2008 Journey

Bob and Margaret Kellett

"The thing about trains....It doesn't matter where they're going.  What matters is deciding to get on".

22 Jan -2 Feb 08

Fly Auckland to Melbourne on Air New Zealand. During the flight all passengers observe one minute's silence in honour of Sir Edmund Hillary who, back in Auckland, is being buried today. With the Boyds we visit Melbourne Zoo, where the Orangutans are a big hit. Also go to Rod Laver Arena and watch Tsonga [France] beat Nadal [Spain] in semi-final of Australian Tennis Open.   Fergus has first day at school.

4 -7 Feb 08

Margie's sister Desrae arrives from London and stays a few days until her husband David arrives on 7 Feb. They then take off to visit other NZ relatives and friends.

15 -20 Mar 08

Fly via LAX to Ottawa, where it is very cold and snow is up to window level around the houses. Welburns are in good spirits, the chidren are unfazed by the cold and the snow, in fact they actually enjoy activity in these conditions. The older girls are becoming excellent skiers and ice-skaters.

21 -22 Mar 08

Fly Ottawa to Kansas City. Sub Tropolis staff uplift us from the Airport and we are re-united with Playtime and Jeep. Both vehicles in excellent order, we move to Worlds of Fun RV Park, just around the block from Sub Tropolis. Stock up for the start of 2008 road trip. Weather still wintery, we must quickly drive south to a warmer lattitude.

23 -25 Mar 08

It's 'once more into the breach dear friends' and we're on the 435 Ring Road, crossing the wide Missouri, outta Kansas City, then west, then south on the I-35 heading through Kansas to Oklahoma.  Spring has barely sprung, the Great Plains wheat fields and cornfields are still fallow for as far as the eye can see. Oklahoma City. Visit the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, a modern and well-designed facility where we learn about 'the grit, passion, courage and the glory' of the American West. Then the Oklahoma City National Memorial, erected in rememberance of the victims of the horrific bombing of the Alfred Murrah Federal Building by Timothy McVeigh on 19 Apr 95, where 168 innocent people were killed and many injured.  A massive white statue stands outside entitled, 'Jesus Wept'.

26 -27 Mar 08

On to Amarillo [what a delightful name] in the Texas Panhandle. We drive along the I-40, and for much of the trip we are following the historic Route 66.  Stop at Clinton, OK, to visit a Route 66 museum, purchase mementos, also learn about the massive damage suffered in that region during the "Dust Bowl" period in the 1930s. Also learn that Amarillo has the third longest airfield in the world. It serves as an alternative landing site for the Space Shuttle.

28 -29 Mar 08

Depart Amarillo heading for Roswell, New Mexico. Happily cruising along in the middle of the desert when we notice a passerby gesticulating wildly at us; large clouds of black smoke billowing from the rear of Playtime. Whoa!!!  Due to remoteness of area there is no service on either of our mobile phones, so we launch the dish for our satellite internet and then use Skype to call our Good Sam Emergency Breakdown Service. They organise a mobile repairman, and the smiling face of Joe Valdez from JJ Express soon arrives on the scene. He identifies a cracked solid fuel lead as the cause of the problem, squirting diesel onto the hot exhaust pipe, thus creating the massive clouds of black smoke.

The nearest replacement part is in Lubbock, Texas, some 150 miles away. It is now late on Saturday so the quickest way of getting the new fuel lead is to pick it up from Lubbock, which Joe volunteers to do. Meanwhile a tow service is arranged to take us back to the nearest small town, but it cannot get to our location until after midnight.  Before driving off and leaving us alone in the middle of the desert Joe tells us not to worry, he'll inform the local Sheriff we're out there, then assures us " there is only good people living around here".

Next afternoon Joe is back and fits the new, modified, fuel lead and we are safely back on the road again. We subsequently find that Cummins, the engine manufacturer, had identified the defect some months earlier, but somehow their Recall message was not forwarded to us. Cummins agrees to cover our costs [over US$1000] , so all ends happily.

30 Mar 08

Arrive at Roswell, famous for the supposed landing there of aliens on 7 July 1947. Greatly underimpressed with the numerous low-quality commercial outlets cashing in on the scenario, however we visit the Roswell Museum and Art Gallery, which does impress us, and makes our stop at Roswell worthwhile.

31 Mar -2 Apr 08

At Ruidoso, New Mexico, an attractive ski town. Altitude 6000 ft, so it is very chilly even with sunny, cloudless skies. Nearby is the historic town of Lincoln, which has the reputation of being one of the wildest  towns of all in the Wild, Wild West, mainly due to the bloody Lincoln County War 1876-79, in which Billy the Kid was a central character. Lincoln is preserved almost entirely as it was during that time, so it feels like we are walking around a Hollywood film set for a Western movie. The surrounding region was very much Apache country, adding a further dimension to the history of human struggle in the area.  

Some years ago a baby bear, who had been orphaned and burnt in a forest fire near Lincoln, was rescued and brought back to health. He was nicknamed "Smokey Bear", and his name and image has been used ever since in fire safety campaigns throughout the USA.

3 -4 Apr 08  

Continue driving through New Mexico, appreciating why it is called the "Land of Enchantment".  With vast, totally flat deserts, and steep, jagged mountain ranges suddenly erupting from the desert floor, the scenery is unique and fascinating. We have a distant view of the White Sands Missile Range, location of "Trinity", the site of the first atomic bomb explosion in 1945, as part of the Manhattan Project. Although it is in a reasonably remote area, it is much closer to human habitation than one expected, indicating that the risk from radiactive fallout was probably significantly underestimated at that time.

Leave Playtime at town of Deming and drive in the Jeep 70 miles, the last stage being a very narrow, winding road up to the Gila Clifftop Dwellings. Established by a group belonging to the Mogollon people, who lived in the settlement from 1270 -1300 AD. Later the Apache lived in these clifftop dwellings.

5 -7 Apr 08

At Casa Grande, where we visit the ancient adobe building the town is named after. The Casa Grande was built between 1300 -1400 AD by the Hohokam people. They apparently enjoyed a good lifestyle for many years, then a shortage of water forced them to move on.

Most taken with the Saguara Cactus  This is the tall upright cactus, with many skyward-pointing fingers which we saw in every Western movie when we were young. It grows only in this particular area, so Hollywood clearly misled us regarding the actual locations for some of their films.

8 Apr 08

Visit Quartzite, the small [very small] town located in an isolated, barren area of the Arizona desert, near the Californian border. Each year when the Snowbirds of North America head south for the winter, over 10,000 RVs settle around Quartzite. We are eager to find the attraction there. We find none!

We see very few full-service sites, and not too many offering even just basic power and water. Most of the RVers just boondock out on the desert, relying on "honeywagons" to call and collect their sewage. We see no swimming pools, golf clubs, or similar facilities, which causes us to wonder how people entertain themselves during their 3-4 months down here. Needless to say, we decide not to stay here ourselves.

We intend to drive directly up to Flagstaff, however a quick check of the weather tells us that it is snowing there, with the temperature well below Zero, so quick change of plan and we cross the Colorado (Spanish for 'Colour Red' named for the red rock canyons through which it flows) River into California and drive on to Palm Springs, where they are enjoying [?] 40 C temperatures.

9 -12 Apr 08

The scenery as we drive towards Palm Springs is awesome, and the drive around the town, with its beautiful landscaping and attractive developments, is impressive. Many of the RV parks are still packed with Snowbirds, however we finally get a site at the Indian Wells RV Park, where there is luxuriant green grass underfoot, palm trees all around, and magnificent mountain views.

Visit Joshua Tree National Park. Entry fee is $15 per vehicle, and we certainly have our money's worth as we drive through the Park seeing dramatic scenery, awesome rock formations, the Hidden Valley, plus a walk through fields of Chollo Cactus, Joshua Trees and Yuccas. This is very much rattlesnake country.

13 -19 Apr 08

Based at Flagstaff, Arizona. It is 9 years since we last saw the Grand Canyon, so that is first on the list.  Mere words cannot do justice to that sight!

               Shop on Edge of Grand Canyon        Margie Likes to Live on the Edge

 Next we head off to Sedona to view the astounding red rock scenery around the town, then out to Montezuma Castle. It was misnamed because it was originally thought that it had been built by Aztecs, however people called Sinagua [Spanish for "without water"] built it some 800 years ago. Later we visit the Walnut Canyon National Park and see more ancient homes built by the cliff-dwelling Sinagua people. They must have been like mountain goats to get to some of their settlements. The idea of living up in the cliffs does fire one's imagination.

Drive out to see Meteor Crater, where 49,000 years ago a huge iron-nickel meteorite, estimated to be 150 feet across, zoomed in and struck the rocky plain with the force of 20 million tons of TNT. The Visitor Center provides excellent presentations explaining the event, and is a great reminder that some natural disasters can literally fall out of the sky. That evening a visit to the famous Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff.  Looking through some of their telescopes, it is reassuring to note that nothing seems to be heading our way right now.

20 -22 Apr 08

Call in to see the Painted Desert, absolutely fascinating views, then on to Canyon De Chelly. An early photograph by the famous American photographer Ansell Adams first introduced us to this remarkable place. The National Park Service provide a free campground here, but no services available, except for security. Because of the popularity of this area, we are lucky to get a site. The Tiffin logo on the side of our Allegro Bus says, 'roughing it smoothly', and that is just what we did for the night.

Trek down 800 feet to the floor of the Canyon and get a magnificent view of the White House, an ancient complex constructed inside a large cave high up in the face of the vertical side of the Canyon. Climbing up and down the cliff face would have been extremely risky, and we wondered how many, especially children, lost their lives doing that. It brings to mind a line a from a song, "every form of refuge has its price".

23 -26 Apr 08

Move on to Albuquerque, NM. Visit the Old Town area, where we have lunch in an inn that has been operating from that building for 400 years.

A day trip in the Jeep to Santa Fe, one of the oldest towns in North America. Absolutely charming place!  Enjoy lunch in an old Spanish inn courtyard (La Sena). We're delighted with the food and the service, both 5 star standard, yet very reasonably priced.

Visit the Lorretto Chapel, admire the "Miraculous Staircase" which was built for the Nuns in the 1870's by a 'stranger' who just happened along. The staircase is an engineering masterpiece, completing two 360 degree turns, and standing without any apparent means of support, from the floor to the choir stall. When he had completed the job, the tradesman/stranger just disappeared into the blue before receiving any payment for his work! The stairs have been in use ever since without any problems.

27 -28 Apr 08

As we leave New Mexico a roadsign gives us a friendly "Hasta La Vista" and we drive on to the Mesa Verde RV Resort, Colorado. Cold at night [minus 6] but beautiful fine days. View the well-preserved early Pueblo cliff dwellings in the Mesa Verde National Park. Again, our imaginations are fired by these early settlements. Everywhere we have been the National Park service has provided great facilities to enable the public to visit these locations.

29 Apr -1 May 08

At Gouldings Monument Valley Campground, Utah, situated right on the edge of the fabulous Monument Valley. Driving around Monument Valley we are totally in awe of the dramatic scenery! Here we finally see in real life the scenes from countless movies and advertising posters. In the evening we watch the sun setting on the beautiful red rock granite buttes, and try to imagine the huge natural forces [water, wind, movement of tectonic plates] that, over the eons, shaped these remarkable features.

2 -3 May 08

At Moab, Utah, where we tour both Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. At Canyonlands we trek for several miles out to Murphy's Overlook, where the views are stupendous. The land falls in several massive steps down to where we can see both the Colorado and Green Rivers cutting even deeper through the vast dissected plain.

4 -11 May 08

A sign bids us 'Vaya Con Dias Amigos' as we exit the RV Park near Canyonlands, and we're soon belting north along the motorway to Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City is set in a large valley with the surrounding mountains giving chocolate box views in most directions. To get here the first Mormons had tramped with their handcarts more than 1000 miles. As they came out of the last mountain pass they paused on a knoll overlooking what is now Salt Lake City, and their leader, Brigham Young, pronounced "This is the place!".  It would have looked like Paradise to those early settlers, and we think today that Salt Lake City is one of the more attractive cities in the USA.

At Temple Square we watch a live broadcast by the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir, 300 strong and accompanied by a full orchestra. ("Rock My Soul In The Bosom Of Abraham...").  Enjoy it so much we go back the following Sunday to listen to them again.

Also watch a basketball game where the Utah Jazz beat the LA Lakers. Sadly, Kobe Bryant did not play up to his usual standard.

12 -14 May 08

Drive to Missoula, Montana, where we visit the law firm and say "Hello" to the people who administer our Playtime Motorhome LLC, the registered company that we set up to legally own our motorhome and Jeep.

15 -19 May 08

Yellowstone National Park, where we rendezvous with friends Laurie and Ray  from Auckland, New Zealand. They have bought a motorhome in Colorado City and have just started a six month tour of the USA. Although the snow is still deep on the ground, the weather is warm and sunny, so we are able to really enjoy seeing the sights and wildlife that abound in the Park.

20 -24 May 08

Laurie, Ray and ourselves drive south to Jackson Hole. Marvellous views of the Grand Tetons. Great shops selling marvellous Western wear, and many art galleries, in the town.  Our friends then head off south, whilst we head for Colorado City, where we have been given an introduction to Max and Glenis Chartrand who are providers of top of the range hearing aids. Margie is keen to try these out, and is very happy with her purchase.

26-30 May 08

Back in the 'office', all day drive north on Highway I-25 through the busy Denver area, on to Cheyenne, Wyoming where the KOA RV Park warmly welcomes us.

31 May -6 Jun 08

Now we're heading north toward Rapid City along back country roads giving sweeping vistas across fertile green prairie (NZ style green).  We see cattle, deer, gophers, turkey buzzards, and the Black Hills of South Dakota. The Happy Holiday RV Resort at Rapid City is our haven for a week. Visit again Mount Rushmore, then on to a neighbouring mountain being shaped into the Crazy Horse Memorial which, when finished, will also be magnificent. 

Also tour a Minuteman Missile site that had been operational during the 60s and 70s. Now it is maintained as a national historic site. Ten missile-launching pads had been located near Rapid City. The reality of the Cold War became very evident!

7 -11 Jun 08

We promise Victoria and Colin we'll babysit on 14th June.  We're several days drive away from Ottawa, we better hurry, we drive and we drive... from Rapid City in South Dakota, to Bismarck, North Dakota.  Enroute, wonderful countryside, verdant green, a few homesteads, including that of Lawrence Welk (remember Lawrence Welk and his orchestra!).  Also, pheasants galore, all colours. This is "Dances With Wolves" country.  At Bismarck turn due east. Soon we navigate through Fargo (Wells Fargo Bank!), then across Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan where we turn north to Sault St Marie. Now in Ontario, Canada, we belt across Highway 17 all the way to Ottawa. 

12 -23 Jun 08

We're back in our usual spot at Recreationland RV Park, near the banks of the Ottawa River - in time to babysit!  Enjoy activities and fun with the Welburns. Also share time with our friends Peter and Sue.

24 Jun -24 Jul 08

Store Playtime and Jeep at Belanger RV at Orleans in Ottawa.  Fly Air Canada to Europe for a month. Firstly, a week in Madrid, scorching hot, up to 40 degrees [but fortunately not humid]. Our hotel, the Emperador, is very stylish, and on the Gran Via, right in the middle of the Old Quarter, within walking distance of main attractions.Spend marvellous day at The Prado, then watch on TV as Spain beats Germany in the 2008 Euro Cup [soccer] Grand Final .

       Sightseeing in Madrid Is Interesting     Man from La Mancha meets Lady from Auckland

Now, four days in Rome. We have been here a number of times, but  for us the Eternal City never loses its attraction. Very hot, but we have fun buying shoes and clothes in the fabulous shops.  An early morning walk in the cool gardens of the Villa Borghese, and later a double decker bus tour around the city and the Vatican.  Many very smartly dressed people to be seen in Rome.  

5 -19 July 08

Board the Quest [Azamara Line] for a fourteen day Mediterranean/Black Sea cruise; Civitavecchia {Rome], Sorrento, Santorini, Kusadasi [Turkey], Chios [Greece] Istanbul, Sinop [Turkey], Yalta, Sebastopol and Odessa [Ukraine], Varna [Bulgaria], finishing at Piraeus [Athens, Greece]. Azamara is our favourite cruising line because it uses smaller ships, offers a personal, top class service, but has only a "smart resort" standard for its dress code, therefore no dinner suits or evening gowns are required.

This is our first time in the Black Sea and we're very taken with the places we visit here. Yalta, the summer Palace of the Romanovs including late Czar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandria, four daughters and son (all who were murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918). Palace is also site of Yalta conference in 1945 (Post War matters, Churchill, Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin).  However, Yalta now appears to be clapped out and living in the shell of past glory! 

Have fascinating bus excursion at Sevastapol, first to Panorama museum where we view a 365 foot painting portraying the 1855 assault on Sevastapol which was start of Crimean War.  Then on to Balaclava where in the valley our guide instructs us on the story of "The Charge Of The Light Brigade", showing the terrain of this ill fated charge by Lord Cardigan in 1854.  Then to Balaclava Harbour where Russian (soviets) Warships and Subs had top secret base.

Odessa, beautiful Mediterranean style city, faded glory, Catherine The Great monument, strictly laid out parks and street grid, there is much to delight one in this 'Paris of the East' but one feels the Communist yoke somehow remains, the people appear stony faced and unhappy.

19 - 23 July 08

Four days in Athens, staying at the lovely Electra Palace Hotel, right in the middle of the Old Town and looking directly across to the Acropolis. Awe inspiring ancient Greek history. Time for Air Canada flight back to Ottawa.

25 July -13 Aug 08

Family time in Ottawa, plus catching up with Peter and Sue. Spend a week camping together with the Welburns at Thousand Islands, a very popular holiday destination on the huge and shiny St Lawrence River.

14 - 20 Aug 08

We're now back in the US, based near Lake Placid, in Upstate New York, very peaceful and scenic area, visit John Brown's Farm, the anti-slavery campaigner immortalised in the song "John Browns Body Lies A-mouldering In The Grave".

21 -27 Aug 08

We rendezvous again with our New Zealand friends, basing ourselves 60 miles North of New York City. Do the rounds of NYC, including lunch with an ex NZ Army acquaintance who has done very well in NY. He tells some great stories, especially we note his advice that the locals in NYC are actually far friendlier than the impression one gets from the media and Hollywood. Our experiences support that opinion.

28 Aug - 13 Sep 08

Back in Virginia, an appealing place to live (although we have no plans to move permanently to the USA); green fields, great climate, amazing historical locations, especially "the Historical Triangle" around the Williamsburg area. Spend a week at Virginia Beach, where the RV park is adjacent to the Oceana Naval Air Base, where US Navy pilots are trained. There is an almost constant flow of fighter jets doing their circuits, we certainly see the US taxpayers' dollars at work.

Bob goes deepsea fishing from Virginia Beach, hooks a Marlin, but after a long [and very tiring] fight, it throws the hook when only a few metres from the boat. Catch a good number of lesser fish, but the Marlin would have been the cream.

14- 19 Sep 08

We drive across the Allegheny Mountains into West Virginia. Hills and rivers everwhere offering plenty of opportunities for enjoying outdoor activities. Visit the famous Tamarack Art and Craft Centre, then our route takes us back over the Alleghenys into Virginia.

20 -26 Sep 08

Settle in at the Yogi Bear Jellystone RV Park in Nashville, Tennessee. Enjoy a great night at the Grand Ole Oprey.  Visit The Hermitage, the home of Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the USA.

During this period we hear that Lehman Brothers Bank has been allowed to fail, and the panic commences. Matters go from bad to worse, then even worse again as the US Government seeks ways of dealing with the problem. The US Treasury Secretary puts forward a US $700 Billion plan to try and fix the problem. The amounts being tossed around astound us, and in our naivety we assume that these massive handouts will soon remedy the situation.  

27 - 29 Sep 08

A previous visit to the Museum of American Quilters Society at Paducah, Kentucky, was greatly rewarding so this year we decide to come back again. A new range of magnificently crafted quilts are on display, quite enthralling! 

30 Sep - 9 Oct 08

Autumn is now in the air.  We're established again on the same site we enjoyed last year at the America's Best Campground in Branson, Missouri. Each day we attend a show at one of the countless theatres in the town. Several that we had seen last year [Yakov Smirnoff, the Brett Family, and Tony Roi] had been so enjoyable we go to see them a second time. Branson has a number of first class golf courses in the vicinity, so Bob goes either fishing or golfing whilst Margie finishes off her latest quilt project ('A Few Stars').

10 - 12 Oct 08

Back at Kansas City, Missouri, we pack up and prepare the vehicles for Sub Tropolis storage facility. On completion of the storage arrangements, the manager, John Keeney, drives us to the airport where we start the journey back to Auckland, NZ.

10 - 24 Nov 08

In Australia to visit our families in Melbourne and Adelaide. Everyone is well. The Boyds are in the midst of moving house, so we are able to assist a little there. In Adelaide Paul shows us the new, much larger, premises his firm will shortly move into. The Turnbulls now have a Wii, so Margie and Bob are introduced to the various games played with this fascinating device.

 And so ends year 2008. The Global Financal Crisis caused hardship and ruin for many, and we were not untouched. Nevertheless we count ourselves fortunate to have still been able to enjoy a fascinating and interesting year, with many wonderful memories to look back on. 

Christmas greetings to all.

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