Day 26 - Savannah, GA - Washington, DC
posted by JJ Glamma at
11:10 PM
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Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Day 19 - New Orleans, LA
Where better to spend Kerry's birthday than in romantic New Orleans?
posted by JJ Glamma at
10:09 PM
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Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Day 18 - La Porte, TX - New Orleans, LA
If you only see one Space Centre on your trip to the USA, it should probably be the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. So said one of the two Aussies seated with us on the guided tour of the Johnson Space Centre outside Houston, and as the day wore on it seemed that he might have been on to something.
That said, the Johnson Centre was interesting, even if only for the guided tour of the actual Mission Control room used for the Apollo Program. However, much of the rest of it seemed to be geared towards young children.
But then, we are in fact planning to see the Kennedy Centre so I wasn't too disappointed. (And let's face it, at the age of 8 I probably would have loved most of the kids' activities in this place.)
Later, we crossed the border from Texas into Louisiana and I immediately noticed a change in the attitude of the staff in restaurants, petrol stations and souvenier stands. In Texas, staff were invariably polite and friendly; (and sometimes became even more so when "So, y'all from England?" was answered with "No mate, Australia.")
East of the border, however, there seems to be (so far at least) a vibe that we customers are intruding on valuable gossiping or coffee drinking time, and our money is taken from us in return for supplied goods with a surly attitude and a bare minimum of interaction.
On a totally unrelated note, Louisiana was originally settled by the French.
That said, the Johnson Centre was interesting, even if only for the guided tour of the actual Mission Control room used for the Apollo Program. However, much of the rest of it seemed to be geared towards young children.
But then, we are in fact planning to see the Kennedy Centre so I wasn't too disappointed. (And let's face it, at the age of 8 I probably would have loved most of the kids' activities in this place.)
Later, we crossed the border from Texas into Louisiana and I immediately noticed a change in the attitude of the staff in restaurants, petrol stations and souvenier stands. In Texas, staff were invariably polite and friendly; (and sometimes became even more so when "So, y'all from England?" was answered with "No mate, Australia.")
East of the border, however, there seems to be (so far at least) a vibe that we customers are intruding on valuable gossiping or coffee drinking time, and our money is taken from us in return for supplied goods with a surly attitude and a bare minimum of interaction.
On a totally unrelated note, Louisiana was originally settled by the French.
posted by JJ Glamma at
3:35 AM
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Day 17 - San Antonio, TX - La Porte, TX
via Fredericksburg, TX, which was well out of our way and well worth the detour.
Some notes on the day:
Some notes on the day:
- Fredericksburg is the home of the Museum of the Pacific War, which gets about ten or twelve lines in our guidebook. It should get more.
Everything you wanted to know about World War Two in the Pacific Theatre but were afraid to ask is answered in loving (and, where appropriate, sobering) detail in this very fine museum in the middle of nowhere, Texas. (Blame World War Two Naval Commander Admiral Chester Nimitz for being born here.)
- Our friend in the About Australia shop yesterday apologised in advance for the condition of Texas's beaches. I don't see why. Personally, I think that the beaches and waterways of Australia and California could do with more oil refineries, high voltage power lines and other signs of industrialisation.
- But I shouldn't bash Texas too much, since it is the only place in the world where I have seen express lane signs in supermarkets with the (grammatically correct) legend "10 items or fewer."
posted by JJ Glamma at
1:50 AM
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Day 16 - San Antonio, TX
No driving today; instead we went to see an old Spanish mission whose name I would probably remember if I was Texan.
Additionally we saw some of the sights of downtown San Antonio, including a little shop called About Australia, browsing through which was a wonderful temporary cure for homesickness; although we resisted the temptation to buy any of the imported, atrociously marked-up merchandise.
(Except for the 20 Freddo Frogs. We're not made of stone.)
Seriously, if you ever find yourself in or around San Antonio and want to stock up on Aussie goods, whether you are an Aussie expat or just a Kanglophile, then I highly recommend looking in on their store, just across from the Alamo. If you get the same guy behind the counter that we did, he might just treat you to his really really bad fake Australian accent (he's too smart to try it on real Aussies, so just put on a fake Upper Voltan accent or something when you go in.)
Oh, and they also do mail order. I want to know where these guys were when I was living in Seattle. (Right here, said the guy.) So why hadn't I heard of them? (Because they hadn't hired me to do their marketing yet, said the guy with the answer for everything.)
We talked and swapped stories with the guy in the About Australia shop for several hours, which ate into the time we were going to spend seeing more attractions. But that's OK, not just because he was a top bloke, but also because not seeing everything gives us an excuse to come back to San Antonio one day.
Not that we need one.
Additionally we saw some of the sights of downtown San Antonio, including a little shop called About Australia, browsing through which was a wonderful temporary cure for homesickness; although we resisted the temptation to buy any of the imported, atrociously marked-up merchandise.
(Except for the 20 Freddo Frogs. We're not made of stone.)
Seriously, if you ever find yourself in or around San Antonio and want to stock up on Aussie goods, whether you are an Aussie expat or just a Kanglophile, then I highly recommend looking in on their store, just across from the Alamo. If you get the same guy behind the counter that we did, he might just treat you to his really really bad fake Australian accent (he's too smart to try it on real Aussies, so just put on a fake Upper Voltan accent or something when you go in.)
Oh, and they also do mail order. I want to know where these guys were when I was living in Seattle. (Right here, said the guy.) So why hadn't I heard of them? (Because they hadn't hired me to do their marketing yet, said the guy with the answer for everything.)
We talked and swapped stories with the guy in the About Australia shop for several hours, which ate into the time we were going to spend seeing more attractions. But that's OK, not just because he was a top bloke, but also because not seeing everything gives us an excuse to come back to San Antonio one day.
Not that we need one.
posted by JJ Glamma at
1:23 AM
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Saturday, December 11, 2004
Day 15 - Wichita Falls, TX - San Antonio, TX
Via Dallas, TX where we visited the Sixth Floor Museum and various other sites at Dealey Plaza connected with the Kennedy assassination.
posted by JJ Glamma at
1:48 AM
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Thursday, December 09, 2004
Day 10 - Fresno, CA - San Francisco, CA
This was our last day with the coach tour.
We took a cruise out on San Francisco Bay, including sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge into the Pacific Ocean, as well as past Alcatraz Island.
The coach also took us on a driving tour around the city, both by day and by night. Then back to the hotel for farewell drinks with the tour group before setting out on our own the next morning.
We took a cruise out on San Francisco Bay, including sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge into the Pacific Ocean, as well as past Alcatraz Island.
The coach also took us on a driving tour around the city, both by day and by night. Then back to the hotel for farewell drinks with the tour group before setting out on our own the next morning.
posted by JJ Glamma at
10:41 PM
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1 comments
Day 9 - Visalia, CA - Fresno, CA
Via Yellowstone National Park.
posted by JJ Glamma at
10:39 PM
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1 comments
Saturday, December 04, 2004
Day 8 - Las Vegas, NV - Visalia, CA
Death Valley is beautiful, scenic, unspoiled country that people flock to visit; Bakersfield is... not. Today, our coach tour passed through both.
Once out of Death Valley, the scenery became as monotonous as it has been any day of the tour. A good day to catch up on reading.
Once again, no broadband, so no photos. (yet)
Once out of Death Valley, the scenery became as monotonous as it has been any day of the tour. A good day to catch up on reading.
Once again, no broadband, so no photos. (yet)
posted by JJ Glamma at
1:29 AM
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Day 7 - Bryce Canyon, AZ - Las Vegas, NV
The tour bus took us to Vegas via Zion National Park (which was full of gorgeous scenery and relatively free of gratuitous love scenes and hemp clothing.)
Once in Vegas, I put 25 cents into a slot machine and Kerry pressed the buttons. At first it paid 1-1, so we got our quarter back. Living dangerously, we pressed the buttons again, and this time the payoff was 100-1. So that's our laundry money for the rest of this trip taken care of.
And that was all the gambling we did; there was some talk of blackjack, but the chance to go on a guided tour of some of the attractions, as well as the desire for such mundane things as sleep and food, took precedence.
Both Zion and Vegas were spectacular subjects for photography. But you'll just have to take our word for it until the next time we're near a broadband connection.
Once in Vegas, I put 25 cents into a slot machine and Kerry pressed the buttons. At first it paid 1-1, so we got our quarter back. Living dangerously, we pressed the buttons again, and this time the payoff was 100-1. So that's our laundry money for the rest of this trip taken care of.
And that was all the gambling we did; there was some talk of blackjack, but the chance to go on a guided tour of some of the attractions, as well as the desire for such mundane things as sleep and food, took precedence.
Both Zion and Vegas were spectacular subjects for photography. But you'll just have to take our word for it until the next time we're near a broadband connection.
posted by JJ Glamma at
1:16 AM
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Day 6, Page AZ - Bryce Canyon, UT
Today the tour bus took us from Page, AZ to Bryce Canyon, UT (pictured). Bryce Canyon is apparently not a canyon but a natural amphitheatre. (I mention this because I know it will annoy Steve.)
This being my (and Kerry's) first time in Utah, I was vaguely disappointed that our hotel room did not contain a copy of the Book of Mormon as well as the Gideon Bible. (I mention this because I know it will really annoy Steve.)
posted by JJ Glamma at
1:06 AM
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Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Day 5 - Grand Canyon to Page
Today we travelled by coach from the Grand Canyon to Monument Valley; and on to Page, AZ by scenic flight.
Even if you've never heard of it, you know what Monument Valley looks like because you've seen it feature as a location in movies starring everyone from John Wayne and Clint Eastwood to Chevy Chase and Michael J.Fox; and now you've seen it feature in this photo taken by Kerry during the scenic flight.
On to Page, where we are overnighting in an excellent golfers' hotel.
This hotel features an excellent restaurant.
That's Good.
The restaurant and room-service a la carte service is closed for the off-season.
That's Bad.
But they've opened the kitchens to do a buffet for this tour.
That's good
Nothing on the buffet appeals to either Kerry or me.
That's Bad.
There's a McDonalds just up the hill from the hotel.
That's good
The only ways there are a) to trek in pitch dark across a stretch of desert which may or may not contain jumping cacti, tarantulae and rattlesnakes; b) to walk along an unlit highway with no pavement; or c) call a taxi out to the hotel to drive us 200m along the highway.
That's really bad
Thank God for Pizza Hut delivery.
Memo to Pizza Hut Australia: You guys don't appear to have cinnamon sticks on your menu. Please look into rectifying this situation because, quite frankly, Trumpet Ice Creams do not even remotely compare to these little sticks of heaven.
Even if you've never heard of it, you know what Monument Valley looks like because you've seen it feature as a location in movies starring everyone from John Wayne and Clint Eastwood to Chevy Chase and Michael J.Fox; and now you've seen it feature in this photo taken by Kerry during the scenic flight.
On to Page, where we are overnighting in an excellent golfers' hotel.
This hotel features an excellent restaurant.
That's Good.
The restaurant and room-service a la carte service is closed for the off-season.
That's Bad.
But they've opened the kitchens to do a buffet for this tour.
That's good
Nothing on the buffet appeals to either Kerry or me.
That's Bad.
There's a McDonalds just up the hill from the hotel.
That's good
The only ways there are a) to trek in pitch dark across a stretch of desert which may or may not contain jumping cacti, tarantulae and rattlesnakes; b) to walk along an unlit highway with no pavement; or c) call a taxi out to the hotel to drive us 200m along the highway.
That's really bad
Thank God for Pizza Hut delivery.
Memo to Pizza Hut Australia: You guys don't appear to have cinnamon sticks on your menu. Please look into rectifying this situation because, quite frankly, Trumpet Ice Creams do not even remotely compare to these little sticks of heaven.
posted by JJ Glamma at
1:13 AM
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2 comments
Grand Canyon, Morning of Day 5
Kerry wishes to pass on her appreciation to Pauline for the gift of this knitted hat.
It came in very handy, since the temperature at the time this photo was taken was minus 15 degrees Celsius.
Us Aussies were suffering far more than the Germans or English; but we got our own back: the pilot of our scenic flight later that day accidentally left the heater on full. The English passengers were apparently suffering from the "stifling" heat for the whole one hour flight; Kerry and I were blissfully unaware that anything was amiss.
It came in very handy, since the temperature at the time this photo was taken was minus 15 degrees Celsius.
Us Aussies were suffering far more than the Germans or English; but we got our own back: the pilot of our scenic flight later that day accidentally left the heater on full. The English passengers were apparently suffering from the "stifling" heat for the whole one hour flight; Kerry and I were blissfully unaware that anything was amiss.
posted by JJ Glamma at
12:30 AM
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0 comments
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
What kind of contact are they thinking about?
Reclaimed Water Used In This Device
Avoid Contact
It can't be drinking. I mean, dogs can't read anyway.Avoid Contact
posted by JJ Glamma at
11:30 PM
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