Helen and Charles drive across North America

Epilogue

2009-10-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

Friday October 9th 2009. Had a long lie-in watching Midsomer Murders and drinking tea, went out to celebrate our successful return in the evening. THE END.

Day 62 - Home

2009-10-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

Thursday October 8th 2009. Woke up at Stupid O'Clock in order to reach Geneva, Illinois, by 8am, where we had a private tour of The Viking (a longship which sailed from Norway to Chicago for the 1893 World Fair, a replica of the Gokstad ship), continued driving, finished Cadfael, entered Canada with a pleasant lack of bother at the border, arrived in Kincardine, had a beer and a pizza, settled on the sofa in front of the television.

Day 61 - Four States, One Day

2009-10-07T08:25:00.000-07:00

Wednesday October 7th 2009. Thirteen hour drive across the plains, from Colorado to Illinois via Nebraska and Iowa, Charles read Cadfael aloud until the light failed.

Day 60 - Snow

2009-10-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

Tuesday October 6th 2009. Drove north through the Rockies and small mining towns of Colorado, stopped at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (a canyon twice as deep as the Empire State Building is tall), crossed the Rockies through Denver and began the journey East across the Great Plains.

Day 59 - Cliff Dwellings

2009-10-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

Monday October 5th 2009. Gorged on our complimentary breakfast of doughnuts, drove east to Four Corners then into Colorado, continued to Mesa Verde National Park, explored Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings (c. AD 1200 - 1300), drove to Durango in the foothills of the Rockies.

Day 58 - Thelma and Louise

2009-10-04T08:24:00.000-07:00

Sunday October 4th 2009. Woke up in our yurt, had breakfast surrounded by Navajos, drove through the Valley of the Gods (where part of Thelma and Louise was filmed), continued south-west down Highway 163 to Monument Valley (where John Ford and others shot many of their westerns), toured the valley along a bumpy dirt road amid swirling sand storms and towering monoliths.

Day 57 - Utah Rocks

2009-10-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

Saturday October 3rd 2009. Woke up feeling awful, got up very slowly, left Bryce Canyon, travelled along the scenic Highway 12, past desert rocks at low altitudes and montane forests higher up, drove past the red rocks of Capitol Reef National Park, turned south down the amazing Highway 95 through alien desert landscapes and red canyons, open range cows everywhere, splashed out on a meal and stayed in a yurt in Mexican Hat: a warm bed at last!

Day 56 - Bryce Canyon

2009-10-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

Friday October 2nd 2009. Went on a guided "Nature Walk" through a Ponderosa Pine forest at the north rim, drove north into Utah, through forests and red rocks, entered Bryce Canyon National Park, peered at bizarre hoodoos at sunset, camped, froze, decided we're both ill.

Day 55 - Into the Canyon

2009-10-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

Thursday October 1st 2009. Woke up to find the car covered in frost, apparently it was 30° F / -1° C during the night, sorted pictures in the car, warmed up with a hearty breakfast, went on a short hike into the canyon to Supai Tunnel (4 miles / 6.4 km round trip, descending 1440' / 440 m), enjoyed the dramatic changes in flora, fauna and geology, ate at a picnic area overlooking the canyon at sunset, a mule deer with two fawns walked past our table.

Day 54 - North Rim

2009-09-30T11:11:00.000-07:00

Wednesday September 30th 2009. Woke up at 6am to watch the sunrise over the canyon, escaped the horrible Grand Canyon Village and set off east, stopped at The Cameron Trading Post in a Navajo reservation, continued around the eastern end of Grand Canyon through a sweltering desert, drove west past the Vermillion Cliffs and enormous red plateaus, turned south to climb through montane forest and praries to reach the north rim of Grand Canyon at dusk, drove past many mule deer and a herd of buffalo, parked at 8000' / 2440m, were amazed to go from desert heat to sub-freezing temperatures in one afternoon.

