Heading westward towards Calais we spent a couple of days in pleasant German town of Schwerin set beside a series of lakes which made cycling interesting (and flat). Then Maastricht in the South of Holland – an interesting, attractive town but too busy with too many tourists. Thence some very pleasant days in France in the Department of the Aisne and the Oise which we chose as they are not too far from Calais. This was very relaxing with visits to several towns on the two rivers including Laon cathedral, and we were very impressed with Soissons which included a parking beside the canal/river with some cycling and perhaps the best Saturday market we have been to in France for a long time. All good things to an end we headed North though gale force winds, visiting lots of fortified churches en route and the extraordinary Familistere de Guise domestic iron works now owned by Le Creuset. Back to Calais for our traditional ‘moules frites’ and overnight park on the quays before returning to ‘Old Blighty”.
Returned to the UK and immediately set of for a week in Cornwall with some of the English family. Don’t recommend taking motorhomes on the lanes of Cornwall. Heart attack stuff, but we parked the van for a week and moved into a house.
Had a great time in Gorran Haven. A typical Cornish fishing village which is now a holiday place, but not overly commercialised and still charming. We walked, sat on the beach, watched as the Brits brought all sots of chairs, set up the wind breaks,built sand castles, floated on all sorts of blow up or more solid kayaks, dinghy's etc as the youth jumped off the sea wall into the cold water.
We consumed lots of wine and fine food and managed to fit in a few local landmarks walking along the coastline. Swimming wasn’t high on the agenda – freezing, but we managed one. Joanna’s first ever swim in England after many summers there! We had a lovely time with family and are very grateful to Jonathon and Feralyn for giving us the opportunity and teaching us how to make Cornish pasties! Spent another week exploring parts of Cornwall and visiting friends and family on the way back. A few days enjoying Hastings and also wedding drinks in Essex where we managed to catch up with all of David’s UK family.
The last part of this year’s trip was set up by Joanna as a tour through San Francisco, drive to Yosemite National Park, on up to Reno via Lake Tahoe, where the kids have all spent a ski season, fly to Las Vegas and drive to the Grand Canyon.
This all worked out as planned and in their own way, all these places (perhaps excepting San Fran) are amazing. San Fran for 3 days allowed us see all we wanted, based in a simple but very good hotel, right in the centre, a stone’s throw from Union Square. It was a holiday weekend so a very cosmopolitan crowd everywhere especially places like the local Starbucks for the noisy bustling breakfast coffee, in fact we have converted to coffee for all our time in the US. Anyway over the Golden Gate Bridge, lunch in Sausalito, with the crowds on Fisherman’s Wharf and a night bus tour to se the beautiful lit up Bay Bridges. Surprised at the the number of beggars and homeless which is part – I suppose, of the American dream.
A hire car (Jeep Compass) and a drive to Yosemite for a three night stay at Camp Curry, a permanent tent camp. Pretty basic with no facilities,(but not cheap!). It was all that could be booked in the park last November. Didn’t realise it was a long weekend. Quite an experience getting to know the organisation of the place, but we enjoyed it so much and didn’t see any bears or mountain lions in our night walks to the loo!
Managed a walk around the Mirror Lake (dry) and up to the Vernal Falls (tiring), all the time admiring the fantastic granite rock faces that David has read so much about. Really relaxing to drink on the veranda of the lounge hut watching the little ground squirrels scurry about and absorbing the atmosphere. Climbers, walkers, daytrippers. The organisation of a park like this is really a credit to the US. Next we drove through the high part of Yosemite – Tuolumne meadows – on the way to Lake Tahoe where Thomas, Nick and Katie have all spent winters ski instructing. Such fine wide roads everywhere make driving so easy even in the mountains, unlike Europe's mountain roads. Magnificent scenery.
Flight from Reno to Las Vegas where we met up with Thomas and Rachel who flew down from Vancouver. A long drive via Lake Mead and the Hoover dam to the Grand Canyon. Incredibly hot - 40 plus. We have had to endure large and rapid temperature changes here in a couple of days, from 0 at Yosemite at night to 40 plus in Vegas! Driving here is so easy - just setting the car on ‘cruise’ and keeping awake. The Grand Canyon is another amazing place – Joanna was here some 35 years ago, and managed to book an overnight trip to the bottom on the day she arrived. It aint like that anymore.
It is a huge operation but another American example of how to organise a natural site with 4 to 5 million visitors a year. We were unable to book a camp site or lodge down at the base of the canyon, even a year ago. So the only option was a walk from the top (down and back up the same day in the heat). Thomas managed it in record time (40km trip, 1500m elevation change) Rachel made it most of the way down, Joanna and David 2 km down only). We were all well pleased with our efforts. Joanna also booked a day tour involving a flight around the whole canyon, a visit to the remarkable Antelope Canyon and finally a 16 mile raft down the Colorado river from Glen Canyon Dam and bus back to the lodge – a fine day to complete our experience of the Grand Canyon – one of the wonders of the natural world. We had never heard of Antelope ‘slot’ canyon but were blown away with the magnificent rock sculptures. We were lucky to have a great guide who used Rachel’s cell phone to take the amazing photo below (known as the Dancing Flame) and also we managed to miss the several busloads of tourists that came in after us!
Saw lots of wildlife – deer, elk, squirrels, chipmunks. All used to humans so they mill around the place. However not tame, and you are constantly warned not to go near them. A ground squirrel did its best to make off with Joanna’s daypack.
Back to Las Vegas to hit the town. It was great to have Tom and Rachel. Tom’s 4th visit so he is becoming a bit of an expert and whisked us around the place. We had a great night out with them and even managed to wake up in reasonable health the next morning, if a little late. It is indeed an remarkable place with all the imitation world landmarks. One of the best is the Venetian Hotel where Joanna who failed to fulfil a desire for a gondola on our visits to Venice achieved it inside the hotel – so realistic. Managed to go up the Stratosphere tower, the High Roller Ferris wheel etc. Vegas is an amazing US signature in the middle of a virtual desert.
As is obvious we are now back in Auckland where we, Joanna in particular, are in great demand as her birthday was two days after arriving and two of her other sisters also within a week. This year the house was rented out and so all our personal belongings were stored away and have had to be re –located. Met the very pleasant ‘renters’ who were very happy supervising the repairs to a 23m catamaran which nearly sank close (luckily) to Fiji when the battery fumes exploded punching a hole in the hull and lots of expensive other damage.
So that’s all for 2016. However we have problems next year in obtaining insurance for us to drive Stan after the beginning of May 2017, so perhaps an early ski season perhaps the end of our travels in Stan ……watch this space.
David & Joanna
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