7th December- Reflections on the trip

Well we were away for 50 nights and stayed in 20 different Hotels plus staying with friends in Austin for five nights and that meant we had twenty one separate beds. We used two cars as the hire car company do not allow contracts longer than 30 days whilst we travelled 6115 miles and at average fuel consumption of around 27.5 mpg (US mpg) which is not bad for a car this size. 
Fuel costs ranged between 50 pence  and 63 pence per Litre, different states have different rates of tax whilst the problems in the North-east of the USA, also affected fuel prices.
Highlights, well perhaps to many to mention but the Austin GP was great  and so was Elton and the the various parks and although were were not sure about Monument Valley as it was about 600 miles out of our way it was well worth it.
Would we do it all over again not arf!
However, there are quite a few places in the world still to go and see and so perhaps we will not be back in USA for a while but then again that could easily change as well.
Well this is the last on this USA visit and now we have to adjust to not only driving on the other side of the road but the cold wintry weather as well.
We have a large party planned for Sat 15th December to celebrate the BBC comedy series Allo Allo, and this should be great fun, no doubt photos to follow.

Wednesday 5th December- Leaving Las Vegas

A quiet morning around the Hotel although we did leave to go for breakfast in the village rather than sit in an empty restaurant with staff hovering about not knowing how to fill their time.
The late morning and afternoon we spent enjoying the comforts of the Hotel with the odd coffee and whilst we read our books their was no one to disturb us. When you consider that this Hotel has 493 bedrooms and an occupancy of about 2% you can understand why it is so deathly quiet and we loved it.
We planned to leave the Hotel at pm and take a slow drive to the Hire Car Drop off point as the deal we had with the rent-a-car people was they gave? us a full tank of fuel but we should return it empty. So over the last couple of days our driving style had reflected this and this and the on board computer said we had enough fuel for 71 miles when we first arrived at the Hotel on Monday.  When using the car to the mall on Tuesday we calculated the mall was 5 miles away times 2 which meant that the car should have sufficient fuel for the 14 mile drive to the airport only when we got back to the Hotel the computer had dropped to 52 miles, whoops how did that happen. Anyway we drove at a fuel efficient pace to the airport and of course the RED light came on and bells clanging saying short of fuel and the needle looked low whilst the computer said 38 miles however we now only have four miles to go in no traffic and so it should all be fine but cutting it a little close. Approx half a mile from our destination their had been rather a bad accident and there  were police and ambulance and fire people everywhere and so we were stuck in the traffic for twenty minutes whilst the computer clicked down and then eventually we started moving and we made it with the computer showing 12 miles left, phew that was close and not to be repeated.
Our flight was a little late leaving but this was due to strong headwinds for the aircraft on the way out but this meant our flight back was quite fast, just about nine hours compared to the scheduled 10.5 hours.
Boy it was cold when we got out of the aircraft compared to our past few weeks and we had to turn the heating really up in the house to get it warm.
An easy night watching TV and to bed, that is if we can sleep with the time difference.

Tuesday 4th December- Time to recover

The last few days had left us a little tired and so today was all about taking it easy, well that is apart from having to completely repack our stuff for travel as we have with us kettle, plates and cutlery and a rather large car plug-in cooler box.

This completed we took a trip to the large mall nearby but actually did not buy anything just wander around and had a soup and a sandwich at Panera Bread which was very good. The Hotel is so empty its difficult to find any other guests and apparently the timer between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a great time to visit Las Vegas as all the Hotel prices drop through the floor, our included. As a result many Hotel staff now take this time to holiday as also staff were not so plentiful around the place.
Having had many in room meals we decided as we did not have any microwave etc. that we would eat out and so we took the Hotel shuttle bus down to the Village and went to a nice restaurant called Sunset & Vines and the food was very good and actually, for what we had, not bad value either. The same would have cost us at least 30% more in Weybridge.
Then home to bed

Monday December 3rd- A long drive day today

We got up early just as the sun was rising outside our window overlooking the Sonic hamburger 24 hour restaurant as we have a long way to go today.
We have to leave Monument Valley and head back to Lake Las Vegas via Flagstaff and Kingman and then via the Hoover Dam and finally to our Hotel.
So after a quick brekkie, courtesy of the Hotel we departed around 0800 and Jennifer drove the first stint down through the mountains and again with roads stretching out for miles and we believe you could see up to 100 miles away sometimes.

