Learnin' the lingo

We are sitting in traffic on our way into Chicago with a deep dish pizza and evening bike tour of the city in the not too distant future. Nashville was a lot of fun, we went to the Wild Horse Saloon for dinner and a spot of line dancing and then headed to another bar for some more (normal) dancing. Sandra and Reto are a lot of fun and Matt kept us company for a good part of the evening.

After Nashville we were headed to Louisville, Kentucky with a stop on the way at Mammoth Caves. What an amazing place. It's the biggest cave system in the world and over twice the size of the next biggest. We spent two hours there on an historical tour in a very cool 12 degrees. Given that it was about 40 outside it was quite a shock going in and out. So far they have explored 365 miles of the system and they think it could be more than 600 all up. Americans don't do things small.

We got to the campsite in good time and spent a while in the pool. Apparently it was about 29 and even Mum was happy in it for quite a while. Matt grew up in Louisville just across the boarder in Indiana and so some of his friends came to join us for the grill. It was nice just hanging out with some locals and they seemed to enjoy themselves too. This campsite has better cabins than the last, the same basic layout with a double bed and a set of bunks, but they had air con and a mirror so Mum was happy.

Today we've basically done a straight run to Chicago and we have an off day tomorrow to spend as we wish. I should get a good feel for the city on the bike ride tonight. I am certainly looking forward to getting on a bike :-)

Mum is doing well, although I didn't manage to get her line dancing and she has also declined tonight's bike ride. She seems happiest if she has animals to photograph or a Walmart to shop at and happily she's getting a goodly amount of both.

I'm getting the hang of the lingo. I can manage sidewalks, crosswalks, restrooms, trashcans and hangin' a Rita or a Lucy (right or left turn). We often stop for a cup of Joe (coffee) and I have just about got the hang of miles rather than kilometers. However the celsius fahrenheit thing still completely confuses me and I am so glad I got an app that does the conversion for me!

We have developed a bit of a theme for this tour as my Swiss friends are quite entertained at how many things I find are awesome. They hassle my accent but that's fine, I can cope and we really are getting on well. We don't see as much of Lee and Yen but Lee is coming on the bike ride tonight so I'm pleased about that.

Love
Sarah

On the road to Nashville

It's a driving day today with not much to see on the interstate so a good time to write an update. In the last 3 days we've seen the Shenandoah and Great Smokey Mountains. It's great to get out of the city and see some scenery. We went for three "hikes" altogether although they have been pretty tame. Well worth it though for lovely views.

Mum has been fantastic and done all the walks. There was one small side walk that Matt described as "scrambly" which she decided not to do that I thought was the right choice. The others on the tour are a mixed group. We are fortunate to only have 6 people which makes it very easy to cater to individuals. Sandra is 19 and Swiss. She has been living in Houston for 6 months and is pretty down to earth. Reto is also Swiss and he and Sandra are getting on well. He is 28 and in IT. We have the same taste in books and movies so that is fun. He feels the same way I do about Episodes 1-3!! The other two are a mother and son which might have worked out well for us except they are from China and the mother, Yen doesn't speak any English. The son, Lee is 26 and has been studying in San Diego for 2 years so his English is ok but they are keeping to themselves a bit. Still, there's enough to mix it up a little and I'm enjoying getting to know everyone. Mum thinks she'll be fitter when we get home from all the walking.

We spent our first night in a campground last night right on the edge of the Great Smokeys. We were in little cabins and Mum and I were on our own. We are having communal breakfasts and lunches from a group kitty and also dinners when we are camping. So last night we had a grill with corn, sausages, potato salad and buns. There were supposed to be S'mores to finish, but Matt forgot the Graham crackers and so has promised them next time we camp. He is doing a good job of covering off all the basics. So far we've eaten at a BBQ restaurant and "The Cracker Barrel" where we had Chicken and Dumplings, good Southern cooking. I don't know if I'd have it again but it was good to do once. Mum and I have been sharing a main since the portions are so big and that's working well.

One other thing about the campgrounds is that apparently they all have pools so last night I got to have my first swim of the season :-). It was so nice and refreshing and the icing on that particular cake was a wee hot tub as well. The weather has been fine the whole time but was definitely cooler near the mountains and so I was glad of my jeans last night.

This morning we had an hour at a Cherokee village and saw them making some traditional crafts. It's amazing how long they take over making just one belt or pot and they also told us they have only had a written language since the 1820s, prior to that it was oral only. Hard to comprehend really.

Well, that's enough for today, hopefully I'll be able to post this in Nashville.

Love
Sarah and Laurice

New York to DC

We're on the tour now and have had a really good couple of days. Matt is our guide and has 10 years experience and so far so good. He is quite easy on the eyes which doesn't hurt but also seems competent, friendly and helpful.

Yesterday we had 3 hours to explore some of Philadelphia so saw the Liberty Bell and the building where they signed the Declaration of Independence as well as trying (and enjoying) a real Philly Cheese-steak. Then it was on the road again to Washington DC. The hostel is clean and basic and has good net access (yay!) and breakfast provided. Then it was out to dinner (large portions, tonight Mum and I shared a main and that was much more manageable) and then an evening "illumination" tour taking in all the major monuments and a shot of the White House. A good evening and then home to talk to Dad through the Internet on Viber. It's a little touchy just like Skype can be, but still a really good option and we had a good talk which was nice for Mum and Dad.