Day 53 - South Rim

2009-09-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

Tuesday September 29th 2009. Went to the Chapel of the Holy Cross in the morning (when it was actually open this time), continued north, climbed a few thousand feet, paused at Oak Creek Canyon, which was high enough to be forested, passed through forests and plains to reach the south rim of Grand Canyon at 7000' /2130m, very disappointed by the mass of tarmac and millions of loud tourists but managed to find a secluded spot to watch a lovely sunset over the canyon, spent a fitful night sleeping in the car while police arrested other people in the carpark.

Day 52 - Red Rocks

2009-09-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

Monday September 28th 2009. Morning swim in the pool, went on a tour around Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West, drove north through saguaro cactus covered hills, entered Sedona just in time to see the red rocks illuminated by sunset, saw the exterior of the Chapel of the Holy Cross but were too late to go inside, stayed in a skunk infested campground, ate dinner in the car.

Day 51 - HOT

2009-09-27T21:22:00.000-07:00

Sunday September 27th 2009. Woke up early thanks to a bee alert, did a short hike to Barker Dam, saw petroglyphs, walked to Arch Rock, drove out of Joshua Tree National Park and onto the interstate, entered Arizona (drove in our swimsuits because of the heat - about 42° C / 108° F), stayed in a motel in Phoenix, swam in the pool watching the sunset over the desert.

Day 50 - Into The Desert

2009-09-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday September 26th 2009. Had a morning swim in the pool, drove to Joshua Tree, drank local beer in a saloon, met some crazy Americans, ventured into Joshua Tree National Park a couple of hours later than we had planned, went for a walk around a box canyon, camped in the desert.

Day 49 - Pacific to Traffic

2009-09-25T09:49:00.000-07:00

Friday September 25th 2009. Spent a lovely morning cooking and lounging on the beach, drove along the final stretch of Route 1 into Los Angeles, sat in traffic jams for the rest of the day, eventually escaped after dark and took refuge in a motel in Palm Springs, swam in the pool and ordered pizza.

Day 48 - Thieves!

2009-09-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

Thursday September 24th 2009. Continued south through thick mist, arrived at the very hot Santa Barbara, climbed the County Courthouse's clock tower, peered at the Presidio, camped in a very expensive campground by the sea, experimented with night-time photography on the beach, rudely awoken at 3am by thieves prowling the campsite, Helen scared them away.

Day 47 - Hearst Castle

2009-09-23T13:18:00.000-07:00

Wednesday September 23rd 2009. Drove high above the marine layer mist, a bit like the view from an aeroplane, came back down to sea level to see some elephant seals, took a tour around Hearst Castle, saw some zebras in the grounds of the Hearst Ranch, camped further down the coast and cooked chili for dinner.

Day 46 - Haunted Campground

2009-09-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

Tuesday September 22nd 2009. Left San Francisco via Christopher Elbow's wonderful chocolate shop, ate rosemary and caramel flavoured chocolate, continued down Route 1 to Big Sur, pitched our tent as the ocean mist descended.

Day 45 - Big Black Daddy

2009-09-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

Monday September 21st 2009. Went across to the East Bay to explore Berkeley and meet David, who Charles hadn't seen for seven years, saw District 9 at the cinema, came home in the evening through the fog, ate Belgian fries again, went for a last night of drinking in Noc Noc, Charles played with his gorillapod, John had a Big Black Daddy.

Day 44 - New Home!

2009-09-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

Sunday September 20th 2009. Charles discovered that he's got a job in San Francisco, bought some champagne and celebrated at the top of Buena Vista Park, played cards, read books, admired the view, watched the fog roll over the city, descended back to Haight when it got too cold and had a burger and fish and chips in a gastropub.

Day 43 - Liquid Chocolate

2009-09-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday September 19th 2009. Had liquid chocolate for breakfast, got a bit lost trying to find a building by Frank Lloyd Wright, played cards in a park, saw the cathedral of St Mary of The Assumption, finally found the FLW building (it was closed), took a cable car up through Nob Hill, went out for drinks on Haight, saw an art car from Burning Man.

Day 42 - Birthday Recovery

2009-09-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

Friday September 18th 2009. Spent most of Helen's birthday recovering from the night before, eventually ventured out at sunset to eat Belgian fries in a park, went for a delicious meal in an Ethiopian restaurant (must go back again sometime when we're not hungover).