Just outside of Flagstaff we stopped for a coffee and then changed drivers and Noel did the Intestate as we thought that would be busy but no it was remarkable quiet really. At about 13.30 we arrived at Kingman and from the distance we could see the Airport where they apparently store commercial aircraft which are not required currently or going to their graveyard in the sky. As time was with us we drove the five miles to the Airport, I say airport as my garage is slightly larger than their passenger hall and . we wandered around for a while and took  photos of about 100 aeroplanes owned by Delta, American Airlines, Spanair, SAS and lots from DHL and Continental. It was a little difficult as their were fences and in the way but few security guards.

We also used there airport terminal for a light lunch and then departed the 80 odd miles to the Hoover Dam where we had thought the new road would allow some good photos, but no, you need to go to the Dam and look up to see the new road,, oh well perhaps next time.
We arrived at the Hotel one hour earlier than anticipated as the clock changed by one hour back about half a mile from the Hoover dam to Pacific time.
When we arrived at the Hotel we noticed that the car park was virtually empty? and the doorman informed us that due the time of year they have about 5% occupancy, wow that cannot be good. Anyway as a result of us being a Starpoints member and the hotel being quiet they upgraded us which was nice.
We took all our goods and chattels from the car and wondered how we had got them to the USA in just four cases, oh well some work to be done tomorrow.
We stayed in the Hotel for dinner and went to Ricks cafe and sat by ourselves however we did not mind as after covering about 420 miles today we were not looking for the disco.
Tomorrow will be a relaxing day, repacking and then a little shopping and then some more relaxing, perhaps go in the pool if its warm enough.

2nd December- Monument Valley Utah

A nice blue sky greeted us this morning which hopefully meant the weather would be kind for our trip to Monument Valley. We are staying in a town called Kayenta which seems to live off the Monument Valley tourism trade and as a result the have not a bad small shopping centre. We stopped by here to collect some snacks for lunch and then took a slow drive out to the park which is about 15 miles from.
We went at first to another Hotel we had looked at called Goulding's Lodge which is motel style but with not bad views we thought. This place has been there so long that John Wayne use to stay there when making his cowboy fils and there is a small museum dedicated to his ilk. We also visited the Navajo gift shop but prices seem a little steep and so we departed with nothing.

We were due to meet our tour guide at the View Hotel which when we first checked for Saturday night they wanted $ 250.00 for a double room, not from me will they get this, but is clearly a very nice Hotel with amazing views and far better than those from the Goulding's Lodge. 
We had our snacks and then met with our tour guide who turned out to be a very nice young and very intelligent 19 year old who conducted us around the park in a GMC 4x4 Saloon which was most comfortable considering the appalling road conditions. Our Ford rent-a-car would have given up at the first bump and so we were glad we had decided to spend this money and this gives us the opportunity to go off the beaten track for sights not available if you drive yourself. We had a most enjoyable two and half hours touring and learning about the Navajo beliefs whilst perhaps taking to many photos.

It was a most enjoyable afternoon and well worth the expense.
We got back to the Hotel around five pm and showered off all the red dust and went for dinner in the Hotel restaurant and ordered food which turned out to be far to much for the both of us and so now it is sitting in the boot of car in doggy boxes and will no doubt be enough for lunch tomorrow.
So then an evening to relax and watch TV, last night the Monty Python Film 'The meaning of Life' was on which did surprise us.
Tomorrow we must leave quite early, around 8am if we can as have a long distance to go and we do not want to be driving around Las Vegas area in the dark.

Saturday 1st December- Back on the road again

We had originally booked four nights at the Legacy Golf Resort at Phoenix but as we enjoyed it so much we added another day and and a result would not now be stopping in Sedona overnight.

We have about 320 miles to cover today and we plan stops in Cottonwood and Sedona. The roads out of Phoenix were quite busy and we used the interstates to get going and eventually cam to the turn off for Cottonwood, We arrived first in the new part of town, just like any other US City sprawling malls and gas stations,and then followed signs to the Historic part of town. Within a few minutes we noticed the hundreds of people that had come to welcome us, they were lining the streets with their chairs and food and drink and we though what is really going on. It turns out to be a Christmas parade that will start at 11.00 and finish around four and will travel several miles right through the middle of the old town. Damn. So we were able to take a quick walk, have a coffee and then get back in the car and followed the Police diversions which sent us in the wrong direction but finally we made it back to correct roads. It was a shame as the town looked very nice  and worth a visit but we could not take the risk if being hemmed in.

We arrived in Sedona which is a beautiful town which unfortunately has become a major tourist attraction and holiday destination. The saying goes 'That God designed the world and lives in Sedona', and you can understand why with the fantastic mountains surrounding the town. We were planning to have lunch there but as they were wanting a merer US 15.00 for a basic hamburger we said no carried on walking and eventually left town around 2pm after Jennifer had bought a new cowboy hat.
After a while we arrived in Flagstaff after a rather nice drive through the mountains and then a Quiznos sandwich place and the food was excellent.
After locating an ATM we then left and headed north in the direction of the Grand Canyon but after two hours turned off toward a place called Kayenta where we are booked tonight at the Hampton Hotel for two nights. It was getting dark at 5 pm and that slowed us down a bit but eventually checked in around 6 pm.
It is unusual for a Hampton Inn to have a restaurant but this one does and although the service was a little slow the food was good. In this Navajo controlled area their is no alcohol allowed at all and if the locals get caught the punishment is severe to say the least. If they find booze in your car they confiscate the car or if they find some in your house they then evict you and confiscate the building , boy this is tough.
Tomorrow afternoon we have booked a tour in a 4x4 in Monument Valley rather than risk damaging the hire car. The roads are dirt roads with lots of holes and bumps and the last thing we need is a broken car, miles from anywhere.
Anyway a nice day but just a little tiring

Monday 26th November- The Bone Yard and then to Pheonix

A slow start and latish breakfast today and over breakfast we had a chat with the Hotel mine host, a very nice lady whose husband had at one time become addicted to gambling but seems to have got over it. There was also another guy whose mother had just arrived from Kent for about a week and so our speed of breakfast today was rather slow as we also talked about the US elections, poverty in America and a few other items.
We left the Hotel around 10.30 and drove through the side roads back to PIMA, where we were yesterday, but today we wanted to visit the Bone Yard where the US send many of its old and very old military aeroplanes to die and be cut up for scrap. This a separate bus tour and passports are required as you are going in to a military base.

The bus was full with about 40/50 people and a short drive later we arrived and there were aeroplanes everywhere. The guide was a retired Military pilot and naturally so much about all the aeroplanes there. They currently number around 4000 aircraft of everything from small fighter jet aircraft up to Hercules freighters and B 747 and even an old TWA Constellation. The aircraft they used for teaching the NASA space crews weightlessness was also there and this was a converted B 707.
After about 80 odd minutes we had seen enough as they were going to show and we went back and had a light snack in the cafe before heading off again avoiding motorways to get to Phoenix four our next stop where we plan some R & R for a few days after so much travelling.
We arrived in the rush hour and finally got to the Legacy Golf Hotel and Resort around 5.30 pm and just a little to late for us to go shopping and so we tried the on site restaurant where the food was very good.
This resort is very nice and similar to area we have stayed at a friends house in Sarasota, with various size of apartments and houses surrounded by a golf course.
So over the next three days we shall swim, rest and generally take it easy until it is time to move on to Sedona and then Monument Valley which is about six to seven hours by road.
So there will not be any Blog updates until the end of the week as we will be doing the same everyday in and around the Hotel.

Sunday 25th November- Jenson and Pima day out

JB with is well earned Champagne

We were up early to watch the Brazilian GP from Sao Paulo and needless to say it did not dissapoint and was one of the most exciting races of the season. We had rain,good and bad tyre choices and a few accidents but Jenson Button won the race in brilliant fashion which we were both delighted to see.
We had a light breakfast and then departed to the PIMA Museum which host the third largest display of historic aircraft in the USA. The have over 300 aircraft either within the various buildings and outside on rather a large site.
We opted for the trolley tour as the walking trip is 2.5 miles and as it was rather warm, around 28 degrees C, and this gave us a great tour with a very informative commentary.
For lunch we used the on site cafe and the food was very good but not cheap.

Trailer Park on outskirts of Tucson

The journey to and from the site enabled us to see how some of the poorer and also richer people live, some great big beautiful houses and lots of people living in RV's and Trailer parks.
Anyway, we will have to return to the museum on Monday as we wish to do the 'Boneyard' tour which is on a military base where they store almost 4000 aircraft of varying types.
Tonight we enjoyed the Pork Chops and then watched a film on TV called, Lost in Translation, we actually own this movie and it is all filmed in Japan.
And so to bed.

Saturday 24th November- Tombstone or bust

In yesterday blog I mentioned the extortionate price of fuel here, but let me put this in perspective  The US drivers are paying currently around $ 3.50 per US Gallon which equates after conversion to Sterling and US Gallons to Litres to a price of £ 0.63 per Litre, this is hight as it is usually around £ 0.50 per Litre.  So its not to bad compared to the around £ 1.40 we pay or almost three times as much.
The drive form Deming to Tombstone on the Interstate took about three and half hours after a fuel stop and the road was straight and with lots of mountains in the distance. The wind was quite strong at times and there were signs saying watch out for sand storms. Jennifer spotted several birds of prey but from the distance it was not clear what they were.
We arrived at Tombstone at around 13.00 and walked around for about two hours or so and had lunch in a saloon. This place is like a theme park or as Jennifer put it, a living museum. There were many people dressed the part with their guns hanging down, but this is American History,
The place was packed with holidaymakers following the Thanksgiving holidays and so we decided to leave about 14.45 as we had about a ninety minute drive to our hotel in Tucson and then we have to do some food shopping for the next two nights.
We arrived at the Hotel around 4.45 and checked in to our room which this time comes with a complete kitchen and then headed off to a local store for some food.
Perhaps we were a bit late but the fish did not look so good and so we bought some crab cakes and a bottle of wine. Tomorrow we go to the PIMA Aircraft museum  after we have watched the Brazilian GP and lets hope the Jenson wins.
The weather here is fine at around 28 degrees C and a lot of blue.

Friday 23rd November- Alpine to Deming New Mexico

A quick breakfast at the Hotel and then down the road for 30 miles to a place called Marfa which turned out to be closed as it was still rather early in the day at about 0900. We had planned to have a coffee and walk around but it was very windy and at 7 degrees Centigrade was a little on the chilly side.
We purchased some petrol at the extortionate price of US 3.49 per gallon, it was US 3.09 earlier in the week, the price must have gone up due to the Thanksgiving Holidays when everybody travels, 45 million people were expected to travel on the couple of days leading up to Thanksgiving day.
The road was quiet and flat and straight for mile after mile and we nearly knocked over a dear and her fawn, we also saw several coyote's and then an airship, so quite an interesting drive really.
We eventually had to leave the slower roads and head for the Interstate 10 which goes through El Paso and it was a short while before we reached here that we remembered that we would cross to a new time zone and gain one hour.
By one pm, or 12 really, we reached El Paso and was a little peck'ish and did not fancy the usual sandwich and then we saw a sign for a Texas BBQ and so in we went. The girl explained their process and what you can have which is largley brisket of beef, pork loin or ribs and turkey and variants on that. We chose the Turkey and Pork Ribs and both were delicious together with new potatoes, coleslaw and Jennifer had the Corn on the cob.

El Paso is a huge place and at times the interstate runs 300 yards from the Mexican Border and we did encounter two Border Patrol road blocks en route today. After leaving El Paso on the Interstate we decided to leave it after about ten miles and took the country roads which was much nicer. We also passed through a small town called Hatch which names them selves the Chile capital of the world. We also passed mile after mile and Pecan Nut trees until final we arrived in a place called Deming where we plan to break the journey for the day before heading off to Toombstone and Tucson tomorrow.
Having had a good lunch we will have only a light snack tonight and although we did think of going to the cinema we decided we were too tired after the 380 mile drive.

Big Bend National Park on US Thanksgiving Day

The alarm went off at around 06.30, too early really but needs must.

The road to Big Bend straight as far as you can see

A quick brekkie in the Hotel and after buying some very expensive, for the US, fuel we were on the road by 08.00 or perhaps earlier and we drove in to the centre of Alpine and looked for the US 118 to the park and then the signs were saying BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK 105 miles and then we were on our way. At first the road is relatively flat and as the minutes went by the road began to change with large mountains in the distance and roads stretching out for miles in front of us. We stopped a couple of times for some photos and passed a couple of small villages. There are a lot people who live in RV's in this area, actually lots in the USA all over, as its cheaper than buying a house.
So after about a 100 minute drive we arrived at the main gate and then showed our pass and we were inside. We drove three of the mail routes in the park and stopping to read the various bits of information and also for some photos. We finally visited the famous river of the Rio Grand which is the border between USA and Mexico where Jennifer went down the boat ramp and checked it out.

Jennifer in the Rio Grand River

We also went to the visitor centre and chatted to the staff and had a coffee of indistinguishable taste and a snack to keep the taste buds happy. We then went to the main visitor centre where they were serving a special Turkey Lunch to celebrate Thanksgiving Day and when we looked at the all you can eat buffet we were not impressed and decided to stick with our Brie and biscuits outside in the fresh air rather than in the rather hot and airless dining room.

The scenery in and around the park is fabulous with great mountains and canyons wide sprawling areas with mountains in to the distance. There are mountain Lions and bears, not that we saw any, although we did see several birds of prey. By 14.30 it was time to head back and we took it slower this time and eventually came to another Border Police Control Post where they checked out our passports, thank heavens we had them, and asking question about our past travels, presume they had noting better to do.
The weather was fantastic today with a solid blue sky and a final temperature of around 25 degrees Centigrade.
We arrived back in Alpine around 16.30 and drove around to see the town but most of it was closed due to the Thanksgiving Holidays but the town is not inspiring. The back to the Hotel where thank heavans the internet was working again and so Noel booked Hotels for the next few days of out journey and Jennifer plated a ham salad.
Tomorrow we again must leave early for Marfa and then on to Deming in New Mexico as a technical stop en route to our next destination Tucson , Arizona.

Wednesday 21st November- Del Rio to Alpine Texas

Following our late evening we were a little slow of the mark this morning. We had to fill up the car with gas, oops Petrol which is always a challenge as most of the pumps are automatic with self serve, just add your credit card and give us your zip code. We don't have a Zip and so by the time you have found out you need one then its back to the attendant, leave the card then fill up the car and then return to settle up.
The road to Alpine is just one long straight road called US 90 which at times passes close to the Mexican Border. There are quite a few trucks going up and down marker Border Patrol and and at one point we came to a road block where the Border guys checked us out for II's.
We came across a sign saying Judge John Dread Museum which we duly visited and it the real stuff this time (the real hanging Judge) with original buildings and lots of history  and well worth the visit. The saloon he had was very small and would only accommodate about 12 to 14 cowboys and the signs saying' no spittin on the floor' so we didn't.

We actually saw three large moving cargo trains today, usually we see only carriages or bulk carrying units and no tug but this time, boy three complete trains under way and one very long one of about one mile long being pulled by four engines.
We arrived in Alpine at the Holiday Inn, looks new from the outside and more expensive than it should be but this is due to the Thanksgiving Holidays we guess and lack of other goodish hotels. We weren't sure whether to visit the diner across the street later but the the girls at the front desk were not impressed by this place so then we decided to cater in and one hour later we had Tilapia fillets, mashed potatoes and peas and a bottle of Chardonnay ready for the evening meal, thanks to the microwave in the room.
As time is beginning to run out we held a board meeting to plan the rest of the trip so as to ensure we do everything we want to but also have a couple of days in Scottsdale taking it easy whilst a quick rush in to Phoenix to collect Noels new Amex card.
The fish tasted Ok, not like the fresh stuff but better than nothing we guess.
Tomorrow we have to be an early morning as to get to the Big Bend Park which is 90 miles each way to get there plus quite a bit of driving around the park and so it promises to be a long and perhaps tiring days but certainly interesting. Unfortunately all of the accommodation in the park is full up due to the holidays.
See you tomorrow

Tuesday 20th November- Austin to Del Rio

It was hard leaving our friends in Austin but we have places to go and things to see and in view of the Thanksgiving Holidays it was necessary to book Hotels in advance and so with three nights of Hotels booked and paid for, the offer to stay for Thanksgiving had to be rejected this time. Oh yes we shall be back to Austin as there is an awful lot to see and do.

As before we took the main roads rather than the Interstate (Motorways to you) and passed through some great looking towns called Bertram and Llano both of which need to be revisited. We also passed by the Buchanan Dam which is extremely large and very impressive. Our target was to reach Fredericksburg where we had visited once before and is a German Immigrant town like New Braunfels but much, much nicer. When we visited their last time it was wet and grey and nobody on the streets. This time it was blue and very warm and their were loads of tourists wandering around. We stopped for a coffee and a cake and took some photos and then left there about one pm and stopped one hour later for a 'leftover from yesterdays lunch' lunch by the side of the road at a picnic area overlooking a stream. Suddenly we were approached by some wasps and Jennifer thought she had been stung as it had gone up the trouser leg of her jeans and she thumped it and it fell down and then perished under the full weight of her foot.
The journey so far had been really nice with hills and trees turning to an Autumn shade and together with some rather nice ranch houses, and ranches of course, it was a very pleasant drive. 
After a while the nice bits peter'ed out and it became flat with some undulation and not to many trees but never mind we are en route to a nice place. We located our Hotel in Del Rio and decided that we would eat out and located not a bad steak house where we enjoyed a New York strip and a glass of wine and then back to the Hotel for another glass of wine provided free by the Hotel in their bar.
We then did some blogging and emailing etc and then a bit late to bed perhaps.