Today we were up and out in good time after breakfast and did the Capitol, the National Archives which has (among other things) the Declaration of Independence. You know the one they actually signed 200 years to the day before I was born. An absolute highlight!! As if that wasn't enough we did the National museum of American History (did you know General Lee surrendered to General Grant using a Virginia housewife's tea towel as his white flag? I've seen that tea towel :-) ). Then on to the Air and Space Museum for moon landers and aircraft and missiles galore. I was interested to note before Wilber and Orville Wright became inventors they made a good living as bicycle mechanics!!

To top off the day we went to Arlington Cemetery (and not only saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but also a wreath laying ceremony including playing the last post) and the Iwo Jima memorial, dinner and home to another good chat to Dad and the chance to send a few emails.

I am getting the hang of taking photos on the phone and so will post one from today. Unfortunately there is no photography allowed in the National Archives so you'll just have to trust me when I say what I saw. I really did though and it was cool.

Thanks again for all the moral support, I'm doing better than I was after some good sleep, net access and ready access to an expert to answer all my questions. Don't forget to sign your txts as the phone doesn't tell me who they're from :-)

Love to all
Sarah

New York is full on!

It's cooled down now to 26 degrees but it is 9:30 to be fair. Today is Saturday and we had a one day New York pass to male the most of. We were out of the hotel at 8:30 and are still on the go now. Highlight so far was the circumnavigation of Manhattan which involved going under 20 bridges and some fabulous photo ops. It was good to do it at 4:30 as it gave us a break.

So far by far the best prep I did before I left was download a (free) NYC subway app. It's been just fabulous and helps you plan your route as well. We have made use of taxis a few times as well.

Thanks for the comments. Web access is still a challenge and we start the tour tomorrow so that might make it harder.

Love
Sarah and Laurice

Talk about a team effort

Well what an interesting and challenging few days. I am in the New York Public Library using their Wi-Fi and this is the first time I have managed to get online since we arrived. Thank you Martin who fielded a call at 2am NY time (only 6pm NZ time!) to give me some ideas to try to get my phone working. It has clearly worked.

The reason I was awake at 2am is that a) we only got home at 11:30pm for Sister Act (which we both really enjoyed) but b) it is really hot and sticky here and the air con unit is LOUD. Never mind after a cold shower I did get a few hours sleep (and I'm remembering to turn the phone off at night so feel free to text any time.

The other team work event was getting Mum's hearing aid fixed today. Since I couldn't get online I had Dad look up a place to go and we got there this morning and they fixed it right then and didn't even charge us. Can I just say WOW??!! And it's only just gone midday.

Yesterday we covered downtown Manhattan including Wall Street, South Street Seaport, the Staten Island Ferry and Ground Zero. We also got the half price tickets to Sister Act (8th row from the front no less) and picked up the New York Pass tickets we will use tomorrow. I also mastered the subway and the local lingo for directions anyway.

It's so much fun people watching and also listening to snatches of conversations. I said to Mum today that we are on Madison Avenue. And that's 42nd St right there. They named a musical after that!! Too cool.

OK that's enough for a first post. Thanks for all the wishes. Anyone can send me a txt for free online through a travelsim card my lovely colleagues got me. Martin can I ask you to reply to this post with the instructions I sent you so everyone has them? Thanks

Love
Sarah and Laurice

Itinerary

Here is my itinerary:

Wed	20-Jun	New York
Thu	21-Jun	New York
Fri	22-Jun	New York
Sat	23-Jun	New York - Tour starts
Sun	24-Jun	Washington DC
Mon	25-Jun	Washington DC
Tue	26-Jun	Shenandoah National Park/Appalachian Mountains
Wed	27-Jun	Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Thu	28-Jun	Nashville
Fri	29-Jun	Louisville
Sat	30-Jun	Chicago
Sun	1-Jul	Chicago
Mon	2-Jul	Lake Erie
Tue	3-Jul	Niagara Falls
Wed	4-Jul	Finger Lakes Region (Party for me!!)
Thu	5-Jul	Boston
Fri	6-Jul	Boston - Tour finishes
Sat	7-Jul	Boston (staying with friends)
Sun	8-Jul	Quebec City
Mon	9-Jul	Quebec City
Tue	10-Jul	Montreal
Wed	11-Jul	New York
Thu	12-Jul	Laurice LA, Sarah NY
Fri	13-Jul	Laurice LA then home, Sarah NY - tour starts
Sat	14-Jul	Allegheny Mountains
Sun	15-Jul	Niagara Falls
Mon	16-Jul	Chicago
Tue	17-Jul	Great Plains
Wed	18-Jul	Badlands National Park
Thu	19-Jul	Mount Rushmore
Fri	20-Jul	Colorado River rafting
Sat	21-Jul	Arches National Park
Sun	22-Jul	Mystic Hot Springs
Mon	23-Jul	Bryce Canyon National Park
Tue	24-Jul	Zion National Park
Wed	25-Jul	Las Vegas - tour finishes
Thu	26-Jul	Las Vegas
Fri	27-Jul	Los Angeles - Universal Studios, then home

The two tours are Intrepid (http://www.intrepidtravel.com/trips/SSRP#overview) an Green Tortoise (http://www.greentortoise.com/adventures/cross.country.northern.dream.html)

Only 3 sleeps to go!

Testing from the mobile

I've managed to come down with a slight cold which isn't ideal as I still have a lot to do. Never mind I am enjoying the planning and scheming.

I've added a photo of my cat Tango mainly to check I can

8 sleeps to go

I thought I should set up a blog so people can keep up to date on my travels. This is a bit of a test really.

Plans are on track and I'm really looking forward to the 20th