Archive for June 2013

NORTH TO ALASKA! THE 49TH STATE In 1898 thousands of hopeful adventurers set out for the Klondyke. The Gold Rush was on and the word Gold was enough to fire their spirits and send them stampeding North unfound and unfitted but with a fever to make the long hazardous journey to the rich Klondyke gold…

BUFFALO AND BIKERS IN THE BLACK HILLS There were cowboys everywhere, complete with snakeskin boots, jeans, loud check shirts and wide brimmed Stetsons, clutching cans of Budweiser wherever they went. We had arrived at Cheyenne, the first stop from Denver on our fly-drive holiday to Wyoming, South Dakota and Colorado. We had caught the last day…

VIVA LAS VEGAS!   The saying goes “what happens in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas” but I’m about to change all that! Las Vegas is too special to be kept a secret anymore! From its early days of gambling, drinking and women, Las Vegas has changed to a real family destination ~ your kids’…

THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH – A MUSIC CITY TOUR Atlanta! If you watched Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara escape the Burning City – you will appreciate the few historical sites and museums left in the city. The most notable being the preserved home of Martin Luther King. The civil war museum has a massive painting, with…

NEW YORK! NEW YORK! New York, New York! ….. so good they named it twice! It’s dynamic! It’s buzzing! It’s crazy! Even if you’re not a ‘city person’ – you’ll love New York – its one of the most exciting cities in the world. Times Square – the heart of its centre – neon’s flashing,…

BALLOONS, BATS AND BURRITOS Our fly-drive holiday to New Mexico started with an encounter with the American police and a reminder of the strict speed limits! But things soon improved and within a couple of days we were down to the Colorado/New Mexico border enjoying a whole-day trip on the spectacular Cumbres and Toltec narrow…

SWEET CAROLINE Carolina… most people ask: Where exactly is that?  Well, it’s on the East Coast and part of the ‘Deep South’ of the United States of America.  The most well known town is Charleston. It’s just 8 hours from London and beautiful to visit in the spring or fall. I went to Asheville via Charlotte.…

ALASKA, THE LAST FRONTIER Three years ago I sailed a small ship on the “pan handle” of the state of Alaska. I have dreamed ever since of going back to that far corner of the world, and in June my wish came true. This time I travelled from Anchorage to Fairbanks on the historic Alaska Railroad.…

ALIVE IN DEATH VALLEY I wonder why they call it Death Valley? Because it is, in fact, teeming with all sorts of life ~ plants, animals and insects ~ they’ve all evolved and adapted to live here … one of the hottest places on earth. 282 feet below sea level, and plains of flat salt…

CLAM CHOWDER, CHURCHES AND A KALEIDOSCOPE OF COLOUR Ten thousand feet below, the long sweeping arc of Cape Cod reached out into the Atlantic Ocean. We were commencing our approach into Boston’s Logan International Airport at the start of a three-week holiday to New England. Before travelling north to the mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont…