O'AHU - Hawaii!!

Aloha!

Arrived after two fairly long flights (6 hrs 30 minues JFK to LA) then 6 hrs 45 minutes LA to Honolulu. Slept for 16 hours when I eventually made it to Waikiki!




I know as soon as I got to the gate at LAX that Hawaii was my destination. Row after row of patiently waiting 66 year old retired couples wearing short shorts, socks and sandals, and the obligatory bright orange Hawaiian shirt. Gate 47 B resembled an explosion in Dulux's manufacturing plant. But this was only a taste of what was to greet me at Honolulu International though. Straight off the plane I was approached and given one of those Hawaiian neck things, you know what I mean, them bright necklace things...then in baggage reclaim a band I can only describe as slimy played romantic beats as I waited to see the bag I left in New York. Thankfully it got onto my Hawaii flight OK. After a 5 minute dash back into the terminal (I had left my lonely planet guide in the trolley, Andrew trademark) I made it onto BUS 19, convinced the driver my bag (depth 40cm) could fit into the under seat luggage storage bin (depth 30cm), and tried to keep myself awake enough to follow the route using another of Lonely Planet's superlative maps. One of the more interesting moments on the bus was a stop where three old women got on, clearly far too intoxicated for women whose ages added together probably equate to the distance between Earth and Uranus. One of them, I'll call her Doris, said, and I quote, "oh son, give me your hand" as she stumbled up the bus. Without she would certainly have fallen. To be honest, the bus company wants to show less interest in the size of travellers bags and introduce a maximum ass width for American women. The women opposite sat down and instantly covered two extra wide disabled seats. It's just wrong. I was also sat opposite this Chinese man that fascinated me. He had the most awesome looking sandals I'd ever seen, little spines in them that look like they massage your feet, but then I looked at his toes, and he had two little toes. No kidding, literally two little toes, but one on top of the other, like double the height. I was fascinated. A little after 8 o clock I found the hostel, then bed. The first proper sleep for 36 hours!! In with an interesting bunch of Spaniards.



Waikiki!

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Lonely Planet calls this paradise, and it is in lots of ways, but still reckon it gets better than this. Here for another night, then on to the north shore to catch the big 30 footers and try my hand at surfing. Back down to Waikiki Sunday for the Val Nolasco half marathon. Monday it's off to the Big Island, a short 45 minute flight. Then a hire car (wahayy!), Volcanoes National Park & up the two biggest peaks (13000 footers), Mauna Kea and Mauna Lao. Now that will be cool, literally, there's year round snow up there!

Took a great run a few hours ago, 8 miles or so along the beach front, 4 miles out into Honolulu to Mauna Boulevard State Park. Stopped for a swim, the beach there is a mile or so long, but about 400m out into the sea the depth is only waste height so it's heaving with outdoor swimmers (below). Took a swim out there before running back. Would be great for triathlon training, apparently it's about 500m between life guard points so thinking I may give that a snazzle in the morning.



Perfect beach for outdoor swimming. Stretches over 1000m in length and has about 400m of waist height water in width.

32 States, 13618 miles, 64 days - The end has arrived...

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Top 50 pictures (20-50):
http://dur.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2177905&l=76aa1&id=61205739

Top 50 pictures (1-20):
http://dur.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2177906&l=44a45&id=61205739
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It's surreal to be back at the hotel we left from all those days ago. I remember Philip, our Trek Leader for the northern part of the trip, stopping the van for a brief second on leaving and saying, "take a look cause you aren’t going to see that for a little while." In the 64 days since we've covered 13618 miles, driving the equivalent of England - Bangkok, then back again, or another perspective is in terms of the distance being a van journey around MORE than half of the world.



Arriving back at the Holiday Harmon Meadow earlier today (above and below).



We've been to 32 of the 50 states, despite a week of our trip being outside of the States visiting and travelling through two Canadian states (Alberta and British Columbia.) From cities of over 10 million to the wilderness of Wyoming which has the sparsest population of any US state - even over Alaska! Just an unbelievable journey:



New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, (CANADA), Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia (DC).

Just some of the big cities: Chicago, Vancouver, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Orlando, Washington, New York.

National Parks: Badlands, Glacier, Yoho & Banff (Canada), Yosemite, Windy Cave, Yellowstone, Redwood, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Canyonlands, Arches, Carlsbad Caverns, & the Everglades.

May be the best way to look back on the trip is to pick the top 50 pictures - below are the top 20 (of the top 50). To see 20-50 click on the 20-50 link at the top or bottom.

******************************* TOP 20 PICTURES! ******************************



Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Canada. Top of Mount Fairview. 9001ft.



Alex, sunset at Grayton Beach State Park, Florida.



Times Square, NYC, New York State, by night



The Apple Store by night, Chicago, Illinois.



Grinnel Glacier Trail, Glacier National Park, Montana.



Grinnel Glacier Trail, Glacier National Park, Montana.



Swiftcurrent Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana



A squirrel at 9001 feet high above Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Canada.



Percy, same place, same height.



Banff, Banff National Park, British Columbia, Canada.



Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada - just before whitewater rafting the Kicking Horse



Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California



The gap between freedom and jail. A 12 inch metal door. Alcatraz, San Francisco, California.



San Francisco Bay sunset cruise, California.



Half Dome, 8000+ feet, that's a 4000+ feet drop. Shear. Yosemite National Park, California.



Fancy dress on the Vegas Strip - Nevada



High octane. The top of the Stratosphere, Las Vegas, Nevada.



Takako on Miami Beach, Florida.

Now not sure about these last two, think they could be top 20...?



Glacier National Park, Montana



Grayton Beach, Florida



***********************************************************************************
Top 50 pictures (20-50):
http://dur.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2177905&l=76aa1&id=61205739

Top 50 pictures (1-20):
http://dur.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2177906&l=44a45&id=61205739
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Washington DC

Full photo album:
http://dur.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2177629&l=87fe7&id=61205739

Rain, Rain, Rain and more Rain.



Left Charleston with good weather, but by the morning (4.38am exactly!) the downpour started. And it, honestly, hasn't stopped since. Three days later now, just solid rain. Meant paying for an extra two nights hotel in Washington to avoid camping (everything’s soaked anyway, tents etc etc...) and just getting drenched looking around Washington!



The Whitehouse!



And sheltering under a tree outside the Capitol Building

Not really all that much exciting, for me anyway, in Washington. Tonnes of good museums, Holocaust Museum being one of the better exhibitions. Graphic but much needed. Slightly worried that one girl on the Trek had never heard the word Holocaust though. But apart from the usual touristy things the weather was just too bad to hire a bike and venture from it all.

Arlington Cemetery (Forest Gump) and JFK's grave quite atmospheric with all the rain. Got absolutely drenched through to the bone on the legs (completely dry on the top thanks to the magnificent Lowe Alpine!) Couldn't quite believe that they do a changing on the guard every 30 minutes 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. On one shift three soldiers work for 24 hours solid. Now that's impressive.





JFKs brother's grave, a picture of JFKs grave itself is in the photo album

As we were expecting to be camping these last two nights in Washington we've still got tonnes of food, and more importantly, steak left over. So set up the kitchen in the trailer, and cooked the best rib eyes known to man:



Good to see the nation’s capital, must be the quiet time of year though, and with the weather not helping either the streets seemed to be remarkably quiet. Reminded me a lot of England, really miss getting lost though. This grid system is just too boring, and what's wrong with a roundabout? Stopping ever 50m for traffic lights is beginning to get too much!

Anyway, glad it's kinda all coming to end now. Really need a change of scenery and some independence. Great group, seen so much, going to pick out the top 50 and top 20 photographs and put them up on here and Facebook Sunday probably, but definitely need to get some warmth back. So bring on Hawaii!!



Full photo album:
http://dur.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2177629&l=87fe7&id=61205739

Charleston, South Carolina

No pictures, just a short 3 hour visit. But managed to get a new book, finished a 1000 odd page beast and picked up Clinton’s My Life which should at least keep my going til Fiji. Bargain for $8.50.

As for Charlston, completely surprised me that it was a huge 10000+ student town. Reminded me so much of Durham. Went to the local park, tonnes of students out on the grass playing baseball, football and others sports. Everyone seems to run there too.

What a place to go to Uni, comfortable year round temps, small little town, close to Florida, makes me what to do a phd there!

Got back and went for a run. Typical US highway right outside the camp ground meaning to decent routes to take. For a change though found a building site, and strangely enough a half done tarmac road about the width of a athletics track, but stretching in a circle for about 650m. Perfect – lit up by street lights too. 5 x 2 x 650m, 3.55, 3.45, 3.40, 3.43, 3.35. So not too bad considering the humidity. With the half marathon a little over a week ago, feeling like I might knock out a OK time on that.

Straight back and managed to steal some free wi-fi from some trailer park over the back. Excellent, love screwing over the manager of this camp ground, who earlier introduced himself as the owner and boss, and that we must be out of the pool by 8 o clock sharp, not a minute over…wolly…

Key West, Florida

Full Photo Album:

http://dur.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2176665&l=be015&id=61205739

Friday October 19th through Monday October 22nd.

Stretching out for 125 miles from the southern Florida coast line are a chain of small keys (islands) that make up the Florida Keys. Before making the trek down to the southern most point of the US mainland we camped a night at Flamingo, deep in the Florida Everglades (well as deep as you can get into them). We were warned about the bugs, so I coated my whole body in 100% DEET bug spray, two layers of clothing on my top, trousers, socks and shoes….despite humidity at 92% and an overnight low of 28. Had one bite on my hand. Excellent. That’s enough I thought.

Problem. In the morning before we leave a camp site, my job for the past 64 days has been trailer loader, a good job as it gets me out of food prep and cooking, as well as van cleaning. Also a good upper body work out in the morning and evenings. But at 6.30am, dawn, it’s playtime for the mozzies and 6 hours later when we got into the Keys I could feel my whole back on fire, legs, hands…oh it’s painful. They’d bitten clean through my t shirt and trousers. On my left hand alone, I can count 18 individual bites. I’m like a cheese grater. I’ll say one last thing, I could almost bear them, but they are in the most awkward places! All over my bum, so it’s painful to sit, around my ankles so it itches to run, walk or just wear shoes, on the palms of my hands, so it hurts to lift! Combined with a temperature that differs only by 4 degrees day and night, and thus constantly being sweaty it just about makes sleep impossible. Especially as I arrived back the other night to find my tent flooded by a thunder storm (though that has something to do with my extremely dodgy tent pitching.) Air conditioning has become my best friend; as soon as the humidity is gone the pain goes….wha hay!! Oh one quick word about the camp site, possibly one of the nicest, my tent is perched 5 feet from the Gulf of Mexico, can lay down at night and hear the water bobbing up and down, while heat lightening (no thunder) lights up the tent.

Pretty much everyone else is the same mozzie boat, just been trying to crack on. So we hit a $99 water sports day onboard Sunset, a brand new $1.8 million catamaran loaded with 2 waveriders (jet skis), a huge inflatable rock climbing blow up thingy, kayaks as while also tugging boats along for water skiing, knee boarding, and parasailing. All for $99 10am to 4pm. Brilliant.



Waveriders (as they like to call 'em over here), possibly the most fun I've ever had at 50mph. The boat is meant for 100 people, but there was just us on it, slightly out of season so had all day on these things....brilliant...

Really enjoyed it, did everything. Jet skiing was awesome, hit 50 mph, they’re limited to that, on the keys, made some crazy turns, had some races between us. Also tried out water skiing and nearly broke my cheek bone. Just as I thought mosquito bites and a stolen wallet were as bad as could happen I fell forward (yes forward), head submerged and the water skies into my face, fortunately only at about 10mph. And luckily not the forehead or eyes… Ibuprofen & Ice straight away, a black eye probably, but I’ll take that and forget I ever tried it.

Before:



After:



Owch.



Ice and Ibuprofen, but there was a funny side:



So back to the campsite and where I’m writing this now, Burger King. A triple whopper king size. I’ve never seen a burger as big as this before. It’s larger than the keyboard on this laptop.



Perhaps the best campsite we've pitched up at in terms of views - though Glacier National Park up in Montana was another fantastic one. Sunsets here took it though, I think...

Florida Keys, conclusion……just fantastic. It’s a different world, you’d never believe you were in America if you were just dumped here like Mr Bean. Quaint little streets more like a ski town, but just mega humid. Sea 80 degrees, like a bath, some of it less than a foot deep! This is exactly how I imagine some of the chain islands in the Pacific, hope Kiritimati and Hawaii are just like this – clear turquoise water, just minus mosquitos.

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Wrote the above the other night, but only just putting it up on the blog now (Monday), so we're out of the Florida Keys now, at some camp site by Cape Canaveral, absolutely gutted that we have to leave early tomorrow (500 miles + to cover) as there is a shuttle launch scheduled for 11.30 am tomorrow, but thing is, only 1 from ever 10 actually go on schedule and it just leaves too many miles to cover in too shorter time to get back up to NYC by Friday/Saturday...Nevermind, at least I'm avoiding the mosquitos at this camp site! Just taken about 50 free samples of repellant from the camp site shop! Not sure the lady was too chuffed, but hey, it's moisteriser too!!

Hit Miami Beach today:

Really liked these two shots of Takako I took:





Full Photo Album:

http://dur.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2176665&l=be015&id=61205739



Snorkelling at Key Largo, a protected coral reef

Florida (Grayton Beach State Park & Orlando)

Full Photo Album:

Can't upload any pics at the moment, blogger gotta problemo, they're all on here though:

http://dur.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2175250&l=2912b&id=61205739

Monday 15th October - Grayton Beach State Park

A 400+ mile journey from New Orleans gave us our first taste of Florida. An awesome state camp ground right on the Gulf of Mexico coast. Pitched my new $20 Wal-Mart tent (testing it out in advance for Hawaii) and took the rangers advice for a run and hit the forest trails for 8 miles. The sunset sent vivid rays of orange light through the trees, which was almost blinding on the way back, but had one of those runs where you feel as though you are flying, yet not even trying. Think it’s the cumulative effect of all the weeks we’ve spent at high altitude along with the runs up there too.

Ran straight to the beach where everyone else was, that really fine white sand you imagine the Caribbean being like. The Gulf as warm as a bath, one problem though. Red Tide. A bacterium in the water (and air) which causes irritation. Tonnes of dead fish lined the beach! Meant it was easy catching though. Sunset, possibly the best yet. Rays of orange shooting into the sky even after the sun was down. Truly B-E-A-utiful.





A red-tide-dead fish!

Saw my first wild snake later too, camouflaged against the leaves next to my tent, this toffee coloured snake about 4 feet long. A biggun. No one sure if it was a poisonous one or not so just left it and took extra care on the way to the bathrooms. Bit worrying though in the pitch black with nothing more than a head torch! Ah but that’s what it’s all about though, hey?

Left at 3am the next day (!)…6 hour drive to Orlando, to give us a full day at Wet and Wild…

Tuesday 16th October – Wet ‘n’ Wild - Orlando



Hayley and Conor, on the Trek...

Might as well have been in Spain! British tourism hell.

Bald, beer belly, chain smoking, England footy-shirt-wearing hooligans. One incident stands out. A young truant from England (it’s surely not half term already?) swimming right behind me on the lazy river, probably 11, screams to her friend “arr just shove him out the way, get by, just shuve him”. Erm, excuse me young lass, “calm it”. “Oh, for goodness sake” she replies giving me the eye. I’ll tell you what, cheeky little…

Anyway, it just hit me today, most people I’ll ask, “you been to America”, yes for sure, “we’ve been to Florida”. Oh dear... Never appreciated until now just how “not America” this place is. And it’s blatantly obvious as soon as you hit it after 54 days on the road around everywhere else.

It was pretty good fun though, highlight being some random rocket ride you stand up in, then some guy waves you good bye, pressing a button and a trap door opens (much like Saddam Hussein) sending you pulsing down 100 odd feet…

Early start just getting here today, as we only penciled in 1 day in Orlando, but to make the most of today left at 3am to fit in one more whole day, rather than having it traveling. Probably a good idea. In possibly one of the nicest campground yet, I mean even the toilets have a CD system. Top bombing.

Wednesday 17th October

Universal Studios, learnt that it's actually two parks. So to Islands of Adventure first. Loads smaller than I ever thought, and only 2 decent rides. Should have gone to Alton Towers! How overrated is this place! Massively! Humidity was probably the worst we've had, temp up in the 30s. This place must be hell in July when there are cues. We were just straight on and off, re-riding all the time, looks like October is the time to visit. Half day in Islands of Adventure, then spent the afternoon in Universal Studios, just a bunch, of well, erm, studies with different movies like Jurassic Park and Jaws, and a tonne of simulations trying to get you, literally, "into" the film. Kinda works. Loved Shrek 4-d. Especially the bits where spiders tickle your legs from behind your seat, and water sprays in your face. Kinda good fun, even for a 21 year old.



May well actually need a vacation!

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Wetens always the best!

Men in Black a bit of a let down though. Got beat by two 11 year old girls on the Men in Black gun game = embarrassment.

By the end of the day, pretty much glad to leave. Too hectic for me, but glad I visited, wouldn't really not wanted to have seen in. Off to the Everglades, last mainland national park (before volcanos in Hawaii!). Going to get bitten by 1.2 billion bugs. My legs are caning from 3 days here already. Think they like the taste of me.



She loved my wife beater

Full photo Album:

http://dur.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2175250&l=2912b&id=61205739

New Orleans

It's 11.48pm. Everyone else is out at the Jazz Club, I'm sat in the hotel canceling all my credit and debit cards. Paid the bill for a meal out tonight (using my wallet), then 3 minutes later in the bathroom, realise my wallet is not in my pocket. As I moved no more than 10 feet to the bathroom, right beside the table I knew that it had either fallen out or was taken. No sign of it anywhere in the restaurant, despite the manger and lots of other people looking for it.

Fast forward two hours, after I'm back at the hotel canceling cards, I get a phone from the restaurant, saying that the wallet has been found in the garbage bin in the bathroom. Minus $70 cash and all my credit and debit cards. Good job I cancelled them all right away.

But as there was only one bathroom, and I went straight in there after paying my bill, this means that when I came out frantically looking for my wallet, that the person who stole it must have still been in the restaurant, taking my cash and cards, and then when i left to go back to the hotel to cancel the cards, then went back into the bathroom and threw it in the trash. Thankfully, they left my drivers license, which I absolutely need for Hawaii (to rent the car I've booked), but the cash and cards are a bit of a nightmare. Going to have to get them sent to the last hotel (in New York)...

Why are there people like this in the world?

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Sunday October 14th

Anyway, what's this place like. They say it's the most "cultural city" in the America. And I suppose they're right. Not ventured much out of the French quaters, apart from the swamp tour on the way in (60 miles west) but there's definitely a vibe to this place.





The Cathedral in Jackson Square. Just far too touristy for me. I'm starting to learn that I'm really not all that much of a city person. Or maybe it's just cause this place has claimed my credit cards?



There are a lot of down and outs. Got quite a bit of banter just wondering around town on my own today, some guy trying to engage in conversation about my sandels, thought it was just friendly banter at first, but he was clearly after some money. Pretended to be Spanish and moved away, "apesadumbrado no entiendo"

Felt strange being at the other end of the Mississippi, 7 weeks ago I swam in the Northern Mississippi in Minnesota, 3000 miles away, and thought it would seem ages til I saw it again. But it doesn't really. Just feels kinda like yesterday.

Bought some new trainers as it's suddenly dawned on me I've got the Hawaii Half Marathon in little over 3 weeks and I'm running in off road shoes more suited to the Colorado Rockies...

Walked around New Orleans, then chilled for 2 or 3 hours in the park, winding away the hours with the cheeky ipod. Couldn't kick myself into gear after the wallet issue, and also trying to rest the left calf, which just seems to be getting tighter and tighter with every run. Hopefully these new trainers and 2 days off will sort it out...hate not getting out in the parks and on the roads though...

On the way into New Orleans stopped by Cajun Jack's - seemed a good lad, but couldn't understand one word he said for 3 hours as he whisked us off through the swamp on his pride and joy: "Cajun Jack II"



Saw alligators, beavers, and got told about all the deadly snakes. Not a big swamp man, even though I love Shrek. But it was worth it. Even met some of the Cajun locals like Uncle Joe here:



Had a box load of crawfish (amongst other delicacies) worth over $1000, the best fisherman in the area can make this by lunch time when the swamp is higher than usual. He's definitely not doing too bad for himself, though the risks are huge as all three of them have to venture off the boat into the raised parts of the swamps to collect nets left over night. 3 types of snake in the area have venom that kill pretty much instantly, there's alligators all over the shop, perhaps not my idea of a career.



Here's just a small alligator we saw. Though they can grow to over 9 feet!

Just before Uncle Joe left us to the tour, I knew the conversation was turning bad. At 89, he might know his stuff, but as soon as he mentioned he was a Democrat, and then what he'd do to Bush if he saw him, I saw only one direction this conversation was going in - as I tried to depict via facial expression: