums on the way.
A super good stop and a great way to end the trek up the West Coast, Seattle had a lot going for it. Like Pike Place Market...
And giant apples.
We also met David Moyes...
And the entire Everton team/Harlem Globetrotters.
As usual, lots more photos, including cool things like more fish, more fruit, the Space Needle, and other fancy stuff Mike takes, just check the flickrs.
We sadly had to leave Seattle and spend a long day driving through Washington, and then Idaho, so we could get to Glacier National Park.
This is what Michael thought of Idaho...
Montana has fared a little better.
We rolled up to our campsite at West Glacier a little after dark, after another satisfying take on the Bargain menu at Pizza Hut. Putting up the tent in the dark is difficult enough, but the super mental Montana lightning made it a little scarier than it needed to be.
A pretty terrible night's sleep was totally worth it for our visit to Glacier NP this morning, which is so far the group's second favourite park, and my personal favourite, just edging out Grand Canyon. I'm all about the U-Shaped Valleys.
We arrived safe and sound in Helena, despite more of Mother Nature trying to kill us...
... and enjoyed our first Walmart Supercenter since Mike arrived, then knocked off another American tradition, Applebees for dinner on a Sunday.
Tomorrow is Yellowstone. And our last night of camping. Thank Jesus.
We headed to Portland.
Via Wing Stop!
60 wings, a pound of potato salad, a pound of coleslaw and a basket of fries was too easy. We need a new challenge.
Portland was super great. We especially liked the bridges and Powells. We also liked the International Rose Test Garden.
Which isn't to be confused with the Rose Garden which hosts NBA games. Glen looks stupid, mental note made for next time. The roses were cool though.
We left Oregon and stopped in Vancouver, WA for breakfast. Wienerschnitzel did an amazing Super Cherry Mountain Dew, but its chili dogs...
Worst breakfast ever. Well, since Paris, TX.
We stopped by Olympia to see the State Capitol. Another good stop.
Then stopped in Kelso. Which is funny for those of you who know Steve.
Then Seattle, at last. It's a really nice city to drive into, especially when you pass your favourite baseball and football teams' stadiums on the way.
A super good stop and a great way to end the trek up the West Coast, Seattle had a lot going for it. Like Pike Place Market...
And giant apples.
We also met David Moyes...
And the entire Everton team/Harlem Globetrotters.
As usual, lots more photos, including cool things like more fish, more fruit, the Space Needle, and other fancy stuff Mike takes, just check the flickrs.
We sadly had to leave Seattle and spend a long day driving through Washington, and then Idaho, so we could get to Glacier National Park.
This is what Michael thought of Idaho...
Montana has fared a little better.
We rolled up to our campsite at West Glacier a little after dark, after another satisfying take on the Bargain menu at Pizza Hut. Putting up the tent in the dark is difficult enough, but the super mental Montana lightning made it a little scarier than it needed to be.
A pretty terrible night's sleep was totally worth it for our visit to Glacier NP this morning, which is so far the group's second favourite park, and my personal favourite, just edging out Grand Canyon. I'm all about the U-Shaped Valleys.
We arrived safe and sound in Helena, despite more of Mother Nature trying to kill us...
... and enjoyed our first Walmart Supercenter since Mike arrived, then knocked off another American tradition, Applebees for dinner on a Sunday.
Tomorrow is Yellowstone. And our last night of camping. Thank Jesus.
Saturday 25 July 2009
Another Alive Update
Just a quick one from West Glacier, Montana, to let all of our loved ones know that we're all still alive. We've had good times in Portland, OR, and Seattle, WA, and today we drove thru Idaho to here in the middle of freakin' nowhere. We've just pitched the tent in the dark, on what certainly felt like concrete... Steve and his mallet managed well, destroying only 9 pegs. More worryingly, there is the mother of all lightning storms overhead. There's like a 45% chance we're gonna die tonight.
THank goodness tomorrow we're back to a comfy Motel 6 in Helena, MT, after what is supposedly the nicest drive on the planet Earth, the Going To The Sun Road, through Glacier National Park. We promise to photo blog tomorrow nite, barring any internet/life restrictions.
Hope all is well at home.
Oh yeah, we definitely met the Everton FC team in Seattle. So, that was weird.
THank goodness tomorrow we're back to a comfy Motel 6 in Helena, MT, after what is supposedly the nicest drive on the planet Earth, the Going To The Sun Road, through Glacier National Park. We promise to photo blog tomorrow nite, barring any internet/life restrictions.
Hope all is well at home.
Oh yeah, we definitely met the Everton FC team in Seattle. So, that was weird.
Tuesday 21 July 2009
Californiaaaaaaaaa
So we've been pretty lazy on the blog front, and after the hot dogs and Miller High Life tonite, i'm going to be pretty lazy again. Short blog ahoy!
We're camping in amongst the Redwoods in Crescent City, CA, a few miles from the Oregon border. Best campsite yet. So since we properly updated last, we've been a few places. Like...
Vegas. 2 days in Vegas was pretty tiring, but $20 all you can drink and $20 all you can eat made things pretty interesting. If you want play by plays from these occasions you should email one of us. Never before have three men drank as many margaritas, or eaten as much prime rib... anyway.
Next up was a drive thru the desert to the gorgeous city of San Diego. Here are the original team coming face to face with the Pacific, after a 4000 mile trip from the Atlantic. We're looking pretty smug.
Not long after arriving, we collected Michael from the airport. Here he is, ruining San Diego's ambiance.
All of San Diego was pleasing to us, especially the breeze, it was a good 25 degrees cooler than the swamps and deserts of the previous fortnight. Unfortunately, this meant we got a little lazy with the sun cream.
After a long day of walking and soaking up the sights, we went to Petco Park for our first ball game of the trip, Rockies at Padres.
Pretty great for $14! Here's Mike enjoying his first fast food of the trip, a delicious dog.
The game got a little dull towards the end as the Padres collapsed, but it was a great night nonetheless.
Early start, on the road! Neil once again handled some stressful traffic detail, this time driving thru the nightmare that is LA. We're all really glad we decided there was nothing for us in Los Angeles. It looked awful. We just carried on up the Pacific Highway to Santa Margarita for a night of cheap tequila, bud light, hot dogs and margaritas.
Next up was driving through Big Sur!!!
It was foggy.
It still was an amazing drive, and Bixby Canyon Bridge was a great stop.
We arrived in Palo Alto where our lovely host Kirsten did an incredible job of looking after us for a few days. We had the best burgers of the tour yet at In N Out Burger (Steve went mental for the secret menu 'Animal style' burger, a perk of hanging out with a local) and went for a few beers after seeing the very impressive Stanford Campus, and indeed walking past Steve Jobs' house. Which has an apple orchard for a front yard. Of course it does.
The next day we hit San Francisco hard.
After the best Irish Coffee we've ever had (from somewhere renowned for it, I believe)...
...another insider tip led us to a Mexican place on The Mission for what was easily the best Mexican food in the world. We're assuming it was better than Mexican food from Mexico, because, well, it's in the first world.
The ice cream we got after was even better. Flavour highlights included salted caramel, balsamic strawberry and brown butter pecan. Holy cat.
Many many thanks to Kirsten for looking after us so well. Parents, you'll be glad to know she loaded us up with fruit, and apart from the In N Out burger, all food was of a healthier variety. I have a funny feeling Scottish Stevie will be continuing his Good People Of America blog shortly.
Today we set off up the peninsula, crossed the Golden Gate,
And headed for Redwood country. Pretty impressive.
Tonight's camping has been a lot of fun, thanks to 24 cans of Miller High Life for $16. The boys are currently playing Jenga, and i'm finishing this blog. Tomorrow we meet our 14th state (and Mike's 2nd), Oregon. Good times ahoy.
Until then.
We're camping in amongst the Redwoods in Crescent City, CA, a few miles from the Oregon border. Best campsite yet. So since we properly updated last, we've been a few places. Like...
Vegas. 2 days in Vegas was pretty tiring, but $20 all you can drink and $20 all you can eat made things pretty interesting. If you want play by plays from these occasions you should email one of us. Never before have three men drank as many margaritas, or eaten as much prime rib... anyway.
Next up was a drive thru the desert to the gorgeous city of San Diego. Here are the original team coming face to face with the Pacific, after a 4000 mile trip from the Atlantic. We're looking pretty smug.
Not long after arriving, we collected Michael from the airport. Here he is, ruining San Diego's ambiance.
All of San Diego was pleasing to us, especially the breeze, it was a good 25 degrees cooler than the swamps and deserts of the previous fortnight. Unfortunately, this meant we got a little lazy with the sun cream.
After a long day of walking and soaking up the sights, we went to Petco Park for our first ball game of the trip, Rockies at Padres.
Pretty great for $14! Here's Mike enjoying his first fast food of the trip, a delicious dog.
The game got a little dull towards the end as the Padres collapsed, but it was a great night nonetheless.
Early start, on the road! Neil once again handled some stressful traffic detail, this time driving thru the nightmare that is LA. We're all really glad we decided there was nothing for us in Los Angeles. It looked awful. We just carried on up the Pacific Highway to Santa Margarita for a night of cheap tequila, bud light, hot dogs and margaritas.
Next up was driving through Big Sur!!!
It was foggy.
It still was an amazing drive, and Bixby Canyon Bridge was a great stop.
We arrived in Palo Alto where our lovely host Kirsten did an incredible job of looking after us for a few days. We had the best burgers of the tour yet at In N Out Burger (Steve went mental for the secret menu 'Animal style' burger, a perk of hanging out with a local) and went for a few beers after seeing the very impressive Stanford Campus, and indeed walking past Steve Jobs' house. Which has an apple orchard for a front yard. Of course it does.
The next day we hit San Francisco hard.
After the best Irish Coffee we've ever had (from somewhere renowned for it, I believe)...
...another insider tip led us to a Mexican place on The Mission for what was easily the best Mexican food in the world. We're assuming it was better than Mexican food from Mexico, because, well, it's in the first world.
The ice cream we got after was even better. Flavour highlights included salted caramel, balsamic strawberry and brown butter pecan. Holy cat.
Many many thanks to Kirsten for looking after us so well. Parents, you'll be glad to know she loaded us up with fruit, and apart from the In N Out burger, all food was of a healthier variety. I have a funny feeling Scottish Stevie will be continuing his Good People Of America blog shortly.
Today we set off up the peninsula, crossed the Golden Gate,
And headed for Redwood country. Pretty impressive.
Tonight's camping has been a lot of fun, thanks to 24 cans of Miller High Life for $16. The boys are currently playing Jenga, and i'm finishing this blog. Tomorrow we meet our 14th state (and Mike's 2nd), Oregon. Good times ahoy.
Until then.
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