Day 41 - The Bay

2009-09-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

Thursday September 17th 2009. Took a boat cruise around the Bay, out under the Golden Gate Bridge and back past Alcatraz, saw some sea lions at the wharf, ate crepes, had fun at a terrible restaurant on the Embarcadero, went out to a nightclub with John.

Day 40 - North Beach

2009-09-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

Wednesday September 16th 2009. Walked from John's house in Lower Haight to the Marina, past the Painted Ladies and up and down some very steep hills, walked along the shore to Fisherman's Wharf, wandered down to North Beach, spent some time in the City Lights bookshop and Vesuvio, walked home via Chinatown.

Day 39 - Route 1

2009-09-15T22:16:00.000-07:00

Tuesday September 15th 2009. Discovered that we had worn through all our shoes, bought cheap replacements, left The Avenue of The Giants, returned to the coast, ran out of fuel in the middle of nowhere, very relieved to find a single-pump gas station, continued down Route 1, stopped for a pint and a milkshake, drove through clouds high above the Pacific, eventually crossed the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco and met Charles' friend John.

Day 38 - Redwoods

2009-09-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

Monday September 14th 2009. Continued down the coast, walked through Redwood National Park among ancient, massive trees, got a bit lost but eventually found the car again, camped half-way down The Avenue of the Giants.

Day 37 - Rainy Day

2009-09-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

Sunday September 13th 2009. Woke up beneath tall trees, lazy day cooking, reading and practicing calligraphy, read by candlelight during a stormy night (tent still not waterproof).

Day 36 - Cranberry Festival

2009-09-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

Saturday September 12th 2009. Charles had beer for breakfast, wine for lunch, beer for just after lunch, champagne for dinner, fell asleep while Helen drove; visited Bandon during its annual Cranberry Festival, continued down the coast, entered California, had our grapefruit inspected, pitched the tent at night under enormous redwood trees.

Day 35 - Oregon Coast

2009-09-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

Friday September 11th 2009. Drove down the Oregon coast, saw sea lions, read by the beach, camped just outside Charleston, watched Grizzly Man on the laptop.

Day 34 - Beach

2009-09-10T16:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday September 10th 2009. Woke up in the car next to the ocean, watched grey whales and pelicans, had beer and ice-cream for breakfast, checked into a campground overlooking the beach, lounged on the beach all day, Charles swam in the Pacific, Charles froze, cooked chilli for dinner and stargazed at night.

Day 33 - In Search of the Pacific

2009-09-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

Wednesday September 9th 2009. Visited Pike Place Market in the morning, left Seattle down the I-5, visited the Mount St Helens Visitor Center, entered Oregon, visited Powell's Books in Portland, drove west through misty temperate rainforests until we finally reached the Pacific Ocean at sunset, spent our first night sleeping in the car.

Day 32 - Rem, Ginny and Peter

2009-09-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

Tuesday September 8th 2009. Breakfast at the hostel, followed by a giant cookie and a visit to Rem Koolhaas' Seattle Public Library, lunch in The Pike Pub and Brewery, Charles demonstrated The Jive with his fingers, met Charles' relatives Ginny and Peter, saw Ginny's lovely house in Bellevue, were taken out for a superb seafood supper at Seastar.

Day 31 - Seattle

2009-09-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

Monday September 7th 2009. Took the ferry from Bainbridge Island to Seattle, spectacular view of the city as we entered port, checked into the Green Tortoise Hostel opposite Pike Place Market, explored the market and had a delicious seafood lunch with local beer and cider, walked to the Seattle Center, saw Gehry's Experience Music Project, ascended the Space Needle in time to watch the sunset.

Day 30 - Olympic Peninsula

2009-09-06T22:17:00.000-07:00

Sunday September 6th 2009. Spent the morning announcing our news by e-mail and telephone from a coffee shop, left Victoria on a ferry to Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington, USA (US Customs and Border Control were much more civil this time), played hangman on the boat, saw a pod of killer whales swim past, camped in Kitsap Memorial State Park on the Hood Canal.

Day 29 - Celebration

2009-09-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

Saturday September 5th 2009. Delicious scrambled eggs for breakfast with Helen's Auntie Thelma, took Jassy for a walk up to a hill with a view over Victoria, walked along the coast to Inner Harbour, Charles proposed to Helen on the way, Helen said yes, got stuck in brambles, drank cider at a Blues Festival in the harbour, had a celebratory lunch at the Empress Hotel, watched Midsomer Murders in the evening.

Day 28 - Gulf Islands

2009-09-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

Friday September 4th 2009. Lovely breakfast at the Cambie Bakery, explored Gastown, more hats, explored Chinatown, Dr Sun Yat-Sen's Chinese Garden, drove through Stanley Park, paddled in the Pacific Ocean at English Bay Beach, left Vancouver, caught the ferry from Tsawassen to Victoria on Vancouver Island, passed by Helen Point, stayed with Helen's Auntie Thelma.

Day 27 - Granville Island

2009-09-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

Thursday September 3rd 2009. Read Cadfael, ate enormous plates of pasta, walked to Granville Island, ate gelato, explored shops.

Day 26 - Tiny Parking Error

2009-09-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

Wednesday September 2nd 2009. Paid ransom to the City of Vancouver for our illegally parked car, Charles shaved off beard to conceal identity, consoled ourselves with beer and hummus, walked around Canada Place, ate at a British themed pub, saw Inglourious Basterds at the cinema.

Day 25 - Hot Springs

2009-09-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

Tuesday September 1st 2009. On the road again, stopped at Harrison Hot Springs for a delicious lunch and a relaxing soak in 38° Celsius natural springs (100° Fahrenheit), entered Vancouver very slowly thanks to miles of construction, took two hours to find a parking space, excellent meal then saw Julie and Julia at the cinema.

Day 24 - Hawaii!

2009-08-31T14:34:00.000-07:00

Monday August 31st 2009. Tense morning waiting to discover that Helen's father qualified for the Ironman triathlon World Championships in Hawaii! Left Penticton, drove west to Manning Provincial Park, discovered that the tent isn't waterproof.

Day 23 - Race Day

2009-08-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

Sunday 30th August 2009. We watched the 27th Ironman Canada annual triathlon, waved a sign at Helen's father, relaxed on the beach, felt very unfit while surrounded by athletes, celebrated with beer, a meal and more margaritas in the evening.

Day 22 - Race Preparation

2009-08-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

Saturday 29th August 2009. We helped Helen's father prepare for his race on Sunday by drinking beer and watching terrible daytime television, joined in the carbo-loading pasta buffet at a local Italian restaurant, took a stroll to the beach to see the start line.

Day 21 - Lazy River

2009-08-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

Friday August 28th 2009. We rented some inner tubes and spent an hour or so floating down the Okanagan River, ate at a Mexican restaurant and drank lots of margaritas, Helen performed cartwheels on the beach.

Day 20 - Iron Geezer

2009-08-27T11:23:00.000-07:00

Thursday 27th August 2009. Left the Rockies, drove through Glacier and Mount Revelstoke National Parks on our way to Penticton, British Columbia, to see the self-proclaimed Iron Geezer, also spotted Duncan the Giant Peach, had a lovely Italian meal, enjoyed sleeping indoors for a change.

Day 19 - Squirrel

2009-08-26T11:17:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 26th August 2009. Spent the whole day sitting by the fire reading and cooking, Charles shared his lunch with a new friend who later bombed Helen with pine cones from on high.

Day 18 - Banff to Yoho

2009-08-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday August 25th 2009. Drove the final stretch of the Icefields Parkway, via Peyto Lake and Lake Louise, left Banff and entered Yoho National Park, saw the natural bridge, camped in the Kicking Horse campground (showers at last!) and had a delicious meal complete with local beer and perry in Chercher La Vache in the tiny town of Field.

Day 17 - Wilcox Pass

2009-08-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

Monday 24th August 2009. Hiked up to Wilcox Pass, still bloody cold, saw the Columbia Icefield from above, continued down the Icefields Parkway, left Jasper and entered Banff National Park, stopped at Saskatchewan Crossing and Mistaya Canyon on the way to the Waterfowl Lakes campground, wandered along the river next to base camp.

Day 16 - Columbia Icefield

2009-08-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

Sunday August 23rd 2009. Woke up in Wabasso for the last time, set off down the Icefields Parkway (apparently "the most beautiful road in the world") to the Columbia Icefield, wandered around the Athabasca Glacier, had our most expensive lunch so far, camped at around 2000m (6500') above sea level, lovely campsite but bloody cold, best fire we've ever made.

Day 15 - Blogging

2009-08-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday August 22nd 2009. Spent five hours sorting through photos and creating this blog, our last night in the riverside campsite at Wabasso.

Day 14 - Cavell Meadows

2009-08-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

Friday August 21st 2009. Our longest hike yet: we climbed through the montane to a subalpine forest and then alpine meadows full of brightly coloured wildflowers, fantastic views of the Angel Glacier, ground squirrels, pikas, marmots, ravens and mosquitos.

Day 13 - Jasper's Beer

2009-08-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

Thursday August 20th 2009. Lazed around the Wabasso campground (wonderfully quiet and peaceful after the noisy Whistlers), read by the Athabasca River, which runs along our campsite, drove into Jasper to sample beer from a local brewery, cooked a lovely stew on our roaring fire. Didn't take any photos.

Day 12 - Wabasso Lake

2009-08-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

Wednesday August 19th 2009. Quiet hike (apart from Helen's shouting to ward off bears) to serene Wabasso Lake (created by beavers) then a visit to Athabasca Falls.

Day 11 - Maligne Canyon

2009-08-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

Tuesday August 18th 2009. Our first hike in the Rockies: a short walk on a touristy trail along Maligne Canyon (tried on hats in the gift shop).

Day 10 - Mountains!

2009-08-17T18:02:00.000-07:00

Monday August 17th 2009. Took Highway 16 west to the town of Jasper in the Rockies, camped in the Whistlers campground (noisy, full of drunks and children).

Day 9 - Dinosaurs and Badlands

2009-08-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

Sunday August 16th 2009. Drove to Drumheller through Alberta's eerie badlands, visited Royal Tyrell Museum, camped in Red Deer and made pilgrimage to the wonderful Collicutt Centre.

Day 8 - The Great Plains

2009-08-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday August 15th 2009. Took ridiculous gangster tour of Moose Jaw, stunning drive across endless plains, wet and freezing night camping outside Medicine Hat (inadvertently stole someone else's campsite).

Day 7 - Regina

2009-08-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

Friday August 14th 2009. Stayed in an overpriced hostel in Regina, ate at an Irish pub, visited Helen's fences. Didn't take any photos.

Day 6 - Entering the Praries

2009-08-13T17:33:00.000-07:00

Thursday August 13th 2009. Re-entered Canada with minimal bureaucracy, lunched in Emerson, camped by Manitoba's only desert in Spruce Woods Provincial Park (very wet and stormy night on a sandy campsite, yuck).

Day 5 - Grand Forks

2009-08-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

Wednesday August 12th 2009. Long day driving, left Wisconsin, camped in Grand Forks en route to the Canadian border.

Day 4 - Camp Wipigaki

2009-08-11T17:16:00.000-07:00

Tuesday August 11th 2009. Staying in the Greeley cabin in Camp Wipigaki, northern Wisconsin. Swimming, fishing, canoeing, silly hat party.

Day 3 - Leaving Chicago

2009-08-10T17:07:00.000-07:00

Monday August 10th 2009. Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House, leaving Chicago, driving to northern Wisconsin (via Hampshire).

Day 2 - Chicago

2009-08-09T16:14:00.000-07:00

Sunday August 9th 2009. Entering Chicago, the Art Institute of Chicago, Architecture Foundation walking and river tours, Millennium Park at night.

Day 1 - Crossing the Border

2009-08-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

Saturday August 8th 2009. Setting off from Kincardine, Ontario, crossing the border into Michigan (which took two and a half hours thanks to a clerical error on the part of US Customs & Immigration seven years ago) and dining in the salubrious Cracker Barrel.